Seoul Tuna All-You-Can-Eat Guide (2026): Course Prices and Cuts at Lee Chun-bok, Dongwon VIP, and Tuna Workshop

Tuna sashimi occupies a slightly odd place in Korea. In Japan it is the crown jewel of a sushiya, but in Seoul it has become a mass-market course meal under the banner of tuna all-you-can-eat, starting from the low ₩30,000s. It is a staple of office dinners, formal family introductions, and client entertaining — and at the same time, a category almost entirely off the tourist radar. This guide covers Seoul’s three flagship tuna brands — Lee Chun-bok Tuna, Dongwon VIP Tuna, and Tuna Workshop — with course-by-course prices, how the cuts change as you climb the tiers, everything that comes alongside the sashimi, and which branches sit on useful tourist routes.

Why are Korean tuna restaurants all-you-can-eat?

A Korean tuna house is not a Japanese-style sushiya — it is closer to a course-set restaurant. You pick a course tier per person, and the kitchen sends out a platter of tuna sashimi matching that tier. When you finish, they refill the basic cuts within your chosen tier. So even though the menu says “all-you-can-eat,” what you are really getting is unlimited refills within the course tier you paid for.

This model works because tuna is a fish with an extreme price spread depending on species and cut. The spectrum runs from cheap cannery-grade species all the way to northern bluefin that auction for tens of thousands of dollars per fish. The lean cuts from mid-to-low-tier species are cheap enough to serve unlimited and still turn a profit. On the flip side, cuts like otoro (fatty belly) or kamatoro (collar) — only a few slices per fish — are never meant to be refilled in the first place.

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What actually changes as the course tier goes up?

Two things: the species and the cut.

First, the species. Tuna (maguro) is roughly graded in this order.

🐟 Sashimi-grade tuna species — higher is more premium

Species	Japanese name	Character	Typical course tier
Northern bluefin	Honmaguro (本まぐろ)	Top grade. Meltingly fatty, dissolves on the tongue	Top-tier courses only
Southern bluefin	Minamimaguro	Bluefin-grade, deep umami	Upper-tier courses
Bigeye tuna	Mebachi	Tender and reliable. Popular for sushi	Mid-tier courses
Yellowfin tuna	Kihada	Lean, clean red meat. The most common	Basic courses
Swordfish	Mekajiki	Not a tuna but the finest billfish. Firm, satisfying bite	Basic to mid-tier courses

The red meat refilled unlimited in a basic course is usually lean cuts from yellowfin or bigeye tuna. As you step up, the species itself shifts: bigeye → southern bluefin → northern bluefin. This is why the honmaguro course on the menu costs more than double the others.

Next, the cut. With tuna, the yield per fish essentially is the price.

🍣 Cuts by scarcity — the further down, the rarer and pricier

Cut	Korean name	Taste & texture	Yield per fish
Akami (赤身)	Lean red meat	Clean, straightforward, deep red flesh	Most abundant
Chutoro (中トロ)	Medium-fatty belly	Moderately fatty, nutty, well-balanced	Moderate
Otoro (大トロ)	Fatty belly	Maximum fat, melts on the tongue	Scarce
Kamatoro (カマトロ)	Collar	As rich as otoro, with an extra chew	A few slices
Hohoniku	Cheek meat	Firm yet lean, steak-like grain	2 slices per fish
Heso	Belly button	Intensely fatty, rare	Trace amounts

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What else comes besides sashimi? — The full course

This is where Korean tuna houses diverge most sharply from Japanese sushiya. The tuna sashimi is only one chapter of the meal — multiple dishes bookend it. Every brand does it slightly differently, but the flow generally goes like this.

So for ₩38,000 — roughly the mid-tier course — you get unlimited tuna sashimi plus six or seven side dishes plus a rice-or-noodle closer, all in one complete meal. This is why Koreans see a tuna house not as “a place to eat raw fish” but as a proper sit-down meal worth treating someone to.

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Seoul's three big tuna brands — what is the difference?

💰 Brand course & price comparison (based on public listings as of July 2026, varies by branch)

Brand	Basic course	Mid-tier course	Upper course	Top tier	Reservation
Lee Chun-bok	Tuna Special ₩28,000–36,000	Manager’s Pick ₩38,000–46,000	Premium Tuna ₩50,000–59,000	Honmaguro ₩75,000–87,000 / Honmaguro Plus ₩110,000	Recommended
Dongwon VIP	Bluefin Set (lunch) ₩29,000	Special Set (lunch) ₩39,000 / Premium Course ₩38,000	Selection Course ₩58,000	Special Course (dinner) ₩88,000	Required
Tuna Workshop	Lunch Special ₩30,000	Special All-You-Can-Eat ₩42,000	Upper courses vary by branch	Varies by branch	Recommended

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Which branches work for a tourist itinerary?

Pick based on where you are staying or what your day looks like. These are only the branches that sit on routes tourists actually walk.

