Value sushi restaurant near Hongdae: Hap vs Jeong sets, Sushi Sakaba

Why I came back to Sushi Sakaba Hapjeong a second time

If you're looking for a good sushi restaurant in Hapjeong, Sushi Sakaba Hapjeong (스시사카바 합정) is one I'd recommend, and this is already my second visit. I hear the owner-chef trained in fine dining overseas, and the food quality felt good to me on my first visit too.

There are plenty of places that are fine once, but not many that you actually go back to. Sushi Sakaba somehow ended up being one of them. So this time too, instead of hunting for somewhere new, I came back here.

Parking and opening hours at Sushi Sakaba Hapjeong

There's no dedicated parking, so you'll need to use the Hapjeong Street Public Parking Lot or a nearby paid lot. Hours are Mon–Thu 11:30–22:30, Fri–Sat 11:30–23:50 and Sunday 11:30–22:00, with a break from 14:30 to 17:00.

• Parking: no dedicated spaces (Hapjeong Street Public Parking Lot or nearby paid lots)
• Mon–Thu: 11:30 - 22:30
• Fri–Sat: 11:30 - 23:50
• Sunday: 11:30 - 22:00
• Break time: 14:30 - 17:00

A good pick when you're looking for Japanese food around Hapjeong and Hongdae. You can enjoy more than just sushi, and it works for anything from lunch to dinner.

Inside Sushi Sakaba Hapjeong and how to order

The interior is clean and tidy, so it looks like a decent date spot in Hapjeong too. Come for a sushi lunch by day, or for an izakaya (Japanese-style pub) evening around Hongdae and Hapjeong.

Every table has a table-ordering device, so ordering is easy!

What comes with the Hap sushi set and the Jeong sushi set?

This time I ordered the Hap sushi set (합초밥세트) at ₩28,000 and the Jeong sushi set (정초밥세트) at ₩24,000.

• Hap sushi set ₩28,000
• Jeong sushi set ₩24,000

I ordered the same sushi sets I had last time. The menu names come with labels like "no-margin omakase" and "value omakase," and having ordered, I can say there's a reason for them. It's not just sushi: steamed egg, salad, mini udon and clear soup all come along too, so

eating one thing after another feels like a simple, casual omakase. Considering you get this much in the ₩20,000 range, the quality for the price felt really good.

A small note listing that day's sushi

My personal favorite part! They hand you a small note with that day's sushi lineup written out piece by piece. When you're eating sushi there are moments of "wait, what fish was this?", and being able to check right as you eat is handy.

It's a small thing, but knowing what each piece is adds to the omakase feel.

Hap vs Jeong sushi: where does the ₩4,000 difference come from?

The Jeong sushi set is ₩24,000, ₩4,000 less than the Hap sushi set (₩28,000).

The small menu note they give you makes it easy to compare the two sets at a glance.

The Hap sushi set includes pieces that set it apart from the Jeong set, such as sweet shrimp (danssaeu) and abalone.

Top: Jeong sushi set / Bottom: Hap sushi set. With only a ₩4,000 gap, I personally recommend paying a little more for the Hap set.

Here's what both sets look like side by side! With steamed egg, salad and mini udon added to the sushi, it's quite a full table.

Is Sushi Sakaba Hapjeong worth going back to?

Just like the "value omakase" name says, I liked that Sushi Sakaba Hapjeong lets you enjoy a bit of many things. Sushi prices around Hapjeong vary wildly these days, and the biggest plus here is getting this much variety and quality in the ₩20,000 range.

Since I'd already eaten here once and came back this time,

the fact that I picked the sushi set again on my second visit probably explains how satisfied I was.

If you don't want to give up either price or quality in Hapjeong and Hongdae sushi, I recommend Sushi Sakaba Hapjeong. It's a place I'll likely keep coming back to whenever I'm craving Japanese food in the area!