Sinyongsan dinner shabu-shabu with a 60-minute wait: Shabu in Seoul

Here's my review of Shabu in Seoul Yongsan Main Branch, which became my new favorite shabu-shabu spot the moment I got home yesterday. A friend of mine who loves shabu-shabu so much she's been to every famous spot in the country once told me, "Still, Shabu in Seoul's mushroom broth is the best," hahaha. So I'd always been curious... and this day, I finally got it. Shabu in Seoul is on another level!!! This was the first time I kept exclaiming "wow, this is really good" while eating shabu-shabu!!!

Where is Shabu in Seoul Yongsan Main Branch, and when is it open?

Shabu in Seoul Yongsan Main Branch is at 61 Hangang-daero 62-gil, 1F, Yongsan-gu, Seoul. Hours are 11:00 - 22:00, with last order at 21:00. Both Naver Reservation and CatchTable reservations are available.

Between Samgakji and Sinyongsan stations, Shabu in Seoul is the most popular restaurant on Yongni-dan-gil. It's a 5-minute walk from Samgakji Station Exit 3.

Book ahead for dinner: a 60-minute CatchTable wait at 6:30 pm

I made a reservation and arrived around 6:30pm, and the CatchTable wait was still 60 minutes... With so many reserved guests, walk-ins are pretty tough here! I'd strongly recommend booking through Naver Reservation or CatchTable before you go!!!

The place was completely packed so I couldn't get interior shots, but the atmosphere was really nice — I noticed quite a few people who seemed to be on first dates haha. I love pasta and Western restaurants too, but if a guy booked Shabu in Seoul for a first date, I'd have to give him credit for his taste lol.

Recommended menu at Shabu in Seoul, a restaurant near the National Museum of Korea, Yongsan

Five broths at Shabu in Seoul: which one to pick?

Shabu in Seoul offers five broths total: clear mushroom, spicy mushroom, crab miso, sukiyaki, and beef tomato. The dessert or ending dish that comes after depends on which broth you order. I went with the clear mushroom broth, their best-seller.

Meat and vegetables aren't all-you-can-eat here, but the quality of the broth and meat is really, really good. And the vegetables come out surprisingly generous too, with toppings like glass noodles and rice paper — so I ended up much fuller than expected...?

Three sauces and the side dishes at Shabu in Seoul

You get three sauces like this, and that soy sauce-ish? ponzu sauce is genuinely delicious. I wonder if Shabu in Seoul makes it themselves... it has a taste somewhat like ganjang gejang (soy-marinated crab) seasoning.

For side dishes you get a clean radish pickle? and yeolmu kimchi (young radish kimchi), both of which are crisp and tasty. If you're the type who wants to explore lots of different side dishes and sauces, somewhere like Ha*rao might suit you more; but if you want three universally-loved sauces and clean, satisfying side dishes without much fuss, Shabu in Seoul will make you happier.

Ordering Prime Angus chuck flap (30,000 won) and eye of round (25,000 won)

This time I went with the clear mushroom broth plus Prime Angus chuck flap and Prime Angus eye of round (₩30,000 and ₩25,000 respectively).

The vegetables come out pretty generously too. All in great condition, right? One unusual touch is the rice paper for making Vietnamese-style wraps. If you do the Naver review event you get a fried tofu chip as a bonus, and if it's your birthday you get a hedgehog mushroom topping as a service item!

On the left is the eye of round, on the right is the Prime Angus chuck flap. The meat quality is genuinely great, right?? Honestly, at cheaper shabu-shabu spots you often get frozen meat that you eat just for the protein, but here the meat itself is in such great condition, fresh and delicious.

Piling assorted vegetables into the clear mushroom broth...! The minari (water dropwort) in there was delicious too.

Gosh... how is this broth so delicious. The umami is really on another level. Looking around at the other tables, quite a few families were dining too — your parents would love this place as well. Especially since the Yongsan War Memorial and the National Museum of Korea are both nearby. It's great for dates, but also a great course to bring kids along to!

Eye of round first, chuck flap second: how the beef tasted

I debated whether to eat the eye of round or the chuck flap first, and went with the eye of round first.

Wrapping it up with mushrooms...!! Since the meat itself is so fresh, the juices really burst out, and the mushroom broth's umami goes wild in your mouth.

Next, the Prime Angus chuck flap with its vivid, bright red color!! The chuck flap has slightly less marbling than the eye of round, so if you like a cleaner taste, you'll probably prefer this one. Dipped in sesame sauce along with glass noodles, it was insanely good... I was actually worried about my stomach hurting that day and whether I could eat much (?!), but it was so delicious I scraped everything clean to the very end... I want to eat it again already. Shabu in Seoul is the best.

What do the free fried tofu skin chips taste like?

And here's the fried tofu chip I got from the Naver receipt review event!!! I'd been really curious about this, so I ordered it.

Oh, so interesting — the rolled-up chip unfurls into sheets once it hits the hot broth. If you like the texture of dried tofu sheets, you'll really enjoy this. It's a bit like fried tofu pockets (yubu)!!!

The broth just keeps getting more delicious as it goes haha. With more meat and vegetables added in... my boyfriend kept spooning up the broth constantly, not seeming to mind the saltiness at all.

Finishing the clear mushroom broth with egg porridge

With the clear mushroom broth, the final dessert-like dish is egg porridge. Egg porridge is a menu item you really can't go wrong with... a very kind staff member came over and stir-fried it for us right there >,<

Drizzling sesame oil over it~

Then finishing with a sprinkle of dried seaweed flakes!!! The egg porridge itself was so delicious too... every single dish here was clean and well-seasoned in a way that anyone would like, no matter their taste.

Which broth next time? Extra broth costs 10,000 won

Now I'm wondering what broth to try next time. If you add an extra broth (₩10,000), you get to enjoy a different broth plus another round of dessert too. Next visit, I think I'll pair the clear mushroom broth I loved so much this time with the tomato risotto, hehe.

Honestly this was the best shabu-shabu I've had recently, and my top recommendation among Sinyongsan restaurants — Shabu in Seoul Yongsan Main Branch, a great spot near the National Museum of Korea, Yongsan!!!! Visit the National Museum of Korea, have delicious shabu-shabu at Shabu in Seoul, then grab tea at a nice café nearby for a perfect Yongni-dan-gil date course, hehe.