Open-kitchen yakisoba set at a Suwon Station food hall: Jojo AK Plaza

Why Jojo AK Plaza Suwon for eating alone near Suwon Station

Jojo AK Plaza Suwon is a Japanese teppanyaki restaurant in the basement food hall of AK Plaza Suwon. I had some errands near Suwon Station and stopped by for a simple lunch.

Suwon Station is directly connected to AK Plaza, so it's really convenient to find somewhere to eat. I love yakisoba and had noticed this place every time I passed by, so this time I finally tried it properly haha. The layout is especially good for eating alone, so if you're looking for a solo dining spot near Suwon Station, this might be worth checking out.

Where Jojo AK Plaza Suwon is, and where to park

Jojo is located in the B1 food hall of AK Plaza Suwon. Since Suwon Station and AK Plaza are directly connected, it's easy to get to if you're taking the subway.

The store is near the Starbucks, so once you head into the food hall area, it's not hard to find.

The address is B1, AK Plaza Suwon, 924 Deogyeong-daero, Paldal-gu, Suwon, Gyeonggi, South Korea. You can use the AK Plaza parking lot, and it's great for handling shopping and eating in one trip haha.

Open kitchen, bar seats and the feel of the room

Rather than being a standalone large restaurant, Jojo is set within the AK Plaza food hall. But surprisingly, the interior really has that Japanese restaurant feel. It's centered on black tones with red accent points,

and true to a teppanyaki restaurant, it has an open kitchen.

Once you order, you can watch the food being cooked right on the griddle in front of you. Hearing the sizzling sounds while you wait actually builds up your anticipation haha.

And personally, what I liked was that there's bar-style seating available!

When eating alone, sitting by yourself at a big table can feel a bit awkward sometimes, right? Here the layout is comfortable for solo dining, so it could work well as a solo dining spot near Suwon Station.

The Jojo menu: four yakisoba styles and the set

The menu was more varied than I expected. From the signature yakisoba to okonomiyaki, fried rice, and gyoza (dumplings), there was a lot to choose from. The yakisoba comes in

• Basic Yakisoba
• Jojo Yakisoba
• Karai Yakisoba
• Shio Yakisoba

these four types. There were also several kinds of okonomiyaki, so you could pick according to your taste. And if you're dining alone, choosing a set menu seemed like a good option too. After thinking it over, I ordered the yakisoba set haha.

How the yakisoba set tastes: thick noodles and a smoky char

Alright, let's get into the tasting.

What I ordered was the yakisoba set. It came with basic yakisoba plus 5 mentaiko (pollock roe) gyoza. It was quite filling for eating alone, so if you visit hungry, you'd probably be satisfied. Best of all, the food didn't take long and came out relatively quickly, which I loved. This feels like it would suit anyone with a busy schedule looking for a solo meal at Suwon Station!

I tried the yakisoba first haha.

It came on a big plate, generously loaded with noodles, meat, and vegetables. Just from the look, you'd think it would be pretty intense, but it was actually milder than expected. The noodles weren't thin — they were thick and chewy like udon.

I personally really like this kind of chewy noodle, so it was quite to my taste haha. The sauce didn't hit too hard either — it was savory with a good amount of umami, at a level you could keep eating without feeling burdened.

There were also more vegetables than I expected. There was plenty of cabbage, and eating it together with the noodles

gave a nice crunchy texture that went surprisingly well together. With the meat added on top, it was much more filling than just noodles alone. Probably because it was stir-fried on the griddle, I could taste a subtle charred aroma too.

Eating it with the mild sauce, the overall balance was pretty good.

The 5 mentaiko gyoza that come with the set

And personally, what stuck with me the most was the mentaiko gyoza haha. Five come together with the yakisoba set,

and the outside is fried to a golden brown for a proper crispy texture.

Take a bite and it's crispy outside, moist inside!

Inside there's a meat filling, and you also get to dip it in mentaiko sauce.

The gyoza is fine on its own, but dipping it lightly in the mentaiko sauce adds a savory, salty note that definitely makes it a different experience. Honestly, this mentaiko gyoza stuck with me even more than the yakisoba haha.

Eating it warm, the crispy texture was great,

and alternating between it and the yakisoba cut down on the greasiness, so they went well together. Next time I visit, I think I'll order the mentaiko gyoza separately.

Verdict: who Jojo AK Plaza Suwon suits

To wrap up with a final verdict: if you're looking for somewhere to eat alone near Suwon Station and fancy something a bit different in Japanese food, Jojo AK Plaza Suwon is worth a visit. From the thick, chewy yakisoba loaded with meat and vegetables to the crispy mentaiko gyoza, it made for a pretty filling meal haha.

I especially liked the seating setup that's comfortable for solo dining, and getting to watch the food cooked right on the griddle gave the place a distinct vibe even within a food hall. I'd recommend this to anyone looking for a solo dining spot near Suwon Station, anyone shopping at AK Plaza who wants to grab a meal, and anyone who generally enjoys yakisoba or Japanese teppanyaki dishes haha. Next time I visit, I'll have to try the okonomiyaki too!