Yellow flatfish sekkoshi in Pyeongni-dong, Daegu: Hanjan Meokgo Gajami

Today I'm sharing my visit to Hanjan Meokgo Gajami, a restaurant in Pyeongni-dong, Seo-gu, Daegu that only serves wild-caught sashimi — as a sashimi addict, I just couldn't pass up wild flatfish sashimi 💙

Hanjan Meokgo Gajami hours, closing days and parking

Hanjan Meokgo Gajami is a wild-catch sashimi restaurant on Tonghangno 39-gil in Seo-gu, Daegu. Hours ⏰ Daily 11:00-23:00, last order 22:00 (closed 2nd and 4th Mondays of the month). Parking 🚗 2 spots available in front of the restaurant.

The blue exterior with a cute flatfish drawing on the sign really stands out! The tank in front of the store was also full of fresh fish. Since they only use 100% wild-caught fish, they said they close right away on days when the weather is bad and fish can't be caught!

For their Chuseok event, if you reserve before September 23, you get a free grilled item or sea squirt on the house! And for takeout between September 24-27, there's a ₩5,000 discount on in-store takeout orders 😊

What the restaurant feels like on a weekend evening

I visited around 6pm on a Saturday, and only two tables were filled, but by 7pm everyone came in for dinner and drinks and the place was packed! Mostly older groups seemed to come, and there were reservations too. So jealous... I wish I had a wild sashimi place like this near my house 🥹

The restroom is inside the restaurant!

Homemade banchan: soy-marinated crab and flatfish seaweed soup

The banchan (side dishes) at Hanjan Meokgo Gajami come out really generously, and most of them are homemade with a lot of care put in! Flatfish seaweed soup, pickles, white kimchi, and that's not even all of it—

From homemade soy-marinated crab to savory egg salad and peanuts — it was all so good I'd already had half a bottle of soju before the main dish even arrived 🤤

Then came fluffy steamed egg, savory cheese macaroni, and even golden grilled saury!! Isn't this an insanely generous spread of side dishes 🥰

The clean, mild flatfish seaweed soup and the not-at-all-salty, umami-packed soy crab were especially delicious! Since the banchan are all homemade, they weren't too strong-flavored and had a real home-cooking feel to them :) (Note: banchan refills are available ❗️)

What we ordered at Hanjan Meokgo Gajami and what it cost

• Small yellow flatfish sashimi ₩60,000
• Spicy fish stew ₩2,000
• Rice ₩1,000
• Soju ₩4,000

I was torn between striped flatfish and yellow flatfish sashimi, and went with yellow flatfish! They also serve meal items like raw fish soup and sashimi rice bowls, for reference ❗️ The small portion of yellow flatfish sashimi was honestly plenty for two people to eat until full, and I asked for half sekkoshi, half boneless

Yellow flatfish sashimi: half sekkoshi, half boneless fillet

The main dish, yellow flatfish sashimi, arrived! Just look at how fresh and chewy it looks 💙 The portion was much bigger than it looked, so a small size was just right for two people. Tip: definitely eat three or four pieces at once! Both the texture and flavor are so much better that way

Looking at the full spread — the generous banchan plus the yellow flatfish sashimi! It was such a clean, nice-looking table setup that I found myself thinking I'd want to bring my parents here sometime

On the left is the boneless fillet version, on the right is sekkoshi! My friend prefers sekkoshi and I prefer boneless, so they split it evenly for us and we could both eat happily :) It was clean-tasting and got more savory the more you chewed

How to eat it: makjang, soy sauce or chojang

Next I tried dipping it in their special makjang (seasoned soybean paste sauce), which was full of savory sesame oil flavor and really brought out the taste of the sashimi even more, making the clean flavor of the fish come through richly

The soy sauce and chojang (vinegared gochujang sauce) were also homemade, so I dipped it in soy sauce with a dab of wasabi and made little flatfish sashimi sushi bites — the salty, chewy, springy texture was so charmingly delicious 💙

You also get a bowl with cabbage and lettuce where you add chojang, roasted bean powder, and several pieces of sashimi, then mix it all together!

The combination of tangy, crunchy vegetables with the flatfish sashimi was amazing! What's their secret to that homemade chojang... So tangy-sweet and delicious ❤️

Wrap a generous scoop of sashimi in lettuce and perilla leaf with makjang and garlic, and one bite gives you a mouthful of fresh sashimi flavor 🐟

Finishing the meal with spicy fish stew

You've got to finish with the fish stew! When ordering, they ask if you want it spicy — I'm always team spicy 🔥 Maybe because of that, the spicy broth really cleared out my stomach and had that addictive taste that kept me coming back for more

Eating the hot broth together with white rice is the perfect way to end the meal! The fish meat was tender too — I'm actually really picky about fish stew, and I highly recommend this one!

At the end, when paying, they even give out lottery tickets — I matched three numbers, so close... if only I'd matched one more ㅠㅠ A fun little bonus, and I finished off with candy at the end too!

Is Hanjan Meokgo Gajami worth a visit?

The female staff member here was so kind to customers and explained everything really well, which made the meal even more enjoyable. I usually can't handle sekkoshi well, but the sekkoshi here wasn't tough at all — sweet and chewy enough that I actually preferred it, and every bite I shared with my friend made me realize just how delicious flatfish sashimi can be 🤩 If you want carefully made, delicious wild flatfish sashimi with a focus on sekkoshi, Hanjan Meokgo Gajami is the place!! Genuinely delicious, highly recommend 👍 Now that I know how good flatfish sashimi can taste, I'll definitely be back 🥹