Samgakji shabu-shabu, extra mushrooms and room rules: Shabu in Seoul

Today I finally went to a shabu-shabu place I've wanted to try for ages! I watch a lot of YouTube, and ever since I saw Shabu in Seoul on a channel I follow, I've been so curious about it lol. It looked delicious in the video too, so I kept telling myself I had to go someday — and I finally made it happen. If you're looking for Samgakji lunch or a place to eat near Samgakji Station, hope this helps :)

Where is Shabu in Seoul Yongsan Main Branch? Hours and parking

Shabu in Seoul Yongsan Main Branch is at 61 Hangang-daero 62-gil, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, 1st floor, and it's open 11:00–22:00. Break time is 15:00–17:00, and last order is 21:00.

Shabu in Seoul Sinyongsan is about a 3-minute walk from Samgakji Station, so the access is great! There's no dedicated parking at the restaurant itself, but you can use the nearby Samgakji temporary public parking lot!

The restaurant is on the 1st floor of the building so it's easy to find ☺️ The exterior is clean too, so it catches your eye even just walking by — a tidy vibe that fits well with the Sinyongsan area!

If there's a wait, you can register with CatchTable.

Seating and private room booking rules at Shabu in Seoul

Shabu in Seoul Yongsan was spacious and comfortable. There are regular table seats, plus booth-style seating for a more relaxed meal ☺️

There's also a private room!! It looked great for family gatherings or when you want a quieter meal.

• 📅 Room booking: CatchTable or Naver Reservation for tables (rooms require a phone reservation)
• Minimum 3 to maximum 6 people!
• Minimum order for the room is ₩100,000, plus a separate ₩30,000 room fee!
• But it's free if you spend over ₩300,000.

The 4 broths and how the finishing dishes pair with them

Ordering is simple via kiosk~ Shabu in Seoul has a range of meats from black pork to 1-grade hanwoo, and there are 4 broths total.

It was interesting that the finishing dish at the end changes depending on which broth you choose ☺️

• Clear mushroom broth → egg porridge
• Spicy mushroom broth → rosé risotto
• Crab doenjang broth → doenjang rice roll
• Sukiyaki → yakisoba

Tip before you start 🍯 rice paper and dipping sauce combos

When eating shabu-shabu, you can wrap the meat and vegetables in rice paper, or eat them with kirimochi (rice cake) or fried tofu skin.

The sauce is fine as is, but they said adding chili or garlic to taste makes it even better, so we mixed a few combos ourselves. Adding garlic to the sesame sauce deepens the nutty flavor especially, and there's also a method of mixing chili sauce and sesame sauce 1:1 with chili and garlic added.

What we ordered: the Prime Angus chuck flap shabu set

First, the broth and yeolmu kimchi (young radish kimchi)! We ordered the clear mushroom broth~

The meat had just the right marbling and the vegetables were super plentiful 🥕🍆🥔🍠 (5 kinds of vegetables + 4 kinds of mushrooms + glass noodles + bunmoja). For this price in Seoul, this quality of shabu-shabu is satisfying 💛

Prime Angus chuck flap 🥩 Among the beef options at Shabu in Seoul, this was one of the lower-priced cuts, but I remembered a YouTube video saying it had good value for the price, so I ordered it.

Adding extra mushrooms to the mushroom broth: how rich does it get?

I personally love mushrooms so much I did mushroom broth + extra mushrooms lol. The mushroom broth wasn't like the usual shabu-shabu broth you get elsewhere — it's SO deep and rich, rich enough that you want to mix rice into it.

Panda bunmoja 🐼 lolol so cute. Meat goes in too!!

It's shabu-cut meat so it cooks in no time!

Dip it deep in the sauce and it's genuinely delicious 👍 (shabu-shabu feels properly done when you eat the meat and vegetables together lol)

If you're the type who dips rice paper like this and wraps the meat — this is a real tip lol. Convenient and delicious ☺️☺️

Finishing with egg porridge and omija tea

After the shabu-shabu, the thing you can't skip at the end — egg porridge!!

Personally I'm the type who believes porridge is the proper way to finish shabu-shabu 🥚💛

If you choose the clear mushroom broth, you can make egg porridge with it as the finishing dish. Rice + egg + sesame oil + sprinkle of seaweed flakes into the leftover broth.

Honestly the egg porridge itself is a familiar taste I've had many times eating shabu-shabu before!! But it's the familiar taste that makes it even better~~~~ After eating my fill of meat and vegetables, finishing with egg porridge in the leftover broth left me full and satisfied — a proper meal lol 💛

After finishing everything, omija tea (five-flavor berry tea) for a clean finish~~~ Drinking this makes your mouth feel fresh 😆

Is Shabu in Seoul worth it for lunch in Samgakji?

I'd been thinking "I need to go here someday" ever since seeing it on YouTube, and sure enough, it was really delicious lol. The place is spacious and clean, so it seemed like a good spot for office workers to visit for a Samgakji lunch, and with the room available, it also seems great when you want a quiet meal with a group.

Most of all, this was a place I went to out of curiosity, and even though I went in with high expectations, it exceeded them! Next time I want to try the other broths, so I think I'll be back 😊 If you're looking for a place to eat near Samgakji Station or a warm shabu-shabu meal near Yongni-dan-gil, I recommend Shabu in Seoul Sinyongsan!