Family shabu-shabu near the National Museum of Korea: Shabu in Seoul

Hi, this is Kongi :) Last week I went with my family to Shabu in Seoul Yongsan Main Branch, a restaurant near the National Museum of Korea, and I wanted to write about it. The weather was pleasantly cool, perfect for shabu-shabu in fall!! They have a great-value lunch menu so a lot of nearby office workers come here too, but unlike other places, the quality of the meat was premium-grade. They say they only use carefully selected meats like 1st-grade black pork and Korean beef Prime Angus, so I'd recommend it for family gatherings or company dinners :)

Where is Shabu in Seoul Yongsan Main Branch? Hours and parking

Shabu in Seoul Yongsan Main Branch is at 61 Hangang-daero 62-gil, 1st floor, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, a 5-minute walk from Samgakji Station. Hours are 11:00–22:00 (last order 21:00), with break time from 15:00–17:00. Parking is available for 4 cars in front of the restaurant, or you can use the Samgakji temporary public parking lot (paid). Reservations can be made via Naver Reservations.

• 📍 Location: 61 Hangang-daero 62-gil, 1st floor, Yongsan-gu, Seoul
• ⏰ Hours: 11:00–22:00 (last order 21:00) / break time 15:00–17:00
• 🚗 Parking: 4 spots in front of the restaurant, Samgakji temporary public parking lot (paid)
• 📱 Reservations: Available via Naver Reservations

We went on foot, but the accessibility is great for gatherings — especially since the interior is upscale and there are private rooms, which would be perfect for company dinners or wedding invitation meetups!

You can also book through Catch Table. We reserved ahead for the first lunch slot, so we got in without waiting. But the seats filled up quickly with nearby office workers coming for lunch!

Baby chairs and private seats: is Shabu in Seoul good with kids?

At Shabu in Seoul Yongsan Main Branch, each table is pre-set according to the number of guests, and all the seats are private and separated, which felt quite upscale. They also have baby chairs ready, so I'd recommend coming here with kids after a family outing to the National Museum of Korea! The menu isn't too strong-flavored either, so kids can enjoy it too — I thought it'd be nice to come back with my little ones next time^_^

Shabu in Seoul menu and what a family of three ordered

What we ordered 🧑‍🍳 1st-grade black pork belly shabu set 20,000 / 1st-grade black pork collar shabu set 20,000 / added rice cake sarri, added kalguksu noodles.

There were three of us, so we wanted to try different kinds of meat and ordered two collar sets and one belly set!

Which broth and dipping sauce to pick

You could choose your broth too, and we went with the basic non-spicy one. But this broth was really the kicker. It was seasoned just right, and the more it boiled, the more savory it got 😀 I think I'd get this broth again next time.

I put a bit of every sauce on my plate. Sesame sauce, chili sauce, ponzu sauce.

There was a sheet showing a popular sauce combo among Gen Z these days, so I tried following it. Chili and sesame 1:1, plus added chili pepper and garlic! I thought, is this combo really not going to taste weird? But it was actually really good — turns out you really do have to try the owner's recommended recipes.

The kimchi with lemon, refilled three times

My favorite side dish at Shabu in Seoul, which was almost like a pickle — the kimchi. It had lemon in it, giving it a refreshing, fusion Korean-food feel. It totally cut through the richness. I refilled this kimchi three times 🧡 And the staff here are really kind. It felt almost like hotel-level service? Polished and tidy — anyway, that kind of good feeling.

How much meat and vegetables come with the black pork shabu sets

The shabu-shabu finally arrived!! There were way more vegetables than I expected. You could add more items to the menu, but this amount alone was plenty for us. A pretty generous portion ⭐️ Later, we only added the kalguksu noodle sarri and rice cake sarri.

Can you see the color of the meat? I don't think I've ever seen shabu-shabu meat this perfect at any other restaurant. Texture so good it felt almost a waste to dip it in water. They say they only use carefully selected meats like 1st-grade black pork and 1++ Korean beef Prime Angus, researching the optimal thickness and aging method for each type of meat! Shabu-shabu meat isn't all the same after all.

As we kept dunking the meat in, it matched perfectly with the broth, and the deep, savory flavor of the broth kept building up more and more!

Bunmoja glass noodles and rice paper served as standard

This is the bunmoja (glass noodle) sarri that came included as standard~ Isn't it so cute?

Rice paper is also included in the basic menu. Dip it in the broth, pull it out lightly, wrap it around vegetables and meat, and dip it in sauce — it's so delicious.

And there's minari (water celery) too. There were so many fresh green vegetables that you could probably fill up on vegetables alone.

But rice cake and kalguksu noodles are my family's favorite items, so we couldn't resist. We added more broth and boiled the noodles and rice cake sarri until they were bubbling hot ^^

Egg porridge and omija tea that finish the lunch course

And the meal course is also included in the lunch menu. They make egg porridge, which takes about 10 minutes, so I'd recommend ordering it in advance according to your headcount!

The meal course service is done in a really upscale way too. My mom, who came with us, said this place is really classy and that it was her first time at a shabu-shabu place like this haha, so proud.

At the end, they sprinkle on sesame oil and dried seaweed flakes. Eating it lightly pressed down like that was so delicious.

And finally, dessert was omija tea!!🍵 For just ₩20,000, being able to enjoy a whole course of premium shabu-shabu, a meal, and dessert in this neighborhood ,, 💖 I hope you'll stop by Shabu in Seoul Yongsan Main Branch and enjoy the premium dining service✔️