Mapo sashimi restaurant, yellowtail and red drum for three: Mapo Bada

Saving this as a Mapo spot for family gatherings! 📝 My younger brother was coming over for dinner, and my partner and I were wondering what the three of us should eat. Then we heard a high-quality sashimi restaurant had newly opened near Daeheung Station, so off we went.

I like raw fish and seafood in general, so this time I looked for a place where we could enjoy lots of different dishes at once.

I heard there was a set with seasonal sashimi, grilled shrimp and other seafood, and that is how I ended up at Jaecheoldameun Mapo Bada (제철담은 마포바다).

I prefer a table where you can mix and match things rather than just eating sashimi and leaving, and the Hearty Set we ordered that day was really well put together. I was happy with it.

If you are looking for a sashimi restaurant near Daeheung Station, or a place for a hearty family dinner, this might be worth a look.

How far is Jaecheoldameun Mapo Bada from Daeheung Station?

Jaecheoldameun Mapo Bada is about a 2-minute walk from Exit 3 of Daeheung Station, so it is easy to reach.

It sits right on the main road, and there is a banner in front of the shop listing the set menus, so we found it without any trouble.

A big fish tank caught my eye from outside, and seeing all the different fish made me excited about what kind of sashimi we would get.

Is Mapo Bada good for family gatherings and groups?

In the evening the place was almost full, with everyone from families to bigger groups sharing meals, so the mood was lively.

The interior is spacious and has seating for groups, so it looked fine for visiting with a lot of people.

It looked like a good fit for family gatherings or company dinners, and I thought it could be a candidate for anyone searching for a Mapo family-gathering spot.

Jaecheoldameun Mapo Bada menu: from the Signature Set to live seafood

The menu runs from à la carte sashimi to seafood and spicy fish stew (maeuntang). You can pick sashimi-focused items like the same-day assorted sashimi, flounder and live seafood, and you can also add spicy fish stew to finish the meal.

What caught my eye most were the Mapo Bada Signature Set, the Premium Set and the Hearty Set. They are not sashimi-only: you get shrimp and several side dishes too, so when you come with a group you do not have to order everything separately. I liked that.

₩79,000 Hearty Value Set for 2: is it enough for three?

We ordered the Mapo Bada Hearty Set for 2 (₩79,000) along with two bottles of Saero (a brand of soju). It is called a 2-person set, but there was a wide variety of food and the portions were generous, so it was enough for the three of us.

When the food started coming out, they put a separate tray on top of the table and laid everything out on it, so it looked impressive right away.

It was not just one or two dishes: sashimi, shrimp, gizzard shad, porridge and fried items kept arriving until the table was completely full, haha.

Side dishes and steamed egg

The basic side dishes included stir-fried gungchae (a crunchy stem vegetable), stir-fried fish cake, macaroni salad and lettuce salad, with chili peppers, garlic and ssam (leaf wrap) vegetables on the side.

There was also a soft, fluffy steamed egg (gyeran-jjim), which was nice to eat between bites of sashimi.

At first there were so many dishes that I was a little unsure where to start, but trying them one by one was fun. When you want to enjoy many kinds of seafood at once, even among Daeheung Station sashimi restaurants, a set like this felt quite appealing.

Assorted sashimi: raw shrimp, flounder, rockfish, young yellowtail, red sea bream and red drum

The main sashimi in the Hearty Set came in several kinds: raw shrimp, flounder, rockfish, amberjack, red sea bream, gizzard shad and more.

Lots of different slices were arranged neatly on one plate, so the colors alone looked appetizing, and each fish had a different texture, which made picking and choosing fun.

The flounder was mild and chewy, and the rockfish had a springy bite the more I chewed. Red sea bream had that firm texture it is known for, and the amberjack had a rich, nutty flavor different from the other white fish, so it was nice to alternate between them.

Being live fish sashimi, it all felt fresh, and eating it with ssam vegetables or side dishes according to taste gave lots of combinations. The raw shrimp kept its plump, bouncy texture and had a different charm from the fish.

Salt-grilled shrimp and fried shrimp heads

The salt-grilled shrimp came with fresh shrimp laid out on a bed of salt.

As the shrimp cooked, they turned a vivid orange, and a nutty aroma rose before we even ate, so the waiting time was oddly enjoyable.

Once peeled, the well-cooked shrimp were plump and moist, with a clean sweetness that came through the more I chewed.

After eating the shrimp, we could collect the heads and ask for them to be butter-grilled, so we got to enjoy the leftover heads too.

The fried shrimp heads had a lovely crunchy bite and a nuttiness different from the shrimp meat, so they were great as a side.

Autumn grilled gizzard shad, seaweed soup and sushi

Gizzard shad (jeoneo), the fish everyone thinks of in autumn, also came grilled, and I was glad to see it. It was nicely browned with a clean, mild flavor.

It has fine bones, so we ate it carefully bite by bite, but the nutty richness of cooked fish came through, and it worked well between the other dishes.

The seaweed soup served alongside had a refreshing broth that was nice to sip in between, and the four pieces of sushi made the meal with the sashimi feel hearty.

The standout dish: abalone-innards porridge

Personally, what stood out was the abalone-innards porridge! You could tell the rich flavor of the innards from the color, and with each spoonful the deep, nutty taste came up, so I kept going back for more.

I liked it so much that I scraped the bottom clean, hahaha.

With a dish this good, leaving out the soju would be a shame, haha.

Jaecheoldameun Mapo Bada Value Set: the verdict

I was happy with the Hearty Set because it covers not just sashimi but shrimp, gizzard shad, porridge, sushi and plenty of side dishes. It is billed as a 2-person set, but sharing it among three of us was enough, and if you want more food, adding spicy fish stew to finish would work well too.

The plus of Jaecheoldameun Mapo Bada is that you can enjoy a variety of seafood together without the hassle of choosing dishes one by one.

I think it suits people looking for a Daeheung Station sashimi restaurant, families who want a hearty spread, and anyone searching for a Mapo family gathering or group meal spot. I got curious about the other signature sets next time, and it is a place I will think of again when I want lots of sashimi and seafood at once.

One-line summary: a hearty set from sashimi to grilled shrimp

What I liked about Mapo Bada

• Close to Exit 3 of Daeheung Station, so easy to visit
• You can enjoy many kinds of sashimi and seafood at once
• A 2-person set, but generous enough for three to share
• Spacious interior suited to family gatherings and group meals
• Abalone-innards porridge and fried shrimp heads make the extras satisfying