Magok tuna donburi restaurant, honmaguro tsukedon for two: Ilpum Magok

Ilpum Magok is a kaisendon (seafood rice bowl) restaurant piled high with thick, varied cuts of sashimi.

Hi, this is Hadori :) I heard that Lee Young-ja, the grand dame of Korean food shows, had visited a kaisendon spot near my office, so my husband and I went to check it out. Here's my review after trying the premium kaisendon, loaded with thick sashimi and a huge variety of seafood.

Where is Ilpum Magok, and where do you park?

Ilpum Magok is about an 8-minute walk from Magok Station Exit 4, or a 4-minute walk from Balsan Station Exit 8. If you're driving, you can register for 2 hours of free parking in the building's basement lot after your meal!

Finding the entrance: the deck path and the Lee Young-ja sign

Ilpum Magok has a beige wood-toned exterior with Japanese-style vibes, and there's a deck path out front that makes it feel even cozier.

There were a lot of standing signs outside, and when I spotted Lee Young-ja's face at the Gonghang-daero intersection, my heart skipped a bit — is this really the famous place? — and we walked in excitedly.

Inside Ilpum Magok: how to reserve the bar table

The moment we walked in, there was a warm feeling in the air. The interior and the staff's kindness were both very warm. We had reserved the bar table in advance. Right past the entrance, you can see the bar seating.

There's also a table by the window. I snapped a shot for the Instagram vibes...😄

There are also about 3 sofa tables like this, and they're popular, so make sure to book ahead on Naver!

And look — a welcome sight, lawyer Han Moon-cheol's autograph! I've actually been binge-watching Hanbulli from episode one. Apparently the name isn't just Ilpum but Jeongilpum, haha.

The menu at Ilpum Magok and what the couple ordered

Ilpum Magok's signature dishes are sushi and rice bowls like kaisendon, loaded generously with fresh seafood.

• Premium Kaisendon (₩37,000)
• Honmaguro Tsukedon (₩33,000)

There are also single sashimi plates and fried dishes, so pick whatever suits your taste!

They also have a new menu item, ankimo hosomaki (monkfish liver roll), apparently piled high with monkfish liver — I can't even imagine how good that must taste🤤

What comes first: chawanmushi, seaweed and cold udon with karaage

Shortly after ordering, they brought out chawanmushi, baek-kimchi (white kimchi), and miso soup.

The chawanmushi was infused with the aroma of bonito flakes for a rich flavor, topped with gamtae (seaweed) and filled with shrimp inside for a deep umami taste.

They also brought out seaweed and cold udon to go with the rice bowls.

The cold udon noodles were chewy and bouncy with great texture, and inside was a big piece of karaage — the thigh meat was tender and the curry aroma was strong, so delicious🩷 Wrapping the udon in seaweed makes it a special treat too, so try that combo!

Then the premium kaisendon arrived and the table was suddenly full. Just looking at all the different seafood piled on top made it look incredibly appetizing, and colorful and pretty too💗

This is the honmaguro tsukedon my husband ordered — a rice bowl piled generously with thick tuna sashimi marinated in a soy-based sauce.

What is in the 37,000-won premium kaisendon?

What I ordered today was the premium kaisendon. Compared to the regular kaisendon, the sashimi selection is a step up. You can see premium ingredients right away — sweet shrimp, uni, salmon roe, scallop.

Beyond the lineup, each slice of sashimi was really thick, which I loved. Large horse mackerel, engawa (flounder fin), scallop, raw salmon, seared salmon, red seabream belly, akami (lean tuna), sea urchin roe, squid, abalone. The variety was amazing, there was no fishy smell at all, and I could taste the fresh, natural flavor of the sashimi as it was — I was so happy!

The akami had a rich, meaty aroma and was tender — it tasted really good. It genuinely tasted fresh, you could tell right away!

And wait, that's not all!! Sweet shrimp, crab meat with tomalley, ankimo (monkfish liver), lotus root tempura, egg — so many components that it's fun to pick and eat one by one.

Scoop some rice onto a spoon, top with a thick piece of sashimi, add a dab of wasabi to taste, and eat it all in one bite — the slightly sweet-and-sour rice paired perfectly with the sashimi! It felt like making your own sushi, and honestly, it was amazing💗

And with the crab meat and ankimo, you can put rice on a piece of seaweed and make your own gunkan roll for an even richer umami flavor. Adding a bit of shiso leaf to taste makes it refreshing🍃 The regular kaisendon would probably be great too, but I'd definitely recommend trying the premium kaisendon to enjoy a wide variety of high-quality seafood deliciously!

Honmaguro tsukedon, 33,000 won: how big are the tuna cuts?

My husband said he wanted tuna, so we ordered the honmaguro tsukedon. The reddish tuna sashimi looked absolutely appetizing. And why is it so moist?🫢 It seemed marinated in the sauce.

The tuna sashimi was glossy and glistening, piled on generously in large, thick pieces. It almost looked like a raw beef short rib rice bowl. They even scored the pieces😀

Lay the well-seasoned lean tuna on the rice, top with wasabi, green onion, gamtae, or shiso leaf to taste, and you get a really umami-rich bite, packed with sashimi flavor in every mouthful.

It tasted even richer when wrapped in seaweed. The sashimi is big and there are many ways to eat it, so we felt full by the time we'd eaten more than half — really great value and great taste, I'd recommend this dish too!

Dessert at Ilpum Magok: mango milk pudding

As the meal wrapped up, the staff brought out dessert — a milk-based pudding topped with mango paste. Ilpum Magok is amazing because even if you just order a meal, you get chawanmushi, udon, and a sweet dessert like this on top👍

It was moderately sweet with the savory taste of milk still coming through, along with a subtle burst of mango juice all at once. The pudding tasted exactly like those famous Japanese convenience store puddings💞

Is Ilpum Magok worth it, and who should book?

Ilpum Magok's kaisendon is piled high with fresh sashimi that looks incredibly filling and appetizing just from the sight of it. Even a casual snapshot looks Instagram-worthy, and the premium kaisendon has so many different toppings that it's fun to pick through them one by one. Between the variety of ways to eat it and the great taste, it's no wonder many celebrities have visited — a certified, genuine favorite. ⭐️Highly recommend!⭐️

• Anyone who wants a kaisendon that's more delicious and generous than what you'd find in Japan
• Anyone who wants big, thick, yet fresh-tasting sashimi
• Anyone looking for a date-night restaurant near Magok or Balsan stations
• Anyone who ordered just a meal but wants to enjoy it like a full course