Gwanghwamun sushi restaurant with shrimp tempura: Elephant Sushi

On the Saturday evening of the fireworks festival, my partner and I headed to Gwanghwamun to line our stomachs. Elephant Sushi Gwanghwamun, a popular sushi spot by Gwanghwamun Station, is known for its sushi sets, made by low-temperature aging all its fresh fish in the traditional sushi style with the goal of becoming one of Seoul’s top three sushi restaurants! It is near Sejong Center and Gyeongbokgung Palace, so I’d recommend it when you’re out around Gwanghwamun and craving quality sushi.

Elephant Sushi Gwanghwamun

Elephant Sushi Gwanghwamun, a sushi restaurant by Gwanghwamun Station, is on B1 of the KT Tower Gwanghwamun branch, directly connected to Exit 2.

The Gwanghwamun Station passageway and seating

I came by bus that day, so I took the escalator near the first-floor lobby to reach the restaurant. Head down to B1 of the KT Tower Gwanghwamun branch and you can find Elephant Sushi easily.

The restaurant was more spacious than I expected, and it even had high chairs along the passageway leading outside, so it looked perfectly fine for a visit with children.

A long solo-dining bar counter was set up to the left of the entrance, while several tables for two to four people were on the right. There were coat hangers by the wall with the larger-group tables too, which would be handy for storing outerwear on a cold winter day.

On another wall, I could also check out Elephant Sushi’s signature dishes and its alcohol lineup.

Once you’re seated, just check the menu and place your order at the kiosk!

Ordering the Elephant B set and plump shrimp tempura

Elephant Sushi Gwanghwamun had a wide range of meal options, from sushi sets and individual pieces to meals and sashimi, à la carte dishes, and a children’s menu. There was also a varied alcohol selection, including highballs and beer.

They were also running a review event and a notification-signup event, so it seems worth checking them out when you visit 🎉

• Sushi set · Elephant B (12 pieces + cold soba) ₩28,000 × 2
• Add-on · Plump Shrimp Tempura (6 pieces) ₩12,000
• Alcohol · Terra draft beer (300 ml) ₩3,500
• Alcohol · Suntory Highball (DRY) ₩4,900

Once the order was in, they first brought refreshing barley tea along with salad and soup. I loved that the salad could be refilled if you asked a staff member, haha.

Crisp, plump shrimp tempura

Plump Shrimp Tempura (6 pieces)

The first thing I really want to introduce!! The delicious Plump Shrimp Tempura ♡(◍´⤙`◍)

The tempura itself was crisp and plump to begin with, but dipping it in this juicy onion sauce added a sweet note, making it seriously delicious. The shrimp tempura is included on Elephant Sushi’s children’s menu, so I guess I’m a child. It was just so good.

Elephant B, complete with monkfish liver

Elephant B (12 pieces + cold soba)

Elephant Sushi’s B set ✨: a well-rounded sushi selection of two pieces of white fish, fatty tuna, horse mackerel, akami (lean tuna), yellowtail, seared salmon, soy-marinated shrimp, vinegared squid, monkfish liver, swordfish, and futomaki (thick sushi roll), plus salad, soup, and a small cold soba.

Taking a closer photo of the delicious things 📸

I tried the abalone first, and it was incredibly chewy and fresh!! I also liked how neatly it had been prepared, haha.

After enjoying everything one by one, from the soy-marinated shrimp to the seared salmon, a bite of cold soba is just!!! just!!! right when you start craving something a little refreshing.

And beer too, haha › ̫‹ Next time I’ll give it a more cheerful shake (lol).

After thoroughly enjoying the rest of the sushi, I had this monkfish liver near the end. I have a childlike palate that can’t really handle fishy flavors, so I was a little worried just looking at it—but wow, it was surprisingly sweet without even a hint of fishiness, and I really liked it!!

And that was the meal finished with futomaki packed full of shrimp, salmon, egg, fried tofu, tuna, soy-marinated shrimp, and more!

It was here, and then it was gone 😖 Hehe.

Elephant Sushi Gwanghwamun is directly connected to Gwanghwamun Station Exit 2, so it is easy to reach, and we got to fully enjoy everything from a generous sushi set to shrimp tempura. It’s a place I’d recommend as a quality sushi restaurant near Gwanghwamun Station when you’re looking for sushi around Sejong Center or Gyeongbokgung Palace!