Late-night raw shrimp sashimi and fried shrimp heads: Veteran Guwol

A Friday dash to a raw shrimp sashimi restaurant on Guwol-dong's Rodeo Street

After a busy week, Friday had me desperately craving cool sashimi with a shot of soju! I remembered raw shrimp sashimi is in season right now, so my boyfriend and I dashed over to Veteran General Fish Market Incheon Guwol Branch, a raw shrimp sashimi restaurant in Incheon.

It's located on Guwol-dong's Rodeo Street, so it's easy to get to and not a hassle to swing by after work. As you'd expect from a seafood specialist and raw shrimp sashimi restaurant in Incheon, there were all kinds of fish in various tanks... haha.

Open until 3am the next day

It's open every day from 11am all the way to 3am the next day, so it's a great spot to come drink at any hour.

The size of the place and the wait

It was a Friday evening, so luckily we got there before it got too crowded. It gradually filled up, though. The interior was really spacious too, so it could clearly hold a lot of guests... which probably means even a popular place like this won't have you waiting too long!

Ordering the ₩35,000 raw shrimp sashimi

I didn't hesitate and ordered the raw shrimp sashimi for ₩35,000. It comes with both the raw shrimp and fried shrimp heads!

The basic side dishes were also well suited to eating alongside raw shrimp sashimi or other sashimi. There was even a simple hoemuchim (spicy mixed raw fish) to cleanse the palate, which was nice.

Pick your own side dishes at the self-bar

Any other side dishes you need, you just grab from the self-bar. There's a good variety there, so you can pick whatever suits your taste.

Self-made kimchi pancake, one plate before the sashimi arrives

And you can even make your own kimchi pancake (kimchijeon)!! Magic that even beginners can pull off deliciously. The base itself is so good that the kimchi pancake turns out amazing too haha. We polished off a plate before the sashimi even arrived.

How does the seasonal raw shrimp sashimi taste?

Maybe because it's in season, the raw shrimp sashimi from this Incheon raw shrimp sashimi restaurant was genuinely fresh!! It had that glossy look just from sight alone. It was also cleanly prepared, so it was easy to eat.

The bouncy, springy texture was genuinely insane... I savored every single bite. The soju we ordered alongside went down smoothly too. Since it was Friday evening right after work, all my fatigue melted away instantly, and it turned into a proper healing evening after a long time.

It's tasty wrapped in baek-kimchi (white kimchi), and also good eaten together with the pollack roe served alongside. There was no fishy taste at all, and the bouncy, springy bite stayed alive in my mouth — I was so happy!!!

Nothing wasted, right down to the fried shrimp heads

I didn't get tired even eating just raw shrimp sashimi continuously, but the shrimp heads came out crispy fried too. If the raw shrimp itself was all about that sweet, bouncy texture, the fried shrimp heads could be munched on worry-free like a snack. Truly crispy with a nutty flavor on top!!! I loved that you could enjoy the shrimp fully, with nothing going to waste. Best value sashimi restaurant in Guwol-dong!!

The kind of vibe where one bottle of soju becomes three

So the one bottle of soju I meant to have... became two, then two became three... that kind of magic, you know?..haha. As time passed, the restaurant got noisier but also more lively, and the staff were kind, making the whole evening pure healing...

In summary

If you're looking for a raw shrimp sashimi restaurant in Incheon, this place is well worth it. The distinctive sweetness and bouncy texture of seasonal raw shrimp! Plus the generous basic spread — an evening that satisfied on every front! A great sashimi restaurant in Guwol-dong to shake off a week's stress with delicious raw shrimp sashimi and have a light drink with your boyfriend!!! This Friday evening reminded me once again that seasonal food really is best eaten in season~~ Go get some raw shrimp too, everyone.