Jongno Japanese counter bar: after-work kaisendon, eel & soju, Ilpum

Do you need a reservation for an after-work dinner at Ilpum Gwanghwamun?

Even at dinner, Ilpum Gwanghwamun is full apart from the reserved seats, so it's best to book ahead on Naver. I went looking for a good unagi don place in Jongno and ended up here after work. True to its reputation as the Gwanghwamun kaisendon spot Lee Young-ja vouched for, the place was packed. Because I'd booked, I got in with no wait and could try Ilpum's signature premium kaisendon and unagi don (eel rice bowl).

Ilpum Gwanghwamun hours, parking and corkage

• Address: Room 223, B2, 19 Jong-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul (Ilpum Gwanghwamun)
• Hours: Mon–Sat 11:00–21:30 (lunch last order 14:00, break time 15:00–17:30) / closed Sundays
• Parking available (2 hours free)
• Naver reservations available
• Corkage allowed (one bottle free with a Naver reservation)

Where is Ilpum Gwanghwamun in Jongno?

Ilpum Gwanghwamun is on the second basement floor of the Le Meilleur building, between Jonggak Station (Line 1) and Gwanghwamun Station (Line 5). Just ride the escalator down and you'll spot it right away.

This is the restaurant floor where office workers from Gwanghwamun and Jongno come for lunch, yet even at dinner only Ilpum was packed. They'd put up a standing sign saying they appeared on KBS's 'Baedal Wassudah'! So I decided to try the kaisendon and unagi don that Lee Young-ja and Hwang Jung-min apparently ate.

Business seems so good that a second Gwanghwamun branch is opening soon, so it's clearly popular. As proof, there was a waiting list out front, but I had booked on Naver a few days earlier and walked straight in.

Ilpum Gwanghwamun seating and counter seat booking rules

Ilpum Gwanghwamun was full except for reserved seats. Visitors seemed to come for all kinds of reasons: company dinners, couples on dates, friends catching up. With no reservation there are no seats, so I recommend booking on Naver before you go.

The restaurant isn't very big: three 4-person tables and a counter that seats 14. Table reservations are only for 3 or more, while the counter can be booked for one person. I booked the counter, and since Ilpum has an open kitchen, sitting there let me watch the sushi being made.

As you'd expect from a well-known Gwanghwamun sushi spot, the walls were covered in signatures from celebrities and lawyer Han Moon-chul, and there's a drinks fridge near the entrance with sake, whiskey and more, so I browsed what they carry. Corkage for one bottle is free if you book on Naver, so bringing your favorite white wine or sake sounds like a good idea.

Ilpum Gwanghwamun menu and what we ordered

This day at Ilpum Gwanghwamun I ordered a premium kaisendon (₩37,000), a whole-eel unagi don (₩40,000) and a Chamisul soju (₩6,000), for a total of ₩83,000.

• Premium kaisendon ₩37,000
• Whole-eel unagi don ₩40,000
• Chamisul ₩6,000
• Total ₩83,000

The only soju they had was Chamisul~~! As a Jinro Fine fan, I was a little sad.

How was the chawanmushi (steamed egg) starter at Ilpum Gwanghwamun?

The starters at Ilpum Gwanghwamun were chawanmushi (Japanese steamed egg custard), white kimchi and miso soup. Each chawanmushi had a small shrimp inside, steamed so softly that the texture was wobbly like pudding, and being Japanese-style it had a slight sweetness. The warm chawanmushi goes nicely with the kaisendon later, nutty and sweet and filling, so don't finish it before the meal; keep about half.

You can pour water yourself from a purifier at your seat, which was neat and nice.

What comes on the premium kaisendon (37,000 won)?

The premium kaisendon at Ilpum Gwanghwamun comes piled generously with tuna, salmon roe, sweet shrimp, scallop, salmon, rolled omelet, sea urchin, squid, abalone, monkfish liver, crab meat and more. Slices of white fish like mullet or flatfish were packed in tightly, so it lives up to the name premium..!

The seaweed they gave us for wrapping felt like the seaweed snacks sold in Thailand: crisp and not crumbly, so it was great for wrapping rice. The rice was seasoned too, tasty enough to eat on its own. I scooped up a big spoonful of rice, topped it with a slice of fish plus salmon roe, monkfish liver and crab meat, and my mouth filled with fresh, clean sea flavor and the distinct savory depth of each seafood, all blending with the lightly salty rice and seaweed. So, so good.

Wrapping the sea urchin and scallop in seaweed, the richness of the melting uni and the softness of the scallop seeped gently between the grains of rice. The abalone was so big I cut it with scissors, topped it with crab meat and put it on gamtae (fine seaweed). There was no fishy taste at all, and the abalone's clean flavor and the crab's sweetness came through fully.

Chamisul soju with the kaisendon

Take a bite, then a glass of soju~ The soju washes away the sea aroma filling your mouth so cleanly that you're ready for the next bite, refreshing!

How big is the eel in the whole-eel unagi don (40,000 won)?

As the name says, the whole-eel unagi don at Ilpum Gwanghwamun comes topped with one big eel, whole. The eel, so big it looked ready to spill over the bowl, caught my eye with its overwhelming look.

Brushed with sweet tare sauce several times and grilled, it glistened, and its golden, shiny look made my mouth water just seeing it. I cut the eel into bite-size pieces with the tool that came with it, and it was so thick that I could feel its springiness through the tip of the scissors.

Cut into pieces and topped with scallions, the quality was on par with any eel specialty restaurant.

You can wrap eel and salmon roe with rice in seaweed, but personally, putting a piece of eel on a big spoonful of rice and having the thick eel fill my mouth was a work of art. The rice's moderate saltiness seems to go well with the eel's nutty, sweet tare sauce.

When I moved the eel aside, a hefty rolled omelet appeared. The eel was so plump that I took a photo in front of the omelet for no reason,, haha. The omelet was grilled sweet and soft, so sweet and nutty you could eat it as dessert.

Cold udon to finish and mango panna cotta for dessert

Near the end of the meal, Ilpum Gwanghwamun served cold udon with a piece of chicken karaage. The karaage seemed freshly fried, with a crisp, warm coating. Eating it with rice before the coating went soggy made it crunchy outside and juicy inside, even better, and the broth had a strong tang that cleansed the sweet sauce of the grilled eel.

The final dessert they brought out was mango panna cotta. It's a soft milk pudding drizzled with mango purée, with a texture softer than mochi-style (mochiri) tofu, great as a closing dessert. Personally, it was so good I'd go back just for another mango panna cotta!

Ilpum Gwanghwamun: final verdict

As a restaurant Lee Young-ja recommended, one bite made it clear why Ilpum Gwanghwamun is always full. Starting happily with the soft chawanmushi, then the premium kaisendon packed with the sea's freshness and richness, and the unagi don with its overwhelming size and thick texture, there wasn't a single disappointing dish. With the high quality and friendly service, I'd return 200%.

If you're looking for a neat, can't-go-wrong kaisendon and unagi don place near Gwanghwamun or Jongno, please go, and since it's popular and always full, booking on Naver beforehand is a must!