Gwanghwamun seafood rice bowl restaurant with monkfish liver: Ilpum

Why Ilpum Gwanghwamun for a seafood rice bowl near Gwanghwamun?

Ilpum Gwanghwamun is a kaisendon (Japanese-style seafood rice bowl) restaurant on B2 of Lemeilleur Jongno Town, a short walk from either Jonggak Station Exit 1 or Gwanghwamun Station Exit 4. I was meeting a friend in Gwanghwamun and had heard for ages that Ilpum Gwanghwamun was a famous kaisendon spot, and it happened to be right nearby, so we booked a table and went.

Why Ilpum Gwanghwamun specifically? Apparently it ranked #1 in nationwide restaurant search views in 2024 for kaisendon. It appeared as the featured restaurant on the first episode of KBS's 'Delivery Has Arrived,' and even food-loving celebrities like Lee Young-ja and national actor Hwang Jung-min are fans, or so I heard. The sign was clean and easy to spot too.

Inside Ilpum Gwanghwamun: counter seats and an ingredient-origin board

Here's what the inside looks like! The interior is mostly counter seats, so quite a few people were dining solo. One whole wall was covered in autographs from visiting celebrities.

Right as you walk in, there's an ingredient origin board displayed in plain sight, which built trust. Flounder, abalone, mackerel, and freshwater eel were labeled as domestic, while tuna was labeled as ocean-caught imported — all listed honestly.

Ilpum Gwanghwamun menu and prices

We sat down and read through the menu slowly haha. Just looking at the menu got me excited. The signature dishes were kaisendon (₩26,000), premium kaisendon (₩37,000), whole unagi don (₩40,000), and sushi omakase platter (₩50,000), plus a variety of other kaisendon and individual sushi items. There were quite a few sashimi and fried dishes too, like sashimi moriawase, uni sam-hap, and seasonal uni, along with a good sake list. We decided on the premium kaisendon!!

A coat hook and water purifier at every seat

After ordering, I looked around and noticed a thoughtful touch — a coat hook installed at every seat. Also, at most restaurants the water is just refilled endlessly from one jug, which always felt a little off hygiene-wise. But here, each table had its own water purifier.

While chatting with my friend, we were first served jangguk (savory broth soup), baek-kimchi (white kimchi), and chawanmushi (steamed egg custard)!! It was silky and soft — really good.

What comes in the 37,000 won premium kaisendon?

And then the premium kaisendon we'd been waiting for... isn't it just so pretty.... As a seafood lover, it felt almost too pretty to eat!! It was plated neatly enough that I'd bring parents here, and it'd also be perfect for a date.

The bowl included amberjack, cuttlefish, salmon, scallop, uni, salmon roe, tuna, egg roll, abalone, white fish, crab meat, monkfish liver, and gamtae (seasoned seaweed). So many kinds it's hard to even list them all haha.

Time to dig in!

How big the portion looks once you plate it up

Since you need to eat the rice underneath too, I moved the generous toppings onto the plate they'd given us. But as I was doing it, I thought — wouldn't this be a ₩35,000–50,000 spread at a regular sashimi restaurant? And this wasn't even all of it!

Wrapping uni, ikura and monkfish liver in gim

The rice in Ilpum Gwanghwamun's premium kaisendon comes seasoned already, tasting almost like sushi vinegar rice. It paired perfectly with the toppings. So, remembering an omakase I'd been to before, I tried wrapping everything in gim (seaweed sheets).

I piled uni and ikura together and took a big bite — the uni was rich with absolutely no fishy smell.

Wait, I've had this exact combination at an omakase place before?? The scallop had a light smoky char that smelled amazing, and the monkfish liver with rice and gim was rich and satisfying. Eating kaisendon and gim-wrapped bites at once was like getting two dishes in one. Honestly, mixing combination after combination + it all being delicious = I just ate in a total blur.

Cold udon with karaage, and mango dessert

While we were deep into eating, the cold udon arrived, and surprisingly it came with karaage on top. I'd never seen that combination before, so it felt novel — but oh? It worked really well together?? The noodles were also super chewy.

And we finished off dessert down to the last bite haha. The yellow liquid on top was mango, and underneath seemed to be a milk base haha. Not too sweet, which I loved!

It was so good I didn't want to leave. On my way out, I snapped one last wistful photo.

Who should book a table at Ilpum Gwanghwamun?

I really recommend Ilpum Gwanghwamun to anyone who wants to properly enjoy a fresh seafood rice bowl, or anyone searching for a kaisendon spot in Gwanghwamun. Every ingredient felt fresh, and the uni especially stood out — rich with no fishy smell at all.

That said, if you go during meal hours without a reservation, you might face a wait or find no seats available, so I'd recommend booking ahead before your visit.

• Name: Ilpum Gwanghwamun
• Address: B2, Lemeilleur Jongno Town, 19 Jongno, Jongno-gu, Seoul (Unit B223)
• Hours: 11:00–21:30 (closed Sundays)
• Subway: Walk from Jonggak Station Exit 1 or Gwanghwamun Station Exit 4