Gangseo seafood restaurant with steamed seafood: Neoul Magok

I visited Neoul Magok (너울 마곡본점), a sashimi restaurant near Magok and Balsan Station! Its outdoor-stall-like atmosphere made it somewhere I really wanted to try while the weather is this nice. We arrived right at opening, so there was no one there at first—but while we were eating, people suddenly poured in and it filled up completely. Whoa. I had no idea this place was doing that well; it truly deserves to be called a Magok hot spot.

Neoul Magok location, hours, and parking

• Address: Unit 127, 1F, Magok I-Park, 90 Magokjungang 8-ro, Gangseo-gu, Seoul, South Korea
• Hours: Daily 17:00–02:00 (last order 01:00)
• Parking: Up to 3 hours in the basement of the Magok I-Park commercial building, 90 Magokjungang 8-ro

What is the open-window outdoor-stall atmosphere like?

Neoul, the sashimi restaurant near Magok and Balsan Station, has open windows and outdoor tables where you can enjoy all kinds of seafood, including aged sashimi and steamed seafood, with that outdoor-stall feel.

There was even fresh live seafood in the tanks, and since they catch and prepare it right away, it simply had to be delicious and fresh!! If you love seafood like aged sashimi or steamed seafood, I feel like one cheers here in this outdoor-stall atmosphere would turn you into a regular.

How varied is the menu?

Neoul near Magok and Balsan Station was packed with all kinds of seafood dishes! From seasonal live shrimp, 700 g–1 kg, steamed grilled king prawns, and raw shrimp with butter-fried heads,

to the main dishes: a full set of aged sashimi, a seafood set, steamed seafood, big-bowl whelk soup, freshwater shrimp spicy stew, clam hot pot, steamed or raw scallops, spicy fish roe and milt stew, webfoot octopus and minari pancake, garaetteok tteokbokki (rice cakes in spicy sauce), Jjapaguri fried noodles, spicy clam ramen, abalone-and-clam alcohol-steamed dish, abalone innards udon, mulhoe (chilled raw-fish soup), pineapple sherbet, boiled conch, sea squirt, and more... Wow, there were seriously so many choices, so it was great for picking exactly what you like haha.

We were in the mood today! So we ordered two dishes at Neoul near Magok and Balsan Station. But... hahaha, Neoul is such a good-value group-dining spot in Magok that I really should have read the reviews properly beforehand... The portions were enormous, and leaving food behind is my lifelong regret ㅠㅠ (Try it, then order more! Haha.)

Clam soup, ₩20,000

The morning and evening autumn breeze has become cool, so I ordered this clam soup at Neoul near Magok and Balsan Station because I wanted something warm and comforting!

The earthenware pot was packed with clams—and then there were two giant fish-cake skewers in it too! The refreshing, salty broth goes without saying, and each fish-cake skewer was so substantial that one alone could fill you up. They had put in several of them, and once again I thought: this is such a great-value Balsan restaurant 👍🏼

The generous ₩45,000 steamed seafood

I was considering Neoul's signature aged sashimi near Magok and Balsan Station...!! But I fell for the menu photo of the spicy-looking steamed seafood and ordered it instead. Wow... it was even better than I expected 👍🏼

It arrived tossed in Neoul's house sauce with many kinds of seafood and vegetables—shrimp, squid, clams, fish roe and milt, minari, and bean sprouts. Because it came in an enormous earthenware pot, the presentation was even more overwhelming hahaha 👍🏼

The clam meat was so chewy and plump! These were not dried-out clams at all; they were fat and springy, with a wonderful bite. There were also several big shrimp, so I could enjoy their nutty flavor with the pleasantly spicy sauce.

Can you get a sense of the squid size too...?! These were not those limp, shriveled little squid legs you so often see. The squid meat was thick and chewy, and dipped in wasabi soy sauce—ahh... it made me want to mix up a bowl of rice immediately.

And because of how fish roe and milt look, I had barely ever properly tried them. But with Neoul's house sauce, somehow sweet yet pleasantly spicy, I just kept eating them, you know?? Amid the spice came a nutty richness, and the roe was so full too hahaha. I lost count of how many times I was amazed...

With plenty of bean sprouts and minari, it tasted even fresher and the flavor really came alive! Honestly, aged sashimi or seasonal seafood would be great at Neoul in Magok, but if you try this steamed seafood—the peak of delicious spice—I would bet you will order it again next time haha. We had steamed seafood and clam soup in that outdoor-stall atmosphere, and the portions were generous and everything was truly delicious, so I promised my husband that next time we would try the aged sashimi or a full seafood set :)

After a date at Seoul Botanic Park or LG Arts Center, shopping at NC Department Store, One Grove, or Magok Traders, for lunch or dinner, a post-wedding gathering after a ceremony at The Venue Ji Seoul, or a nearby office group dinner—I think everyone would be very satisfied with Neoul, the Magok-Balsan restaurant, regardless of their preferences!