Yongni-dan-gil shabu-shabu lunch special: Shabu in Seoul, Yongsan

If you're looking for a clean, filling lunch around Yongsan, Sinyongsan, or Samgakji, I don't think there's anything quite as easy to enjoy as shabu-shabu 👍 This time I was searching for good restaurants near the National Museum of Korea in Yongsan and came across Shabu in Seoul Yongsan Main Branch. Shabu-shabu, where you cook fresh vegetables and meat in a warm broth, suits lunchtime really well, and I especially liked that it didn't leave me feeling heavy afterward 🤍

Where is Shabu in Seoul Yongsan Main Branch, and when is it open?

• 📍 Location: 61 Hangang-daero 62-gil, 1F, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, South Korea
• 🕖 Hours: Daily 11:00–22:00 (break time 15:00–17:00)
• ✔️ No parking, group visits available

Shabu in Seoul Yongsan Main Branch is located near Yongni-dan-gil and Sinyongsan, so it's pretty accessible. It's convenient to get to from Sinyongsan Station and Samgakji, and with all the shops in the area, it also worked well for a lunch appointment 👍

There are plenty of cafés and good restaurants nearby, so it's great for exploring Yongni-dan-gil before or after your meal, and it also seemed like a good option to plan around a visit to the National Museum of Korea, either before or after. So this is a place I wanted to recommend to anyone looking for good food near the National Museum of Korea in Yongsan or a lunch spot in Samgakji.

Sinyongsan sees all kinds of visits, from office workers' lunches to meetups with friends and family dinners. Shabu-shabu is a dish that's hard to dislike, so it seemed like there'd be little pressure choosing a menu even with a group. If you're trying to figure out lunch near Samgakji and want something not too heavy that lets you eat plenty of vegetables, this could be a great choice.

Inside Shabu in Seoul: private seats and group tables

The interior of Shabu in Seoul Yongsan Main Branch felt sleek and upscale overall. The lighting and interior design were put together neatly, giving it a more relaxed and polished feel than a typical shabu-shabu restaurant ✨

I also liked that there are private-style tables, so you don't have to worry much about eye contact with the next table over 👍 It's a space that suits a quiet lunch conversation, a family meal, or a work gathering, and since there's also group seating, it seemed like a good fit for visiting with several people too.

Above all, the sunlight poured right into the space, making the whole atmosphere bright and pleasant! The upscale lighting mixed with natural light made it feel even more comfortable when I visited at lunchtime.

I think this would suit anyone who wants to eat leisurely in a clean space 🤍 This particular table was U-shaped, and surprisingly it could fit quite a lot of people together 👍

What comes with the Prime Angus chuck eye shabu lunch set?

At Shabu in Seoul Yongsan Main Branch, the shabu-shabu sauces come set at the table by default. Shabu-shabu sauce, sesame sauce, chili sauce, and minced garlic and chili peppers are all prepared.

The broth lineup includes clear mushroom broth, spicy mushroom broth, sukiyaki made in the Kanto-region Japanese style, blue crab doenjang, and beef tomato. Sukiyaki and tomato are really unusual broths, and I'd never seen them before, so now I'm curious and will have to come back and try them next time 🐥

At lunch, there's a lunch special that lets you enjoy premium shabu-shabu at a slightly lower price 👍 We ordered the Prime Angus Alrmoksim Shabu-Shabu Set, which comes with both meat and vegetables, so it was a filling and well-balanced meal 👍

Since we're a garlic-loving people, we added two spoons of garlic to the broth, and it really did give a noticeably deeper flavor 🫶 The yeolmu kimchi (young radish kimchi) and radish were also crunchy and tangy-sweet, great for cleansing the palate between bites.

The vegetable platter and rice paper wraps at Shabu in Seoul

The vegetable spread was generous too. Napa cabbage, bok choy, green onion, and bean sprouts came as the base, along with a variety of mushrooms — oyster, pine, shiitake, and enoki — so it was fun picking through them. Broccoli and sweet pumpkin were also included, adding variety in both texture and color 🤍 On top of that, they even served rice paper, Vietnamese-wrap style 😋

How long to cook the Prime Angus chuck eye in the broth

The alrmoksim (round eye of chuck cut) stood out for its rich marbling, and cooked lightly in the broth it had a savory yet tender texture that I really liked 🤍 Rather than cooking it too long, cooking just until the color changed was the way to go to enjoy the flavor. The savory taste from the marbling paired well with the clean broth, and eaten together with the vegetables, it finished light without any greasiness 👍

We put the vegetables in first and added the meat once the broth had picked up some flavor from them. Napa cabbage and bok choy get sweeter and softer once cooked in the broth, and the bean sprouts were nice to keep crunchy!

Each type of mushroom had its own aroma and texture, so alternating between them and the meat made the meal feel even more varied. The sweet pumpkin had a mild sweetness that was a nice treat here and there throughout the shabu-shabu.

It was a well-rounded set with a solid combination of meat and vegetables, making for a satisfying lunch.

Verdict: lunch at Shabu in Seoul before the National Museum of Korea

• A shabu-shabu restaurant with sleek interiors, private seating, and ample group tables, well suited to all kinds of gatherings
• Prime Angus alrmoksim with rich marbling and a savory texture
• A hearty vegetable spread from napa cabbage to mushrooms and sweet pumpkin
• A recommended clean lunch spot in Yongni-dan-gil and Sinyongsan, before or after visiting the National Museum of Korea in Yongsan

This is a solid reference point for anyone searching for good restaurants near the National Museum of Korea in Yongsan, lunch near Samgakji, or lunch in Sinyongsan. You get to enjoy meat and vegetables together in a comfortable setting, and it's a place I'd like to return to for another relaxed lunch 👍