# Gwanghwamun Japanese restaurant, negitoro wrapped in gamtae: Ilpum - By Yeorin (https://superchart.com/en/@doorway-table-visits/) - Written Sep 14, 2026 - Local places › Restaurants › Jongno, Seoul - Sponsored: This visit was sponsored by the business. - English edition: https://superchart.com/en/@doorway-table-visits/ilpoom-gwanghwamun-negitoro-gamtae-dinner/ - Also in: [한국어](https://superchart.com/ko/@doorway-table-visits/ilpoom-gwanghwamun-negitoro-gamtae-dinner/index.md) ## In short Ilpum Gwanghwamun is a kaisendon (seafood rice bowl) and sushi restaurant on basement level 2 of Le Meilleur Jongno Town, by Gwanghwamun Station in Seoul. Over dinner with a friend, the writer ordered the premium kaisendon (37,000 won) and the ilpumdong deluxe (30,000 won), and the standout was wrapping the negitoro tower in gamtae (dried green laver) and topping it with fresh wasabi. With everything from chawanmushi to mango pudding included, 67,000 won for two felt well spent at Ilpum Gwanghwamun. ## Good to know - **Hours**: 11:00–21:30 (last order 20:00) - **Break time**: 15:00–17:30 - **Regular closing day**: Every Sunday - **Location**: Unit 223, B2, Le Meilleur Jongno Town, 19 Jongno, Jongno-gu, Seoul - **Parking**: 2 hours validated in the building - **Seating**: Regular tables and bar seats, about 20 people - **Premium kaisendon**: 37,000 won - **Ilpumdong deluxe**: 30,000 won - **Total paid for two**: 67,000 won - **Event**: 2 croquettes for a Naver receipt review - **Price reference**: ₩37,000 ≈ $27.5 · ₩30,000 ≈ $22.5 · ₩67,000 ≈ $49.5 (2026-09-15) *as written by the visitor on Sep 14, 2026* ## Where is Ilpum Gwanghwamun? Ilpum Gwanghwamun is a kaisendon (seafood rice bowl) and sushi restaurant at B2, Unit 223 of Le Meilleur Jongno Town, near Gwanghwamun Station. Looking for something clean and satisfying for dinner in the Gwanghwamun area, I found Ilpum Gwanghwamun, a well-known spot among office workers nearby. Even late in the evening, the place was packed. ![Entrance to Ilpum Gwanghwamun on B2 of Le Meilleur Jongno Town](https://img.superchart.com/images/ilpoom-gwanghwamun-negitoro-gamtae-dinner/ilpoom-gwanghwamun-negitoro-gamtae-dinner-01-1dsk8-900.webp) Outside there were comfortable chairs to wait on. We got seated without waiting that night, but apparently there's a wait on weekday lunches, so it's worth booking ahead. ![Waiting chairs outside Ilpum Gwanghwamun](https://img.superchart.com/images/ilpoom-gwanghwamun-negitoro-gamtae-dinner/ilpoom-gwanghwamun-negitoro-gamtae-dinner-02-105hy-900.webp) ## Inside Ilpum Gwanghwamun: seating and atmosphere Ilpum Gwanghwamun has regular tables and bar seats, fitting about 20 people total. The interior is clean and calm, and the staff were so friendly that I felt good the moment I walked in. ![Regular table seating inside Ilpum Gwanghwamun](https://img.superchart.com/images/ilpoom-gwanghwamun-negitoro-gamtae-dinner/ilpoom-gwanghwamun-negitoro-gamtae-dinner-03-1k9r1-900.webp) ![Bar table seating and calm interior at Ilpum Gwanghwamun](https://img.superchart.com/images/ilpoom-gwanghwamun-negitoro-gamtae-dinner/ilpoom-gwanghwamun-negitoro-gamtae-dinner-04-18qs5-900.webp) The walls were covered with countless autographs. Clearly a well-known spot in Seoul, drawing plenty of famous visitors — apparently even Lee Young-ja approved of this place, which raised my expectations even more. ![Autographs covering the wall at Ilpum Gwanghwamun](https://img.superchart.com/images/ilpoom-gwanghwamun-negitoro-gamtae-dinner/ilpoom-gwanghwamun-negitoro-gamtae-dinner-05-1iiwd-900.webp) ## The