Hongdae seafood restaurant for grilled prawns: Eosa Chulto

It’s grilled prawn season, so we went to Eosa Chulto Hongdae Branch, a great Hongdae spot for fresh, plump shrimp! We’re such huge shrimp lovers that we’ve been eating grilled shrimp about once a week since July, haha. Once September rolled around, the shrimp definitely seemed bigger, with even bouncier flesh! I guess people really do say shrimp are best in season for a reason.

Eosa Chulto Hongdae Branch: Location and Menu

Eosa Chulto isn’t a place that sells only grilled shrimp—it’s a seafood restaurant with a wide range of sliced raw fish dishes, too.

It’s a franchise seafood restaurant with branches around the country, though the menu seems to vary a little by location. The Hongdae branch had a particularly well-put-together selection of set menus.

There was a seafood tank by the entrance, and the shrimp were large; the octopus and abalone were a good size, too. Overall, the seafood looked fresh.

What Came as the Complimentary Banchan?

The complimentary banchan (side dishes) were better than expected, too. Stir-fried chicken gizzards, silkworm pupae, and macaroni came out first.

While we were eating shrimp, more side dishes arrived. There was jeon (Korean savory pancake), corn, and miyeokguk (seaweed soup), and the jeon was especially tasty with its crisp fry, haha.

Hongdae Grilled Prawn Set

Grilled King Prawns + Raw Shrimp Sashimi + Butter-Grilled Heads Set, ₩58,000

We ordered the set menu that came with grilled shrimp, raw shrimp sashimi, and grilled heads together. Rather than eating grilled shrimp alone, being able to have the raw shrimp sashimi and grilled heads as well made it feel like pretty good value. Usually, even one platter of grilled shrimp costs around ₩55,000, and raw shrimp sashimi often has to be added separately. Here, it was included in the set, which was great because we could enjoy several shrimp dishes at once.

Once we ordered the grilled shrimp, they caught the shrimp straight from the tank and prepared them for us. They picked out some pretty big ones, too!

About half of the shrimp came grilled,

and the other half came as raw shrimp sashimi. The raw shrimp sashimi arrived in a bowl covered with plastic wrap, with just one hole poked in it. You do have to prep the shrimp yourself, though; if you want them prepared for you, it costs an extra ₩6,000!

We already enjoy peeling shrimp, so we decided to do it ourselves, haha. At first, they gave them to us stunned, but after a little while they were flopping around like crazy, haha!

Still, peeling them wasn’t as difficult as I expected, and since the shrimp were so big, it was fun to peel them, too.

Hongdae Raw Shrimp Sashimi Texture

They were so fresh that even after we separated the heads, the heads were still moving!

The raw shrimp sashimi had such bouncy, chewy flesh,

with that naturally sweet shrimp flavor, so it was really delicious.

When the grilled shrimp were nearly cooked, a staff member came over and opened the lid for us. Once the lid was open, they were ready to eat, so we didn’t have to keep checking whether they were cooked!

Can you see the size of those grilled shrimp?

They look pretty large even in the photos, but in person they were seriously huge!!!

Even the shells had this glossy shine,

and the plump shrimp meat had a bouncy yet moist texture in each bite. The more we chewed, the more that distinct natural sweetness of shrimp came through!

There seemed to be around 28 to 30 shrimp total, including the raw shrimp sashimi and grilled shrimp. They were quite large, yet the portion was more generous than expected. Usually, shrimp this size come in portions of just over 20, but these were both large and plentiful, which I loved. The one set made the two of us incredibly full!

The butter-grilled heads were loaded with butter, so the buttery aroma had really soaked in. Because the shrimp were so big, their innards were full and rich, making them seriously delicious. Shrimp heads really are the best part!

Inside the Restaurant and Group Visits

The restaurant was roomier than expected and had lots of tables. There were many groups of eight or more dining there!