Hongdae king prawn restaurant with lunch kalguksu: Eosa Chulto

As the weather cools down, seasonal seafood naturally comes to mind. I heard king prawns are right in season these days, so I went to Hongdae for some shrimp.

I was already excited on the way there just thinking about plump, meaty prawns, and overall it turned out to be a pretty satisfying spot, so here's my honest review.

Where is Eosa Chulto Hongdae Branch, and when is it open?

So here we are at Eosa Chulto Hongdae Branch! From the sign alone, you can tell this is a place for raw fish. There's a big live fish tank out front too, so you can trust the freshness.

< Business info >

• Location: 8 Donggyo-ro 27-gil, Hoseong Building 1F, Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea
• Hours: Mon–Sat 11:30–23:00 (last order 22:30), closed Sundays

The inside was spacious and neatly arranged!

How the waiting list and reservations work

I had made a reservation and came at a daytime slot, so I didn't have to wait — but when there's a wait, you write your name, phone number, and party size on a list and wait your turn.

They said if you don't answer your phone, you get bumped to the next spot in line, so I'd recommend booking through Naver Reservations beforehand or making sure you can pick up the phone.

The menu at Eosa Chulto Hongdae Branch and what we ordered

The menu is surprisingly wide-ranging — assorted sashimi, live fish sashimi, premium sashimi, sekkoshi (thin-sliced bone-in sashimi), mulhoe (cold raw fish soup), fried dishes, soups... pretty much everything's there.

There are also several set menus and seasonal items posted on the wall, so if you're not sure what to order, I'd recommend checking those first!

Since we came for shrimp, we decided on the seasonal king prawn set (₩58,000) and the lunch special seafood kalguksu (₩10,000, wheat noodle soup).

Seasonal king prawn set: salt-grilled prawns + raw prawn sashimi + butter-grilled heads (800g)

As soon as we ordered, the owner went and caught the fresh live prawns himself! I got excited just imagining how fresh and tasty they'd be haha

How the salt-grilled king prawns are served

Not long after ordering, a tub full of live king prawns arrived. Seeing them still jumping around, I figured I didn't need to worry about freshness at all.

They separated the prawns into ones for sashimi and ones for grilling — about 10 to 12 each, it seemed!

During that short moment of covering the pan and cooking, right after they went on the heat, I could see through the glass lid the prawns jumping around wildly. Since it's live prawns being cooked right there, you get an unfiltered view of them flailing from the heat — proof of freshness, but also a little heartbreaking...😂

And so, our beautifully grilled shrimp..🦐 Maybe because of the covered cooking method, the juices stayed locked in and they came out moist. Peel off the shell and the firm, springy flesh is right there — salty and addictive, you just keep eating and eating.

Raw prawn sashimi: what to know before you order

The raw prawn sashimi was also super fresh, but... there was one issue. I'd read reviews saying they'd prep it for you for an extra ₩4,000, so I went without any worries... but when we asked, we were told the kitchen was too busy to do it... My partner and I, both complete novices at prepping raw prawns, felt a chill run down our spines ㅠㅠkkkk

Every time a prawn moved I got startled and basically threw it (?)... thankfully my partner cut off all the heads and calmly handled the prep (thank you)

They say food tastes better after you've suffered for it... the shrimp was seriously sweet kkkk

The MVP of the meal: butter-grilled prawn heads

If you gather up the salt-grilled shells and the raw prawn heads and hand them to the owner, he'll make them into a butter grill, and this was an absolute delicacy!! The savory butter aroma paired perfectly with the intense prawn flavor — I couldn't put my chopsticks down. Today's MVP!! 👑

Lunch special seafood kalguksu for 10,000 won

We ordered the lunch special seafood kalguksu (wheat noodle soup) alongside the set! It's loaded with abalone, mussels, clams, and shrimp, and the broth is refreshing — perfect for warming up your stomach after all that seafood.

Is the king prawn set at Eosa Chulto worth it?

🌟 Overall verdict 🌟

• Taste: ★★★★★ — the sweetness and springy texture unique to in-season king prawns, satisfying from sashimi to grilled!
• Portion & value: ★★★★★ — many places charge 30,000–40,000 won for just one salt-grilled or raw prawn dish, but here you get a filling set including the butter-grilled heads for ₩58,000.
• Friendliness & service: ★★★☆☆ — not unfriendly, but they didn't mention upfront that the raw prawn prep service might be unavailable when busy, and we later learned other customers received corn cheese, pancake, and soup that we didn't get.

There were a few minor disappointments, but now that prawns are in season, I'd recommend Eosa Chulto Hongdae Branch for a hearty seafood day in Hongdae! 🦐✨