Jang-an-dong shabu-shabu with a burner at every seat: Shabu Torang

I visited Shabu Torang Jang-an Direct Branch, a solo shabu-shabu restaurant where you can go alone without any pressure and build your meal exactly the way you like it.

Shabu-shabu always felt like a slightly awkward thing to eat with coworkers, but with solo shabu-shabu where you cook it yourself exactly how you want, even eating with people you're not that comfortable with feels easier haha

Why solo shabu-shabu works at Shabu Torang Jang-an

Solo dining culture has become pretty common these days, but menus like shabu-shabu still often require two or more people, which makes you hesitate to go.

But Shabu Torang is a clean, well-organized solo shabu-shabu restaurant where each person gets their own induction burner and bowls, and the atmosphere was genuinely comfortable, haha.

If you're looking for a proper shabu-shabu spot in Jang-an-dong, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul, read on — I'm writing this honestly based on what I actually ate and felt.

Inside Shabu Torang: solo seats and two-person tables

Walking into Shabu Torang Jang-an, I noticed quite a few people eating alone. There are both two-person tables and solo seats, and the tables are laid out to make full use of the space.

It's the perfect layout for eating alone comfortably without feeling self-conscious, and I liked it the moment I walked in.

Choosing your broth on the table tablet

Every seat at Shabu Torang Jang-an has its own tablet, so you can browse the menu at your own pace and order easily.

The biggest advantage of the solo system is that you can fully customize your own meal. Each person can pick their own broth, meat, and noodles exactly to their taste.

Shabu Torang's brand model is actor Ryu Soo-young, who's well known for genuinely loving and being good at cooking, so it gave me even more confidence in the taste. Apparently his favorite combo is spicy shabu-shabu followed by cream pasta — enjoying the spicy broth first, then finishing with a savory cream pasta. That's a recommendation from someone who really knows food.

Since we visited as two, we ordered different broths to try both — one spicy shabu-shabu and one basic shabu-shabu.

What comes with the set: the side spread

We didn't wait long after ordering before the table was set neatly and cleanly.

The broth, meat, vegetables, and mushrooms all came out neatly arranged on individual trays for each person, which felt satisfying, and it was comfortable being able to eat at my own pace..!

Basic broth vs spicy broth — what's the difference?

This is the best!!

Shabu Torang Jang-an's basic broth was deeply savory and clean, letting the natural flavor of the vegetables and meat shine, while the spicy broth was sharp and refreshing — it really cleared out my system.

The spicy broth comes with a separate chili paste-like condiment on the side, so you can adjust the heat yourself ;)

As the broth bubbled away in my individual pot, I put in the fresh vegetables and mushrooms first to build up the broth, then lightly cooked the meat and dipped it in sauce — it was delicious.

The more meat and vegetables you add, the tastier the broth gets... and it seems to make the egg porridge deeper and more savory too!! (noted)

Adding extra meat and kalguksu noodles

As we ate, the broth got richer and deeper in flavor, and the meat was so good that we ended up adding an extra meat order. Since each pot is individual, the broth doesn't cool down or mix with anyone else's, so we could enjoy it hot and clean all the way through~

After thoroughly enjoying the meat, we added kalguksu (knife-cut noodles) and vegetables, the essential final course of any shabu-shabu.

Finishing the meal with egg porridge

No matter how full you are from shabu-shabu, the highlight you absolutely can't skip has to be the porridge. We finished up by ordering egg porridge.

We left a moderate amount of broth in the pot, added rice and egg, and stirred carefully to make the porridge. The savory depth from the well-developed meat and vegetable broth combined with the richness of the egg made for a soft, warm way to end the meal. The egg porridge was so savory and delicious that if you visit Shabu Torang Jang-an, I strongly recommend you don't skip it!!

Visit summary: Shabu Torang Jang-an Branch

• Location: 1F, 146 Janghan-ro, Dongdaemun-gu / Shabu Torang Jang-an branch
• Atmosphere: pleasant and clean, comfortable even for solo diners
• Features: tablet ordering, individual broths and tableware for full customization
• Recommended combo: actor Ryu Soo-young's favorite pairing (spicy shabu-shabu + cream pasta)
• Egg porridge is a must-order after the meal

If you're in Jang-an-dong and want fresh vegetables, tasty meat, and your own custom shabu-shabu, I recommend Shabu Torang Jang-an. It's a genuinely comfortable spot to visit even by yourself.