Mapo sushi restaurant with torched sushi: Yu Iksang Sushi

Have you noticed that cool morning and evening breeze lately? It really feels like autumn is slowly arriving. As the weather cools down, I keep getting the urge to have a big, satisfying plate of raw fish. So this time, my husband and I went to a sushi restaurant in Hongdae. To give you the conclusion first, it was a far more filling and satisfying meal than I expected :)

Yu Iksang Sushi basics and how to get there

Yu Iksang Sushi is at Unit 101, 18-7 Wausan-ro 23-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul. It is open Tuesday through Sunday from 11:00 to 21:00, with last orders at 20:00, and closed every Monday. There is no parking at the restaurant, so you will need to use a nearby public parking lot.

If you are using public transit, it is within walking distance of Hongik University Station. If you are driving, I recommend looking up a nearby public parking lot beforehand since the restaurant has no parking. It is right near the entrance to one of Hongdae's popular streets, so it is easy to find if you follow your map.

Exterior

Perhaps because it has held its spot in the heart of Hongdae for a long time, the exterior gave me a sense of trust from the moment I saw it.

Weekend lunch wait and the atmosphere inside

We visited at weekend lunchtime and there was already a line, so we waited about 10 minutes. In the Hongdae area, that did not feel particularly long, so the wait was not burdensome at all. It also made it feel like a reliably good restaurant!

Inside, there were both bar seats and regular tables. It is not a large space, and the seats are set fairly close together, which gave it a lively feel. Maybe because it was the weekend, I saw lots of couples as well as quite a few families.

The Couple A Plus Set

The signature sushi has thick slices of fish and long fish tails draped over the rice, especially the halibut with aged kimchi and the salmon. The menu had such a wide variety that it was fun choosing. We wanted to try a range of fish-focused options, so we decided on the Couple A Plus Set.

Thick-cut fish and torched sushi

A generous first bite

As soon as the set arrived, my husband and I were both surprised by the size of the plate. There were 26 pieces of sushi on one plate, and the ones with especially long fish tails really stood out. There was little rice and plenty of fish, so it felt closer to eating a plate of sashimi than sushi.

Fresh fish with a subtle smoky flavor

The fish itself was thick, so it had a definite chew, and it was fresh with no fishiness.

There were also lightly torched sushi pieces, such as tamago aburi (seared egg sushi), garlic shrimp aburi, and meka gari aburi. The gentle smoky flavor gave them a charm quite different from regular sushi.

More than enough for two

The most satisfying part was definitely the portion. It was generous even for two people, and we were quite full by the end. For this price, I felt the set offered more than enough value.

During the meal, the owner also gave us complimentary fried eggplant sushi, and it was truly a special treat. The eggplant, soaked with a lightly sweet sauce, was tender to bite into and had a subtle smoky flavor too. I do not usually seek out eggplant, but it felt completely new to me.

The sides that came with the set

The set also came with soup, mini soba noodles, salad, and shrimp tempura. The shrimp tempura seemed freshly fried: crisp outside and moist inside, so I found myself reaching for it even before the sushi arrived.

When you want a generous sushi meal in Hongdae

• I loved being able to taste thick-cut fish with long tails and many varieties all at once.
• I recommend it for anyone who wants to sample several kinds rather than focus on just one type of sushi.
• It suits people who like thick sushi with a high proportion of fish, as well as couples or married pairs wanting a filling sushi meal in Hongdae.

It was just the right place for anyone craving a full plate of raw fish in the cool autumn weather. To me, Yu Iksang Sushi is the kind of restaurant that immediately comes to mind when I want to enjoy sushi in lots of variety and in generous portions. If you are headed to Hongdae, do stop by :)