Jonggak Japanese restaurant for somaek: sea bream sashimi, Choe Uyeong

Why I went to Choe Uyeong Sushiya Jongno Branch

Choe Uyeong Sushiya Jongno Branch is a sushi and sashimi restaurant near Exit 1 of Jonggak Station. Last weekend it was hot, but I wanted some fresh air, so I headed out to Jonggak, haha. I've been eating way too much pork lately and was suddenly craving Japanese food. So I ended up at Choe Uyeong Sushiya (최우영스시야) Jongno Branch, near Jonggak Station Exit 1.

How to find the Choe Uyeong Sushiya entrance from Jonggak Station

Come out of Jonggak Station Exit 1 and walk about 3–5 minutes. The marker is a small standing sign that says "Choe Uyeong Sushiya."

It sits between Jonggak Station and Gwanghwamun Station, so I figured it would be perfect for office workers nearby on a weekday lunch. Turn right at that little sign and you'll see the elevator. (Finding the entrance was a bit hard, sob)

Choe Uyeong Sushiya Jongno Branch is on the first basement floor. It had only just opened, so there were quite a few congratulatory flower wreaths out front.

I liked that you can see the whole menu from outside before going in!

Seating and takeout kiosk at Choe Uyeong Sushiya Jongno Branch

The interior has a modern feel, with solo seats that are great for eating alone, plus tables for 4 and 6.

This Jonggak Station sushi spot works well as a takeout shop too. There's a separate kiosk just for takeout, so takeout customers can order on their own without going through the staff. So handy!

Once we sat down, a staff member brought over a portable tablet and took our order. We ordered sushi, sashimi and the mixed tempura. So excited!

How were the side dishes and the starter broth?

The basic sides at Choe Uyeong Sushiya Jongno Branch were rakkyo (pickled scallions), ginger and house-made soy sauce! The soy sauce in particular was nicely salty with real depth, perfect for dipping raw fish.

The starter broth was so good I wanted to dump rice in it right away.. My friend finished it and got a refill!

Today's drink: somaek (soju + beer)

Special sushi set, 15 pieces, ₩19,000: what's in it and how it tastes

The first dish out at Choe Uyeong Sushiya Jongno Branch was the 15-piece special sushi set for ₩19,000. The fish had a glossy shine that screamed fresh! And as you can see in the photo, the lineup is really generous. From monkfish liver sushi all the way to sea bream sushi 🙂

My first bite, full of anticipation! (The uni sushi was too fishy for my taste. It needs some improvement!)

One bite and I thought, "this place is going to become a holy ground for office workers." The price is on the cheap side, but the taste doesn't fall behind at all. The tuna sushi wasn't fishy and had a nice rich texture, and the egg sushi is the kind of flavor anyone, young or old, would like!

Is it really okay to be this cheap? 😓 Personally, I loved that cuttlefish sushi. The salmon sushi melted in my mouth with real savory depth, and the cuttlefish sushi wasn't fishy at all and was wonderfully chewy. Above all, the rice portion isn't big, so you can enjoy the natural flavor of each fish.

Mixed sashimi (small), ₩40,000: portion and lineup

The small mixed sashimi at Choe Uyeong Sushiya Jongno Branch is ₩40,000. The ambitious mixed sashimi order arrived, and for a small size, the portion was substantial.

Thick-cut sea bream sashimi

Just look at how thick that sea bream is. I honestly still can't forget the texture T_T Personally, this sea bream was the best of the sashimi. (That's why I chose this photo as the main photo of this post, haha)

Raw shrimp and salmon sashimi

Look at how fresh that raw shrimp is, haha. So plump that once it's in your mouth you don't even notice when it vanished..

Salmon sashimi that anyone would like

Cuttlefish sashimi

The cuttlefish sashimi was springy and chewy, and unlike the sushi version it felt like tasting the pure essence of cuttlefish! My second favorite

Mixed tempura, ₩13,000: the fried scallop is my top pick

The mixed tempura at Choe Uyeong Sushiya Jongno Branch is ₩13,000 and comes with shrimp, rice cake, scallop and sweet potato tempura. ₩13,000 for mixed tempura.. isn't that way too kind a price?

This place seems genuinely good at frying. All of the tempura was jmt (short for "joyna mat-iss-eo", Korean slang for insanely delicious). And maybe because they use clean oil, the color is a really golden, clean yellow. The shrimp tempura was really tasty too, but my top pick among them was

this fried scallop. It was my first time trying fried scallop, and wow.. the outside was crispy while the scallop inside was full of juice, which really surprised me. Next time I visit I'll definitely order extra fried scallop.

What to order at Choe Uyeong Sushiya Jongno Branch

If I had to pick just three dishes to order at Choe Uyeong Sushiya Jongno Branch, they'd be the sea bream sashimi, the cuttlefish sushi and the fried scallop.

• Sea bream sashimi (best of the mixed sashimi)
• Cuttlefish sushi (my favorite of the special sushi set)
• Fried scallop (top pick of the mixed tempura)

Choe Uyeong Sushiya Jongno Branch only just opened, but I think it will become a well-known Jongno spot through word of mouth from office workers. The staff were kind, and the male owner was really, really kind. Thanks to them I left feeling great and well fed. I paid for this myself, and I'd happily come back.

Choe Uyeong Sushiya Jongno Branch hours and location

• Hours: daily 11:00–21:30
• Break time: 15:00–17:00
• Last order: 21:00
• Walking: 235 m from Jonggak Station Exit 1
• Groups: available
• Takeout: available
• Parking: available