A “seafood bowl†is a dish that is eaten by putting chigiri on steamed rice to make the most of its umami, and then topped with prepared seafood that is easy to eat. The rice bowl topped with a variety of seafood, from sashimi such as salmon, tuna, and flounder to shrimp, abalone, and salmon roe, has colorful visuals. It is loved by many for its delicious appearance, which appeases the taste buds even before the meal, and at the same time adds the fun of choosing and eating seafood with different flavors and textures. Typical seafood rice bowls include “kaisendon,†where rice is placed on a concave plate and seafood piled up like a tower; “scattered sushi (jirashi-sushi),†where rice is spread on a flat plate and sprinkled with sashimi, egg, and ginger; and “salmon bowl (sakedon)†with thick slices of salmon and raw wasabi on top of the rice. Recently, menus with main ingredients such as tuna and sea urchin are also gaining popularity.
Seafood rice bowl restaurants include Jamsil Songpa Cafe Street Toyosu 6-ga, Yeonnam-dong Obok Fisheries, Dobong Ssangmun-dong Haiku, Songpa Cafe Street Manpuku, Jeju Aewol Morino Aruyo, Daehak-ro Hoho Restaurant, Yeonnam-dong Mipu-dong, Ongijeong Dongseong-ro Ongijeong, Busan Haeundae Haemok, Sinsa Garosu-gil Ongijeong, Apgujeong Dosan Dosan Dosan, Nonhyeon-dong Dusara, Apgujeong Premium Obok Fisheries, Jungang-dong, Busan Sang-chang Famous places include Himesiya, Yeonnam-dong Kinji, Sinchon Idae Papano Dining, Sookdae Rojino Kitchen, Sinchon Idae Sodam Restaurant, Seongsu Ttuk Island Hoho Restaurant, Dangsan Station Seoul Sushi, Hapjeong Sushi Gen, Ancient Hime Tuna, Apgujeong Dosan Park Cheongdam-don, Hapjeong Seoul-dong, Mangwon-dong Mangwon Dang, Yeonnam-dong Onjeong, Pangyo Avenue Franc Hikaruhu, and Mangwon-dong Obok Fish Market. There are lots of fresh seafood on top of the delicious rice! Here are 5 of the best seafood-style rice bowl restaurants.
1. Enjoy casual attire, Songpa cafe district “Toyosu 6-gaâ€
Image source: toyosu6_official's Instagram
Image source: toyosu6_official's Instagram
“Toyosu 6 Ga†is run by Chef Kim Myung-kwon, who has worked all over the world, including Japan, the US, and Europe. It takes its name from Toyosu Market, the largest fish market in Japan, with the meaning of always providing fresh seafood to customers who visit the store. When you order a meal, the Japanese-style steamed egg custard that is served gently soothes an empty stomach and enhances the taste buds. In the rice bowl menu, the main dish, side dish, clam soup, and dessert are neatly packed on a single-person tray and served to the customer. “Chef's Special Kaisendon,†which stands out for its hearty flavor by adding sea urchin, prawn, and salmon roe to kaisendon, and “Honmaguro Dong,†where you can enjoy various parts of bluefin tuna all at once, are the most popular.
[Shikigami Tip]
â–²Location: 40, Baekjegobun-ro 45-gil, Songpa-gu, Seoul
▲Opening hours: 11:00 — 21:30 every day, B/T 14:30 — 17:00, closed on Tuesdays, early closing when materials are exhausted
â–²Price: Chef's Special Kaisendong 26,000 won, Honmaguro Dong 17,000 won
â–²Testimonial (HyosuBee): I feel like the side dishes that come with kaisendon go really well together. The seaweed soup I tried for the first time was also good, and the soup in the clam soup was cool, so it was nice to eat it in the middle. At the end, it was a perfect meal, even the mochiri-dofu dessert.
2. A bowl of local flavors, 'Obok Fisheries' in Yeonnam-dong
Image source: mukmukpig's Instagram
Image source: crocodile_yumyum's Instagram
“Obok Fisheries†was the first place in Korea to introduce a kaisen-dong menu and at the same time sparked a sensational kaisen-dong craze. CEO Oh Seong-bok wants to recreate local flavors based on his own experience of visiting more than 30 Kaisen-dong stores in Sapporo, Japan. The signature menu is “Kaisendon,†which has 11 kinds of ingredients, including flounder, salmon, sweet shrimp, tuna, flying fish roe, abalone, and omelet, on top of rice. You can spread soy sauce mixed with raw wasabi on a rice bowl, then place seafood on top of the rice and eat it in one bite. Using roasted barley, soy sauce that has gone through a 72-hour aging process enhances the umami of the seafood and adds a deeper flavor.
