Jangan-dong shabu shabu with a pot per person: Shabu Torang Jang-an

A genuinely great-value shabu shabu spot recommended by Ryu Soo-young — 'Shabu Torang.' 📍146 Janghan-ro, 1st floor, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul, ⏰ 11:00–22:00

My boyfriend and I went to a health/fitness event and came back still hungry, so we headed out to fill up without going too heavy. Shabu Torang is perfect for that — light shabu shabu when you don't want anything too much! It's about a 3-minute walk from Jangan intersection. There are solo bar seats plus 2- and 4-person tables. We sat in a row at a table toward the back.

Seating and kiosk ordering at Shabu Torang Jang-an

Every table at Shabu Torang has its own induction burner, so it's great for solo dining, and even as a couple you can each order something different.

Just sit down, order from the kiosk, and pay right at the table — such a convenient system! Cash payment can be done on your way out.

Shabu Torang menu and what two people pay

Shabu Torang's biggest strength is value. Without side add-ons, you can eat shabu shabu for under ₩10,000 if you keep it simple. The menu includes basic shabu shabu, spicy shabu shabu, tomato shabu shabu, and sukiyaki, among others. I went with the classic combo — the 'Ryu Soo-young recommended combo': spicy shabu shabu with cream pasta!

My boyfriend ordered basic shabu shabu with cream risotto. We both added extra meat too — you can choose between beef short rib, beef neck, and more, choose your side broth, and add extra noodles if you want more. Totally customizable shabu shabu to your taste.

• Order for two
• Basic shabu shabu + cream risotto + extra meat
• Spicy shabu shabu + cream pasta + extra meat
• Total ₩30,000

How are the vegetables and the beef at Shabu Torang?

Don't worry that a cheap price means bad vegetables, poor meat, or small portions — none of that here. There's a generous assortment of napa cabbage, mushrooms, fried tofu, and more, and the meat is nice and red — beef neck, so it's low in fat but still tender!

The spicy shabu shabu comes with the basic broth plus a separate spicy sauce packet. You just stir it into the broth.

First time at Shabu Torang? Cook it in this order

For first-time visitors, here's how it works: first, boil the broth on level 5 heat,

once the broth is boiling, add the vegetables and meat,

and just enjoy the shabu shabu.

You can see the vegetables include enoki mushrooms, napa cabbage, king oyster mushrooms, leafy greens, and more, all in a nice variety.

Once the broth boils, drop in the vegetables and meat, and once cooked, dip them in the sauce and eat.

We ate our fill of meat and vegetables in round one, then dropped in the extra meat for round two. Before long the vegetables and meat were gone and the broth had reduced quite a bit —

Dessert add-ons: the cream pasta is the highlight

Ladle out the broth until only about half a ladle remains, then add the pasta. The pasta and risotto are honestly the highlight. There's even tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes)... every time I come, I agonize over which one to pick because I want to eat them all.

Add the cream pasta into the spicy broth and...

it turns into something that looks almost like rosé pasta — and it's seriously... delicious.

Simmer it just enough to cook through, then eat — and yep, it was completely delicious again...

Verdict: a repeat visit if you live in Jangan-dong or Dapsimni

Shabu Torang is a healthy, great-value spot you'll want to visit over and over. It's a solo-pot shabu shabu specialist where you can pile on extras and still enjoy the meal for around ₩10,000-something — a shabu shabu place I recommend with full confidence. Beyond the usual knife-cut noodles or porridge you get at most shabu shabu places, being able to make pasta, risotto, and even tteokbokki for dessert is exactly my type of place!

Having Shabu Torang right by my house is amazing. It's the easy answer whenever I'm stuck on what to eat! If you live in Jangan-dong or Dapsimni, you really should go. Great value, generous portions, healthy, highly recommend. A place I'll keep going back to! Next time I'll order tteokbokki as a side. It seems to be getting more popular lately since more branches keep opening nearby, so check if there's one near you too.