menu and what we ordered: premium kaisendon and ilpumdong deluxe The menu at Ilpum Gwanghwamun comes as a paper sheet at each table — you pick and tell the staff directly. Kaisendon and sushi are the main draws, so we ordered the most famous premium kaisendon (₩37,000) and the ilpumdong deluxe (₩30,000), which another blog raved about. Our total for two came to ₩67,000. ![Paper menu at Ilpum Gwanghwamun](https://img.superchart.com/images/ilpoom-gwanghwamun-negitoro-gamtae-dinner/ilpoom-gwanghwamun-negitoro-gamtae-dinner-06-16yij-900.webp) ![Menu listing kaisendon and sushi at Ilpum Gwanghwamun](https://img.superchart.com/images/ilpoom-gwanghwamun-negitoro-gamtae-dinner/ilpoom-gwanghwamun-negitoro-gamtae-dinner-07-1vdtu-900.webp) For reference, they're running a Naver receipt review event, so definitely take part to get 2 pieces of croquette. This kind of review event is good for both customer and restaurant, so it's worth joining consistently. ![Naver receipt event notice and croquettes](https://img.superchart.com/images/ilpoom-gwanghwamun-negitoro-gamtae-dinner/ilpoom-gwanghwamun-negitoro-gamtae-dinner-08-1fxaq-900.webp) ## Side dishes: baek kimchi, clear soup and chawanmushi The side dishes at Ilpum Gwanghwamun were baek kimchi (white kimchi), jangguk (soy sauce-based soup), and chawanmushi, the Japanese-style steamed egg. Everything was clean and tasty overall, but the chawanmushi really impressed me — jiggly like pudding yet melting smoothly the moment it hit my mouth. Perfect for warming up the stomach before the meal. ![Baek kimchi and jangguk side dishes on the table](https://img.superchart.com/images/ilpoom-gwanghwamun-negitoro-gamtae-dinner/ilpoom-gwanghwamun-negitoro-gamtae-dinner-09-1qakb-900.webp) ![A bowl of Japanese-style steamed egg, chawanmushi](https://img.superchart.com/images/ilpoom-gwanghwamun-negitoro-gamtae-dinner/ilpoom-gwanghwamun-negitoro-gamtae-dinner-10-7cy0a-900.webp) ## What comes in the premium kaisendon (37,000 won)? The premium kaisendon arrived after about a 10-minute wait. It looked jaw-dropping the second it hit the table — the bowl was piled so full of seafood, layer after layer, that you couldn't even see the rice underneath. ![Premium kaisendon piled high with seafood](https://img.superchart.com/images/ilpoom-gwanghwamun-negitoro-gamtae-dinner/ilpoom-gwanghwamun-negitoro-gamtae-dinner-11-45a3a-1200.webp) The seafood included yellow uni (sea urchin roe), red ikura (salmon roe), sweet shrimp, tuna, crab meat, tamago (egg omelette), and white fish. Just from the colors alone, you could tell it was fresh. With kaisendon, the rice seasoning matters as much as the quality of the raw fish, and Ilpum's rice was seasoned just right, not too strong. The temperature was also on point, so it didn't compromise the freshness of the fish. It's not easy to find a kaisendon with this level of composition and freshness around Gwanghwamun — it was satisfying enough that the price didn't feel wasted at all. I'd recommend it for a special occasion or whenever you want to treat yourself to a great meal. ![Close-up of uni and ikura on the premium kaisendon](https://img.superchart.com/images/ilpoom-gwanghwamun-negitoro-gamtae-dinner/ilpoom-gwanghwamun-negitoro-gamtae-dinner-12-npu29-900.webp) ![Cross-section of the kaisendon with sweet shrimp and tuna](https://img.superchart.com/images/ilpoom-gwanghwamun-negitoro-gamtae-dinner/ilpoom-gwanghwamun-negitoro-gamtae-dinner-13-icsuo-900.webp) ![Crab