Woojung Sushi: Affordable Omakase near Korea University

2020-07-20 · Updated: 2026-08-11 · Original (Korean)

This article was translated from the original Korean post with AI assistance. Read the original Korean post →

If you use a map or app that shows restaurant ratings, like KakaoMap, near Korea University (in Seoul), there's a sushi place with pretty high scores. It's called Woojung Sushi. It didn't look like a standard sushi joint, and reading closely, I realized it's an omakase restaurant. But the prices are incredibly cheap. Usually, omakase starts at over 30,000 KRW, and if you add fame or a luxurious atmosphere, it easily tops 100,000 KRW. However, Woojung Sushi is 16,000 KRW for lunch and 21,000 KRW for dinner. That's almost the same price as a combo platter at a franchise sushi chain.

Restaurant exterior with the Ujeong Chobap (Ujeong Sushi) sign and a standing sign showing business hours

They don't take advance reservations; you have to go in person at 11:00 AM for lunch or 5:00 PM for dinner to write down your name and phone number. It really feels like a place targeting only local residents. I imagine the prices were set low with the local university students' wallets in mind.

We got a spot for the 3rd lunch seating at 1:30 PM, but we didn't go in exactly at 1:30; we entered about 10 minutes later. Since there are people eating before you, things tend to run a little behind schedule.

View of the bar table where a chef wearing a mask is making sushi

One piece of white fish sushi and pickled ginger on a black plate

One piece of sushi with slightly seared fish skin on a patterned round plate

One piece of salmon sushi, pickled ginger, and wasabi on a black plate

One piece of red fish sushi, pickled ginger, and wasabi on a black plate

One piece of scored blue-backed fish sushi, pickled ginger, and wasabi on a black plate

One piece of gunkanmaki (battleship sushi), pickled ginger, and wasabi on a black plate

One piece of fish sushi, ginger, and wasabi on a black rectangular plate

One piece of shrimp sushi, ginger, and wasabi on a black rectangular plate

One piece of sushi topped with grilled ingredients, ginger, and wasabi on a black rectangular plate

One piece of rolled omelet sushi, ginger, and wasabi on a black rectangular plate

Rice bowl topped with salmon, egg, and flying fish roe in a striped bowl

Two pieces of red pickles in a small white bowl

Given the price, there weren't any super rare types of sushi. Still, they carefully serve each person and explain what the sushi is and the best way to eat it. Since they seat 10 people at once, you end up waiting about 5 minutes after eating one piece. Unlike high-end omakase spots that cater to 2 to 6 people, it seems they slightly increased the headcount to keep the price burden as low as possible.

Each piece of sushi was pretty good. Adding fresh wasabi to taste and using ginger to brush on the soy sauce made it delicious. Considering it costs just over 1,000 KRW per piece, it's in a completely different class. Even conveyor belt sushi places at the supermarket charge 1,000 KRW a piece, so getting this price at a place with excellent service is fantastic.

However, if you've dined at nicer omakase restaurants, I wouldn't recommend it. It will definitely fall short of your expectations and the places you've visited before. Even factoring in the price, watching them make the sushi in a rush and mechanically repeat the explanations might not look that great to you.

Since this neighborhood is full of students, the owner probably had to keep prices low, and it seems they worked really hard to differentiate themselves. As a result, they focused heavily on offering great value for money while trying not to lose the basics of omakase.

I don't think it's a coincidence this sushi place gets such overwhelmingly high ratings.

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