Yeongdeungpo sushi omakase dinner with uni: Sushi Hibi

It had been a while since I’d had a really delicious dinner, so after searching like crazy, I decided to go for proper sushi and visited Sushi Hibi (스시히비), a Yeongdeungpo omakase spot and sushi favorite, with my mom. I’d been curious because it is known as a good-value sushi omakase using fresh seasonal ingredients at a relatively approachable price. With the chef preparing everything right in front of you at the neatly designed sushi counter, I was excited to properly enjoy the freshness of the ingredients and each individual piece of sushi.

Sushi Hibi near Yeongdeungpo-gu Office Station: location and visit information

Sushi Hibi is about 168 m from Exit 4 of Yeongdeungpo-gu Office Station, so it is easy to reach by subway. Go into the small alley between Cheongjeong Hanwoo Gopchang and Asia Aviation College, and you will easily spot Sushi Hibi on the first floor. It is a short walk from the station, making it an easy location for dinner after work or a date!

Perhaps because it had only been open here for about four months, the clean, polished exterior stood out. I later learned that it had relocated from near Yangpyeong Station and reopened here. Everything looked so tidy that I had a great first impression before even going inside.

Sushi Hibi does not have dedicated parking, so if you drive, you will need to use a nearby public lot. Dangsan outdoor public parking lot is about 100 m away; I parked there and walked over, but it is close enough to reach in 30 seconds if you run. Best of all, as it is a public lot, the fee is not too burdensome, so it should be convenient for drivers too.

Dinner omakase at the counter

Entry is allowed from five minutes before your reservation, so we arrived right on time. Since the relocation was recent, the space felt calm and private overall, with exactly the refined atmosphere that comes to mind when you think of omakase. Sushi Hibi centers on counter seats, and I loved being able to watch the chef prepare sushi directly in front of us while savoring each course. There was also enough space between seats that I could focus wholly on the meal without being too aware of the people beside us.

Reservations are available through Catchtable. There are two lunch and two dinner seatings, and entry starts five minutes before your reservation time, so keep that in mind. There were lockers on one side for storing belongings neatly during the meal. It currently operates mainly with counter seating, though rooms are planned for later. Counter seats have their charm since you can enjoy the meal face-to-face with the chef, and rooms should make for an even more private meal.

Lunch omakase is ₩50,000 per person, and dinner omakase is ₩100,000 per person. Lunch has received great reviews as a relatively accessible way to enjoy omakase, and seems like a good choice for lunch or for anyone wanting a lighter introduction to omakase. Dinner offers a more leisurely, varied course than lunch, at a price that suits dinner or a special occasion. Since we visited in the evening, we went for dinner omakase for two!

From tamago dofu to abalone: the start of the course

The course opened with tamago dofu, a savory egg custard. One bite brought a soft, moist texture first, followed by the gentle nutty, clean flavor of egg. It was mild and tidy in flavor, a dish that comfortably woke up the palate before the sushi course began in earnest.

While we slowly enjoyed the tamago dofu, the chef was carefully preparing the sashimi that would come next! Watching ingredients being trimmed and readied right in front of us made waiting to see which sashimi would appear next fun too.

Next was chicken that had been low-temperature aged and cooked sous vide. Made jelly-soft with paprika, olive oil, and chicken stock, it was incredibly moist and tender, with a texture that seemed to melt in the mouth. The attention to detail in removing every tiny bone was impressive too,,

Then came two kinds of sashimi. They were prepared as individual bites in two combinations—salt with wasabi, and soy sauce with wasabi. The same sashimi tasted slightly different depending on what accompanied it, so each had its own appeal.

Next was abalone steamed slowly over low heat for a long time, with geu sauce made from abalone innards. Rather than chewy or tough, the abalone had a strikingly soft texture in the mouth. The rich nuttiness and umami of the geu sauce came through smoothly without any fishiness, pairing beautifully with the abalone. Dipping it generously into the sauce made its nutty flavor even richer.

While we enjoyed the abalone, the chef in front of us was trimming fish to begin preparing sushi in earnest. Seeing each piece being carefully made right before us made me even more excited—the real sushi course was about to begin.

The next dish was grilled Spanish mackerel. Its mild, soft flesh came with yellow tama miso sauce and dongchimi radish, a radish pickle from watery kimchi. The nutty, smooth tama miso and the crisp, refreshing radish made a very good pairing with the fish. So good! We all had a laugh when the chef mentioned that people regularly eat the ginkgo leaf used as decoration haha.

