Mangwon-dong sashimi spot with 8,000-won seafood ramyeon: Mapo Bamdada

A place that's already famous in Mangwon-dong!! I visited Mapo Bamdada, a sashimi restaurant in Mangwon-dong. Even my parents knew about this place. I was super super satisfied and ate so well that I'm planning to hold our family's year-end dinner here haha

Where is Mapo Bamdada? Hours and parking

146 Worldcup-ro, 1st floor, Mapo-gu, Seoul, Mapo Bamdada. Parking available (8 spots beside the store). Open daily 12:00 - 01:00. Reservations possible through Naver Reservation.

Inside Mapo Bamdada on a weekday evening: is there a wait?

I visited around dinnertime on a weekday. I'd made a reservation so I could sit right down, but the place was completely full!! There were customers having work dinners, others just out for a meal — all kinds of people. And true to its reputation as a famous Mangwon-dong spot, there were sooo many delivery orders going out!! I guess I was the only one who didn't know about this place ㅠㅠ

Mapo Bamdada menu and prices

At Mapo Bamdada, a sashimi restaurant in Mangwon-dong, you can enjoy omakase at a really affordable price!! That's why most tables around me were going for the omakase in different combinations.

But this time I saved the omakase for another day and ordered the raw shrimp sashimi instead, since it's in season right now.

What we ordered: raw shrimp and build-your-own sashimi, 55,000 won, plus 8,000-won seafood ramyeon

Raw shrimp sashimi + build-your-own sashimi ₩55,000, seafood ramyeon ₩8,000. Here's how the side dishes (banchan) came out. There's even more sides below, I'll walk you through them slowly~

Free sides at Mapo Bamdada: mulhoe and soy-marinated shrimp

A small mulhoe (cold raw fish soup) comes out as a side dish, and it's surprisingly delicious. Super refreshing and great for waking up your appetite. Perfect for this still-warm weather.

Then soy-marinated shrimp comes out — it's a complimentary side, but it was so good. I already love soy-marinated shrimp anyway, so getting only two felt almost too little.

There's also a dish of fish topped with a generous amount of sauce, and this one is better than expected too!! The sauce has a slight kick of spice that's kind of addictive, and it pairs well with the crunchy bean sprouts — eating them together adds even more texture. So good.

How was the raw shrimp sashimi at Mapo Bamdada?

And now the main event!!! This is seriously gorgeous, so plump and fresh. I ate it so happily that once I finished, I called my mom. Told her let's do this year's family dinner here lol

It's so translucent and completely fresh that I wanted to pop it right in my mouth. Genuinely plump and pretty large in size!!! I think this is the best raw shrimp sashimi I've ever had, out of everywhere I've been.

And here's the owner's little touch of genius!!!!! They even give you flying fish roe to bring out the texture and flavor even more!!! Genuinely so good ㅠㅠ I'm planning to go back once more before shrimp season ends, just for the raw shrimp sashimi. I can't stop thinking about it.

Not fishy at all, even a little sweet — the raw shrimp sashimi was so touching... Dip it lightly in soy sauce and eat it together with the flying fish roe. Your mouth fills with that crunchy texture and it's pure happiness lol

Build-your-own sashimi: choosing flounder

Along with the raw shrimp sashimi, I picked flounder for my build-your-own sashimi. Of course, you can choose other fish too~~

The flounder was also really good. Totally chewy and fresh, no notes. Sashimi can sometimes feel a bit heavy after a while, but this wasn't greasy at all — both the raw shrimp sashimi and the flounder sashimi were delicious that day.

Shrimp heads grilled in butter and the spicy mulhoe broth

So good, and on top of that, grilled shrimp head with butter~~ This is another bit of the owner's genius, I think. Seriously amazing, you know how good butter-grilled anything is. It was grilled so crispy and well that I ate it like dessert after finishing the sashimi.

A broth comes out with it too. It has a bit of a spicy kick, so it's the kind of broth that's great to sip while drinking soju alongside the sashimi.

Seafood ramyeon for 8,000 won: three shrimp and two abalone

I also ordered a seafood ramyeon (instant noodle soup) on top of everything. You absolutely have to order this too. This seafood ramyeon is insanely good value~~~!!

One bowl of ramyeon has three big, plump shrimp and two abalone in it. So of course the broth is insane!!!

There's even bean sprouts in there, so the noodles themselves are delicious and the broth is so refreshing that I ended up drinking every last drop. Honestly, how could anyone resist seafood ramyeon? Just order it, seriously lol

Why is it so good ㅠㅠ I'm still thinking about it, I want to eat it again... I've got to go back to Mapo Bamdada, this Mangwon-dong sashimi restaurant, one more time to eat the raw shrimp sashimi before the season ends hahaha