Tuna bar in Gaepo-dong, Seoul: 45,000-won soju course at Honma Tuna

I was looking for a quiet restaurant near Gaepo-dong where I could actually talk over a meal, and that's how I ended up at Honma Tuna. Tuna course prices have gotten pretty steep lately, so I'm careful when picking a spot — but this place has proper private rooms, which makes it great for a dinner party or family gathering. Hope my experience helps anyone weighing options for a Gaepo-dong get-together spot.

What does the 45,000-won special course at Honma Tuna include?

What I ordered at Honma Tuna was the special course, ₩45,000 per person. The interior was clean, and having a private room meant I could eat comfortably without any outside noise. Usually when you pick a cheaper course, you tend to get mostly lean cuts, but here there was a surprising amount of fatty belly meat included. Places that use good raw ingredients tend to show it in their own signature dish — like braised tuna at a tuna restaurant, or fish-bone soup at a salmon place — and this restaurant delivered on that from the side dishes all the way to the mains.

Thick-cut tuna sashimi, served again in a second round

Honma Tuna's special course starts with a light soup. The tuna sashimi was sliced thick, so it had a satisfying chew. I really love fatty cuts, and with such a high belly-meat ratio here, I got to enjoy that melt-in-your-mouth texture to my heart's content. Dab a little wasabi, wrap it in seaweed, and the soju just kept going down easy. Right as I was finishing the first round of tuna, a second round came out with a slightly different mix of cuts — a nice touch that kept things interesting instead of getting repetitive.

Butter-grilled abalone and shrimp midway through the course

Eating tuna nonstop can start to feel heavy, but warm dishes came out in between to keep things from getting monotonous. The buttered abalone and shrimp were a real standout. The abalone came whole with a nice chewy texture, and the butter aroma was subtle but savory enough that anyone would like it. Dishes made from such great raw ingredients are always excellent, no matter how many times you have them.

Braised tuna, fried shrimp and the closing soup

The braised tuna that came out afterward was genuinely delicious and memorable. After a run of sashimi, you start craving a warm broth or braised dish, and the lineup here really delivered. By the time I got through the freshly fried, crispy shrimp and the closing soup, I was completely full. There's enough variety on the menu that even a tablemate who isn't big on raw tuna wouldn't have anything to worry about.

Soju at 6,000 won: a tuna restaurant that drinks like a bar

Another reason I'd recommend Honma Tuna as a Gaepo-dong get-together spot is the drink pricing. Even though it's a tuna specialty restaurant, they didn't jack up the alcohol prices, so it didn't feel like a burden. Being able to sip soju (₩6,000) in an actual private room is a real advantage. It's a completely different world from a loud, open dining hall — perfect for having a deep conversation over a glass of soju in a cozy setting.

Overall, for ₩45,000 per person, the range of tuna cuts is excellent, and being able to eat in a private room is what I liked most. If you're considering this place as a get-together spot in Gaepo-dong, I don't think you'll regret it.

I'd recommend this to anyone who wants a proper tuna course in a quiet, intimate atmosphere. The lineup is solid and the service was satisfying, so I'm planning to come back the next time an important gathering comes up. If you're near Gaepo-dong and want both value and atmosphere, this is definitely worth trying.

Honma Tuna hours, closing days and parking in Gaepo-dong

• Weekday hours 11:30–22:00 (break time 14:00–17:00, last order 21:00)
• Sat–Sun 17:00–21:00 (last order 20:00)
• Closed the first Sunday of every month
• Free parking available behind the restaurant
• Address: 1F 103, Chungui Building, 210 Gaepo-ro, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, South Korea