Seoul Station shabu-shabu restaurant with naengi broth: Yunseul

After an exciting round of shopping for the kids’ clothes at Namdaemun Market, it was suddenly almost dinner time. I searched hard for somewhere neat to eat nearby and found this shabu-shabu specialty restaurant in the Grand Central building!

The view of Seoul Station Plaza through the floor-to-ceiling windows was wow... I couldn’t help but gasp as soon as we walked in. It felt perfect for a date, and the atmosphere was so elegant even for a visit with children.

Why I chose Yunseul with the kids

When I’m looking for a good Seoul Station date restaurant to visit with the kids, cleanliness and convenient parking are always the first things I consider.

It is on the first floor of Grand Central, so it was easy to find, and the two hours of parking support made it easy to relax over our meal in an area near Seoul Station where parking is always a concern.

I had heard it was popular as a gathering spot thanks to the stylish interior, starting with the illuminated logo at the entrance, and once I visited, I understood why.

Since we had reserved ahead, we were shown to a prime window-side table, and I was touched that children’s tableware had even been thoughtfully set out in advance, haha.

You can order easily on the tablet at the table. They are currently giving away a platter of chuck roll for the Naver receipt-review event, so definitely check that out if you visit!

Doenjang-naengi broth and beef: would the kids like it?

After deliberating over the menu, I chose their signature doenjang-naengi broth~~! The fragrant naengi (shepherd’s purse) in the savory doenjang base gave the broth a deep flavor even when sipped on its own.

The ₩48,000 basic shabu-shabu set for two came with such generous portions of meat and vegetables. There were so many kinds of mushrooms, all incredibly fresh, that I felt sure we had found a truly good shabu-shabu place.

This is the prime chuck roll that comes with the basic set—the bright red color is no joke, right?

The kids love meat so much that we ordered an additional platter of prime flat iron steak for ₩13,000.

The kimchi and white kimchi served as side dishes were neatly plated and perfect alongside the meat.

The meat was very tender, so even our kids, who cannot eat tough meat, ate it really well! The naengi aroma was quite strong, though, so they did not eat it, haha. My husband and I slurped up all the naengi instead. If you do not like the scent of naengi, I recommend the standard anchovy broth.

Yunseul sauces and a bulgogi kimchi fried-rice finish

The finishing touch to shabu-shabu at a Seoul Station date restaurant is, of course, the dipping sauces, right?

Chili and peanut sauces are standard, but their pickled Cheongyang chili sauce was absolutely the stroke of genius! It was lightly spicy and savory, cutting through the richness of the meat, and felt like a special sauce you can only taste at Yunseul.

Once we had fished out and eaten all the vegetables and meat, handmade kalguksu (knife-cut noodles) followed.

And the final finale was this bulgogi kimchi fried rice! It came in individual earthenware bowls and tasted like the kimchi roe rice I used to eat!! I seriously, completely recommend this!!! My husband and I scraped our bowls clean, saying, “I’m full, but I can keep eating this,” haha.

Among Seoul Station shabu-shabu restaurants, I think this is one of the standouts for both its set composition and atmosphere. We went in at 6 p.m. and came out around 7, and there was already quite a long waiting line at the entrance. I heard the wait was about 50 minutes. Maybe because it was dinner time, it was certainly busy, but with a wait like that, it must really be known as a great Seoul Station shabu-shabu spot~

If you are looking for a neat, satisfying meal near Namdaemun or Seoul Station, it would be worth stopping by! It is also a perfectly solid choice for a Seoul Station shabu-shabu gathering.