Shabu-shabu with dad in Dongdaemun, half-veggie and cream Buldak

Today I went to Shabu Torang Jang-an Direct Branch, a Dongdaemun favorite for shabu-shabu! I got there in the evening and every table was full, so I waited about 10 minutes — that's how popular this real Jang-an-dong gem is.

Shabu Torang Jang-an Direct Branch hours and location

• Hours: Daily 11:00–22:00 (last order 21:00)
• Other info: Wi-Fi, separate men's/women's restrooms, waiting area, parking
• Location: 146 Janghan-ro, 1st floor, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul, South Korea

Basic shabu from ₩7,900, one pot per person

Shabu-shabu has been one of my go-to cravings lately haha. While looking for a good-value shabu-shabu place in Dongdaemun, I ended up at Shabu Torang Jang-an.

Here the basic shabu starts at ₩7,900, and it comes with your very own individual pot! True to the concept of shabu-shabu meets restaurant, once you finish your shabu you can turn the leftover broth into pasta or risotto — which I thought was such a cool idea lol. The menu had way more options than I expected! There are 5 main menus: Shabu Torang shabu ₩7,900, spicy shabu-shabu ₩8,700, mala shabu-shabu ₩8,900, tomato shabu-shabu ₩8,900, and sukiyaki ₩8,900. For the basic shabu you can also pick your meat — beef chuck, beef belly, or chicken breast! I went with beef chuck, and my companion (my dad) chose beef belly.

Even just ordering the basic shabu at ₩7,900 gets you vegetables and meat included. Isn't that seriously cheap?! But since I'm a big eater, I added extra vegetables and meat too ~ the add-on menu is really varied lol. Extra meat ₩3,800, meat+veggie set ₩4,000, half-veggie ₩2,000, kalguksu (noodles) ₩1,500, egg porridge ₩1,500. There are also toppings from assorted toppings to glass noodles, dumplings, hand-torn dough bits, fish balls, and rice cake sticks — you can just pick whatever you like!

I chose the basic shabu with beef chuck, added fish balls and half-veggie! At the end I even tried the cream Buldak risotto. I went with my dad, who was genuinely shocked at how cheap it was haha. He ordered the basic shabu with beef belly, added the veggie+beef chuck set, and finished with egg porridge!

Interior mood and seating

The interior overall felt clean and comfortable! There were solo, 2-person, and 4-person seats all set up.

The place is surprisingly spacious with plenty of seats! Since it's famous as a Dongdaemun shabu-shabu spot, there were solo diners eating alone all the way to families. I could totally see why it's so popular!

Shabu-shabu plus restaurant — that's probably where the name Shabu Torang comes from lol. With the basic shabu starting in the ₩7,000s, given today's dining prices, the price alone already feels great. Since it's one pot per person, it also seemed like a great spot to eat solo!

Even for two, you can pick different broths

What I especially loved is that since it's one pot per person, even when you come with someone else, you can each order a different menu! When you go for shabu-shabu, you often have to settle on one broth together, but here there's none of that — everyone just picks what they like! I meant to order the spicy broth but accidentally got the basic one instead — and it was so good! Aside from the bowl of just vegetables on the right and the fish balls, that's the basic set. Pretty solid for ₩7,900, right..? Shabu Torang Jang-an really is a good-value Dongdaemun shabu-shabu spot...

The basic meat portion and add-ons

This is the meat included in the basic set. Isn't the portion surprisingly generous?! Being able to choose between beef chuck, chicken breast, and beef belly is really nice too haha.

I added half-veggie ₩2,000 plus fish balls ₩1,500, and my dad added the veggie+beef chuck set. Since extra vegetables or meat aren't expensive either, Shabu Torang really feels like a good-value Dongdaemun shabu-shabu spot...

Since the basic shabu is ₩7,900, I initially thought the portion would be tiny, but the meat and vegetables in the basic set turned out to be surprisingly generous. Shabu-shabu vegetables always look like a lot at first, but once they cook down they shrink so fast and disappear in no time lol. At ₩2,000, it's worth adding more if you love veggies. And I added fish balls too! Having something like that in your shabu pot makes it fun to pick out bite by bite haha. There was also glass noodles and hand-torn dough, and I really wanted to throw everything in, but I held back..

Since each person has their own pot, you can put in whatever vegetables you want first, then add the meat whenever you feel like it. Best of all, I could cook and eat at my own pace without worrying about anyone else lol.

Three kinds of sauce

There's peanut sauce and sweet chili sauce. There's also a soy sauce-based dip. Overall everything was super satisfying, and the sauces were really tasty too.

Half-veggie + fish balls added

Since I love vegetables, I added the half-veggie for ₩2,000! Shabu-shabu vegetables always look like a lot at first, but once they cook down they shrink so fast and disappear in no time lol. At ₩2,000, it's worth adding more if you love veggies. And I added fish balls too! Having something like that in your shabu pot makes it fun to pick out bite by bite haha. There was also glass noodles and hand-torn dough, and I really wanted to throw everything in, but I held back..

My companion: basic shabu + beef belly

My dad ordered the same basic shabu as me but chose beef belly for the meat. He also added the veggie+beef chuck set, making his pot even heartier with more meat and vegetables! It was nice coming to eat shabu-shabu together while I had beef chuck and he had beef belly lol. Since each person has their own pot, you can decide everything yourself — from the meat to the toppings to the final dish haha. If you're looking for a Dongdaemun shabu-shabu spot and your companion has different tastes, this place would really work well.

Finishing with cream Buldak risotto

And now, the thing I was most curious about — the cream Buldak risotto!! Coming to eat shabu-shabu and ending with cream Buldak risotto, of all things lol. The method is to add a special sauce to the leftover broth after finishing the shabu-shabu, and once the creamy, spicy flavor kicks in, it barely feels like the same pot you were just eating shabu-shabu from lol. I usually always finish with porridge or noodles, but eating it as risotto this time felt refreshingly different and delicious. Personally, if you come to Shabu Torang, I'd recommend trying this after-dish at least once!!

My companion: egg porridge

Meanwhile, my dad went the classic route and added egg porridge for ₩1,500 haha. On one side I was making cream Buldak risotto while right next to me he was making egg porridge lol. And this is only possible because it's one pot per person, right?! I ate my spicy, rich risotto while he had his clean egg porridge — each of us eating what we wanted right to the end.

Looking for value solo shabu-shabu in Dongdaemun?

With the basic shabu starting at ₩7,900, being able to choose your own meat, and adding only the toppings you want like vegetables, fish balls, or glass noodles — I really liked Shabu Torang Jang-an! And the biggest perk is definitely that it's one pot per person, so it's comfortable coming alone and just as good coming with someone else since you each eat exactly what you like haha.

And it doesn't just end with shabu-shabu — you can make pasta or risotto afterward in cream, rosé, cream mala, or cream Buldak flavors, which really sets it apart from a typical shabu-shabu place! If you do what I did — basic shabu with beef chuck, add half-veggie and fish balls, then finish with cream Buldak risotto — you'll leave seriously full lol.

If you're looking for an affordable Dongdaemun shabu-shabu spot, or a solo shabu place where you can eat comfortably alone in Dongdaemun, I recommend Shabu Torang Jang-an! Next time I'm thinking of trying the mala shabu and finishing with cream mala pasta lol 🥰