Hongdae sashimi bar for midday soju and glazed pollock: Eosa Chulto

I met my cousin in Hongdae for a lovely daytime drinking session haha. Here's my review of Eosa Chulto Hongdae Branch (어사출또 홍대점), a great-value Hongdae day-drinking hotspot!

Where is Eosa Chulto Hongdae Branch, and is there parking?

Eosa Chulto Hongdae Branch is on Donggyo-ro 27-gil, less than a 5-minute walk from Exit 2 of Hongik Univ. Station on Line 2. It's easy to get to and easy to find!

The fish tank is nicely kept and clean!

If you contact the restaurant in advance, they say you can park one car for free. Otherwise you'll need the paid Hyeonu Building lot in front of the restaurant, so keep that in mind :-)

Eosa Chulto Hongdae Branch menu and atmosphere

The menu here is seriously, seriously varied. Besides fresh live sashimi like flatfish, rockfish, salmon, flounder, red sea bream, sea bass and parrot bream, there's seafood like sea squirt, live octopus, abalone and sea cucumber, plus fried dishes, mulhoe and meal dishes. So many options! The set menus are good too, perfect for ordering when you come with a group.

If you book through Naver first, you also get generous extras like a bottle of soju, dongdongju (rice wine), and a coupon for rice or ramyeon noodles, so take note!

The place is quite spacious too. I thought it would feel awkward being there in broad daylight, but some people were already a drink in, so it wasn't embarrassing -_-*

What side dishes come at Eosa Chulto Hongdae Branch?

At Eosa Chulto Hongdae Branch, the side dishes include beondegi (silkworm pupae), macaroni, ginger, and pickled scallions (rakkyo).

How is the live-fish mulhoe? Spicy-sweet and loaded with sashimi

The live-fish mulhoe (cold raw fish soup) here is icy with floating slivers of ice, piled with vegetables, and generously stocked with sashimi. I'd been craving mulhoe like crazy for days, and then a day-drinking chance came up haha, so I ordered it right away.

It even has thin wheat noodles (somyeon) in it, so it's filling. The broth is so spicy-sweet and refreshing that the soju just goes down smoothly, the ultimate drinking snack haha...

There's so much sashimi in it that I could eat and eat and never reach the end, wow.

I moved some onto my small plate and dug in! The broth is so ice-cold that the noodles practically froze lol

Such a happy daytime drinking time > < Coming to youthful Hongdae and having a shot of soju with mulhoe, I couldn't be happier.

How is the seasoned grilled pollock? Crispy, tender and glazed like dakgangjeong

I picked the seasoned grilled pollock (myeongtae yangnyeom-gui) because with the cold mulhoe on the table, I thought something cooked would be nice, and it was a really, truly nice choice bb

The sauce tastes just like dakgangjeong (sweet crispy fried chicken)! Sweet and spicy and so good > < It totally hits that kid-palate spot lol

It was grilled to be properly crispy outside and moist inside, and I loved it. The soft pollock flesh with that tasty sauce is a crazy good match.

I want to eat it again T_T The grilled pollock is a fantastic dish both as a drinking snack and as a side for rice...

It's big too, with really a lot of meat lol I kept picking at it and the meat just kept coming, so I happily munched to the very end :-)

I was full and had a delicious meal > <

Is Eosa Chulto Hongdae Branch good for day drinking in Hongdae?

If you're looking for a place to drink in the daytime in Hongdae, I'd recommend Eosa Chulto Hongdae Branch straight away. You can enjoy fresh sashimi and seafood at good value, and since it opens early, you can have a mood-lifting daytime drink +_+

The staff were friendly, and the restaurant is comfortable and spacious, so it looks good for company dinners or group gatherings too. It was such a good drinking session haha When you come with a group, ordering a set menu and filling up with soju would be just right!