Yeonnam-dong Japanese restaurant with Orion beer: Jongno Donburi

Hi, this is Sumin :)

I hadn't had Japanese food in Yeonnam-dong in a while, so I went out for donburi (Japanese rice bowl). I was craving salmon that day, and since there were several salmon options, I ended up ordering both salmon belly sake tarako-don and sake-don.

Why Jongno Donburi Yeonnam, out of all the Yeonnam-dong restaurants?

I found this place while looking for good Yeonnam-dong restaurants, and I think it's a great pick if you like salmon. When I ordered, the staff specifically told me the salmon was in great condition that day. Hearing that kind of thing always raises your expectations a bit, haha.

But after eating it, the salmon really was that good. It was clean-tasting and looked so appetizing that I started photographing it the second it arrived.

Yeonnam-dong has so many good restaurants tucked into its alleys that deciding where to go is honestly half the challenge.

That day I wanted something light with a beer on the side, so I came to Jongno Donburi Yeonnam. It has the kind of casual donburi-ordering atmosphere that felt easy to enjoy with a friend.

A Japan-style basement room that even stocks Orion beer

The exterior is really pretty, exactly the kind of hidden alley restaurant you'd expect to find in Yeonnam-dong — it genuinely feels like being in Japan. They even sell Orion beer that's normally only sold in Japan, which made the whole experience feel even more authentic.

With so many foreign tourists in Yeonnam-dong these days, they also had an English menu ready.

How fresh was the salmon at Jongno Donburi Yeonnam?

Looking back at the whole meal, what stayed with me most was the salmon quality. They told me upfront it was in great condition, and that turned out to be no exaggeration, haha.

When you go for a salmon dish, the condition of the salmon itself is what matters most in the end, and this part was very satisfying. Ordering both salmon belly sake tarako-don and sake-don together let me enjoy the same salmon in two slightly different ways, which was nice.

Sake-don: clean, simple salmon over rice

I also ordered a sake-don. This felt like the dish to pick if you want to enjoy the salmon itself in a relatively clean, simple way. The salmon was piled generously over the rice, and eating a bite of salmon with rice together, the combination worked really well. Since they'd told me beforehand how good the salmon was, I kept examining it closely while eating.

The salmon that day was definitely satisfying. The color was pretty and the texture was good, so it felt worth coming for salmon, haha. Salmon belly sake tarako-don felt like a more varied flavor experience, while sake-don was about enjoying the salmon itself plainly — good reason to order one of each and share.

An Asahi to go with the donburi

And of course, a glass of Asahi beer alongside the food! Having a beer with donburi always makes the meal feel that much better, doesn't it. Especially with a salmon rice bowl, the pairing worked better than I expected.

I wasn't out for a heavy drinking session that day — just good donburi with a glass of Asahi — and it was the perfect amount to leave in a good mood. If you want to eat and have a light drink in Yeonnam-dong, this combination is a solid choice.

Salmon belly sake tarako-don: soft belly plus tarako (cod roe)

First up, the salmon belly sake tarako-don! The name alone had my favorite combo written all over it, so I picked it the moment I saw it on the menu. The soft texture unique to salmon belly, topped with tarako (seasoned cod roe), made for a pretty appetizing-looking dish. The salmon was piled thick, so eating it with rice gave the salmon a strong presence.

Above all, the salmon condition that day was genuinely great. It was soft without being mushy, and I didn't pick up much of a fishy taste at all, which was satisfying. Salmon lovers know how a dish like this gets your chopsticks moving faster, haha. Personally, the soft texture of the belly gave it a different feel from the sake-don, and I liked it.

What to order next time at Jongno Donburi Yeonnam

If you're in the mood for Japanese food or donburi in Yeonnam-dong and you like salmon, this is worth stopping by at least once. If I go back, I think I'll order the salmon belly sake tarako-don again. If you're looking for a salmon-based Japanese dish among Yeonnam-dong restaurants, Jongno Donburi Yeonnam is worth checking out :)