Jongno sushi feast for two: cuttlefish, ₩3,000 corkage, Choe Uyeong

Today I'm bringing you a review of my Japanese meal at Choe Uyeong Sushiya (최우영스시야), a sushi favorite near Jonggak Station in Jongno: the premium sushi set, torched beef brisket sushi, sea bream sashimi, tempura and more! It's a clean, tidy place near the station with tasty sushi and Japanese dishes, and I had a lovely time. Let's get into the detailed review ✨

Choe Uyeong Sushiya Jongno Branch: location, hours and parking

Choe Uyeong Sushiya Jongno Branch is at 7 Jongno 5-gil, B1 Unit 104, Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea, and is open daily from 11:00 to 21:30. Break time is 15:00-17:00, last order is at 21:00, and parking is available with 2 hours free.

• Location: 7 Jongno 5-gil, B1 Unit 104, Jongno-gu, Seoul
• Hours: daily 11:00-21:30
• Break time: 15:00-17:00
• Last order: 21:00
• Parking: available, 2 hours free

What are the atmosphere and seating like?

Choe Uyeong Sushiya Jongno Branch looks clean from the outside through the interior, with bar seats that suit solo diners and tables of several sizes for groups. There seemed to be plenty of seating options for any situation.

Ta-da! We've arrived at Choe Uyeong Sushiya Jongno Branch near Jonggak Station! The clean-looking exterior caught my eye right away!

Stepping inside, I was impressed by the tidy interior, and I saw lots of tables. As you can see in the photos, there are bar seats good for eating alone and tables of various sizes for groups, so there seemed to be seating for every situation. I came with a friend that day, so we sat at a table.

What did two friends order?

At Choe Uyeong Sushiya Jongno Branch we first ordered the premium sushi set and the torched beef brisket sushi, then added sea bream sashimi, tempura (sweet potato, shrimp, mochi), and by-the-piece beef tartare gunkan (sushi wrapped in a strip of seaweed) and cuttlefish nigiri. There are also dishes for meat lovers, like the brisket sushi and the beef tartare gunkan.

We settled into the seats we were shown and checked the menu! There were so many good-looking sushi, sashimi and tempura dishes that it was hard to choose, haha. I want this, and that looks good too... but we still had to decide, right? haha

First we ordered the premium sushi set and the torched beef brisket sushi, then I wanted some raw fish too, so we added sea bream sashimi and tempura (sweet potato, shrimp, mochi). We also added by-the-piece beef tartare gunkan and cuttlefish nigiri. I liked that Choe Uyeong Sushiya has meat dishes like the brisket sushi and beef tartare gunkan for meat lovers, haha

The 17-piece premium sushi set: is there wasabi inside?

The premium sushi set at Choe Uyeong Sushiya Jongno Branch has 17 different pieces, and there is no wasabi inside the sushi. The thick slices of fish were impressive.

The premium sushi set came out first! It has 17 pieces in total. With so many kinds of sushi, I got to enjoy lots of different flavors and my mouth was happy! The thick slices of fish were impressive. There's no wasabi inside the sushi, so keep that in mind~

First, the sea bream nigiri, which I love, was light and clean. I also like sea urchin roe and fatty tuna, and they were fresh, soft and rich, so good! The shrimp nigiri topped with sea urchin roe was a great combination too! The monkfish liver and small squid nigiri had a chewy texture and savory depth, and I really enjoyed it.

With sweet, nutty egg nigiri, eel nigiri and the rest of the 17 varieties, I enjoyed it all the way to the last piece! It melted in my mouth!

Can you order the sea bream sashimi on its own?

Yes, the sea bream sashimi at Choe Uyeong Sushiya Jongno Branch can be ordered by itself, which is handy when you want raw fish alongside a sushi set. It was light and clean, and I shared it with my friend.

Next came the sea bream sashimi. For the record, this was ordered as a single item! Need I say sea bream is delicious? It was light and clean, so good! I'd been craving raw fish that day, so being able to order it by itself was great. It works for one person, and it also seems good to share with your group after ordering sushi. I happily shared the sashimi with my friend that day!

Torched beef brisket sushi, picked by my meat-loving friend

The torched beef brisket sushi at Choe Uyeong Sushiya Jongno Branch pairs rich meat with sweet sauce and fresh onion. My meat-loving friend ordered it, and I had a bite too.

And the torched beef brisket sushi my meat-loving friend ordered! I tried a bite too, haha. The combination of savory meat, sweet sauce and fresh onion was great, haha. I really enjoyed it~

By-the-piece sushi: beef tartare gunkan and cuttlefish nigiri

Choe Uyeong Sushiya Jongno Branch lets you add just the sushi you want by the piece, so we ordered beef tartare gunkan and cuttlefish nigiri separately. According to my friend, the cuttlefish was chewy and the beef tartare sushi was rich and nutty.

These are the beef tartare gunkan and cuttlefish nigiri we added by the piece! Being able to order only the sushi you want like this was convenient and nice, haha. My friend ate these~ The cuttlefish nigiri was chewy! And the beef tartare sushi was rich and tasty, she said~

Shrimp, sweet potato and mochi tempura, and ₩3,000 corkage

Tempura can also be ordered by itself at Choe Uyeong Sushiya Jongno Branch, so we got shrimp, sweet potato and mochi tempura, all hot and crispy. Corkage is available for ₩3,000.

And Japanese food just isn't complete without good tempura, right? haha. It can be ordered by itself, so we tried shrimp, sweet potato and mochi tempura! The crispy tempura was nice and hot~ The shrimp was plump, the mochi was chewy, and the sweet potato was sweet and nutty, so we enjoyed it all!

Eating like this, the two of us left full~ Also, corkage is available for ₩3,000, so keep that in mind!

If I go again

Choe Uyeong Sushiya Jongno Branch is a Jongno favorite near Jonggak Station where I could enjoy sushi, sashimi, tempura and other Japanese dishes in a clean, tidy space! Next time, I'd like to try other sushi, a sashimi dish I haven't had yet, or the kaisendon (seafood rice bowl)~