Japanese restaurants in Seoul: sushi, ramen and katsu
Choose by format. Muni and Sushi Moriji take CatchTable bookings, Sushi Jihyun runs a same-day queue, and Konbu and Kyeong Yang Katsu take walk-ins. Dinner at Muni is about 250,000 won.
Japanese food in Seoul is mostly sold in single-format shops: a sushi counter, a ramen bar, a tonkatsu house, a skewer counter. Which one you pick decides how you get a seat. The small counters fill first, so this post groups the places by format and says how each one takes guests.
Before you go
- Booking differs by format. Sushi Moriji, Muni and Konbu use CatchTable. Sushi Jihyun takes no phone bookings and fills its seats through a same-day CatchTable queue. Yakitori Kiyu and Bamboo Aged Sashimi House take bookings on Naver.
- Walk-in or plan ahead. Konbu and Kyeong Yang Katsu take walk-ins. Hakuten Ramen is the exception among the noodle shops: plan weeks ahead.
- Cost. Dinner at Muni is about 250,000 won per person. Sushi Matsumoto lists lunch at 180,000 won and dinner at 330,000.
- Days open. Sushi Matsumoto lists Tuesday to Saturday. Kushi Kawa and Yakitori Kiyu list Monday to Saturday. Sushi Jihyun lists Wednesday to Sunday.
- Group size. The counters are small. Sushi Jihyun caps tables at four, and Yakitori Kiyu seats four at most per table or room.
Ten Japanese places by format
In no particular order; none of them paid to be here. Prices and hours are from our data as of 2026-10-06.
Sushi Jihyun 스시지현
A small nigiri counter beside the Gyeongui Line Forest Trail in Yeonnam-dong. It is built around a fixed mixed-sushi set rather than an omakase course. You order on a tablet or kiosk, and the room seats about 18 to 20.
What to order: Mixed sushi set (모둠초밥), Truffle chawanmushi (트러플 계란찜), Ankimo gunkan (안키모 군함)
Good to know: No advance booking: all seats go through a same-day CatchTable queue, so be ready to wait.
- Hours
- Wed–Sun 11:30 am–9:30 pm (Mon, Tue: not listed)
- Booking
- Reservation needed
Sushi Moriji 스시모리지
A tiny omakase sushi counter with only four or five seats. One chef cooks, serves and talks you through the whole course. It suits a quiet dinner for one or two.
What to order: Ankimo toast (안키모 토스트), Chawanmushi with red shrimp (홍새우 차완무시)
Good to know: Book well ahead on CatchTable. Corkage is 20,000 won if you bring a bottle.
- Hours
- Daily noon–9 pm
- Booking
- Reservation needed · CatchTable
Sushi Matsumoto 스시마츠모토
An Edomae-style sushi counter in Cheongdam. Chef Matsumoto Mizuho trained at Kyubey in Ginza and has led the room since 2011. It holds a Michelin star in the 2026 guide. The seasoning is bold, with a firm hand on salt.
What to order: Abalone with liver sauce, Fried hairtail (갈치 튀김), Otoro (참치 뱃살)
Good to know: Lunch is 180,000 won and dinner 330,000. Parking is valet only, a flat 5,000 won paid up front.
- Hours
- Tue–Sat noon–9 pm (Mon, Sun: not listed)
- Booking
- Takes reservations
Kushi Kawa 쿠시카와
An 11-seat counter that does one thing: kushiage, meaning breaded, deep-fried skewers served as an omakase. The chef-owner took his inspiration from Osaka's kushikatsu tradition. It holds Michelin Plate recognition, and few places in Seoul specialize in this format.
What to order: Abalone skewer, Wagyu beef and uni skewer, Green tea ice cream
Good to know: The omakase runs 12 to 14 skewers. Book a few days ahead. A high chair is available.
- Hours
- Mon–Sat noon–10 pm (Sun: not listed)
Muni 무니
A Michelin one-star kaiseki restaurant in a Cheongdam back alley. The chef trained at Kikunoi in Kyoto and Hattori in Tokyo. Dinner is one seasonal course, about 250,000 won per person, and the counter is tightly spaced.
What to order: Claypot rice (kamameshi), Conger eel glutinous rice wrapped in bamboo leaf (iimushi), Snow crab chawanmushi
Good to know: Book on CatchTable. Service is almost entirely in Korean.
- Price
- About ₩250,000 per person
- Hours
- Daily 6 pm–10 pm
- Booking
- Takes reservations · CatchTable
Yakitori Kiyu 야키토리 키유
A yakitori omakase counter in a quiet Mapo alley near Gongdeok Station. Two owner-chefs grill premium native chicken over binchotan charcoal. It appears in the Michelin Guide Seoul for 2025 and 2026, and seats have been harder to get since.
What to order: Chochin, egg sac (쵸친), Hatsu, heart (하츠), Negima (네기마), Shoyu ramen (쇼유 라멘)
Good to know: Each guest orders at least one drink, and corkage is charged on top. Book on Naver well ahead.
