# Mapo Japanese restaurant with mild katsudon: Jongno Donburi Yeonnam - By Eungyeol (https://superchart.com/en/@kitchen-light-seoul/) - Written Sep 11, 2026 - Local places › Restaurants › Mapo, Seoul - Sponsored: This post was written after receiving a complimentary visit from the restaurant. - English edition: https://superchart.com/en/@kitchen-light-seoul/yeonnam-gatsudong-date-jongno-donburi/ - Also in: [한국어](https://superchart.com/ko/@kitchen-light-seoul/yeonnam-gatsudong-date-jongno-donburi/index.md) ## In short Jongno Donburi Yeonnam is a Japanese rice-bowl restaurant in Mapo, Seoul. My husband and I shared salmon sake-don and katsudon in its quiet, cozy space, complete with an in-store restroom. Verdict: Jongno Donburi Yeonnam makes for a satisfying, comfortable meal. ## Good to know - **What we ordered**: Salmon rice bowl (sake-don), katsudon - **Menu selection**: Katsudon, mixed katsudon, tendon, and more - **Restroom**: Available inside the restaurant - **Ingredient policy**: Ingredients aged from early morning are sold the same day *as written by the visitor on Sep 11, 2026* ## A quiet Japanese rice-bowl date in a Yeonnam-dong alley The weather has been getting cooler lately, so my husband and I went on a hand-in-hand date through the alleys of Yeonnam-dong. As we walked in the autumn breeze, I suddenly craved a neat, comforting Japanese rice bowl so badly. So this couple headed to Jongno Donburi Yeonnam, a Japanese-specialty restaurant near Hongik University Station that we already love! ### Finding it along the alley ✨ Jongno Donburi Yeonnam is easy to find if you take a slow, stroll-like walk from Hongik University Station toward Yeonnam-dong's main alley. I loved being able to enjoy the same flavors as the famous flagship in Jongno right here in Yeonnam-dong too, haha. ![Jongno Donburi Yeonnam in a Yeonnam-dong alley](https://img.superchart.com/images/yeonnam-gatsudong-date-jongno-donburi/yeonnam-gatsudong-date-jongno-donburi-01-xy64l-900.webp) ### Take a look at the cozy, quiet atmosphere 🤍 ![Cozy interior of Jongno Donburi Yeonnam](https://img.superchart.com/images/yeonnam-gatsudong-date-jongno-donburi/yeonnam-gatsudong-date-jongno-donburi-02-1ldje-900.webp) ![Warm Japanese home-style interior](https://img.superchart.com/images/yeonnam-gatsudong-date-jongno-donburi/yeonnam-gatsudong-date-jongno-donburi-03-12l7g-900.webp) Head downstairs and you are greeted by a clean interior with the warm, cozy feel of a Japanese home-style restaurant. It was pleasantly quiet rather than overly noisy, making it perfect for a Yeonnam restaurant date where my husband and I could chat away together! ![Quiet dining area at Jongno Donburi Yeonnam](https://img.superchart.com/images/yeonnam-gatsudong-date-jongno-donburi/yeonnam-gatsudong-date-jongno-donburi-04-sezf4-900.webp) ![Japanese restaurant interior with a cozy atmosphere](https://img.superchart.com/images/yeonnam-gatsudong-date-jongno-donburi/yeonnam-gatsudong-date-jongno-donburi-05-158ak-900.webp) ![Quiet restaurant interior ideal for a date](https://img.superchart.com/images/yeonnam-gatsudong-date-jongno-donburi/yeonnam-gatsudong-date-jongno-donburi-06-fg1dw-900.webp) Since it was quiet, it also seemed like a great place for people dining alone to have a comfortable meal. ![Restroom located inside the restaurant](https://img.superchart.com/images/yeonnam-gatsudong-date-jongno-donburi/yeonnam-gatsudong-date-jongno-donburi-07-miyjf-900.webp) *It is so convenient to have the restroom inside!* And honestly, this was kind of important to me...??? Maybe because I am pregnant, but when I eat out, I worry so, so much about restroomsㅠㅠ I would be really concerned about infection if I had to use a dirty shared restroom outside, but Jongno Donburi Yeonnam has a clean restroom right inside, so I felt comfortable throughout the meal, haha. ## Sake-don and katsudon: what did we order? ### Choosing delicious menu items, la la 🎶 ![Rice-bowl menu at Jongno Donburi Yeonnam](https://img.superchart.com/images/yeonnam-gatsudong-date-jongno-donburi/yeonnam-gatsudong-date-jongno-donburi-08-80un9-900.webp) ![Choosing from the Japanese rice-bowl menu](https://img.superchart.com/images/yeonnam-gatsudong-date-jongno-donburi/yeonnam-gatsudong-date-jongno-donburi-09-1vx5k-900.webp) ![Menu with katsudon and tendon](https://img.superchart.com/images/yeonnam-gatsudong-date-jongno-donburi/yeonnam-gatsudong-date-jongno-donburi-10-fcio1-900.webp) They