# Eel rice bowl and Kirin draft beer near Seoul City Hall: Tawa

- By Jiwon (https://superchart.com/en/@pour-and-plate/)
- Written Sep 12, 2026
- Local places › Restaurants › Jung-gu, Seoul
- Sponsored: This visit was provided by the restaurant.
- English edition: https://superchart.com/en/@pour-and-plate/tawa-city-hall-unagi-dinner-beer/
- Also in: [한국어](https://superchart.com/ko/@pour-and-plate/tawa-city-hall-unagi-dinner-beer/index.md)

## In short

Tawa is a Japanese restaurant in the basement of Hansan Building on Seosomun-ro, by City Hall Station in Jung-gu, Seoul. After seeing an eel rice bowl on Running Man, the writer came alone at 6pm and ordered Tawa's Nagoya-style hitsumabushi (30,000 won) with a Kirin draft beer (6,000 won), eating the thinly shredded eel in stages with rice, wasabi and seaweed as the staff advised. Tawa was full by 7pm, so an early dinner is the smart move in this office district.

## Good to know

- **Location**: B1, Unit 102, Hansan Building, 115 Seosomun-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul
- **Hitsumabushi**: 30,000 won (Nagoya-style eel rice bowl set)
- **Kaisendon / three-color donburi**: 25,000 won each
- **Set menus**: Japanese curry, umakara pork set, shogayaki set — 15,000 won each
- **Eel a la carte**: Unagi kabayaki 28,000 won, unagi shirayaki 28,000 won
- **Sashimi**: Tawa assorted aged sashimi 39,000 won, signature tuna platter 39,000 won, aged salmon sashimi 25,000 won
- **Drinks**: Kirin draft 360cc 6,000 won, soju and Cass 5,000 won, cola 2,000 won
- **Best time to visit**: Roomy at 6pm, fully booked by about 7pm
- **Waiting**: A few waiting chairs outside the entrance
- **Price reference**: ₩30,000 ≈ $22 · ₩25,000 ≈ $18.5 · ₩15,000 ≈ $11 (2026-09-16)

*as written by the visitor on Sep 12, 2026*

I've been really into Running Man lately — probably an episode from ages ago, haha. Anyway, I've been watching old episodes on Netflix as dinner company, and in one episode the cast ate eel rice bowl so deliciously that I suddenly needed some myself. Luckily I had errands near Euljiro and City Hall, so I got the chance to have dinner at Tawa, a Seoul City Hall restaurant.

![Entrance of Tawa, a Japanese restaurant in the basement of Hansan Building near City Hall Station](https://img.superchart.com/images/tawa-city-hall-unagi-dinner-beer/tawa-city-hall-unagi-dinner-beer-01-1y6id-900.webp)

## Tawa's location and the scene at 6pm

Tawa is a Japanese restaurant in the basement of Hansan Building, 115 Seosomun-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul. Even though it's in a basement of a commercial building, this Seoul City Hall restaurant looks really pretty from the outside. I took a photo before going in, haha. There might be a wait at lunchtime too — there were a few chairs set up outside for waiting.

![Waiting chairs outside Tawa](https://img.superchart.com/images/tawa-city-hall-unagi-dinner-beer/tawa-city-hall-unagi-dinner-beer-02-20e5j-900.webp)

![Inside Tawa, spacious at 6pm](https://img.superchart.com/images/tawa-city-hall-unagi-dinner-beer/tawa-city-hall-unagi-dinner-beer-03-ew86j-900.webp)

I showed up right at 6pm — much earlier than the usual office-worker rush hour, haha. So there was still plenty of space. By around 7pm the place was completely full. Now let's take a close look at the menu!

## Tawa's menu and prices

Tawa's signature dish is the hitsumabushi, a Nagoya-style eel rice bowl set for ₩30,000, while the rice bowls kaisendon and samsaekdong are ₩25,000 each. For a lighter lunch, the set menus run around ₩15,000.

![Tawa's rice bowl menu showing hitsumabushi and kaisendon](https://img.superchart.com/images/tawa-city-hall-unagi-dinner-beer/tawa-city-hall-unagi-dinner-beer-04-1b7ry-900.webp)

- Hitsumabushi ₩30,000 – Nagoya-style eel rice bowl set
- Kaisendon ₩25,000 – seafood rice bowl topped with halibut, salmon, tuna, squid, and monkfish liver
- Samsaekdong ₩25,000 – rice bowl with four pieces each of halibut, salmon, and tuna

![Tawa's set menu board with Japanese curry and shogayaki set](https://img.superchart.com/images/tawa-city-hall-unagi-dinner-beer/tawa-city-hall-unagi-dinner-beer-05-17j3t-900.webp)

- Japanese curry ₩15,000 – Japanese-style curry with mushrooms and shrimp tempura
- Umakarabuta set ₩15,000 – spicy Japanese-style pork with sundubu jjigae (soft tofu stew)
- Shogayaki set ₩15,000 – ginger soy sauce Japanese-style bulgogi with sundubu jjigae

![Tawa's signature eel and sashimi menu board](https://img.superchart.com/images/tawa-city-hall-unagi-dinner-beer/tawa-city-hall-unagi-dinner-beer-06-gu05g-900.webp)

- Signature eel – Unagi kabayaki ₩28,000 / Unagi shirayaki ₩28,000
- Signature sashimi – Tawa assorted aged sashimi ₩39,000 / signature tuna assortment ₩39,000 / aged salmon sashimi ₩25,000

