Sashimi restaurant in Yaksu, Seoul with a ramen finish: Ido Hoetjip

Doesn't it get strangely hard not to crave sashimi and a glass of soju once the weather turns cool like this? On this day I was really hungry after a run and headed to the Yaksu Station area. Rather than a place that only serves raw fish, I wanted somewhere with sashimi, fried food, grilled dishes, soup and a proper meal, and that's how I ended up at Ido Hoetjip (이도횟집).

The flounder and rockfish set for two is ₩55,000, and it isn't just sashimi. Dish after dish kept coming, so I left much fuller than expected. The sashimi is cut thick and the side dishes are plentiful, so it's a good pick when you want sashimi around Yaksu Station.

Where is Ido Hoetjip near Yaksu Station?

Ido Hoetjip is at 11 Dongho-ro 12-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul. Come out of Yaksu Station Exit 1 and turn into the alley on the right, and it's about a 1-minute walk, so it's very easy to reach. It's open daily 11:30–23:00 with a break from 15:00 to 16:00, and it takes groups and offers takeout for every menu item.

There seems to be room for about 2 cars in front of the restaurant, and when it's full, they reportedly cover one hour at the paid parking lot next door.

Reservations are possible, and so is takeout. Corkage is allowed too, so it's worth knowing if you like drinks with your sashimi.

What's the atmosphere like at Ido Hoetjip?

Even right after the break time, reserved seats were visible here and there, so clearly plenty of people come. It was still early and fairly relaxed, but it felt like a spot that a lot of people near Yaksu Station visit.

And what caught my eye: the windows open up completely, giving it an outdoor-pub (yajang) feel. On a nice day, sitting by the window feels like being on a terrace while still indoors, which would be a lovely setting for sashimi and a drink.

Ido Hoetjip menu, lunch special and corkage

The menu was more varied than I expected, from flounder and rockfish sashimi to course menus, à la carte dishes, sushi and fried items. If you visit in autumn, the raw shrimp and the salt-grilled fresh shrimp are worth a look.

A lunch special was also displayed prominently at the entrance, available 11:30–15:00, so it's handy if you come at lunchtime. They're also running a Naver photo review event, so check before you go.

The notice said corkage is free for 1 bottle and charged from the 2nd bottle.

Is the ₩55,000 flounder and rockfish set priced per person?

The ₩55,000 for two is a price per table, not per person. You can choose between flounder + rockfish and flounder + salmon, and I stuck to the basics with flounder + rockfish.

At first I assumed ₩55,000 was per person, but it's per table. For two people eating sashimi plus a bunch of side dishes, that felt pretty decent.

What complimentary starters come at Ido Hoetjip?

As soon as we ordered, the starters (skidashi, small appetizer dishes served before sashimi) arrived: silkworm pupae (beondegi), beans, white kimchi, cucumber, carrot and chili peppers, plus seaweed soup and steamed egg. Even the basics are varied!

The steamed egg especially stuck with me. It wasn't dry at all, just soft and silky, lovely and warm. I kept picking at things before the sashimi arrived, and before I knew it the table was quite full.

How were the flounder and rockfish sashimi and sushi?

Here comes the flounder and rockfish sashimi! The main of the set came with 2 pieces of sushi and sea squirt (meongge) too.

The slices are cut thick, so you really feel that bouncy, springy sashimi texture when you chew. The flounder was mild and clean-tasting, and the rockfish had a slightly firmer bite than the flounder. To enjoy the fish itself, dip it in soy sauce or chogochujang (sweet-sour chili sauce), and it's refreshing with the white kimchi too, so I kept reaching for more.

Honestly, when I first saw the sashimi, I thought, "Huh? That's not as much as I expected?" That thought disappeared soon enough. Haha.

Side dishes that keep coming after the sashimi

After the sashimi, the flounder and rockfish set brings shrimp tempura and fish cake soup, then grilled mackerel and corn butter. It wasn't only sashimi. Food just kept coming even after the sashimi arrived.

The shrimp tempura had a crisp coating with shrimp inside and was best eaten hot, and the grilled mackerel was seasoned just right, nice to eat between pieces of sashimi. The corn butter was sweet and nutty, and I kept going back for it. The fish cake soup is a warm broth dish that would go well with drinks too. I hear it can be served as a mussel soup in winter, so the lineup may change with the season.

Finishing with seafood ramen and albap (rice with fish roe)

I thought that was the end, but nope, not yet. 😂 Finally, seafood ramen and rice with roe (albap) came out too.

I came straight from a run, so I was really hungry. We weren't nibbling at it as drinking snacks but eating almost like a meal, so at first I worried the sashimi portion might fall short. But with dishes arriving one after another, I was completely full before I knew it.

The seafood ramen at the end, with its spicy, warm broth and noodles, was a great way to finish the meal. With the roe rice added, it felt like the meal after the sashimi was all taken care of at once. So if you're looking for a sashimi place near Yaksu Station and want a variety of dishes alongside the raw fish, this kind of set seems like a good fit.

Is the Ido Hoetjip set for two good value?

For ₩55,000, the flounder and rockfish set for two gave us everything from starters to tempura, grilled fish, soup, seafood ramen and roe rice, so two people could enjoy it without feeling shortchanged, and the value was good. As it is a set, though, the amount of sashimi itself can feel smaller than ordering à la carte.

• If you want to eat lots of sashimi: order à la carte
• If you want sashimi plus a good mix of other dishes: order the set

Ido Hoetjip is close to Yaksu Station Exit 1 and easy to get to! If you'd like sashimi along with lots of other dishes, it's worth a visit 😊 And if you want a proper sashimi spread near Yaksu Station, give it a look :)