Couple's weekday lunch shabu-shabu in Hapjeong, Seoul: Shabu in Seoul

I had some business near Hapjeong Station last week, and by the time I finished it was lunchtime. Looking for somewhere near Hapjeong Station where we could chat over a meal and also park, I found Shabu in Seoul tucked in the basement of Delight Square.

Lately shabu-shabu has become one of our go-to meals — it's clean but still meaty, and easy to eat while talking. When I asked some younger coworkers, they said shabu-shabu has become a popular date meal too. Might be worth trying on a date near Hapjeong Station.

Where is Shabu in Seoul Hapjeong Branch? Hours and parking

• Address: 14 World Cup-ro 1-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul, Delight Square 1, B2, Shabu in Seoul Hapjeong Branch
• Hours: weekdays 11:00–22:00, break time 15:00–17:00
• Weekends 11:00–22:00, no break time
• Parking: free for up to 3 hours

Delight Square, connected to Hapjeong Station: what the restaurant looks like

I don't come to Hapjeong Station often, so I hadn't realized Delight Square was such a huge building. It's connected to Hapjeong Station too, so you can walk straight there from Line 2 — no wonder it's a popular meeting spot. Shabu in Seoul Hapjeong Branch clearly gets busy at peak meal times too, since there were waiting chairs set up outside the store.

I thought, if I ever have a meal appointment near Hapjeong Station, this would be a great place to meet — the interior was so clean and had a really upscale feel, so I felt good the moment I walked in :) It seems like a great spot for taking parents, or for a date. And since the menu is shabu-shabu, it's an easy, unpretentious meal too. I've been to a lot of good shabu-shabu spots, but Shabu in Seoul is exactly my style — officially a favorite Hapjeong shabu-shabu spot.

Shabu in Seoul's lunch menu and 6 kinds of meat

Shabu in Seoul has different prices for lunch and dinner. You pick a meat type, then choose your broth. Vegetables and a finishing course come included by default (the finishing course changes depending on the broth you pick).

Prices vary by meat type. There are 6 kinds.

• Black pork belly
• Black pork neck
• Prime Angus chuck flat
• Prime Angus flap tail
• 1++ hanwoo top sirloin cap
• Black Nine wagyu ribeye

Prime Angus chuck flat lunch for two, plus an extra plate of meat

My husband and I are both die-hard meat lovers, so we went big: the prime Angus chuck flat lunch for two, plus an extra portion of chuck flat. There are four broth options — clear mushroom, spicy mushroom, blue crab miso, and sukiyaki — and we picked clear mushroom, the classic shabu-shabu base. A staff member poured the broth in and explained how to eat.

No self-service bar: sauces and vegetables set on the table

Most good shabu-shabu spots run a self-service bar where you fetch your own sauces and vegetables. I liked that at Shabu in Seoul, everything is already set on the table. The three shabu-shabu sauces also came in clean, clear bottles — a nice touch too.

With the lunch set for two plus the extra order, we had 3 plates of prime Angus chuck flat plus vegetables all set up.

While the broth was coming to a boil, they set up the sauces we wanted. The sesame sauce was surprisingly good.

They added king oyster mushroom, enoki mushroom, sweet pumpkin, and various other vegetables, and we cooked the meat in small batches as we went. Shabu-shabu is so easy to eat :)

We're not big vegetable eaters, so the default vegetables were plenty for us. The table next to us ordered extra vegetables. But for us it's meat over vegetables... that's just our taste.

Egg porridge as the finishing course at Shabu in Seoul

Once we were nearly done with the shabu-shabu, we requested the finishing course on the tablet, and a staff member came to make it for us. Since we had clear mushroom broth, they made us a delicious egg porridge — topped properly with seaweed flakes and sesame oil.

One-line verdict on this Hapjeong shabu-shabu restaurant with easy parking

If you're looking for a clean, comfortable place to eat near Hapjeong Station, give Shabu in Seoul Hapjeong Branch a try. There's a café in the building too, so it's great for grabbing coffee after your meal — a solid Hapjeong shabu-shabu spot I'd also recommend for a date. The omija tea (schisandra berry tea) at the end made the meal complete.