- Hours
- Mon–Sat 5 pm–9:30 pm (Sun: not listed)
- Booking
- Reservation needed · Naver booking
Hakuten Ramen 하쿠텐라멘
A one-dish ramen counter serving Ieke-style tonkotsu-shoyu in a rich, salty broth. Waits of close to two hours are common, and the counter is cramped.
What to order: Ieke ramen (이에케라멘), Garlic-mayo rice (마늘마요밥)
Good to know: Booking is hard. Plan weeks ahead. Open daily 11:30 to 21:00.
- Hours
- Daily 11:30 am–9 pm
- Booking
- Reservation needed
Konbu 콘부
A ramen bar with counter seats only and no tables. The house bowl is built on a clam shoyu broth. Since a renovation in mid-2026, the menu also carries noodle dishes that mix Japanese stock with Italian cooking methods, which take some getting used to.
What to order: Vongole shoyu ramen (봉골레 쇼유라멘), Shio ramen (시오라멘)
Good to know: A quiet evening means a 15 to 30 minute wait, while a weekday lunch rush can stretch it to an hour. The renovation dropped the menchi-katsu and the beef croquette.
- Hours
- Mon–Fri 11 am–9:30 pm · Sat noon–11 pm · Sun 11 am–9:30 pm
- Booking
- Takes reservations · Walk-ins welcome · CatchTable
Kyeong Yang Katsu (Yeonnam) 경양카츠 연남점
A small tonkatsu shop in Yeonnam-dong with a handful of pork cutlet cuts and a shared banchan spread with unlimited noodle and rice refills. It draws couples and foreign visitors, and the pasta side is popular too.
What to order: Tenderloin katsu (안심카츠), Premium sirloin katsu (특등심카츠), Spicy scallion cream pasta (대파매콤크림파스타)
Good to know: No reservations. Waits run 10 to 90 minutes. Only seven tables, so parties of four or more are tight.
- Hours
- Daily 11:30 am–9 pm
- Booking
- Walk-ins welcome
Bamboo Aged Sashimi House (Jonggak) 대나무숙성회관 종각점
An izakaya near Jonggak that serves cold-aged sashimi using a family aging method. Curtained booths make it easy to talk over drinks, and a private room is confirmed. Hot dishes lean toward seafood.
What to order: Assorted 1°C-aged sashimi (모듬숙성회), Kansai-style oden hot pot (일품간사이오뎅나베), Red crab seafood ramyeon (홍게해물라면)
Good to know: Three minutes on foot from Jonggak Station Exit 4. Book on Naver a few days ahead.
- Hours
- Mon–Fri 11 am–11:30 pm · Sat–Sun 2 pm–11:30 pm
- Booking
- Naver booking
Which format for which evening
For a late dinner, Bamboo Aged Sashimi House lists a 23:30 close every day, and Konbu lists 23:00 on Saturday. The omakase counters finish earlier: Muni's listed hours end at 22:00, and Sushi Moriji's at 21:00.
At a glance
| Place | Area | Price per person | Listed hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sushi Jihyun | Mapo | Not listed | Mon-Tue not confirmed, Wed-Sun 11:30-21:30 |
| Sushi Moriji | Mapo | Not listed | Every day 12:00-21:00 |
| Sushi Matsumoto | Gangnam | Not listed | Mon not confirmed, Tue-Sat 12:00-21:00, Sun not confirmed |
| Kushi Kawa | Gangnam | Not listed | Mon-Sat 12:00-22:00, Sun not confirmed |
| Muni | Gangnam | ₩250,000 | Every day 18:00-22:00 |
| Yakitori Kiyu | Mapo | Not listed | Mon-Sat 17:00-21:30, Sun not confirmed |
| Hakuten Ramen | Mapo | Not listed | Every day 11:30-21:00 |
| Konbu | Jung | Not listed | Mon-Fri 11:00-21:30, Sat 12:00-23:00, Sun 11:00-21:30 |
| Kyeong Yang Katsu (Yeonnam) | Mapo | Not listed | Every day 11:30-21:00 |
| Bamboo Aged Sashimi House (Jonggak) | Jongno | Not listed | Mon-Fri 11:00-23:30, Sat-Sun 14:00-23:30 |
From SeoulSearch place data as of 2026-10-06. "Not listed" and "Not confirmed" mean we have no measured value, not that the answer is no.
How we picked these
Every place here is a Japanese specialist built around one format, from nigiri to skewers to a single bowl of ramen. Each has a clear way to get a seat. We left out places where Japanese is only a label on a mixed menu.
Questions
Can I walk into a Japanese restaurant in Seoul without a booking?
Konbu and Kyeong Yang Katsu take walk-ins, and Kyeong Yang Katsu waits run 10 to 90 minutes. Hakuten Ramen and the sushi counters need planning.
Which Japanese places have a private room?
Bamboo Aged Sashimi House has curtained booths and a confirmed private room. Muni and Yakitori Kiyu also list a private room, and Yakitori Kiyu's seats four at most.
Where can I eat Japanese food late?
Bamboo Aged Sashimi House lists a 23:30 close every day. Konbu lists 23:00 on Saturday. Muni's last listed hour is 22:00.
Sources
- SeoulSearch place data (as of 2026-10-06)