Beef tomato broth shabu-shabu in Hapjeong, Seoul: Shabu in Seoul

A review of Shabu in Seoul near Hapjeong Station — black pork belly, hanwoo boseopsal (chuck flat), and the beef tomato broth.

When people think of Hapjeong Station, Mecenatpolis restaurants usually come to mind — Mecenatpolis is famous, right? But after visiting Delight Square, right across from Mecenatpolis, my standards completely changed. Parking is much easier than at Mecenatpolis, there's a wider variety of great restaurants, and the vibe is much nicer too, so I've decided I need to come back to Delight Square restaurants a few more times.

This time I'm sharing a review of Shabu in Seoul Hapjeong Branch, in the basement of Delight Square, where I happily ate the unusual beef tomato broth with a 1++ hanwoo boseopsal set and a black pork belly set, then finished it off feeling full but somehow still light, with a seafood tomato risotto for dessert! (This was the best-tasting shabu-shabu I've had in the past year.)

Shabu in Seoul Hapjeong Branch: location, hours and parking

• Location: Shabu in Seoul Hapjeong, B2, Delight Square 1, 14 World Cup-ro 1-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul
• Hours: Daily 11:00–22:00 / break time 15:00–17:00 / last order 14:00, 21:00 (no break time on weekends)
• Parking: 3 hours free at the Delight Square underground lot (with a meal)

A wait even at late lunch: what the dining room is like

Shabu in Seoul Hapjeong Branch is on B2 of Delight Square, and the air inside the building was surprisingly fresh, which made it pleasant just walking around. We went a bit late for lunch and figured seats would be easy to find, but nope — way more people were already eating than I expected.

To the right of the entrance there were free cold drinks for waiting customers, which was a nice touch, and I noticed several air purifiers inside too, so no worries about ventilation or smells.

What surprised me once inside was that even with almost every table full, there was no heat, no humidity, no bad smell at all — it felt way more comfortable than I expected.

We told the staff there were two of us and they seated us at an open table toward the back. After we sat down, a small line started forming behind us. As soon as we sat, we ordered from the kiosk.

Menu and broth choices at Shabu in Seoul Hapjeong Branch

We'd already taken photos of the big menu board out front, so we double-checked against those while ordering.

First we picked the broth, and there were quite a lot of options.

Among them we picked the beef tomato broth, the new item marked "new" with the fewest reviews so far. Interestingly, Shabu in Seoul changes the dessert menu depending on which broth you pick, so I figured I'd need to come back at least four more times!? Haha.

And we ordered two sets: the 1st-grade black pork belly shabu set for ₩23,000 and the 1++ hanwoo boseopsal shabu set for ₩30,000.

A fun perk — only at the Hapjeong branch — is that you can get freebies or discounts from partner restaurants in the same building, which was great. Soon after, our order arrived.

1++ hanwoo boseopsal vs black pork belly in the beef tomato broth

First they brought out three sauces — minced garlic and cheongyang chili, yuzu soy sauce, chili sauce, and sesame sauce too — and I loved that they weren't shared communal sauce containers but portioned neatly just for our table! It felt like being treated well, and I really liked that.

They brought the beef tomato broth and poured it in, telling us ahead of time it wasn't that spicy — and just from the smell alone, it seemed like it wouldn't be too spicy either.

1st-grade black pork belly shabu set ₩23,000, 1++ hanwoo boseopsal shabu set ₩30,000. Soon after, our 1++ hanwoo boseopsal and black pork belly arrived, and full of anticipation, we started with the vegetables.

There were various mushrooms, as if to flavor the broth itself — shiitake, enoki, oyster mushrooms — which we added to the beef tomato broth first. Once they seemed cooked, I dipped one fully into the sesame sauce and took a bite,

and it was unlike any sesame sauce I've had elsewhere — incredibly nutty and delicious. Not greasy at all, light and clean.

After cleansing my palate with mushrooms, I finally tried the 1++ hanwoo boseopsal. My first impression was — is this a bit dry? — but as I kept eating, that signature 1++ hanwoo nuttiness spread through my mouth, and I realized it wasn't dry, I'd just overcooked it. From the second piece on, I pulled it out faster and it was much nuttier and more tender — I was really glad I'd ordered it.

They also gave us panda-shaped glass noodles that looked like rice cakes, haha.

After the boseopsal, we went straight for the black pork belly, and personally I felt the hanwoo boseopsal was two or three times more delicious than the black pork belly. If I'd only had the black pork belly first, I never would have known, but the nuttiness and tenderness of the 1++ hanwoo completely overshadowed the black pork belly, which I usually enjoy — it's not that the black pork wasn't good, it's just that the hanwoo boseopsal was on another level.

Interestingly, they brought out four sheets of rice paper, usually used for Vietnamese spring rolls, and I wondered why,

and it turned out you dip them in the hot shabu-shabu broth to soften them, then wrap the shabu ingredients inside like a warm spring roll — a fun little extra, haha. We wrapped the glass noodles in there too, after cooking them in the broth.

The variety of shabu-shabu ingredients really seemed to be the charm of Shabu in Seoul Hapjeong. These days there are so many all-you-can-eat shabu-shabu places, and I've been to plenty, but honestly they're often a bit lacking — the broth quality or ingredient quality leaves something to be desired. At Shabu in Seoul Hapjeong, the broths are varied too, and even though I only tried the new beef tomato broth this time, it was so deep, rich, and clean that it made me want to come back and try the other broths.

Is the seafood tomato risotto finish worth ordering?

Once we'd mostly finished the shabu-shabu, we were able to request the finishing dish, so we pressed the button. Depending on the broth, a different dessert comes out — with the beef tomato broth, you get tomato risotto.

A staff member brought over chewy rice made of barley and rice, mushrooms, shrimp for the seafood, and tomato butter, along with balsamic, parmesan cheese powder, mozzarella cheese, and even omija tea (five-flavor berry tea) — the dessert setup was so complete it caught me off guard. They scooped out almost all of the leftover broth and made a fresh new one!

They added shrimp and mushrooms with a little broth, and once the tomato butter melted, added the risotto rice and stir-fried it all together. As the tomato sauce reduced a bit, they sprinkled parmesan cheese powder to make it thicker and richer, then added balsamic and mozzarella cheese,

and finished with parsley flakes — the quality and presentation were good enough to call this a proper risotto spot. I thought, if it tastes as good as it looks, this would be perfect, and the moment I took the first bite,

Wait... this is a shabu-shabu place, can the risotto really be this good...? Haha.

I genuinely thought — I need to come back just to order the beef tomato broth again for this risotto!

Usually at shabu-shabu places, mixing rice into the reduced broth ends up too salty and unsettling, so I pretty much never order the fried rice or noodles at the end. I only tried this because it was risotto and I was curious, but now I think — you have to order the dessert when you come to Shabu in Seoul, skipping it would genuinely be a loss.

Final verdict on Shabu in Seoul Hapjeong Branch

There's a clear difference in taste from the usual shabu-shabu places I've been to. Compared to typical all-you-can-eat or neighborhood shabu-shabu spots, the fresh and unusual ingredients, the varied, deep, distinctive broths, and the finishing dessert made it feel like a full shabu-shabu course — I really enjoyed that. Such a satisfying meal.

Personally, this was the best shabu-shabu I've had this year, and I think Shabu in Seoul Hapjeong Branch will be my go-to for shabu-shabu for a while, haha. It was genuinely delicious. The staff were also very kind. I had a great time.