Yeonnam-dong Japanese restaurant with a solo-dining zone: tarako-don

On a nice day like this, walking through the Yeonnam-dong park is just the best haha!! Rode a Ttareungyi bike solo, stopped by a pretty café, and then headed for dinner at

Jongno Donburi Yeonnam

A Japanese home-style rice bowl specialist!! Such a pretty place 💛💛 Plus they make their donburi menu fresh every dawn with ingredients prepped that day!

How to get to Jongno Donburi Yeonnam from Hongik Univ. Station

Walk from Hongik Univ. Station through the pretty alleys and stationery shops and you'll get there in no time..!!

📍9 Dongyo-ro 46-gil B1, Mapo-gu, Seoul / Yeonnam-dong 387-18, Mapo-gu, Seoul ⏰ 11:30–21:00 (break time 16:00–17:00) Note: closed on Sept 25 for the Chuseok holiday!!

Jongno Donburi Yeonnam menu and prices

The menu has photos and descriptions — so thoughtful 🩵🩵

• Katsu-don 11,500
• Ebi-don 14,000 / Ten-don 14,500
• Gyu-don 13,000 / Buta-don 14,500
• Hire katsu-don 14,500
• Sake-don 18,000 / Tarako-don 18,000
• Unagi-don 23,000
• Salmon sashimi 16,000
• Salmon belly don 22,000 / Aburi sake-don 19,000
• Noodles: Gyu udon 13,000 / Bukkake udon (cold) 13,000 / Ebi tempura udon 11,500
• Sides: Chicken karaage 7,000 / Bacon cheese roll 7,000 / Homemade potato cream croquette 7,000 / King shrimp tempura 7,000
• Drinks: Asahi beer 8,000 / Highball 8,000

There's not just rice bowls but udon noodles too!! With such a varied menu, it'd be great to come with a group and order several dishes to share.

✅ Naver receipt review event gives you a free drink like Zero Pepsi!!

What the basement dining room and solo-dining zone are like

Inside, it's so clean and full of atmosphere — feels like a trip to Japan..!!

They even have a solo-dining zone for people eating alone ✨🥰🥰 I was solo that day too, and I could eat comfortably without feeling awkward at all. Highly recommend it as a spot to eat alone in Yeonnam-dong!!✌️✌️

There's also a clean restroom inside~~

There are cute little details everywhere~ I'd also recommend it for a Yeonnam-dong blind date or a group hangout haha. Having explanations and photos right on the menu makes it even better.

Tarako-don, 18,000 won, topped with a whole cod roe

Today I went with ✔️tarako-don. Tarako-don is a rice bowl topped with white pollack roe! Apparently it's made with the finest-grade white pollack roe brought directly from Sokcho on the East Coast, low-salt aged using their own method.

Side dishes included a clear soup, mayo sauce that goes well with the cod roe, pickled radish and more.

A huge whole cod roe sits right on top ✨✨ Wrap it with rice, roe and sauce in seaweed like a hand roll and it's so good!!

I tried a single piece of the roe dipped in mayo sauce — the quality is so good that it's not salty at all and so delicious ㅜㅠㅠ They also have a cod roe side dish; ordering it separately would go great with beer 🔥

Butter-and-egg rice good enough to eat on its own

The rice isn't just plain rice — it's mixed with butter and egg, so it's tasty even by itself, and mixed with the salty cod roe it's even more amazing!

Eating it wrapped in seaweed is seriously delicious ⭐️⭐️ Highly recommend to anyone who loves cod roe. The portion of rice was generous too, so I was completely full after finishing it all~~

One coupon, usable at both the Jongno and Yeonnam branches

Next time I'll get another cod roe dish!! This place is also famous for its salmon menu. Next up, I'm going for the sake-don~~ After I finished eating, they gave me a stamp coupon~

Fill up all 10 spots and you get a free side dish or ade, and it works at both the Jongno and Yeonnam branches~ Highly recommend for a Yeonnam-dong date spot or a great salmon restaurant 🩵🩵🩵 It's close to the Yeonnam-dong forest path too, and there are plenty of pretty cafés and stationery shops nearby to browse. Highly recommend for anyone who likes clean, well-prepared Japanese home-style rice bowls. I'll definitely come back...!! Ate a hearty meal and rode my Ttareungyi bike all the way home haha. Hope this autumn weather keeps up!!!