Paper-thin squid at Ojingeo Seonsuchon, a Bangi-dong sashimi bar

I kept thinking about the ojingeopo (thinly sliced squid) I had at the squid street market in Sokcho, so I went to check out Ojingeo Seonsuchon Jamsil, a place where you can apparently get it in Seoul too. It's an easy walk from Jamsil Station along Seokchon Lake, so it also makes a nice weekend outing or date course.

There happened to be a Youth Coffee Festival going on that day, so after checking that out we headed over to Bangi-dong. The walk from Jamsil Station is nice along Seokchon Lake too, making this a solid restaurant/pub option near Jamsil Station for dates or gatherings.

The entrance fish tank and the mood inside Ojingeo Seonsuchon Jamsil

There's a fish tank at the entrance of Ojingeo Seonsuchon Jamsil in Bangi-dong. While looking around, I spotted eel used for the sekkoshi menu — thin, long eels moving around energetically, which my kid found fascinating to watch for a while.

Since it was prawn season, nearby sashimi restaurants were also selling a lot of live prawns. Seeing them alive and fresh looked tempting, but since ojingeopo was the goal that day, I saved that for the next visit.

You can charge your phone at the table

After walking around the Jamsil festival, my phone battery was pretty drained. The restaurant had a charger, so I plugged it in while we ate. Small conveniences like that are surprisingly welcome when you're out and about.

One side of the restaurant was covered in autographs from celebrities and athletes. Given the name 'Squid Athletes' Village,' I guess a lot of athletes have stopped by. That day also happened to be a Jamsil Baseball Stadium game day, so plenty of people came to Bangi-dong after the game. It seems like a good course for a drink and squid sashimi after a ballpark date too.

Open from 3:30 PM, with plenty of afternoon drinkers

Ojingeo Seonsuchon Jamsil opens at 3:30 PM. Since we were visiting with a kid, we deliberately timed it for opening. It's a good hour for a weekend daytime drink, and customers started filing in not long after we arrived. There's also a room-like separated space inside, which looked good for work dinners or group gatherings in Jamsil.

The Naver receipt review event

At the time of my visit, there was a Naver receipt review event running. Writing one review lets you choose from corn salad, ramen noodles, dumpling soup noodles, a drink, or tofu. Writing two reviews gets you abalone sashimi or sea squirt as a free extra. The details may change depending on when you visit, so it's worth checking again in person.

There was also a recipe posted for something called 'Eureka-ju,' a bomb shot made with Cass Lemon — I'd like to try mixing that up myself next time.

At this Bangi-dong restaurant and pub, table time is capped at 2 hours when there's a wait, and outside food isn't allowed.

What side dishes come with the meal?

Once you order at Ojingeo Seonsuchon Jamsil, a variety of banchan (side dishes) comes out right away. We got salad, tofu, aged kimchi, gosari-style seaweed salad, ssamjang, quail eggs, and cherry tomatoes.

The tofu had red pepper flakes on top and soy sauce pooled underneath — dad ate the seasoned top part, and the kid happily ate the plain tofu below.

Gosari-style seaweed salad, ssamjang.

Quail eggs and cherry tomatoes. My kid loved the quail eggs so much that we ordered a batch as soon as we got home.

And of course, corn cheese — a sashimi restaurant staple that would be missed if left out — rounded out a neat, clean spread.

A full ojingeopo spread in Jamsil

Finally, the ojingeopo we'd been waiting for arrived. At Ojingeo Seonsuchon Jamsil, the squid body is sliced paper-thin, and the squid legs are served raw alongside. When I had ojingeopo in Sokcho, it was for takeout, so it was a bit of a letdown — but seeing it plated neatly here really brought out the charm that sets ojingeopo apart from regular squid sashimi.

In the center of the plate was shredded cabbage and flying fish roe. Mix that with some chojang (vinegared chili sauce) and you can eat it like a squid hoe-muchim (spicy raw seafood salad).

Thinly sliced ojingeopo with a shot of soju! Maybe because it was a weekend outing, but the daytime drinking went down smoothly and happily.

They also had Asahi draft beer. It was ₩8,000 at the time of my visit — a refreshing match for the ojingeopo.

Squid sliced thin enough to see a carrot through

Can you tell how thin the ojingeopo is even from the photo? It's sliced thin enough that you can see the carrot placed behind it. Slicing squid this thin and evenly must take some serious skill. It's not a dish you see often, so it really felt worth coming for.

We dipped the thin ojingeopo in soy sauce, chojang, and ssamjang, one at a time, enjoying the difference in flavor.

The squid legs were so fresh the suckers were still moving. My kid found it fascinating and ate it well, though the texture has some chew to it — I tried giving bigger pieces at first but ended up cutting it smaller later on.

How to eat ojingeopo: sauces, wraps and kimchi rolls

The ojingeopo at Ojingeo Seonsuchon Jamsil comes with perilla leaves, so we piled squid and vegetables onto a leaf and wrapped it up as a ssam (wrap).

Wrapping the ojingeopo in aged kimchi makes a completely different dish from the usual flounder kimchi rolls — call it 'squid kimchi roll.' Adding a bit of the oil mixed into the ssamjang gave it a nutty extra flavor too.

Since we were eating with a kid, I also portioned some ojingeopo aside and mixed it into a hoe-muchim with chojang and vegetables. With plenty of cucumber, carrot, and shredded cabbage, it was great to eat the crunchy vegetables together with the chewy squid. We only ordered one dish, but between soy sauce, chojang, ssamjang, perilla wraps, aged kimchi rolls, and hoe-muchim, there were so many ways to enjoy it that it never got boring.

Takeout and delivery are available too

Delivery and takeout orders kept coming in steadily while we ate. Takeout can be ordered from the kiosk inside the restaurant, and they even add an ice pack. It also seems like a good idea to grab takeout for family after a work dinner or gathering.

Final verdict on Ojingeo Seonsuchon Jamsil

This was a satisfying place to properly enjoy ojingeopo, something you don't often see in Seoul. The paper-thin squid, sliced so thin you can see a carrot through it, offered a texture completely different from regular squid sashimi. Being able to try both the body and the legs, plus enjoy it in so many ways — perilla wraps, aged kimchi rolls, hoe-muchim — made it even better. It's a good stop after a trip to Jamsil Baseball Stadium or Seokchon Lake, and works well for anything from daytime drinks to evening gatherings or work dinners. If you're looking for ojingeopo in Seoul, give Ojingeo Seonsuchon Jamsil a visit.

Who this Bangi-dong sashimi bar is best for

• Anyone wanting to try ojingeopo in Seoul
• Anyone looking for fresh squid sashimi in Jamsil
• Anyone looking for a spot after visiting Jamsil Baseball Stadium or Seokchon Lake
• Anyone looking for a work dinner or gathering spot in Bangi-dong
• Anyone who wants seafood and drinks with friends