Hapjeong Station shabu-shabu with self-serve porridge: Nahonsha

I heard there was a solo shabu-shabu specialist among the Hapjeong Station restaurants, so I went to check it out~ The name itself, Nahonsha (나혼샤, roughly "eating shabu-shabu alone"), already told me this place was built for solo dining, and the menu setup was solid too, so I wanted to share it for all the solo diners out there haha.

Where is Nahonsha, and what are its hours?

• Nahonsha / 42 Dongmak-ro, 1st floor, Mapo-gu, Seoul
• Hours: Mon-Sat 11:30-21:00, closed every Sunday

I visited Nahonsha, a solo shabu-shabu spot among the Hapjeong Station restaurants~ It's not too far, about a 5-minute walk from Hapjeong Station Exit 7, and the entrance was so pretty that I felt good just walking in!

Seating built for solo diners at Nahonsha

Here's a look inside Nahonsha, the solo shabu-shabu place near Hapjeong Station~ Every single seat has its own induction burner and pot set up, so it really felt built for eating alone haha.

I sat at a window seat with a fresh, green vibe! Getting to eat solo with a lush green view outside was just so nice!!! haha

Each seat had its own tongs, utensils, tissues, wet wipes, a water bottle, and a cup, all neatly set up, plus sweet chili sauce, sesame sauce, and soy sauce for dipping the shabu-shabu meat!! No need to ask for anything separately — the setup was perfect 👍

There's even a phone stand for solo diners!!!!! Haha this was such a thoughtful touch!!! Truly a place optimized for eating alone~

Nahonsha menu and prices

Here's a photo of the menu at Nahonsha, a great solo dining spot in Hapjeong~ There's a tablet at every seat, so ordering and paying was easy! You can pick from broth types like solo shabu-shabu or sukiyaki, and even requests like a ladle or an apron can be selected on the tablet.

• Clear-broth shabu ₩14,900
• Extra meat ₩5,000
• Self-made porridge (rice + diced veggies + egg) ₩4,000
• Zero-sugar cola ₩2,000

What comes with the 14,900 won clear-broth shabu set

Among the various broth options, I went with the clear-broth shabu! When you order solo shabu-shabu, the default set usually comes with a variety of meat and vegetables, and at a lot of places noodles are an extra charge — but here they came included as default~

The portion of meat was on the generous side for a solo serving, which I liked, and the vegetables and other add-ins you could put into the shabu-shabu also felt quite varied and plentiful!

Napa cabbage, bok choy, bean sprouts, carrots, sweet pumpkin, mushrooms and more, plus little dumplings and fish ball fishcake — the range of things you could throw into the shabu-shabu was really wide haha. And this is all part of the default set, no extras needed!! 👍

How to pour the broth and start the pot

A staff member comes over and pours the broth, then you set the induction to level 5, let it simmer a bit, and add ingredients however you like~ When I eat shabu-shabu, I tend to put the vegetables in first to build up the broth flavor, then pull out the meat piece by piece as it cooks!

Even with only about half the ingredients added, it already looked so full! The meat cooks fast, so you can pull it out as soon as it changes color, while I prefer vegetables well cooked, so I let those simmer a bit longer before eating.

I dipped the meat in a bit of the soy sauce from the little sauce dish at my seat and it was seriously so good ㅠㅠㅠㅠ... The broth itself was already so flavorful that even a light dip of soy sauce gave it insane depth of flavor!!

Adding a 5,000 won plate of meat and the noodles

The meat was so good that I ended up adding an extra plate halfway through haha. You can add extra meat, extra vegetables, extra glass noodles and more, however you like~

Once the meat and vegetables were nearly gone, I added in the noodles that came with the set from the start~ They were a somewhat fresh-noodle style, on the thinner side, so they cooked quickly! Perfect for finishing off nice and full~

How the 4,000 won self-serve porridge works

If you're someone who prefers rice like me, adding the self-made porridge is a great move~ Rice, diced vegetables, and egg all come out in one bowl, and once you've eaten most of the ingredients, you scoop out a bit of broth with the ladle, pour it all in, and let it boil — an easy, delicious porridge comes together haha.

Why Nahonsha is a good solo meal in Hapjeong

I always thought hearty, healthy shabu-shabu was something you could never eat alone, so having a place like this where you can eat solo without feeling self-conscious was genuinely great! Next time I'm around Hapjeong on my own, I'm definitely coming back~

• A great restaurant for solo dining near Hapjeong Station Exit 7
• Nahonsha, a Hapjeong shabu-shabu and sukiyaki spot
• Sangsu·Hapjeong solo shabu-shabu restaurant for solo diners