16-course counter omakase lunch in Yeongdeungpo, Seoul: Sushi Hibi

As the weather cooled down I got a craving for sushi, so I went looking for a good sushi spot near Yeongdeungpo-gu Office Station and found a great-value omakase place!!

Where is Sushi Hibi and how do you book it?

Sushi Hibi is about a 3–4 minute walk down the alley across from Yeongdeungpo-gu Office. You can book through both Catch Table and Naver Reservation — I reserved ahead of time on Catch Table!

The exterior was so clean and upscale-looking that I got curious right away.

You can enter 5 minutes before the meal starts, so if you wait out front for a moment, the owner will come guide you in. They run two seatings each for lunch and dinner.

Inside Sushi Hibi: the 8-seat counter

Inside, Sushi Hibi is set up as a counter, with about 8 seats. Right when you walk in, there's a closet on the left where you can store your coat and bags.

Table setting and menu at Sushi Hibi

The menu and basic tableware are laid out at each seat, and there's a prep counter right across from the sushi bar! Just looking at it made me start getting excited — everything looked so clean.

The menu is simple — one page for the main menu and two for drinks. Apparently they carry a lot of sake that isn't even listed on the menu, so it's worth asking in advance!

All 16 dishes in Sushi Hibi's weekday lunch omakase

What I had was Sushi Hibi's weekday lunch omakase course! Before the course started, they carefully checked with each person about allergies or foods we couldn't eat.

1. Tamago dofu (egg tofu)

A tofu dish made with sweet pumpkin, shrimp, and bonito broth. It was a great way to whet the appetite and warm up the stomach before the meal.

2. Sunomono (vinegared salad)

Made with vinegar jelly, seaweed, and octopus. I worried the vinegar jelly might be too sour, but the mild acidity worked really well with the soft octopus. The octopus pieces weren't too big, which made it easy to eat cleanly. Underneath was seaweed that had a jelly-like texture too, so the mouthfeel blended together nicely.

3. Flounder sashimi

They recommended two pairings — salt with wasabi, and soy sauce with wasabi. Both were really soft with great umami, but I personally preferred the salt and wasabi combo.

4. Spanish mackerel grilled with yuzu

Paired with radish and ponzu for a nice touch of acidity, and the mackerel came out warm, which made it even better.

5. Red seabream

The sashimi was really soft, and the rice wasn't too sweet, so it went down easily without any resistance.

6. Horse mackerel

This horse mackerel is in season right now. It wasn't overly oily, but it had a nice soft texture that made it delicious.

7. Sweet shrimp

I went in thinking 'oh, it's just sweet shrimp,' but it was even better than expected. Maybe the ingredients were extra fresh that day, or maybe they just put a lot of care into the ingredients overall, but this was one of the sushi pieces I enjoyed the most. It practically melted in my mouth with a rich sweetness.

8. Ankimo (monkfish liver)

They gave us so much of it..!!! This piece made me really wish I had a drink in hand. The subtle seaweed aroma paired really nicely with it.

9. Amberjack

This is summer amberjack. I'm not sure if it was tangerine or yuzu, but the citrus aroma paired perfectly with it. The texture of the sashimi felt a bit livelier than the others too — of everything, I think the amberjack went best with the rice.

10. Tuna loin

Tuna marinated in soy sauce. Since it's marinated, I expected it to be really salty, but it was more of a savory saltiness. Apparently other tuna cuts come out at dinner, which made me curious about the dinner course too?!

11. Mackerel

Topped with shiso and pickled ginger. I usually don't like eating mackerel raw, but this was so good! At first I thought the shiso smell might be a bit too strong, but after a couple of bites it blended in with the mackerel really well and the flavor balance was great.

12. Anago (saltwater eel)

This anago was different from what I've had elsewhere. The outside had a crisp texture that gave off a scent close to dried fish snacks, and apparently the owner's signature technique is cooking it so it's crispy outside and moist inside, with no bones you can feel. The outer texture was so distinct that I genuinely couldn't feel any bones.

13. Futomaki (thick sushi roll)

By this point I was getting pretty full haha... it was so packed with ingredients that I couldn't eat it in one bite and had to take several — I do want to try eating it all in one bite next time to experience that full flavor combination.

14. Udon

Made with one of Japan's three famous udon noodle types, so the thickness wasn't something you see often. I really love udon, and even though this noodle didn't look like typical udon, it was udon lol. Chewy and delicious.

15. Grilled egg

A cold dish made with egg mixed with shrimp meat. The subtle sweetness and soft texture felt like a signal that the meal was wrapping up.

16. Strawberry sorbet

A clean, refreshing dessert to finish everything off!!!

Is Sushi Hibi's lunch omakase worth it?

Overall, the ingredients at Sushi Hibi were excellent and everything had a soft texture. I especially liked how they explained each dish individually as it was served — that felt like great service. Even though the one-hour course moved at a fairly quick pace, I ended up completely full. And as someone who's particular about cleanliness, I really appreciated how thorough they were about hygiene!!!

The atmosphere is unbelievably good for this price, the tableware matches the food nicely, and the flavors have a delicate touch throughout — I'm planning to come back again soon.

Turns out the owner here is really serious about alcohol, because they have a sake collection..? (I'm tempted...) There are sake-related events too, so keep that in mind and enjoy some quality sushi with sake haha!