📍 Recommended branches by travel route

Route	Branch	Nearest station	Pairs well with
Jongno / Insadong	Lee Chun-bok Jonggak	Jonggak Station Exit 3	Gyeongbokgung, Insadong, Cheonggyecheon
Jongno / Insadong	Tuna Workshop Jonggak Main	Jonggak Station Exit 3, 3-min walk	Ikseon-dong, Jogyesa
Gangnam	Lee Chun-bok Gangnam	Gangnam Station	Gangnam shopping, COEX
Gangnam	Tuna Workshop Gangnam	Gangnam Station Exit 4, 215m	Garosu-gil, Sinsa
Gwanghwamun / City Hall	Dongwon VIP Gwanghwamun	Gwanghwamun Station	Gyeongbokgung, Deoksugung, Seoul City Hall
Near Myeongdong	Lee Chun-bok Euljiro	Euljiro 1-ga Station	Myeongdong, Namdaemun Market
Seoul Station / Yongsan	Lee Chun-bok Yongsan Main	Yongsan Station, Sinyongsan Station	War Memorial, Yongsan I’Park Mall
Jamsil	Lee Chun-bok Jamsil	Jamsil Station	Lotte World, Seokchon Lake

Jonggak — two tuna houses within a three-minute walk

The most convenient dinner option after a day at Gyeongbokgung and Insadong. Lee Chun-bok Jonggak is on the first floor of the Seoul YMCA building at 69 Jongno, right outside Jonggak Station Exit 3. Hours: Mon–Sat 11:00–24:00 (Sun until 23:00), break time 14:30–16:30. A three-minute walk from the same exit at 8 Jongno 9-gil sits Tuna Workshop Jonggak Main — if one is fully booked, you can simply walk to the other. Tuna Workshop Jonggak Main is open daily 11:00–23:00, break time 15:00–17:00. Lee Chun-bok Jonggak · 69 Jongno 1F, Jongno-gu · 02-723-4558 📍 Open in Naver Map 📍 Tuna Workshop Jonggak Main

Gangnam — the late-night option

If you have evening plans, Gangnam has the edge. Tuna Workshop Gangnam is 215 meters from Gangnam Station Exit 4 and stays open Mon–Sat until 00:30 — making it one of the latest tuna spots in Seoul (Sun until 22:00, break 15:00–17:00). Lee Chun-bok Gangnam is at 13 Gangnam-daero 61-gil, Seocho-gu, open 11:00–24:00 (break 14:00–16:30), smack in the middle of Gangnam Station’s commercial district. Tuna Workshop Gangnam · Gangnam Station Exit 4 · Lee Chun-bok Gangnam · 13 Gangnam-daero 61-gil, Seocho-gu 📍 Open in Naver Map

Gwanghwamun — for a more formal setting

Dongwon VIP Gwanghwamun is in the basement of the Doryeom Building at 37 Saemunan-ro 5-gil, slotting neatly into a Gwanghwamun–Gyeongbokgung itinerary. Every table is a private room, so the atmosphere is hushed and intimate. The lineup: Bluefin Set (lunch) ₩29,000 / Special Set (lunch) ₩39,000 / Special Course (dinner) ₩88,000. One caveat: show up without a reservation and there is a very good chance you will be turned away. The Dongwon VIP chain has about ten locations clustered around the Gwanghwamun–Jongno–Euljiro corridor, so if one is full, another nearby branch is easy to pivot to. B1 Doryeom Bldg, 37 Saemunan-ro 5-gil, Jongno-gu · Gwanghwamun Station · Weekdays 11:30–22:00 · Reservation recommended

📍 Open in Naver Map

Near Myeongdong — Euljiro

If you are staying in Myeongdong, Lee Chun-bok Euljiro is the closest option. It sits on B2 of the Mirae Asset Center One building at 26 Euljiro 5-gil, Jung-gu. Finding it is a little tricky since it is tucked into an office-building basement, but it is walking distance from both Myeongdong and Namdaemun Market. Open 11:00–23:00. B2-205 Center One Bldg, 26 Euljiro 5-gil, Jung-gu · 02-6030-8541 📍 Open in Naver Map

Yongsan — the main branch with the fairest prices

Lee Chun-bok Yongsan Main is at 266-2 Hangang-daero, Yongsan-gu, open 11:00–24:00 (break 14:30–16:00). Its pricing — Tuna Special ₩30,000 / Manager’s Pick ₩38,000 / Premium Tuna ₩50,000 / Honmaguro ₩75,000 — runs about ₩6,000 per course cheaper than the downtown branches. Pairs well with a visit to the War Memorial of Korea or Yongsan I’Park Mall. 266-2 Hangang-daero, Yongsan-gu · Yongsan Station / Sinyongsan Station · 11:00–24:00 (break 14:30–16:00) 📍 Open in Naver Map

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Tuna all-you-can-eat, honestly — is it any good?

Let me be straight with you. The cuts refilled endlessly at a ₩30,000 course are not premium tuna. They center on lean meat from yellowfin or bigeye, and premium cuts like otoro appear only in a fixed initial portion — no refills. If you walk in expecting a Japanese-style omakase experience, you will leave disappointed.

And yet the category exists for a reason: the sheer volume for the price. Eating your fill of tuna sashimi for ₩30,000–40,000, with six or seven side dishes and a meal closer — that is a combination hard to find in Japan or the West. Even by Korean standards, a full-course meal at this price point is uncommon.

What about drinks at a tuna house?

The classic Korean move is tuna sashimi with soju on the side. Most tuna restaurants stock soju, beer, and sake (cheongju), and some courses even include a complimentary glass. Not drinking is perfectly fine — you will get warm tea and broth throughout the meal instead.

The catch: alcohol is not included in the course price. Soju runs ₩5,000–6,000 a bottle, and sake often starts above ₩20,000 per bottle. For a party of four drinking alongside the meal, the per-person total can easily climb ₩10,000–20,000 above the course price.