Sangsu Station solo shabu-shabu restaurant with bag lockers: Nahonsha

Today I was looking for somewhere to eat alone in Hapjeong and found a new spot. I've eaten plenty of solo meals like gukbap (soup with rice) or burgers, but solo shabu-shabu is surprisingly rare, right? Nahonsha, though, has a one-person induction stove and personal pot set up at every single seat, so you can enjoy shabu-shabu properly on your own without feeling self-conscious!

From clear broth to spicy, miso, mala, and tomato, there were plenty of broth options, and I finished it off properly with kalguksu (knife-cut noodles) and even porridge at the end. Let me introduce Nahonsha, a Sangsu and Hapjeong Station spot.

Nahonsha's opening hours and break time

Nahonsha is open 11:30–21:00 Monday through Friday, and 12:00–21:00 on Saturdays, with Sundays off. Break time is 15:00–18:00, and last order is at 14:30 / 20:30.

It's open from lunch through late evening until 9pm, but since there's a break time in between, I'd recommend checking the hours before you go!

Inside Nahonsha: storefront, atmosphere and one induction stove per seat

Nahonsha is a new spot on the first floor along Dokmak-ro, so the exterior has a clean, polished look overall. The plants and wood-toned walls blend together naturally, giving off a prettier and more put-together vibe than I expected.

There were even thoughtful touches like a coat hook and a bag locker.

Basically, every seat has its own single-serving induction stove, so you can cook at your own pace and to your own taste. It's a setup that makes solo dining completely stress-free! There were also window seats where you could eat while looking outside, but sadly, they always seem to be taken. :(

Overall the space felt spacious and clean, and since each seat uses its own personal pot, it seemed perfect not just for solo shabu-shabu but for solo dining near Hapjeong Station in general.

Each table came with peanut sauce, chili sauce, and soy sauce, so you could dip according to your taste.

Nahonsha's menu and its five broths

Nahonsha's menu is broadly split into shabu-shabu and sukiyaki, and the shabu-shabu comes in a range of broths — clear, spicy, miso, mala, and tomato.

Honestly, I wanted to try the tomato broth, but since I was on my own and couldn't afford to make a bad call, I safely went with the clear broth.

For extra toppings, you could add basic shabu-shabu ingredients like meat and vegetables. There was also self-serve porridge available for a carb finish at the end — porridge is a must with shabu-shabu, so I ordered it right away.

What's in the clear broth shabu-shabu for one, with self-serve porridge

Here's the clear broth shabu-shabu for one that I ordered! It came generously loaded with a variety of basic ingredients — napa cabbage, mushrooms, tofu, sweet pumpkin, dumplings — and finished off with kalguksu noodles perfect for the last stretch. The meat kept its bright red color with no browning, so overall the ingredients looked clean and fresh.

Once the vegetables cooked down a bit, I added the meat in earnest.

The meat kept its bright red color with no browning, so overall everything looked clean and fresh. The thinly sliced meat cooked quickly with just a few swirls in the broth, and I'd grab a bite with the cabbage, bean sprouts, and mushrooms all together. The broth started out clean but got richer and richer as I kept adding vegetables and meat — shabu-shabu really does get better toward the end, haha.

And for the finish, I fished out most of the vegetables and wrapped it up with the kalguksu noodles.

How was the self-serve porridge add-on at Nahonsha?

Nahonsha's self-serve porridge is cooked right in the leftover broth yourself. The fried rice version uses frozen vegetables, but honestly, once you cook it all together it doesn't matter much. If anything, cooking the porridge for a while actually kept the vegetables' crunchy texture alive, which I liked.

It had a soft, egg-porridge feel with crunchy bits of vegetable throughout. They even gave me kimchi on the side, which is an unbeatable combo — the self-serve porridge was the perfect finish to the meal.

Why Nahonsha works for eating shabu-shabu alone

There aren't actually that many options when you want to eat shabu-shabu by yourself, but Nahonsha is built entirely around solo shabu-shabu, so it was comfortable to eat there. The basic spread of vegetables, meat, and noodles was substantial, and I liked how the broth, clean at first, deepened in flavor as I kept adding meat and vegetables.

Add the self-serve porridge at the end and you've got a full, satisfying meal, haha. The place was clean, and since everyone uses their own personal pot, it never felt awkward to be there alone. Next time, I'm definitely trying the tomato broth I was curious about!