Gwanghwamun sushi restaurant with kids for dinner: Elephant Sushi

Today I spent a small but fun day in Gwanghwamun with my kid. Gwanghwamun feels like my neighborhood walk, honestly.

A loop around Gwanghwamun Kyobo Book Centre before dinner

Before heading out for dinner, we first went to the nearby Gwanghwamun Kyobo Book Centre. Wandering around the spacious, comfortable bookstore, reading fun books together and browsing this and that with my kid was such a treat. The stationery and fancy goods corner on one side of the store was full of little toys that caught my kid's eye. There's always something I want to buy every time I come here haha.

Visiting at 5pm sharp, basement 1 floor: Elephant Sushi

The place we picked for dinner was the famous Gwanghwamun favorite, Elephant Sushi. We arrived right at 5pm as break time ended, so it wasn't crowded. Just head down to the basement 1 floor!

There are spacious tables plus a bar space where you can eat while watching the food being made.

How was the Elephant B-set?

What I ordered was one of the restaurant's signature sets, the 'Elephant B-set,' plus a pork cutlet for my kid. As the menu description promised the best fish selected fresh each day, my expectations were high — and it turned out even more generous and excellent than I expected.

Starting with fresh white fish, there was soft, savory salmon, springy soy-marinated shrimp, and umami-rich blue-back fish and tuna, among others.

In particular, the rich, deep-flavored ankimo (monkfish liver) and seasonal, well-marbled amberjack, along with some premium fish varieties, made it really fun to enjoy such a variety of sushi in one sitting.

The futomaki (thick sushi roll) was really huge. Hard to eat in one bite.

Fish thickness and rice seasoning

Elephant Sushi's standout feature was definitely the texture of the thick, fresh fish. The fish was fresh with vivid umami — you could tell right away that ingredients were well managed. The amount and seasoning of the rice were just right too, balancing the fish's savory flavor nicely, and the soft way it melted in the mouth made it go down deliciously.

With savoriness, cleanness, and great value all in one, this is a place I'd come back to anytime I want a proper sushi meal that's satisfying and clean. If the neta (fish topping) is too thin it's disappointing, too thick it's overwhelming — but here it was just thick enough and wrapped around the rice well.

Cold buckwheat noodles to enjoy in between

The cold buckwheat noodles, served in just the right portion to enjoy between sushi bites, looked refreshing from the very first glance. Over the rich broth topped with slushy ice sat a generous pile of finely grated radish, and mixing it into the broth for a sip filled the mouth with that clean, refreshing umami.

The generous topping of seaweed flakes also stood out in flavor. The seaweed, mingling with the broth, gave off a nutty aroma with every chew, and the combination of chewy, springy buckwheat noodles, the katsuobushi-based broth, cool radish, and savory seaweed was a real treat on its own.

The pork cutlet my kid ate

My kid ordered the pork cutlet. Since this is a sushi restaurant, you might not expect much from the cutlet, but it was really tasty. I ate a few pieces too haha.

The outside was fried so crisp it made a satisfying crunch, and the meat was surprisingly tender — some cutlets can be a bit tough, you know. The rice served alongside was also warm and fluffy, so my kid really enjoyed the meal.