Solo counter seats near Gyodae Station with wasabi chicken set: Halls

I was looking for somewhere good to eat solo near Gyodae Station in Seocho, and Halls Gimbap caught my eye with its unusual menu and great reviews — so here's my visit report :)

It's apparently already famous around here as a solo dining spot, because even on an early weekday evening several tables were eating and delivery orders kept coming in.

Since the shop is called 'Halls Gimbap' (홀스김밥), there's a cute little horse character drawn on the outside sign — a nice small touch.

Location and hours of Halls Gimbap Main Branch

It's located at 90 Seochojungang-ro 22-gil, Seocho-gu, Seoul, 300m from Exit 1 of Gyodae Station.

Hours are 08:30–20:00 on weekdays with a break time from 15:00–16:00, and 08:00–15:00 on Saturdays; closed Sundays. Free parking is available.

An atmosphere and setup that's easy for solo dining

Inside, seats run in a long row along the wall, so even eating alone you never feel awkward — it's a really comfortable layout.

Wifi worked well inside too, so I could relax and browse SNS or watch videos while eating alone.

Ordering is simple through the kiosk near the entrance, and little horse dolls and posters scattered around the store made for a fun cute-spotting game.

On one side there's also a bonito broth (가쓰오부시) self-serve bar. It's tasty enough to slurp down even in summer — recommended.

What's on the menu

The menu is packed — gimbap (seaweed rice rolls), fried chicken, tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes), and set menus. The signature Jindo green onion tuna gimbap and wasabi gimbap especially caught my eye.

Since I wanted fried chicken too, I ordered the 'wasabi chicken set.'

No bunsik (Korean street food) spot is complete without cup noodles, and they had plenty — Wangdukkeong, sesame ramyeon, Buldak Bokkeum Myeon, and more. Drinks ranged from soy milk to soda to juice, so there was something for everyone. I went with a cold soda!

I noticed they also run direct branches in Bulgwang and Hoegi. Since I've now had the real deal at the main branch, I'm thinking of trying the Hoegi branch next, since it's closer to home!

How was the wasabi chicken set?

When my order arrived, it passed the visual test right away!

Wasabi gimbap with whole romaine

The wasabi gimbap has whole romaine lettuce inside, keeping a crisp texture alive, and dipping it in the accompanying wasabi sauce gave just the right amount of sharp kick — not overdone.

Fluffy egg omelet wraps around savory fish cake, making the overall texture soft throughout.

What I liked most was that instead of regular white rice, they used nutritious black rice — this brought out a nuttier flavor and a texture that got better the more you chewed!

Thin-battered soy sauce chicken

The fried chicken had a distinctive look with fresh chili topping. The batter wasn't thick but thin, and the skin was easily the crispiest fried chicken I've had recently!

The savory soy-based sauce soaked all the way through, and the pairing with the gimbap turned out better than I expected.

The portion was more generous than expected, so I was really full after finishing. Bunsik dishes can sometimes get tiresome halfway through, but here I happily finished every last piece.

Worth recommending as a solo dining spot near Gyodae Station?

Great value for money — I'd strongly recommend it to students as well as office workers near Gyodae Station wanting a simple but delicious lunch or dinner.

Definitely a solo dining favorite I want to revisit :) The owner and staff were kind too, so I ate comfortably.