Solo-pot shabu-shabu in Mapo, Seoul: Nahonsha

I visited a shabu-shabu restaurant in Hapjeong where I could have a neat, comfortable meal :)

These days, even when eating out, I find myself preferring dishes where I can have a balanced mix of vegetables and meat rather than something overly intense. Shabu-shabu is one of those meals I come back to often because I can have vegetables and meat together in warm broth—it is filling without feeling too heavy.

Individual-pot shabu-shabu near Hapjeong Station

I found this place while looking for shabu-shabu restaurants near Hapjeong Station, and what I liked most was that each person gets their own pot.

From the exterior onward, the restaurant felt clean and well organized. The entrance was simple and tidy too, so it felt welcoming from my very first visit!

Inside, the interior was just as neat, and the lighting was soft rather than too bright, which made it nice for a meal.

When you think of a shabu-shabu restaurant, it is easy to picture somewhere crowded or hectic, but this one felt calm overall, which was nice for taking my time over the meal. The seating was comfortable too, and every table had individual pots.

Individual pots for eating at your own pace

This was the part I really loved: even when visiting with several people, everyone can eat at their own pace, and having separate broth makes everything feel much tidier. Personally, I am definitely a fan of shabu-shabu places that serve it in individual pots!

Shabu-shabu with vegetables and meat

When you order, a generous selection of vegetables to add to the shabu-shabu arrives like this. There was a good variety, so I simply added them one at a time to the broth and cooked them. It is not easy to make sure you eat this many vegetables when dining out normally, is it? So I liked that it made even one meal feel a little healthier. As the vegetables cook, their flavor infuses the broth too, so the broth gets tastier the more you eat—that is part of shabu-shabu’s charm!

Meat came with it too, so once the broth began to boil, I added the vegetables first and lightly cooked the meat one slice at a time. Rather than cooking the meat for too long, it was definitely most delicious when briefly dipped into the broth until tender. The vegetables and meat together were light yet satisfying. Especially because we were not sharing one pot at the table but eating from individual pots in front of us, it was convenient: I could add my favorite vegetables first and eat the meat right away at exactly the doneness I wanted.

Noodles and juk in the remaining broth

After continuously cooking vegetables and meat in the hot broth, I was fuller than I expected. But if you have come for shabu-shabu, you cannot leave out the final noodles, right?

After finishing most of the meat and vegetables, I added noodles to the remaining broth to wrap things up. Because I had kept cooking vegetables and meat in it, the broth was already full of flavor, so the noodles tasted even better. Having warm noodles too made it feel like a proper end to the meal! I was happy that I could enjoy everything from start to finish without it being overly intense—vegetables, meat, and noodles in that order.

I could not resist having juk (rice porridge) too, haha. What I especially liked was the feeling of having eaten a healthy meal, along with the individual pots! With the neat interior and soft lighting, it also seemed like a good place for a comfortable meal alone or with friends or a partner. Overall, I was satisfied because the restaurant was clean and the meal itself did not feel heavy. In particular, the individual-pot setup means you do not have to feel self-conscious eating alone, so I think it would be great for anyone looking for a solo-dining spot. It is somewhere I would like to revisit when I am craving a light, healthy meal in Hapjeong. If you are looking for something warm and filling in Hapjeong, I think it would be worth stopping by for shabu-shabu near Hapjeong Station :)