meat and tamago visible on the kaisendon](https://img.superchart.com/images/ilpoom-gwanghwamun-negitoro-gamtae-dinner/ilpoom-gwanghwamun-negitoro-gamtae-dinner-14-tkdu3-900.webp) ![A spoonful of seafood from the kaisendon](https://img.superchart.com/images/ilpoom-gwanghwamun-negitoro-gamtae-dinner/ilpoom-gwanghwamun-negitoro-gamtae-dinner-15-5m9kj-900.webp) ![Premium kaisendon and jangguk soup on the table](https://img.superchart.com/images/ilpoom-gwanghwamun-negitoro-gamtae-dinner/ilpoom-gwanghwamun-negitoro-gamtae-dinner-16-1cnqq-900.webp) ## Ilpumdong deluxe, 30,000 won: uni and ikura on a negitoro tower The ilpumdong deluxe had a chunky, thick tower of negitoro (minced tuna), piled up generously. On top of the tuna tower sat yellow uni and salmon roe. There was more of it than I expected, which was great. ![Negitoro piled into a tower on the ilpumdong deluxe](https://img.superchart.com/images/ilpoom-gwanghwamun-negitoro-gamtae-dinner/ilpoom-gwanghwamun-negitoro-gamtae-dinner-17-11dha-900.webp) There was zero bitterness or fishy smell from the uni or ikura. The rich, savory creaminess of the uni and the popping umami of the ikura came together perfectly in the mouth — every single spoonful felt genuinely special. ![Uni and ikura on top of the ilpumdong](https://img.superchart.com/images/ilpoom-gwanghwamun-negitoro-gamtae-dinner/ilpoom-gwanghwamun-negitoro-gamtae-dinner-18-112nd-900.webp) ### The best way to eat the rice bowl: wrap it in gamtae The best way to enjoy the rice bowls at Ilpum Gwanghwamun turned out to be wrapping them in this gamtae. It had a different, more refined charm compared to regular roasted gim (dried seaweed) — the slightly bitter, fragrant sea aroma unique to gamtae was delicious. Add a dab of fresh wasabi on top, and I kept going back for more without ever getting tired of it. ![Rice bowl wrapped in gamtae with fresh wasabi on top](https://img.superchart.com/images/ilpoom-gwanghwamun-negitoro-gamtae-dinner/ilpoom-gwanghwamun-negitoro-gamtae-dinner-19-1e2yu-900.webp) ## Dessert: the mango pudding finish Dessert was a sweet mango pudding. The jiggly yet soft pudding texture was impressive. Full of mango's naturally pleasant sweetness and a fresh flavor, it cleaned up my palate really nicely after all that seafood. The careful attention put into even the last dessert made the whole meal feel like being treated well. ![Mango pudding served for dessert](https://img.superchart.com/images/ilpoom-gwanghwamun-negitoro-gamtae-dinner/ilpoom-gwanghwamun-negitoro-gamtae-dinner-20-n40eo-900.webp) ![Close-up of a spoonful of mango pudding](https://img.superchart.com/images/ilpoom-gwanghwamun-negitoro-gamtae-dinner/ilpoom-gwanghwamun-negitoro-gamtae-dinner-21-1weti-900.webp) ## Visit info for Ilpum Gwanghwamun - Address: B2, Unit 223, 19 Jongno, Jongno-gu, Seoul (lot number: Jongno 1-ga 24) - Hours: 11:00–21:30, last order 20:00 - Break time: 15:00–17:30 - Closed: Every Sunday - Parking: 2 hours free in the building - Weekday lunch can have a wait, so reservations are recommended ## Where it is - Ilpum Gwanghwamun (일품 광화문점) - 19 Jongno, Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea - 서울특별시 종로구 종로 19 지하2층 223호 일품 광화문점 - 37.5708344, 126.9798606 - Google Maps: https://www.google.com/maps/search/%EC%9D%BC%ED%92%88%20%EA%B4%91%ED%99%94%EB%AC%B8%EC%A0%90/@37.5708344,126.9798606,17z --- Superchart · https://superchart.com/en/@doorway-table-visits/ilpoom-gwanghwamun-negitoro-gamtae-dinner/ · https://superchart.com/llms.txt