Ansan izakaya dinner with mom: flounder gimbap at Susanjang Seonbu

Susanjang Seonbu: an evening with mom before the holidays at this Seonbu-dong izakaya

Susanjang Seonbu is an izakaya on Seonbu-gwangjang-ro in Seonbu-dong, Ansan, and I went there for dinner with my mom the day before Chuseok. Both my mom and I love izakayas, and every time we passed by Susanjang Seonbu we'd say we wanted to try it haha. It just so happened that my boss let me leave work early the day before the holiday, so we set aside some time and rushed over for dinner together!!

Susanjang Seonbu is close to the station too, so you don't need to drive — it's easy to visit even without a car!

Doesn't it give off a really upscale izakaya vibe even from far away? I basically did an opening run that day, so I thought there'd be no customers, but a group walked in at the same time as me. Seeing the place fill up with guests even at an early hour made me think, Susanjang Seonbu really is a hit spot haha.

I've been obsessed with raw shrimp lately and wanted to have some, but my mom loves grilled dishes, so today we went with the salt-grilled raw shrimp. It was actually written right at the entrance that shrimp are in season right now, which made me think — yep, it really is shrimp season.

What's the atmosphere like inside Susanjang Seonbu?

The interior of Susanjang Seonbu is spacious like it looked from outside, and the decor has that upscale feel too. It was totally my style >< Honestly I love this kind of ambience and visit izakayas often for it, but Susanjang Seonbu was my favorite because the lighting isn't too strong and the colors aren't overdone!

How to order at Susanjang Seonbu, and what we got that day

At Susanjang Seonbu you order through the kiosk at your table. We ordered salt-grilled shrimp, salted flounder gimbap (seaweed rice roll), and a bottle of beer.

When I looked closer, the side plates weren't ordinary at all — they had the feel of something you'd buy at a little knick-knack shop, cute and charming.

The basic side dish is grilled flatfish

One thing that stands out about Susanjang Seonbu is that the basic side dish is grilled flatfish (gejeoguji)! It's brought out right when you sit down, so you get to eat it piping hot, which I loved.

Flounder gimbap, with aged kimchi and wasabi

While chatting with my mom as we waited, the flounder gimbap arrived first. The flounder sashimi slices were thick, and each roll had two pieces of scallion inside. I expected maybe 5 or 6 pieces, but there were a lot more than I thought, which surprised me lol.

Also, the flounder gimbap at Susanjang Seonbu comes with aged kimchi, so you can pile flounder, kimchi, and wasabi on top together and it's really delicious. I originally wanted to try their flounder-wrapped aged kimchi dish, but it was sold out — probably because it's so popular 🥹🥹. I was disappointed, but since the flounder gimbap felt similar to it, I enjoyed it a lot too 💗

In-season salt-grilled raw shrimp

For the salt-grilled raw shrimp, the shrimp come out whole, and the staff gently press down the pot lid until they're just cooked through. I watched them cook in real time.

Ta-da!!! Cooked perfectly. Since it's really the peak season right now, the flesh was nice and plump, and my mom, who loves grilled shrimp, ate them with real delight. Seeing her enjoy it so much made me feel oddly proud.

Add ₩3,000 for butter-grilled shrimp heads

The second standout feature of Susanjang Seonbu!! If you order grilled shrimp and add just ₩3,000 more, they'll grill the shrimp heads for you too. At first my mom said she didn't want the butter version, but I wanted to try it so I ordered it anyway. The butter wasn't slathered on too heavily, just applied just right, so it had a nutty flavor instead, and my mom and I both ended up loving it even more. I actually think I liked this head grill even more than the regular grilled shrimp lol.

Susanjang Seonbu: is it okay if you get cold easily?

There are blankets inside Susanjang Seonbu, so if you tend to feel cold, just ask a staff member and they'll bring you one. If you're looking for a good spot near the station, an izakaya in Seonbu-dong, or you love Japanese-style food, this is a place worth remembering — go check it out!!