Weekend lunch Ilpum-don at Ilpum, a Gwanghwamun Japanese restaurant

I went to Ilpum Gwanghwamun, famous around Gwanghwamun for its kaisendon (Japanese seafood rice bowl)!

Where is Ilpum Gwanghwamun, and what are the hours and parking?

📍Location B2, B223

Take the building escalator down to B2 and it's right next to the escalator. Since it's on the basement level of Le Meilleur Jongno Town, it looks like a convenient lunch spot for office workers nearby too.

• ⏰ Hours (Mon–Fri) 11:00–21:30 / (Sat) 11:00–21:00
• * Break time 15:00–17:30
• ** Closed on Sundays
• 🚘 Parking free for 2 hours
• 📞 Reservations via Naver Reservation or by phone

The clean wood-tone interior stood out and got me excited before I even walked in.

Maybe because Ilpum is famous for kaisendon, the place was already packed before weekend lunchtime. I'd made a reservation, so I showed up right on time.

As the standing sign outside shows, this is a place that's been on TV multiple times.

Ilpum Gwanghwamun main menu and prices

• Kaisendon / ₩26,000
• Premium kaisendon / ₩37,000
• Whole unagi don / ₩40,000
• Sushi omakase platter / ₩50,000
• (Special) Ilpum-don / ₩30,000
• (Special) sashimi don / ₩39,000
• Aburi don / ₩30,000
• Salmon sake-don / ₩26,000

*For reference, kaisendon is a Japanese-style seafood rice bowl piled generously with various sliced raw fish and seafood on rice.

How long is the weekend lunch wait, and what are the seats like?

I arrived around noon, and the crowd really surged between noon and 1pm. For the wait, you just write your name on the paper sign-up sheet in front of the restaurant. There are lots of counter seats for solo diners, and plenty of 4–6 person group tables too. A lot of Japanese restaurants have cramped seating, but Ilpum Gwanghwamun looks like it can handle group gatherings just fine.

You can hang your outerwear on the coat hooks mounted on the wall.

Side dishes and what comes with the Ilpum set meal

• Chicken karaage / ₩17,000
• Geoje sumgul (oyster) fritter / ₩18,000
• Hokkaido scallop cream croquette / ₩5,000
• Crab cream croquette / ₩5,000
• Drinks: sake / highball / beer / soju / soft drinks

When you order a main dish, it comes as a full set with chawanmushi (Japanese-style steamed egg custard), a noodle or fried dish, and even dessert — so hearty! (That day the noodle course was cold udon, and dessert was mochi rice cake💬) If I'd ordered à la carte it might have felt lacking, but the composition was so solid it felt like a proper full meal.

What we ordered: (special) Ilpum-don, Today's Sushi, scallop cream croquette

• (Special) Ilpum-don
• Today's Sushi
• Hokkaido scallop cream croquette

They first set the table with basic pickled cabbage and clear soup, and since we ordered a main dish, chawanmushi came along with it too.

(Special) Ilpum-don, 30,000 won: negitoro topped with uni and ikura

The (special) Ilpum-don I'd really wanted to try!!! Negitoro (finely minced tuna) is piled on the rice, topped generously with uni (sea urchin roe) and ikura (salmon roe) — an unbeatable combination 🤤 The tuna was fatty, soft, and savory, melting in the mouth, so it was easy to eat without feeling heavy.

I took another photo partway through — there was so much rice and so much negitoro that it felt endless. Wrapping it with the gim (seaweed) and gamtae (dried sea lettuce) served alongside, plus a bit of wasabi, kept it from feeling greasy and I never got tired of it. The uni brought a rich, soft sweetness while the ikura added a popping texture, so I could enjoy multiple textures in a single bite. Looking around, the kaisendon and unagi don at nearby tables looked popular too. I'd order the Ilpum-don again next time 🫡

Today's Sushi at Ilpum, with soy-seasoned sushi rice

Today's Sushi came with a good variety — tuna, white fish, salmon, shrimp, egg sushi, futomaki (thick seaweed roll), and more — so it was fun trying a bit of everything. There was a noticeable aged quality to the fish, making the texture soft too.

In particular, the rice was seasoned with a soy-based base, so it was savory and delicious!

Hokkaido scallop cream croquette, 5,000 won

The Hokkaido scallop cream croquette I ordered as a side. Crispy outside and packed with cream inside — dipping it into the accompanying sauce made it even more savory.

That day's noodle/fried dish came as cold udon, which was refreshing on a hot day, and with karaage piled on top too, I was seriously stuffed 😵 The final dessert was mochi rice cake with a tangy yuzu sauce, which wrapped things up cleanly without any greasiness.

Is Ilpum Gwanghwamun worth it? Final verdict

Overall the seasoning was well-balanced and the quality was solid, so I get why this place is famous. The staff were kind, and turnover was fast enough that even with a wait, we got seated quickly. If you're looking for kaisendon around Gwanghwamun, I recommend Ilpum Gwanghwamun 🌹