Seongsu izakaya with a 7-type aged sashimi platter: Jindoken

Jindoken Seongsu Branch, an aged sashimi izakaya in Seongsu: second visit

Thanks to my boyfriend, who sings the 'sashimi sashimi delicious sashimi' song basically every day, we've spent our recent days hunting down good raw fish all over Seoul. These days the level of aged sashimi seems to have gone up across the board, so we've been eating well pretty much everywhere — but among all of them, the one place we'd rank number one, our life-changing spot, is Jindoken, a Seongsu bar.

One visit was enough for it to become a legendary place in our couple's history — since then we've probably said 'Jindoken' about ten times n over. It's basically become the standard for what good sashimi means to us now. Anything comes up and it's Jindoken this, dogen that, hahaha.

My boyfriend's been busy with something he's preparing lately, so it felt like it had been a while since we'd had sashimi, so we booked that dogen and went! Expectations, expectations, sky-high expectations.

How to find Jindoken Seongsu Branch

Jindoken Seongsu Branch is on the upper floor of Seongsu Terjeon! It can be tricky to find at first, so I'd recommend searching for Seongsu Terjeon instead.

Inside Jindoken Seongsu Branch: the counter seats and the rooms

There are regular tables and counter (dachi) seats. There's another space like the one on the right, but I didn't manage to get a photo of it. The real atmosphere is much better in person, and it gets even nicer once it darkens.

We went right at opening so there were seats free, but not long after that it filled up completely and people were lining up outside... I'd definitely recommend going early or booking ahead!

We sat at the counter. You order by scanning the QR code. Honestly I usually don't love counter seats because of that slightly pressured feeling, but Jindoken's counter had zero of that discomfort, which was nice. Also, on the way over that day my boyfriend and I had a not-quite-fight, and sitting at the counter not looking at each other's faces was actually kind of nice, haha. Once we started eating delicious food, we somehow forgot we were even upset...

Sitting at the counter, watching them prepare food is genuinely fun to watch. We weren't talking because of the earlier mood, but there was no awkwardness at all — we ended up having a really good time, haha. Highly recommend it as a date spot for couples in the early Seongsu-dating stage. You don't even have to force the conversation — the natural atmosphere kind of forms on its own, which seems great.

Eating the cabbage that came out as the basic side dish... salty and addictive. I've always liked katsuobushi (bonito flakes) anyway. Since my stomach isn't great, I made sure to eat extra hard.

Watching them cook right in front of us made me want to eat everything on the menu. Especially one dish that looked like jjamppong (spicy seafood noodle soup) — amazing. There was a big flame flaring up and I tried to film it but failed, hahaha. Anyway, both the smell and the visual screamed delicious, one hundred percent, a thousand percent. Made a promise to myself to try the jjamppong next time.

What comes on the 35,000 won seven-type sashimi platter

The assorted sashimi I ordered comes with 7 types, 3 pieces each. All that for ₩35,000, which feels like a good price — especially in Seongsu, where rent is expensive.

Highballs ready too. I had the grapefruit highball, my boyfriend had the Suntory one. Ever since I had the grapefruit highball here last time, I've been ordering grapefruit for every highball I get.

Looking at it again, the color on this sashimi is insane. So glossy it shimmers.

First bite went to the red seabream. Our Jindoken never disappoints. A genuinely moving taste.

Spanish mackerel, herring and isobe-maki were the biggest surprises

Sweet shrimp, salmon, and tuna belly are basically always delicious no matter where you go — no need to say more there (even so, still incredible here). But mackerel, herring, and isobe-maki aren't things I usually like much, and it's impressive that they made even those taste amazing.

I usually don't feel much flavor from mackerel, but this was so good I was genuinely surprised — like, was this what mackerel could taste like? I discovered a whole new side of mackerel. Same with the herring. And the isobe-maki, if anything, leans toward something I don't like — but this one I couldn't stop eating. I especially don't like the taste of shiso, but even the shiso wrapped inside went perfectly with it. Just every single bite was so good...

Mackerel pressed sushi, 24,000 won: the pieces are huge

Last time we visited, mackerel sashimi came as part of the assorted platter and it was sooooo good, so this time I ordered the mackerel pressed sushi separately. Priced at ₩24,000.

The size, though.

For anyone who loves mackerel pressed sushi, this visual is almost impossible to resist. I compared it to my own wrist.

A taste that makes you happy. No more words needed.

I tried wrapping it in seaweed too, but the mackerel pressed sushi is so good on its own that just dipping it in soy sauce and wasabi tastes even better. No need to add anything more.

Why Jindoken Seongsu Branch works for a date night in Seongsu

Eating food that good naturally put us in a good mood, so there was no way to hold onto being upset, haha. We walked in and walked out in completely different states. Definitely recommended for couples.

Still just as delicious on a repeat visit — genuinely a life-changing restaurant. If you're looking for a Seongsu bar, a date spot, good food, or aged sashimi, I highly recommend Jindoken Seongsu Branch.