Live squid sashimi lunch at a Guwol-dong sashimi spot: Veteran Fish

I went to a Guwol-dong raw fish restaurant that's supposedly a local favorite.

Guwol-dong outdoor-seating raw fish spot: Veteran General Fish Market Incheon City Hall Branch Address: 1F 102-104, 120 Guwolnam-ro, Namdong-gu, Incheon, South Korea Hours: Weekdays 11:30–00:30 / Sat 11:30–01:30 / Sun 11:30–01:00 Parking available

Where Veteran General Fish Market Incheon City Hall Branch is, and what the space feels like

Veteran General Fish Market Incheon City Hall Branch is close to both Incheon City Hall Station and Yesulhoegwan Station — about a 5-minute walk from Exit 5 of Incheon City Hall Station.

The place was spacious and clean. Since it's on the ground floor with folding doors, it looks like it'd be great for a cool drink outside in summer too. Inside, the tables and chairs were neatly set up, and there wasn't a hint of that typical raw-fish-restaurant smell — I really liked how clean it felt.

What we ordered for lunch: butter grilled shrimp, live squid sashimi and fish roe rice

The menu at this Guwol-dong raw fish restaurant was really varied — raw squid mul-hoe (cold raw fish soup), salt-grilled shrimp, grilled gizzard shad, gizzard shad sashimi, croaker sashimi, sea bass sashimi, assorted sashimi, flounder, rockfish, and more.

I debated what to get at Veteran General Fish Market Incheon City Hall Branch, and since it was lunchtime, I ordered grilled shrimp, raw squid sashimi, and roe rice as a full meal.

Is this Guwol-dong sashimi restaurant fresh and good value?

After a short wait, my grilled shrimp, squid sashimi, and roe rice arrived. The shrimp were so perfectly shaped I almost thought they were fake…

They also laid out a generous spread of side dishes right away.

The raw squid sashimi looked springy and fresh too, served with vegetables that paired nicely with it.

What's at the free self-serve bar?

There's a self-serve bar on one side of Veteran General Fish Market Incheon City Hall Branch, where you can help yourself to whatever side dishes you like.

You can also make as much kimchi pancake as you want.

Wrap vegetables, salad, and even ramen noodles are free! There are even hair ties for anyone with long hair :-)

Self-serve bars are used by a lot of people, so they often get grimy, but this one had zero built-up grease and was genuinely spotless. (The batter spill is my fault, haha^^;)

The standard side dishes were seaweed soup, raw fish salad, salad, aged kimchi, seaweed, salted pollack roe, corn salad, ssamjang, and wasabi. The seaweed soup had pollack in it for a deep, rich flavor. Even as a standard complimentary soup, it was hot with a generous amount of seaweed — good enough to finish a whole bowl of rice with.

How was the live squid sashimi?

The raw squid sashimi I ordered was sliced thin, and you could tell just by looking at it how springy and fresh it was.

Squid sashimi has to be eaten in generous chopstick-fuls to really enjoy it. It had that clingy, satisfying texture — great on its own, but also good wrapped in perilla leaf with a bit of ssamjang. Springy texture, savory flavor that sticks to your mouth — good stuff!

The roe rice also came in a hot stone bowl, packed with popping fish roe.

And this is the kimchi pancake I made myself at the self-serve bar. The batter itself is so good that even a sloppy pancake job turns out tasty, haha. And you know kimchi pancake needs plenty of oil to get that crispy finish, right?

Was the butter grilled shrimp worth ordering?

Buttered grilled shrimp. Honestly, I don't eat shrimp much because peeling it is such a hassle. But this Guwol-dong raw fish spot seemed like it'd be fresh and tasty, so I gave it a shot — total good choice.

The shrimp were huge, springy, and grilled in butter for a nutty richness — worth braving the peeling hassle for.

Every one of the standard side dishes was tasty, and having a hot soup alongside was a nice touch. A spoonful of warm seaweed soup between bites of sashimi hit the spot perfectly.

Ugh… just look at the color of that raw squid sashimi. So glossy — even looking back at these photos while writing this makes me want more.

Would I go back to Veteran General Fish Market?

Veteran General Fish Market is a chain, so any branch is above average, but this Incheon City Hall branch in particular is clean and the owner is friendly, so I think I'll be back often. Just looking at how spotless the tables and self-serve bar are tells you how much the owner cares about cleanliness. And if they're this meticulous about that, you can guess how careful they must be about ingredient freshness too.

The buttered shrimp, raw squid sashimi, and roe rice were all delicious, but I'm curious about the rest of the menu, so I'll probably be back soon. Veteran General Fish Market Incheon City Hall Branch — a Guwol-dong favorite for enjoying seasonal seafood at a great price.