say they follow a same-day sales policy using fresh ingredients aged from early each morning, which really inspired confidence. The menu was full of tempting rice bowls such as katsudon (breaded pork cutlet rice bowl), mixed katsudon, and tendon (tempura rice bowl), so choosing was difficult! ![Jongno Donburi's variety of rice-bowl dishes](https://img.superchart.com/images/yeonnam-gatsudong-date-jongno-donburi/yeonnam-gatsudong-date-jongno-donburi-11-q2bjo-900.webp) ![Ordered salmon rice bowl and katsudon](https://img.superchart.com/images/yeonnam-gatsudong-date-jongno-donburi/yeonnam-gatsudong-date-jongno-donburi-12-1y2t5-900.webp) ![Japanese rice-bowl menu selection](https://img.superchart.com/images/yeonnam-gatsudong-date-jongno-donburi/yeonnam-gatsudong-date-jongno-donburi-13-19vel-900.webp) ![Choosing dishes from the Jongno Donburi menu](https://img.superchart.com/images/yeonnam-gatsudong-date-jongno-donburi/yeonnam-gatsudong-date-jongno-donburi-14-4s1o3-900.webp) We happily ordered their signature salmon rice bowl, sake-don (salmon sashimi rice bowl), along with the tender katsudon. ## Chewy, luscious salmon sake-don 🥹 ![Ordered salmon sake-don](https://img.superchart.com/images/yeonnam-gatsudong-date-jongno-donburi/yeonnam-gatsudong-date-jongno-donburi-15-3s6oe-900.webp) ![Sake-don topped with thick slices of salmon](https://img.superchart.com/images/yeonnam-gatsudong-date-jongno-donburi/yeonnam-gatsudong-date-jongno-donburi-16-a253g-1200.webp) At last, the food we had been waiting for arrived, and just looking at it made my mouth water. Perhaps because it is aged from early each morning, the salmon was thick and beautifully glossy. The owner recommended the salmon menu too, and now I see why, haha. ![Glossy salmon rice bowl](https://img.superchart.com/images/yeonnam-gatsudong-date-jongno-donburi/yeonnam-gatsudong-date-jongno-donburi-17-fkz0l-900.webp) Since I am pregnant these days, I am actually extremely particular about freshness when eating raw food. But this was so fresh without even a hint of fishiness that it seemed like something pregnant people could eat comfortably too. With a little wasabi and rice, it just melted in my mouth—so good! ![Salmon sake-don with an added poached egg](https://img.superchart.com/images/yeonnam-gatsudong-date-jongno-donburi/yeonnam-gatsudong-date-jongno-donburi-18-1pknn-900.webp) *Add a poached egg too, haha!* ## Sweet-and-savory katsudon that was not too salty ![Katsudon with egg and sauce](https://img.superchart.com/images/yeonnam-gatsudong-date-jongno-donburi/yeonnam-gatsudong-date-jongno-donburi-19-1ci7y-900.webp) The katsudon my husband chose had soft egg and plenty of house sauce soaked into the crispy donkatsu (breaded pork cutlet). When you choose the wrong katsudon, it can be sooo salty that it is hard to eat even with rice, but Jongno Donburi's katsudon was seasoned just right! I loved that, haha. ![Katsudon topped with thick donkatsu](https://img.superchart.com/images/yeonnam-gatsudong-date-jongno-donburi/yeonnam-gatsudong-date-jongno-donburi-20-iynx0-900.webp) The meat was thick yet tender, so it was really easy to scoop up with a spoon. If you are looking for Japanese food near Hongik University Station and craving a hearty meat rice bowl, I highly recommend the katsudon, haha. ## We finished every last bite~!!!!! My husband exclaimed with every bite, and together we scraped our bowls completely clean. The sauce was not overpowering and soaked moistly into every grain of rice, so we never got tired of it and successfully finished it all! I was happy to fill up with such a satisfying meal in this lovely cool autumn weather. I totally, totally recommend Jongno Donburi Yeonnam to anyone looking for Japanese food in Yeonnam-dong or a clean, easygoing meal. Its neat atmosphere makes it great for a date and excellent for dining alone too, so I think we will absolutely be back. If you find yourself craving a warm, delicious rice bowl near Hongdae, please stop by! ## Where it is - Jongno Donburi Yeonnam (종로돈부리 연남) - B1, 9 Donggyo-ro 46-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea - 서울특별시 마포구 동교로46길 9 B1 - 37.562598, 126.925406 - Google Maps: https://www.google.com/maps/search/%EC%A2%85%EB%A1%9C%EB%8F%88%EB%B6%80%EB%A6%AC%20%EC%97%B0%EB%82%A8/@37.562598,126.925406,17z --- Superchart · https://superchart.com/en/@kitchen-light-seoul/yeonnam-gatsudong-date-jongno-donburi/ · https://superchart.com/llms.txt