Late-night sushi date in Cheonan Buldang-dong: Ganghan Sushi 12P

1. The Ganghan Special Sushi 12P at ₩17,000 is packed with variety 2. A Cheonan sushi spot that comes with udon, croquette, salad, aged kimchi, and broth 3. The squid and monkfish liver gunkan were the standout of this visit.

This time I visited Ganghan Sushi, and honestly the ₩17,000 set — from the sushi itself to all the side dishes — was way more satisfying than I expected.

If you're looking for a real date-worthy sushi restaurant in Buldang-dong, you have to check this place out.

Inside Ganghan Sushi Cheonan Buldang Branch: space and seating

The interior of Ganghan Sushi Cheonan Buldang Branch felt clean and cozy overall. The space isn't huge, but it's put together efficiently with two 4-person tables and four 2-person tables, haha. There were even baby chairs ready for families, so it seemed totally fine to bring kids along too.

We visited late, around 8:30pm, and I was a little surprised the place was still completely full. Seeing it packed even at that hour, I could tell this was already a well-known sushi spot in Cheonan among locals.

How tablet ordering and table-side payment work

Once you sit down, you can order easily using the tablet at each table. Since it shows photos of the menu along with descriptions of what's included, it was easy to choose even on a first visit! What I especially liked was that you can pay directly at the table too — no need to line up on your way out. Such a convenient system, lol.

I sat at the table closest to the entrance, and there was a phone charger right on the wall! My battery was running low, so I got to fully charge it during the meal — such a win, haha.

Next to the table, pickled radish, soy sauce, and ginger were all neatly set out separately, so it was easy to take as much as you wanted.

What comes in the Ganghan Special Sushi 12P (17,000 won)

This time we ordered two sets of Ganghan Sushi's signature menu, the Ganghan Special Sushi 12P at ₩17,000. It's packed with variety — flounder, salmon, tuna, swordfish, seaweed-wrapped shrimp, soy sauce shrimp, squid, scallop, egg, and monkfish liver gunkan (a seaweed-wrapped rice cup topped with monkfish liver).

One plate combines the usual crowd-pleasers with a few slightly more special pieces, which I liked. The toppings were fresh across the board, and the rice portion wasn't excessive, so I could eat through the whole thing without feeling weighed down.

Standard sides: udon, seafood croquette and washed aged kimchi

What made Ganghan Sushi so good wasn't just the amount and variety of sushi. They also give you udon, broth, a seafood croquette, and fresh salad as standard — and the whole combination worked really well together, haha.

The udon broth was rich and deep, great to sip between bites of sushi, and the noodles had a nice springy bite too.

But the freshly fried seafood croquette was truly a stroke of genius!!!!!!! Make sure to eat it warm before it cools down! One bite and the outside was crispy while the inside was so savory and soft that I wanted to order an extra one separately. The washed aged kimchi served as a side also cleansed the palate perfectly, pairing beautifully with the sushi!

Squid and monkfish liver gunkan, the highlight of this visit

Once I really got into the sushi, adding a touch of wasabi and dipping it in soy sauce, it just melted in my mouth.

There was one point that genuinely impressed me at this Cheonan sushi spot — the squid sushi! Usually squid sushi elsewhere feels a bit cheap, but here it came in slightly thin, wide pieces that gave it a totally different texture.

It was chewy enough to be mistaken for actual squid sashimi, with such a luxurious taste that I immediately understood why it came as 2 pieces, lol. And they included monkfish liver (ankimo) gunkan, which you don't often see — its rich, velvety flavor was truly outstanding.

The salmon sushi also had just the right amount of onion and sauce on top, so I could enjoy it cleanly without any greasiness.

The scallop sushi had zero fishy taste and its natural sweetness really shone through, which told me they take good care of their ingredients.

The shrimp sushi wrapped in seaweed had a subtle ocean fragrance and a wonderfully springy texture. Overall the rice portions were just right and the quality of the toppings was great, so I happily finished every last piece!

Is there a wait, and does Ganghan Sushi work as a date spot?

Ganghan Sushi Cheonan Buldang Branch is already known as a top sushi restaurant in Cheonan, and it showed — the place was completely full even when we visited late, around 8:30pm. Since the space is on the smaller side, there could be a wait during peak times. Still, turnover isn't bad and the food comes out fairly quickly, so it's definitely worth the wait, haha. If you want to enjoy a proper plate of sushi on a date in Cheonan, coming here is something you won't regret at all!

If you want a satisfying, good-value set alongside chewy squid sushi, head to Ganghan Sushi Cheonan Buldang Branch.