Mangwon sashimi date spot: ₩45,000 live squid in mulhoe, Mapo Bamdada

kujaka lucky note, a record of live squid at Mapo Bamdada, a sashimi restaurant in Mangwon.

The taste of the sea, bursting out on a Mangwon night

What kind of sashimi restaurant is Mapo Bamdada in Mangwon?

Mapo Bamdada (마포밤바다) is a sashimi restaurant on Woldeukeop-ro in Mangwon, with a row of fish tanks lined up out front. My new center is in Hapjeong, so I've been going on food hunts in Mangwon a lot lately, and this eating date was Mangwon too: the Japanese-style sashimi spot Mapo Bamdada.

When I got to Mapo Bamdada, the tanks stretched out in front of the shop. They grab your eye before the signboard does. That aura of a place people who know their sashimi know! Freshness is everything with raw fish, and just seeing the scale of those tanks openly displayed at the door made my mouth water for that chewy texture.

Mapo Bamdada basic info

• Location: walkable from Exit 4 of Mapo-gu Office Station on Line 6
• Corkage available (fee applies)
• Takeout and delivery available
• Separate restrooms for men and women

What's the atmosphere like at Mapo Bamdada?

The shop feels more like a seaside sashimi joint than an izakaya (Japanese-style pub). Freshness, its strongest weapon, is front and center.

I opened the door and stepped in. It's a space that feels like the sea. It isn't very big, but that compact size gives it a cozy comfort. Every table feels warm, and the layout lets eye contact and conversation flow naturally.

What comes in the basic spread at Mapo Bamdada?

Once you order, Mapo Bamdada lays out mulhoe (cold raw fish soup), soy-marinated shrimp, seasoned vegetables, braised fish and clam soup as the basic spread. It's a full-course sea feast on one table.

It feels like a finished course meal. Satisfaction climbs with every dish that arrives.

Refreshing mulhoe that wakes up your stomach, salty and deeply savory soy-marinated shrimp, and tangy seasoned vegetables show up like appetizers.

Braised fish piled with bean sprouts

The star that came next made me gulp just looking at it: braised fish. What grabs your eye first are the plump bean sprouts, properly wilted but still crunchy, topped with a generous helping of spicy sauce. An irresistible look! I mixed the sauce and sprouts together, set a big piece of plump white fish on top, and ate it in one bite. That crunch filling my mouth with the tender fish was pure wow.

The highlight: clam soup

The peak of the spread is the steaming clam soup. Visibly plump clams sit in an earthenware pot. With the first spoonful of broth, spiciness and coolness hit at once and roll through your mouth like waves.

How much is the live squid at Mapo Bamdada, and how does it taste?

The live squid at Mapo Bamdada is ₩45,000. The point is that visible, wriggling freshness.

It's finally here. The main dish, live squid! The squid that was moving moments ago is prepped on the spot, so freshness comes at you from the translucent, glistening flesh and the wriggling legs. I didn't notice at first, but the cut-off legs kept twitching and it startled me a little. Once that visible freshness hit my mouth, it tasted as if it had been in the sea a moment ago, a dense taste of the ocean.

The squid here goes beyond chewy into springy. The more you chew, the more a subtle sweetness rises, followed by the sea's own savory depth, which completes the peak of live squid. Dip it in chojang (sweet chili vinegar sauce) with plenty of fresh wasabi stirred in, and that alone is the finished form. For something different, wrap it in a perilla leaf or Wando gim (seaweed) for yet another world of flavor.

How to eat live squid in the mulhoe

Another way to enjoy Mapo Bamdada's live squid is to put it into the mulhoe from the basic spread. It's the decisive move that completes the squid. I dropped freshly sliced squid into the cold broth, mixed it well and ate, and the refreshing mulhoe and the squid's bouncy spring burst at the same time. The spicy-tangy broth lifts it to yet another level.

Is the Mapo Bamdada roulette event really a guaranteed win?

Mapo Bamdada has a roulette event for a free service item, and they say you always win. Spin it and it pays off every time!

Since it's supposedly a guaranteed win, I gave it a try. I won 1 sea squirt! But I can't eat sea squirt, so I passed even though I won. I shouldn't waste food, after all.

Mapo Bamdada menu

These are photos of the Mapo Bamdada menu in Mangwon.