Next came a clear soup deeply simmered with cod bones. It included shiitake mushrooms and chamnamul greens, giving the broth a gentle aroma. The deep umami from the cod bones and fragrant greens made it clean and refreshing. Sipping the warm broth in between courses felt like neatly resetting the palate before the next sushi.

Sushi from uni to eel

The proper sushi time began with squid sushi! Seriously, the lineup was solid. A little salt on top added clean salinity to the squid’s chewy yet tender texture, bringing out its subtle sweetness even more.

Next was red sea bream sushi. With just the right amount of rice beneath neatly prepared sea bream, it was springy and pleasantly chewy at first, then revealed mild umami and gentle sweetness as I chewed. It was not overly fatty, leaving the palate clean—a mild sushi that was great for the beginning haha.

Next was horse mackerel sushi. A generous topping of finely chopped scallion complemented the fish’s characteristic nutty flavor with a subtle fragrance. The scallion popped between bites of tender horse mackerel and cut through any richness, making this a clean, enjoyable piece.

Next was scored engawa sushi, the fin meat of flounder. The flounder’s mild, clean flavor was lovely, and the scoring made it even more tender to chew. It was delicate without being bland.

The chef told us that he personally visits the seafood market at 4 a.m. every day to source each ingredient for that day. He pays careful attention to freshness and ingredient quality, and the uni prepared that day was said to be the second most expensive uni in Korea—so I was excited before even taking a bite. My beloved uni!!

As you may have seen in other reviews, they are truly generous with the uni here. After one round, you can see that half a box that had been full of uni has vanished. There was enough that its smooth, deep flavor, with absolutely no fishiness, filled the mouth, making this a piece that let me properly taste premium uni. Uni lovers would be so satisfied!

Next was benizuki sea bream sushi with the skin lightly seared by torch. The light smoky aroma from the seared skin was joined by tangy umeboshi sauce on top, brightening the appetite from the first bite. The chewy skin and tender flesh, combined with the tart umeboshi, made the mild fish taste even cleaner.

Next was akami zuke sushi. Thick lean tuna had been thoroughly marinated in a special sauce. The tuna’s mild flavor was gently infused with the sauce’s savory salinity, and the tender fish was not over-seasoned, allowing its umami to come through clearly.

Next was an octopus dish. Crisp-chewy fried octopus, a bit like Schweinshaxe, was served with potato purée infused with katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes) and kelp. The soft, nutty purée’s deep umami made an amazing pairing with the octopus. Fried broccoli added crunch too, so there were lots of different textures and flavors on one plate.

Next was chutoro sushi, medium-fatty tuna belly. As you would expect from tuna belly, it melted softly as soon as it hit the mouth, with rich, deep fat. It was not cloying, and the tuna’s signature umami rose gently with each chew. As expected, chutoro had a definite presence even in just one piece haha.

Next was gizzard shad sushi topped with half a whole fish. The visual alone was satisfying with half a fish perched on top. I briefly worried that its vinegar cure would be too sharp, but it was less intense than expected and tasted delicious, harmonizing well with the fish’s nutty flavor.

Next was eel sushi. The plump eel had soft, fluffy flesh and a lightly sweet sauce, giving it a melting texture in the mouth. Its subtle smoky aroma and eel’s nutty richness came together beautifully, making it an ideal final piece of sushi.

Finished with Spanish mackerel rice and dessert

Next came Spanish mackerel rice in a small pot, topped with grilled fish. A plump piece of golden grilled Spanish mackerel sat over freshly cooked, fluffy rice, and the chef flaked the fish and quickly mixed it through the rice at the counter. The moist, tender fish made for a filling yet clean finish with the rice.

And that was the end of the meal! ₩100,000 is certainly not a small price, but the course felt genuinely substantial, from sushi to varied dishes and the rice pot. Each item was so generous that I found myself thinking, “Is this really a course you can have for ₩100,000?” I was very satisfied, and the portions were bigger than expected—I finished truly full.

Lastly, gyoku, a sweet rolled omelet, and strawberry sherbet. The fluffy, soft gyoku had a gentle sweetness, and the bright strawberry sherbet left my mouth feeling nicely refreshed. It was a sweet and tangy ending that wrapped up the omakase course on a happy note.

Overall, Sushi Hibi was fun to eat through piece by piece, with generous use of varied seasonal fish and premium ingredients. The sushi in particular—from uni and tuna belly to gizzard shad and eel—was memorable for letting the ingredients shine, while the dishes, rice pot, and dessert in between made the course feel well rounded. If you are looking for a proper sushi omakase in Yeongdeungpo, Sushi Hibi is a place I would recommend visiting.