Solo dining at 11am opening in Konkuk: salmon rice bowl set, Hekbap

Seongsu and Konkuk have quite a few good restaurants, but it's a neighborhood that's always crowded, weekday or weekend, so you have to brace yourself for a wait.

But the rice bowl place I visited today has plenty of tables and a high turnover rate, so if you go at the right time, you can eat without waiting.

Great value, tasty, varied menu, and a place where you can eat until you're full!

Location: Hekbap Konkuk Main Branch near Konkuk University Station

Hekbap Konkuk University Main Branch is close to Konkuk University Station. It's right across from Konkuk University's Seoul campus, so I imagine a lot of Konkuk students go there too.

The restaurant is on the 2nd floor, and since it seems to use the whole wide floor, it was easy to spot from outside. I figured it would get really crowded at the noon lunch peak, so I did an opening run at 11am.

Maybe because it was still early for lunch, there was only one table of customers when I first walked in.

So I let my guard down and was taking my time deciding on the menu, but while I was ordering, customers started pouring in fast.

By the time it got close to noon, the place was almost full, and a lot of delivery orders were coming in too.

Window-side solo seats perfect for solo dining, and the interior

The restaurant had a clean, tidy atmosphere overall, and the tables were well laid out.

There's a long row of solo seats by the window, great for solo dining, and 2-person tables or larger group tables are spaced out nicely too. Even when it was nearly full at lunch peak, the spacing between tables never felt cramped. There were a lot of people eating alone, and the layout didn't make you feel self-conscious about it — genuinely great if you're looking for a solo-dining restaurant in Konkuk.

There are restrooms inside too, separated by gender, with multiple stalls each, which was nice.

How to order with the table order system and choose set options

You can order easily from your seat using the table order tablet. The menu was more varied than I expected, so after a long think, I picked the salmon rice bowl set.

When I went to add to the set menu, there were several options to choose from, so I added a bunch and ended up eating a really hearty meal. I chose a mini pork cutlet add-on, mini okonomiyaki (2pcs), and the mini rice option for the salmon rice bowl set — and quite a lot came out.

Among the add-on options were mini udon and fried chicken, but the set menu already comes with mini udon and fried chicken (2pcs) as standard, so if the base composition is enough for you, you don't need to add them separately. I thought I had to select them from the options for them to come out and picked mini udon too, but the staff kindly explained it to me.

What's included in the salmon rice bowl set?

In a cool, comfortable space with soft music playing, waiting leisurely while sunlight streamed warmly through the window, my salmon rice bowl set finally arrived.

What I ended up with was: salmon rice bowl, udon, mini pork cutlet, mini okonomiyaki (2pcs), fried chicken (2pcs), and rice cakes (2pcs). I thought it looked generous already, but as I ate, the portion turned out to be way bigger than expected.

Especially with several sides added, eating the mini-sized (but surprisingly hearty) dishes together made the meal much more filling.

The salmon rice bowl tasted fresh, no fishy taste at all

As the main dish, the salmon rice bowl had the strongest presence of all.

Popping the egg yolk, mixing it well into the rice, and then topping it with a piece of salmon — it was seriously heavenly.

There was no fishy taste at all, and the salmon itself was incredibly fresh.

A bite of soft salmon, a bite of plump udon noodles, and a sip of the refreshing broth — that's a perfect meal, done.

Eating a bit of pork cutlet or fried chicken in between kept things from getting monotonous, and I was able to enjoy it deliciously right to the end.

Tips for choosing your menu and when to visit

If you want a light meal, go with a single item; for something more filling, go with a set menu; and if you want to eat until you're stuffed, I recommend a set menu with extra options added!

If you want to eat quickly, it's best to go a bit outside mealtimes. Turnover is fast during peak hours, but cooking still takes a little time, so if you have plans afterward, it's worth factoring in the wait for the food to come out.

Looking for a good restaurant in Konkuk? How about Hekbap Konkuk University Main Branch today?