[Shikigami Tip]
â–²Location: 198 Seongmisan-ro, Mapo-gu, Seoul
▲Opening hours: 11:30 — 21:00, B/T 15:30 — 16:30
â–²Price: Kaisen-dong 17,000 won, Sake-dong 13,000 won
â–²Testimonial (Gishinggongkoto): The color of the seafood on the kaisendong itself is different. The rice itself is delicious, and the seafood is all delicious, so I think I just sweep the ocean and put it in my mouth.
3. The flavor of the sea that fills your mouth, Hapjeong 'Seoul-dong'
Image source: jieun2292's Instagram
Image source: chuuxxlin's Instagram
'Seoul-dong' draws attention with its large signboard hanging from the exterior of the building, which makes use of the feel of wood. The inside of the store has everything from regular table seats to bar seats, so customers who come to enjoy a meal can watch without getting bored. The signature menu, “Aszum,†is a rice bowl topped with plenty of ingredients such as sweet shrimp, prawn, tuna, octopus, and herring, served as a side dish, persimmons, and miso soup with blue crab legs. If you wrap rice seasoned with vinegar and various seafood wrapped in persimmons, you can feel the deep smell of the sea in your mouth. Note that in addition to the menu listed on the menu, you can also order a combination of ingredients of your choice.
[Shikigami Tip]
â–²Location: 52, Dokmak-ro 3-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul
▲Opening hours: 11:30 — 21:30 every day, B/T 15:30 — 17:00, closed on Mondays, early closing when materials are exhausted
â–²Price: 39,000 won for a platter, 39,000 won for Unido Road
â–²Review (Shikigin Strawberry 95): I was hesitant at first because it was a bit expensive, but as soon as it came out, I had no idea about the price. The soup that came with it was also really delicious. It was unusual that persimmon came in place of seaweed, but the combination of gamtae and kaisen-dong is love.
4. Enjoy Yeonnam-dong's “Mibu-dong†in two ways
Image source: mibbedong_official Instagram
Image source: mibbedong_official Instagram
“Mipudong†is a trade name with the meaning of providing customers with a bowl they can eat with confidence by combining “mipu,†which is a pure Korean word for trustworthiness, and “dong,†which means rice bowl in Japanese. The signature menu is “Mipudong,†which consists of putting rice on a plate and putting a variety of ingredients such as salmon belly, herring roe, flounder, salmon, and tuna. The characteristic is that you can enjoy the natural freshness of the seafood by sprinkling soy sauce on it at first, then ask for broth when about 1/3 of the rice bowl is left, roll the rice in an ochazuke style and enjoy it in two ways. The “Maguro Yukhoe Rice Bowl,†“Salmon Field Rice Bowl,†and “Soy Sauce Shrimp Rice Bowl,†which are sold only at lunchtime on weekdays, are also popular.
[Shikigami Tip]
â–²Location: 33-21, Donggyo-ro 38-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul
â–²Business hours: Sunday to Thursday 11:00 to 23:00, Friday and Saturday 11:00 to 00:00
â–²Price: Mibu-dong 13,000 won, Maguro Yukhoe bowl 9,000 won
â–²Testimonial (shikigin kamushamu): I really feel like I spared no effort in putting in the ingredients! It's a good value for money compared to a regular kaisen-dong house, so it's easy to eat casually. Also, it was my first time eating a rice bowl rolled in broth, and it seemed like something was filling my stomach even more.
5. 'Cheongdamdon' in Apgujeong, where you can choose and enjoy whatever you like
Image source: chungdam_don's Instagram
Image source: wolverin_89 on Instagram
“Cheongdamdon†is a Japanese seafood specialty store located near Exit 5 of Apgujeong Rodeo Station. A new door was opened this year, and the clean and comfortable space stands out. From kaisendon, where you can find various types of seafood at once, to rice bowl menus with bluefin tuna, raw salmon, and sea urchin as the main ingredients, it's fun to pick and eat. The signature menu “Cheongdam Kaisendong†combines fresh seafood such as scallops, sweet shrimp, mackerel, and tuna with chewy rice. In addition to the meal menu, they also have snack menus such as sashimi and grilled food, and various alcoholic beverages such as sake, sweet potato shochu, wine, and highballs, making it a great place to drink.
[Shikigami Tip]
â–²Location: 11 Dosan-daero 49-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul
▲Business hours: 11:30 — 00:00 every day, B/T 15:00 — 17:00
â–²Price: Cheongdam Kaisendong 23,000 won, Uni Ikura Kanidong 35,000 won
â–²Testimonial (Hungry Girl): A brand new restaurant that is completely hot! It wasn't long after it opened, and there were lots of events going on. I went to eat kaisendon, and the composition was so good that I'd like to try all the other menus next time.