Solo lunch near Anguk: cold udon, steak rice bowl at Insadong

Today I want to introduce a restaurant I ate really well at near Anguk Station in Insadong: Insadong Jemyeonso Annyeong Insadong Branch. I'll write an honest review and recommend the dishes I enjoyed. Let's get started.

Location and hours of Insadong Jemyeonso near Anguk Station

It's a 4-minute walk from Anguk Station Exit 6, located on the 3rd floor of the Annyeong Insadong culture mall.

🕐Hours: Daily 10:30-21:00 / Last order 20:30 · 🚘Parking: paid, first 30 minutes free, ₩1,000 per additional 10 minutes · Group seating, takeout, Wi-Fi, separate men's/women's restrooms, high chair, waiting area

Getting there

This is the Annyeong Insadong building in Insadong. Once inside, there's an escalator, so I rode it up to the 3rd floor.

Exterior

Here's the exterior. It seems famous enough to have been covered by various news outlets. I walked in with excitement.

Weekday 2pm atmosphere — is solo dining okay?

I came in and sat down. It was past 2pm on a weekday, but there were quite a few customers, and more kept coming in as time passed. There seemed to be quite a few foreign customers too.

The place was spotless. Opening the drawer beside the table gives you wet wipes, tissues, and utensils. Make sure to grab them.

Menu — hot udon, cold udon, rice bowls, soba

You can check the menu on the tablet PC set up at each table. The main menu includes hot udon, cold udon, rice bowls, and soba, plus sides, alcohol, and drinks.

How to order on the tablet

You order through the tablet PC too. Select the dish you want, tap Add, and once everything is selected, tap Order. After much deliberation, I ordered the steak rice bowl I most wanted to try, the karaage cold udon set, and handmade shrimp tempura 5p. Total: ₩33,500.

Payment can be made by card, cash, or split payment. I tapped cash payment and it showed that a staff member would come collect payment in person.

What I ordered and the prices

This is the steak rice bowl. It's ₩14,500 — isn't the visual amazing for the price? It clearly looked meat-heavy, so I was excited 🍔

This is the handmade shrimp tempura 5p. At ₩7,000, that's ₩1,400 per piece. Doesn't the tempura look super crispy?🤤 This is how it was served together.

Next up was the karaage cold udon set at ₩12,000. Wait, this??? For real ₩12,000???? They even give you rice, topped generously with seaweed flakes and sesame seeds. But is the rice meant to be mixed into the cold udon? It felt kind of like mukbap (jelly rice).

They also gave a curry-flavored powder to dip the karaage into.

And here's the full spread. Seeing the ice flecks floating in the cold udon broth, I thought, this is really a legit restaurant. The glossy egg yolk made me want to pop it right away and mix it with rice. Here's how it looked from above.

The lid on the steak rice bowl was in the way so I took it off. Maybe you're supposed to portion it out first... but I'll just eat as is.

Ice-flecked cold udon broth and noodles

I drank the rich cold udon broth first — refreshing, clean, and so delicious, ㅠㅠ. They said the broth is homemade tsuyu, simmered from scratch, and it wasn't salty at all, perfectly seasoned.

Finally I picked up a bite of cold udon... chewy, springy, thick noodles. I'd come back here even on the coldest winter day. Wasabi was placed on top of the bowl, but the base broth was so good I didn't add any.

How was the karaage and curry powder?

Five pieces of karaage (Japanese fried chicken) served with a curry-flavored powder.

Here's the full set!

I dipped the karaage into the curry powder and took a bite. Crispy outside, and soft and juicy inside since it's made from chicken thigh. The curry powder wasn't sweet or salty, just a light curry flavor. It could've used a bit more of a kick. The curry powder was unique and had its own charm, but maybe because it was unfamiliar to me, I actually liked it better without dipping.

Try the handmade shrimp tempura dipped in the cold udon broth

The shrimp tempura was really well fried. It comes with soy sauce, so I dipped it in and took a bite. Crispy beyond crispy, almost shattering, and the shrimp was plump and delicious..🥹🧡

Instead of soy sauce, try dipping it deep into the cold udon broth☺️ The crispy tempura turns moist and takes on a whole different charm. Eating it together with the lettuce in the cold udon made it feel fresh and I loved it!!

Steak rice bowl — is the amount of meat for real

The steak rice bowl was seriously so good;;;; The steak was so tender, there was so much meat, and it was sweet-and-salty. I wanted to butt in and ask other customers why they weren't ordering the steak rice bowl ㅠㅠ. If you're reading this review, please make sure to load up on protein with the steak rice bowl!!!

This is not cheap frozen shrimp tempura. Handmade shrimp tempura (ღ'ᴗ'ღ) not greasy at all, the oil drained well so it's light.

If the tempura starts feeling heavy, take a sip of the cold udon broth. Ahh~~~ the ice-flecked broth is refreshing and clean, and it cuts right through the greasiness🤤

The rice that comes with the cold udon — I didn't mix it into the udon, but instead added it to the steak rice bowl. I kept eating meat and there was still rice left over, so the portion was just right. I also dipped the karaage into the cold udon and ate it together with the noodles, yum.

No but is this meat for real ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ I really want to eat it again ㅠㅠ Since more meat kept coming as I ate, I kept happily taking pictures. Ate well again today.❤️

Overall review

It's a chain, but personally I really enjoyed it🤤 I dined solo, and there were quite a few other people dining solo for a late lunch like me. Lots of foreign customers came too, which made me feel proud🥹 Most of the staff seemed to be foreign nationals themselves, and they were quite kind, which I appreciated.

• Chewy, refreshing, clean cold udon🍜
• Crispy outside, soft inside karaage made with chicken thigh🍗
• Great value steak rice bowl with tons of tender meat🥩
• Handmade shrimp tempura with crispy shell and fresh shrimp inside🍤

Every dish I tried was fully satisfying, and I want to try the other menu items too.❤️ I'm sure they'd all be delicious!! I'd recommend this place to anyone in Insadong looking for an affordable lunch or dinner that's filling and delicious without breaking the bank!!😀