Gwanghwamun kaisendon restaurant: ₩26,000 bowl is best value, Ilpum

I heard there's a kaisendon (raw seafood rice bowl) spot in Gwanghwamun that tastes like what you'd get in Japan, so I headed to Ilpum Gwanghwamun!! The taste you get in Japan?? I was sooo excited, okay??

Where is Ilpum Gwanghwamun?

Ilpum Gwanghwamun is on the second basement floor of the Le Meilleur building, between Gwanghwamun Station and Jonggak Station. Since it's underground, go in through the entrance on the left of Mijin, take the escalator down, and you'll see Ilpum Gwanghwamun right away!

Ilpum has appeared on several famous food shows. Inside, the walls are full of celebrity autographs, like a certificate that says "yep, great restaurant."

Are the seating and atmosphere good for dates and group meals?

Seating at Ilpum Gwanghwamun is quite roomy, from bar seats to table seats. It's a great Gwanghwamun date spot, and I think it would be perfect for an office lunch outing too!! Naver reservations are available.

The kitchen is open, so you can watch the cooking right there. You can see at a glance how fresh the seafood is, haha. Seeing how tidy everything was made me look forward to the meal even more~!

Ilpum Gwanghwamun menu and kaisendon prices

The Ilpum Gwanghwamun menu has plenty of choices, from the signature kaisendon to unagi don (grilled eel rice bowl) and sushi. And even karaage don (fried chicken rice bowl)!! There's something tasty here even for people who don't enjoy raw fish.

• Kaisendon ₩26,000
• Premium kaisendon ₩37,000

I ordered both the kaisendon and the premium kaisendon. The difference between them is a slight one in the toppings.

There was a Naver review event going on when I visited! They give you 2 pieces of croquette, so definitely join in!! I did too and got some tasty croquettes.

Broth and chawanmushi before the kaisendon

One nice thing about Ilpum Gwanghwamun is that they bring broth and chawanmushi (savory steamed egg custard) before the meal. As an egg lover, I loved having it warm. The chawanmushi even has gamtae (seaweed) and shrimp inside, so good.

Regular vs premium kaisendon: what's the difference?

The one on the right with salmon roe is the premium kaisendon, and it also has uni (sea urchin). The one on the left with flying fish roe is the regular kaisendon!! The bowls arrived right away, and the look of them is amazing, right??💗

Honestly, the only difference between the premium and regular kaisendon felt like the salmon roe and uni, so I didn't notice a big difference while eating. Sure, the fish differs, but the cheaper regular kaisendon seems easy to enjoy any day. It's so tasty that it's a great-value way to eat good kaisendon!!

Extra seaweed and cheese fishcake mini udon come with it

I didn't know this, but the kaisendon at Ilpum Gwanghwamun comes with extra seaweed to eat alongside, and a mini udon as part of the set!! As I ate, dishes kept coming out, lol. There was seriously more food than I expected.

The mini udon was just right with the broth. The noodles were chewy, and the big fishcake on top is actually a cheese fishcake!! It tasted like proper fishcake, so it went really well with the kaisendon.

Partway through, the croquettes from the review event arrived too!! One piece each was perfect for tasting✌️

Thick-cut sashimi and whole abalone in the kaisendon

The sashimi in the kaisendon was so thick and plentiful that I moved some onto the side plate to eat. And that's only half of it, yet look how much there is, thick and huge, right?! A whole abalone sits on top too.

Sweet shrimp and thick slices of sashimi.

I topped the salmon with uni and ikura (salmon roe) and ate it that way. The crab meat was all prepared for easy eating, one bite~! The tuna was really thick too, so tasty!!

Crab cream croquette and mango pudding dessert

Last came the crab cream croquette~! The creamy filling was so good, perfect as a fried break in the middle of the meal.

Ilpum Gwanghwamun also serves a dessert at the end, a mango pudding with a lovely coconut cream aroma!! It tasted just like what I had in Japan ages ago!! I was so happy to eat such tasty kaisendon, haha. If you're looking for a Gwanghwamun restaurant, I highly recommend Ilpum Gwanghwamun.