![Tawa's signature dishes menu board](https://img.superchart.com/images/tawa-city-hall-unagi-dinner-beer/tawa-city-hall-unagi-dinner-beer-07-tikdl-900.webp)

- Shogayaki (large) ₩22,000
- Umakarabuta (large) ₩22,000
- Mixed tempura platter ₩22,000
- Chicken karaage ₩20,000
- Clam sundubu jjigae ₩12,000
- Baby shogayaki ₩8,000

![Tawa's wine, sake, and drinks menu board](https://img.superchart.com/images/tawa-city-hall-unagi-dinner-beer/tawa-city-hall-unagi-dinner-beer-08-19jw7-900.webp)

### Wine, sake and other drinks

- Wine – Goutte d'Argent Pinot Noir ₩60,000 / Goutte d'Argent Sauvignon Blanc ₩60,000 / Goutte d'Argent Chardonnay ₩60,000 / Tapiz Chardonnay & Pinot Noir ₩55,000 / Menovilia Moscato d'Asti ₩30,000 / Colle Frisio Bianco ₩55,000
- Sake – Momokawa Daiginjo Shunmai Osho ₩264,000 / Momokawa Daiginjo Shunmai Hanaomoi ₩80,000 / Momokawa Junmaishu ₩29,000 / Momokawa Kinsho Okanbin ₩7,000
- Drinks & soft drinks – Kirin draft 360cc ₩6,000 / soju ₩5,000 / Cass ₩5,000 / cola or zero cola ₩2,000

![A glass of Kirin draft beer at Tawa](https://img.superchart.com/images/tawa-city-hall-unagi-dinner-beer/tawa-city-hall-unagi-dinner-beer-09-ezino-900.webp)

I ordered a draft beer. The foam was coarse in a way I hadn't seen in a while — a really light, easy-drinking feel.

![Instruction card on how to eat the eel rice bowl](https://img.superchart.com/images/tawa-city-hall-unagi-dinner-beer/tawa-city-hall-unagi-dinner-beer-10-16rmo-900.webp)

## Nagoya-style hitsumabushi, eaten the proper way

Tawa's hitsumabushi is a ₩30,000 Nagoya-style eel rice bowl set, and there was a card on the table explaining the correct order to eat it in. Following the instructions, I tried the eel alone first, then over rice, then with wasabi, and finally with seaweed.

![Tawa's Nagoya-style hitsumabushi eel rice bowl set](https://img.superchart.com/images/tawa-city-hall-unagi-dinner-beer/tawa-city-hall-unagi-dinner-beer-11-3oex3-1200.webp)

The Nagoya-style eel rice bowl arrived.

![Eel rice bowl topped with thinly sliced eel](https://img.superchart.com/images/tawa-city-hall-unagi-dinner-beer/tawa-city-hall-unagi-dinner-beer-12-1bkdj-900.webp)

So, the eel rice bowl — underneath is rice with sauce, and on top is thinly sliced eel. They said the portion was pretty generous, so I only ordered one, but I probably could've added a side dish too, haha.

![Close-up of the eel rice bowl](https://img.superchart.com/images/tawa-city-hall-unagi-dinner-beer/tawa-city-hall-unagi-dinner-beer-13-f7q89-900.webp)

There was also seaweed, wasabi, and what looked like shiso or perilla leaves to go with it, plus pickled radish to pick at.

![Side dish plate with seaweed, wasabi, perilla leaf, and pickled radish](https://img.superchart.com/images/tawa-city-hall-unagi-dinner-beer/tawa-city-hall-unagi-dinner-beer-14-1u4bv-676.webp)

On the side, there was broth and hot water for ochazuke (tea-poured rice) too!

![Broth and hot water for ochazuke](https://img.superchart.com/images/tawa-city-hall-unagi-dinner-beer/tawa-city-hall-unagi-dinner-beer-15-yobrj-900.webp)

I tried the eel first. I'd only ever seen eel cut into wide, flat pieces, so this thinly julienned style was new to me! I picked up three pieces together, haha.

![Three pieces of thinly julienned eel](https://img.superchart.com/images/tawa-city-hall-unagi-dinner-beer/tawa-city-hall-unagi-dinner-beer-16-hm7zh-900.webp)

Then a piece on top of the rice.

![A piece of eel placed on top of the rice](https://img.superchart.com/images/tawa-city-hall-unagi-dinner-beer/tawa-city-hall-unagi-dinner-beer-17-1ejlk-900.webp)

Adding a bit of wasabi too, eating it as instructed, haha — I'm diligently following the guide right now.

![Eel and rice with wasabi on top](https://img.superchart.com/images/tawa-city-hall-unagi-dinner-beer/tawa-city-hall-unagi-dinner-beer-18-9cr0r-900.webp)

And then wrapped in seaweed.

![Eel rice bowl eaten wrapped in seaweed](https://img.superchart.com/images/tawa-city-hall-unagi-dinner-beer/tawa-city-hall-unagi-dinner-beer-19-xvp39-900.webp)

This one was surprisingly good. If you like fragrant herbs, you'd probably like this combination. Not telling anyone that I went home and boiled up instant noodles afterward, haha. I had a satisfying eel rice bowl after a long time at Tawa, the Seoul City Hall eel rice bowl spot.

## Where it is

- Tawa (타와)
- B1, 102, Hansan Building, 115 Seosomun-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul, South Korea
- 서울특별시 중구 서소문로 115 한산빌딩 지하1층 102호 타와
- 37.5634157, 126.973652
- Google Maps: https://www.google.com/maps/search/%ED%83%80%EC%99%80/@37.5634157,126.973652,17z

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