Sushi in South Korea - 57 Restaurant Picks

Thick slices of aged fish sit on gently seasoned rice in the sukseong (aged) sushi sets near Yeungnam University. Ankim…

Every fish is aged before it meets the rice, and the white-fleshed fish shows the clearest gain in savory depth against…

Ten counter seats fill at once for each seating, and everyone eats the same course of about 16 pieces in order. Reserva…

A chef who spent years at a sushi restaurant in Akasaka, Tokyo, shapes each piece across the bar, and the mood is far f…

A chef's counter and private rooms with doors that close share one basement floor near Exit 2 of Gangnam Station. Lunch…

Two chefs run the counter with cheerful banter in a second-floor sushi omakase room at the Yeouido Shopping Center, far…

Flower arrangements that change with the seasons and quiet music set the scene for omakase sushi in Sokcho, served piec…

Thick slices of salmon blanket vinegared rice, with the rice kept modest so the fish leads each bite. The same salmon c…

The course opens with myeongran gyeranjjim, a steamed egg custard with pollock roe, then moves from lean sea bass and f…

Aged fish is laid thick and generous over a small mound of rice, and each bite leads with chewy texture and savory dept…

Salt does the seasoning more often than soy sauce: plain or wine salt on fatty tuna belly (chamchi baetsal), squid-ink…

Curtains close off each party's stretch of the counter, sized to the number of guests, so eating alone here feels unobs…

Mackerel grilled over charcoal carries a light smoke into the rice beneath it, and that piece anchors the counter omaka…

A Japanese chef, working with his son, shapes the nigiri large, and the rice loosens gently in the mouth. The basic ord…

Fish is aged through a set process to soften the flesh and draw out sweetness and savor before it becomes nigiri or sas…

From every seat at the kitchen counter, the chef's hands shaping each piece of sushi stay in full view through the omak…

A husband-and-wife team runs this small sushi room, so eating in takes a reservation. Some people turn up in the mornin…

Red-vinegar rice (akazu shari) and restrained seasoning keep each piece easy through a long course. Between sashimi and…

Sushi comes in two sets, assorted and special, and sashimi without rice comes as a mixed-fish platter or a tuna platter…

Salmon nigiri is ordered by telling staff how many pieces to torch, so raw and seared salmon share the plate. The fish…

What surrounds the nigiri stands out as much as the sushi itself, with dishes built on snow crab legs and abalone liver…

Mealtimes often mean a wait of 30 minutes or more because no reservations are taken, but a phone number left on the lis…

One extra piece closes the omakase: an encore of whichever sushi you liked best, though pricey items such as sea urchin…

Chef Nakamura Kouji, also known for his YouTube channel, runs this sushi omakase counter on the 3rd floor of SB Tower A…