Gwanghwamun sushi restaurant for family lunch: Elephant Sushi

A sushi restaurant easy to find from Gwanghwamun Station

Elephant Sushi Gwanghwamun is on B1 of the KT Gwanghwamun Branch Building on Sejong-daero in Jongno-gu, Seoul. There are rows of big buildings around Gwanghwamun when you are out and about, but just head into the KT Gwanghwamun Branch Building and go downstairs to find it. It is also conveniently accessible from Gwanghwamun Station, so it is a good location for a visit by public transit!

We went for a meal after hanging out around Gwanghwamun that day, and it was nice that moving through the building meant we were less affected by the weather~! Gwanghwamun is especially a lovely place for an outing with kids on weekends, so I imagine there are lots of people like us, visiting as a family and looking for somewhere to have lunch.

Let's head down to the basement~~~

The restaurant atmosphere, with counter and table seating

The outside of the restaurant was neatly kept, and being able to check the menu at the entrance was great for looking over what to order before going in. Inside, there were sushi-bar counter seats as well as tables, so it looked fine for dining alone, while family guests like us—there with my husband and child—could eat comfortably too.

We arrived almost exactly at opening time. As we ate, guests kept coming in. Since it is in a business district, I did not think there would be many people on the weekend... hahaha!!!

Everything was clean and neat!

The sushi and shrimp dishes our family ordered

• Elephant A Set
• Elephant B Set
• 6-piece boiled shrimp sushi
• Springy shrimp tempura

First up were the salad and jang-guk (clear soup).

The Elephant Sushi A Set on top! The Elephant Sushi B Set below has 12 pieces!

The B Set had a varied selection, from familiar sushi such as white fish, salmon, shrimp, and tuna to items like ankimo (monkfish liver) and shima aji (striped jack), so it would be great for sushi lovers who want to try lots of things!!! And the best part: getting to enjoy my beloved premium sushi in such variety...!

Jumbo shrimp sushi and crisp shrimp tempura

We ordered the shrimp sushi for my child, and it was SO much bigger than the shrimp we usually eat???!! Seriously delicious...

This futomaki (thick sushi roll)... it is not supposed to fit in one bite, right? Hahaha, I thought my mouth was going to split while eating it~ In the end, we shared it.

We added shrimp tempura because we wanted to try it too, and the shrimp inside the crisp batter made it great to have one alongside the sushi here and there. It had the thin batter I love.... And these were not tiny shrimp either... they were big and long. We really ate all the shrimp we could want that day, hahaha.

The balance of sushi rice and vinegar, plus mini cold soba

When I eat sushi, the fish matters, of course, but I also quietly care a lot about the balance of shari (seasoned sushi rice) and vinegar. The shari that day was not packed together too firmly and had just the right softness, while the vinegar was not too strong, which I loved. The fish was clean with no fishiness, and every ingredient had a different texture, so I kept being impressed with every bite..!!!! Looking at each piece photographed like this, you can see the color and thickness of the fish even better, haha.

Then out came the mini cold soba! When you are eating only sushi, you start craving something cool partway through, and this mini portion was just right to enjoy alongside it without feeling too heavy.

A Gwanghwamun family meal with kids

Elephant Sushi Gwanghwamun really gets lots of family groups. Gwanghwamun in particular has plenty of places for an outing with kids, so many families visit like we did, and sushi is a menu that adults and children can all enjoy together—just right for a family meal out!

Another happy lunch at a great restaurant, done! Hahaha