Jongno sushi restaurant up a button-less elevator: Choe Uyeong

📍'Choe Uyeong Sushiya Jongno Branch' info Address: 서울특별시 종로구 종로5길 7, 지하1층 104호 Hours: Daily 11:00 – 21:30 (Break time 15:00–17:00, Last order 21:00)

My friend and I headed to Jongno for the first time in a while, and nearby I found a place with good value and solid reviews, so we went! It's 'Choe Uyeong Sushiya Jongno Branch.'

Jongno has tons of office workers and tons of good restaurants, so it's always hard to decide where to go — but this visit was pretty satisfying, so let me jot down an honest review.

Where is Choe Uyeong Sushiya Jongno Branch, and how do you ride the button-less elevator?

Choe Uyeong Sushiya Jongno Branch is on the basement level of the Tower8 building on Jongno 5-gil — go in through the entrance next to Baskin Robbins. It's oddly located in the basement of a big corporate building.

Come to the Tower8 building basement level, next to Baskin Robbins! Oh, and the elevator here has a weird system — there's no floor button inside the elevator car at all?!

You have to press your floor from outside before you get in..! (Is this how big companies do things now..?)

Since it's an office building, if you're in a hurry, I'd honestly recommend just taking the stairs!

Seating and tablet ordering at Choe Uyeong Sushiya

Once you're inside, there's a neat, comfortable row of seats — everything from solo seats to 4-person tables.

There's a tablet at every seat, so ordering was super easy.

A solo-diner hotspot after work: how fast is the turnover?

We came around 5:30pm, a bit early for dinner. It was pretty empty when we walked in, but the moment people got off work, the place filled up fast..!

You could really feel how many nearby office workers come here to eat alone. That day especially, there were a lot of solo diners, so the overall turnover looked super quick.

Among the sushi spots near Jongak Station, having this kind of fast turnover and cleanliness makes it a no-brainer for a worker's lunch. Even with a bit of a wait, it seemed like it would clear quickly since tables turn over so fast.

📌Menu📌

The 27,000-won 16-piece premium sushi set, plus à la carte add-ons

The main thing we ordered that day was the premium sushi 16pc (₩27,000). We added a bunch of à la carte items on top.

• Premium sushi 16pc (₩27,000)
• Inari sushi (fried tofu pouch sushi)
• Seared beef brisket sushi
• Sweet potato tempura
• Glutinous rice cake tempura
• Shrimp tempura

We went all in on ordering, haha. I've got a kid's palate, so I really love places where you can pick and choose from a bunch of different items.

The biggest plus was that the prices overall were so nice that we could pile on whatever we wanted without worry!

It's exactly the kind of spread you'd think of when you want to eat quality sushi until you're full, without breaking the bank.

How does the 16-piece premium sushi taste?

The main premium sushi 16 pieces came with a generous mix and the sashimi felt fresh, so the quality-to-price ratio was really solid.

Adding the sweet, savory seared beef brisket sushi and the inari sushi kids would love made every bite a treat.

Then with the crisply fried sweet potato tempura, shrimp tempura, and the chewy glutinous rice cake tempura, it honestly felt like a full course meal..

Who should eat at Choe Uyeong Sushiya Jongno Branch?

Anyone who wants to enjoy good-quality sushi without spending a lot,

anyone who wants a comfortable solo sushi meal near Jongno, and anyone still deciding what to eat for lunch or dinner around Jongno —

you should definitely check out 'Choe Uyeong Sushiya Jongno Branch'~~~~!! 🍣