Cheongdam Japanese restaurant for Chobok eel bowls: Tokyo Saikabo
In short
Tokyo Saikabo Cheongdam (도쿄사이카보 청담본점) is a Japanese home-cooking restaurant on Dosan-daero 101-gil in Cheongdam-dong, Gangnam, Seoul. For Chobok, the first of the traditional 'dog days' of summer when Koreans eat restorative food, the writer booked the same day and ordered the 28,000 won eel rice bowl, natto and mountain yam soba, and monaka ice cream at 5,000 won for 2 pieces; the calm atmosphere, polite service and subtly sweet tare-glazed eel stood out. Tokyo Saikabo Cheongdam is a Cheongdam-dong Japanese restaurant worth returning to with your parents.
Good to know
- Getting there
- Cheongdam Station Exit 13 · 13-min walk (store listing, Oct 7, 2026)
- Eel rice bowl
- 28,000 won
- Monaka ice cream
- 5,000 won for 2 pieces
- Hours
- 11:30 AM–10:00 PM, closed every Sunday
- Reservations and groups
- Reservations accepted, groups welcome
- Parking
- Valet parking available
- Seating
- Private rooms available
- Delivery
- Delivery available
- Location
- 9 Dosan-daero 101-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul
- Price reference
- ₩28,000 ≈ $21 · ₩5,000 ≈ $3.7 (2026-10-11)
as written by the visitor on Jul 17, 2026
Why I picked eel at Tokyo Saikabo in Cheongdam for Chobok
For Chobok, the first of Korea's three hottest days, when people eat stamina food, I had an eel rice bowl at Tokyo Saikabo Cheongdam (도쿄사이카보 청담본점), a Japanese restaurant in Cheongdam-dong. It's a Japanese home-style (Gajeong) restaurant with a lovely atmosphere, and I went after booking the same day.
Chobok had snuck up on me. It had been getting hotter and hotter, and suddenly it was already Chobok, just the day before yesterday! I wondered what stamina food to have, didn't feel like chicken... so I settled on eel. Even though I booked the same day, the service and the quality of the food were great~
It made me want to come back with my parents next time.
Tokyo Saikabo Cheongdam: location, hours and parking
- Location: 9 Dosan-daero 101-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, South Korea
- Hours: 11:30 AM–10:00 PM, closed every Sunday
- Group visits and reservations available
- Valet parking available
- Delivery available
A Cheongdam Japanese restaurant that works for business meetings
Tokyo Saikabo Cheongdam has a clean, upscale interior and well-equipped private rooms. I'd recommend it for formal gatherings like business meetings too.
Maybe because it was Chobok, it felt like more people than usual were coming in. Delivery is available too~
Parking in Cheongdam can be a headache, but Tokyo Saikabo offers valet parking, so people driving can come comfortably.
Interior and service
The inside was calm rather than noisy. The staff were kind in coordinating things when I booked, and once I visited the service felt even better.
The formal service made the meal comfortable and the food taste even better.
Clean flavors that older diners like, plus courteous service: that was Tokyo Saikabo Cheongdam.
Tokyo Saikabo menu and eel rice bowl price
Tokyo Saikabo Cheongdam is a traditional Japanese restaurant serving sushi, sashimi, soups, grilled dishes and meals, and the eel rice bowl was ₩28,000. It's a place to enjoy authentic Japanese food that isn't harsh and brings out the natural taste of the ingredients.
Besides neat sushi, sashimi, soups and grilled dishes, there were lots of meal menus too, and today I ordered the eel rice bowl. At ₩28,000 the price felt very reasonable.
They bring chawanmushi (steamed egg custard) first, and it was very soft and clean-tasting. The side dishes that came with it were tidy ones I've never come across anywhere else, unique to Tokyo Saikabo.
How does the eel rice bowl at Tokyo Saikabo taste?
The eel rice bowl comes in a neat bento box, topped with plump, tender eel. It's glossy, seasoned just right and grilled evenly, so every piece was full of flavor.
The egg is laid on neatly too, so it looks even more appetizing.
It's brushed with sauce and carefully grilled like over an open flame, so the flesh is moist and tender, the outside is slightly crisp, and there's a smoky char aroma.
It was slightly sweet, which made it even more tempting. The tare (glaze) sauce has a subtle, deep sweetness suited to Korean tastes~ Not greasy, and nicely light to enjoy.
What is the natto and yam soba?
Tokyo Saikabo's natto and yam soba (nattō chama soba) is a noodle dish of cold buckwheat noodles topped with mountain yam and natto (fermented soybeans), eaten with a Japanese soy-based broth. I wanted to try something different, so I ordered it along with the eel rice bowl.
It's a noodle dish of cold buckwheat noodles topped with mountain yam and natto, eaten with a Japanese soy-based broth.
They explained that you mix it all together to eat. With natto and yam in it, it tasted light, not harsh, and soft.
Adding the cool buckwheat noodles made it even more refreshing and got my appetite going.
It's loaded with natto, and since I'd always only mixed it over rice, mixing it with noodles gave it a whole different charm.
Dessert: monaka ice cream
Tokyo Saikabo's monaka ice cream is ₩5,000 for 2 pieces. They gave us monaka ice cream at the end. Isn't it very pretty? It was a dessert that made a happy finish before getting up.
With cool ice cream between the sweet red bean and crisp monaka wafer, it was just right for cleansing the palate after the meal.
Who Tokyo Saikabo Cheongdam is recommended for
- People looking for a formal gathering or business meeting spot
- People who prefer a clean, neat Japanese meal
- People looking for a family meal place to take their parents
- People in Cheongdam worried about parking
Where it is
9 Dosan-daero 101-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, South Korea서울특별시 강남구 도산대로101길 9
Tokyo Saikabo Cheongdam: hours, menu and prices →
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