Yeonnam-dong dinner date over John Dory ochazuke: Ochaya Yeonnam

Ochaya Yeonnam, open daily 11:00–20:30 (last order 19:50).

Seoul date night with Soo-hyun, and dinner was this Seoul ochazuke spot, Hongdae restaurant, Hongik Univ. Station eatery — Ochaya, an ochazuke place. Here's the review.

Where is Ochaya Yeonnam and how do you get there?

• 📍 Address: 38 Donggyo-ro 38-gil, 2nd floor, Mapo-gu, Seoul
• 🚘 Parking: none available.
• ⭐️ Yeonnam-dong ochazuke restaurant.
• ⭐️ Reservations available.
• ⭐️ Sangsu and Yeonnam locations currently open.
• ⭐️ Mobile/simple payment accepted.

Ochaya, this Yeonnam-dong ochazuke spot, is a 10-minute walk from Hongik Univ. Station Exit 3, tucked into an alley off the Gyeongui Line Forest Trail.

It's on the 2nd floor of the building, so head up the inner staircase ~

Dinner wait times and the mood inside Ochaya Yeonnam

The entrance to Ochaya, a Yeonnam-dong restaurant. We came early evening, so luckily there was no wait.

Inside Ochaya, a Yeonnam-dong favorite: calm wood tones make it comfortable.

The seating inside is spaced out generously. There's also a group table, so it's good for visiting with a bigger crowd.

We took a corner table for two.

Ochaya Yeonnam menu and prices

The menu and prices at Ochaya Yeonnam, a Hongik Univ. Station restaurant known for Yeonnam-dong salmon.

• <Meals> Chamnamul perilla oil soba (summer only) ₩13,000
• Butanokakuni (pork belly) ₩14,000
• Sake chazuke (salmon) ₩15,000
• Kaisen chazuke (seafood) ₩14,500
• Unagi chazuke (eel) ₩16,000
• Matoudai chazuke (John Dory fish) ₩15,000
• Mentaiko ochazuke ₩10,000
• <Drinks> Coke ₩2,000 / Zero Coke ₩2,000 / Sprite ₩2,000 / Zero Sprite ₩2,000
• <Review event> Free matcha ice cream (Seonbae)

We each ordered whichever topping we liked! One ochazuke each at Ochaya, this Yeonnam-dong ochazuke restaurant 🍚

Self-service bar, high chairs and other amenities

The self-service bar at Ochaya, a Yeonnam-dong solo-dining spot.

Water, napkins, wet wipes — and even a phone charger. Great for solo diners in Yeonnam-dong, haha.

Self-service aprons.

There are kids' chairs too, so it works well as a Yeonnam-dong spot to bring kids to.

There's also a coat hook.

How to eat ochazuke: the two-step method

Every table has instructions posted for how to enjoy the ochazuke at this Hongik Univ. Station, Yeonnam-dong eatery. Eat about half, then pour the broth over the rest, apparently.

Soy sauce sitting on the table — probably meant for the fish dishes!

While waiting for our ochazuke after ordering, I noticed a row of rice cookers lined up in the kitchen.

Soo-hyun picking out dessert — a very planned-only-when-it-comes-to-eating kind of person.

John Dory chazuke and braised pork belly chazuke

What we ordered at Ochaya, this Yeonnam-dong restaurant: John Dory ochazuke 🐟 and butanokakuni ochazuke 🍖

My pick: John Dory ochazuke 🐟

Soo-hyun's pick: butanokakuni ochazuke 🍖

John Dory, an unfamiliar name, is apparently a fish belonging to the John Dory family — a species rarely caught in Korean waters. The John Dory ochazuke comes topped with one big chunk of the fish.

Three side dishes.

Seaweed that's delicious wrapped around the rice, haha.

The broth also comes served separately in a bottle.

The John Dory, nicely browned — the whole thing is white fish.

The rice at Ochaya, a Yeonnam-dong favorite, is nutty-rice style, mixed with mushrooms, beans, corn, and more, giving it a slight yellow tint.

The first bite was pure rice + John Dory. The texture is soft and chewy, like croaker flesh — a bit springy, with a clean, plain flavor that's easy to eat without feeling heavy.

Wrapped in seaweed, it's nutty and toasty 😙

The rice itself is so good you could eat it plain and it'd go down easy.

Soo-hyun's butanokakuni ochazuke, with its huge chunks of meat, looked amazing. It comes with wasabi.

Soo-hyun made me a bite 🤤

Whoa, what is this... the butanokakuni sauce is seriously delicious! Sweet-and-salty seasoning with a hint of smokiness, and the meat is completely moist and tender 😳 What a treat, seriously.

What the bowls tasted like with the broth poured over

About halfway through, we poured the broth over. Even after some time had passed, the broth was still warm.

Pouring the broth over made it even better 🫢 At Ochaya, this Yeonnam-dong rice bowl restaurant, the ochazuke broth itself is incredibly tasty. It's a dashi flavor made from bonito flakes and kelp, refreshing yet full of umami. Compared to eating it plain, it definitely felt like something more was added, and it was nice to mix things up partway through.

With a varied menu and generous portions, Ochaya, a Hongik Univ. Station restaurant, is one I'd recommend as a Yeonnam-dong favorite, a Yeonnam-dong solo-dining spot, and a Yeonnam-dong date spot 🍚