Jongno Japanese restaurant for unagi don: Ilpum Gwanghwamun

While looking for another good spot around Jonggak Station, I visited Ilpum Gwanghwamun in Le Meilleur Jongno Town this time. I usually love Japanese food and sushi, so I properly tried everything from unagi don topped with a whole eel to nigiri and gunkan sushi.

Ilpum Gwanghwamun location and hours

It is about a 3-minute walk from Exit 4 of Gwanghwamun Station and about a 5-minute walk from Exit 1 of Jonggak Station. Head down to B2, and you will find it opposite the escalator.

In the Jongno and Gwanghwamun area, parking is often the first thing to worry about when driving. Ilpum Gwanghwamun offers up to two hours of free parking at Le Meilleur Jongno Town. That said, it cannot be combined with other discounts, so keep that in mind if you are driving. It makes the visit a little easier for anyone looking for a good Gwanghwamun restaurant by car.

A neat, upscale restaurant atmosphere

The interior had an overall neat, upscale Japanese-restaurant feel.

The tidy interior made it comfortable to dine in, and it also had that calm atmosphere unique to sushi restaurants. I thought it would suit a Gwanghwamun date, an office-worker lunch, or a day when you want a meal with a little atmosphere :)

From kaisendon to unagi don and sushi

Ilpum is a place where you can enjoy a variety of Japanese dishes centered on kaisendon (seafood rice bowl), along with unagi don and sushi.

One of its signature dishes, the premium kaisendon, is ₩37,000.

Among the many options, I ordered a little differently this time, focusing on eel rice bowl and sushi.

You can also check the country-of-origin information board in the restaurant!

The eel rice bowl and sushi I ordered

• Unagi don ₩40,000
• 3-piece nigiri ₩7,000
• 3-piece gunkan sushi ₩13,000

First, they brought out a basic clear soup and steamed egg custard with shrimp.

Chicken udon also comes as a basic side.

Unagi don topped with a whole eel

The unagi don was naturally the first thing that caught my eye.

A whole eel sits generously on top, and its size really stood out as soon as it arrived.

More importantly, the eel was not the thin kind—it was quite thick, with a satisfying bite.

Personally, when the eel is too thin in an eel rice bowl, sometimes all I taste is the sauce. But Ilpum Gwanghwamun's unagi don felt like I was properly eating the eel itself, which I loved.

Taking a big bite with the rice also made for a filling meal.

If you have been looking for an eel rice bowl at a Japanese restaurant around Gwanghwamun, it is a solid choice for the main dish.

Three kinds of salmon, flounder, and tuna nigiri

An eel rice bowl alone would have felt a little incomplete, so I ordered the 3-piece nigiri too haha. It comes with salmon, flounder, and tuna, making it a nice set for lightly trying several kinds.

The fish was not thin; it was fairly thickly sliced, so the sushi had a definite texture. It was fresh without any fishiness.

If you want to add a little sushi alongside one main dish, this is an easy option to pair with it.

Three-piece gunkan sushi for uni and ankimo lovers

And then, the 3-piece gunkan sushi that I was personally looking forward to!

It includes uni and ikura gunkan, ankimo gunkan, and flying-fish-roe gunkan. I already love uni and ankimo, so the moment I saw the menu, I thought, I have to try this.

Different from ordinary salmon or flounder sushi, it let me enjoy a richer, nuttier flavor, so it was one of my favorite dishes in this meal :) If you like uni or ankimo, it would be nice to order it alongside the nigiri and compare them.

Things to check before reserving

You can reserve Ilpum Gwanghwamun through Naver Place. Reservations can be made without a deposit, but if there is another reservation or people waiting, dining time may be limited to 1 hour and 30 minutes from your reservation time. There are also coupons provided through Naver reservations and corkage-related benefits, so it would be good to check once before booking.

I visited while looking for a good restaurant near Jonggak Station, and I was satisfied because I could try so many Japanese dishes I like—from unagi don topped with a whole, generous eel to nigiri with thick slices of fish, plus uni and ankimo gunkan sushi that I love. I think it would be a great fit for a Jonggak Station lunch, a Gwanghwamun date, or anyone looking for a filling Japanese meal around Gwanghwamun. It is not a light-priced meal, but on a day when I want to properly focus on eel and sushi, I would like to come back and try other dishes too :)