Solo lunch albap set at Haru, izakaya near Police Hospital Station

I had some errands in Garak-dong a while back and it happened to line up exactly with lunchtime. I was too hungry to wait until I got home, but I also didn't feel like just walking into anywhere alone, so I looked up places for lunch in Garak-dong nearby. That's how I found Haru, an izakaya near Gyeongchal Byeongwon (Police Hospital) Station.

Before I got married I loved the izakaya atmosphere and used to go often, but once I started raising kids, izakaya trips basically disappeared from my life. But this place serves food during the day too, so I thought 'today's lunch is here!' and went in alone :)

• Hours 11:00–24:00
• Break time 14:00–17:00
• Last order 23:30
• Closed Sundays

Near Gyeongchal Byeongwon Station, a great atmosphere even in daytime

The moment I walked into Haru, I felt that distinctive izakaya atmosphere I used to love, and it made me weirdly happy. It didn't feel awkward at all to go in alone, and it's a nice place to relax for a bit at lunch. Between parenting and work, even when I do get a moment to eat alone, I usually scarf it down and rush off — but that day felt like the first proper lunchtime I'd had for myself in a while.

I was torn between the sashimi sushi set and the albap set, but went with albap — and I was impressed the order sheet had a checkbox for leaving out cucumber. Such a thoughtful touch for anyone with a cucumber allergy or who just doesn't like it 👍

Everything looked so good it couldn't possibly taste bad!!!! Isn't this exactly the small happiness a parent needs?

There was a photo posted at what was labeled the self-bar, so I asked about it — and it turns out they grow the kimchi and vegetables themselves in their own field and use them here!!! No wonder it tasted so good 😆

Albap that won me over with looks alone

After going back and forth, I picked albap. On top of the pot rice sat red flying fish roe, scallions, seaweed, sprouts, and pickled radish, all arranged so prettily by color that I had to photograph it the moment it arrived 😍

You know you're supposed to mix albap with your chopsticks, right??

After mixing it all together well and taking a bite, the flying fish roe's signature popping texture and salty savoriness went really well with the fluffy rice. The sweet, crunchy pickled radish that showed up here and there was also great at balancing out what could otherwise have tasted too salty. If you like albap, I'd recommend giving this one a try.

Filling it out with donkatsu and hot udon

The donkatsu is a thick-cut pork tenderloin cutlet with a generous amount of sauce on top. The outside was crispy and the inside moist, and the sauce wasn't too sweet or sharp, so it was easy to alternate between it and the albap. The cabbage salad served alongside was refreshing too, cutting through the richness whenever I had a bite between cutlet pieces.

The udon came in a warm, clean bonito-based broth topped with fish cake, naruto (fish cake swirl), and enoki mushrooms. With chewy noodles and warm broth, the meal ended up being surprisingly filling. It's especially good paired with albap on days when you start craving warm broth as the weather cools.

Between being a mom every day and running a hair salon, having even a short window to eat a good meal alone like this was really nice :) If you're looking for lunch in Garak-dong or a comfortable place to eat solo near Gyeongchal Byeongwon Station, give Haru a try. Like me, if you ever find yourself running errands in Garak-dong and need to eat alone, it's an easy, low-pressure place to stop by.

• A Garak-dong restaurant that's easy to reach from Gyeongchal Byeongwon Station
• A place where you can enjoy the distinctive atmosphere even in daytime
• A lunch menu that's not intimidating to order solo
• A filling lineup from albap to donkatsu and udon

Maybe because it had been a while since I'd had a leisurely solo lunch, but not just the food — the whole afternoon at Haru in Garak-dong felt satisfying. If you're planning a visit, I'd recommend checking lunch hours, break time, and parking availability beforehand :)