# Jung-gu Seoul unagi rice bowl grilled at the bar: Tawa - By Narin (https://superchart.com/en/@seoul-street-supper/) - Written Sep 10, 2026 - Updated Sep 13, 2026 - Local places › Restaurants › Jung-gu, Seoul - Sponsored: This visit was sponsored by the business. - English edition: https://superchart.com/en/@seoul-street-supper/cityhall-tawa-hitsumabushi-bar/ - Also in: [한국어](https://superchart.com/ko/@seoul-street-supper/cityhall-tawa-hitsumabushi-bar/index.md) ## In short Tawa is a Japanese restaurant near City Hall Station in Jung-gu, Seoul. On a day off, I had the 30,000 won hitsumabushi at the bar, trying it as ochazuke and with wasabi and gim. Tawa is a place I’d gladly revisit with company. ## Good to know - **Location**: Basement of the building right beside Exit 10 of City Hall Station - **Hours**: Opens at 10 AM; break time; closed Sundays - **Hitsumabushi**: ₩30,000 - **Lunch menu**: Options from the ₩15,000 range - **Seating**: Bar seating and private rooms available *as written by the visitor on Sep 10, 2026* ![Featured photo introducing a visit to Tawa](https://img.superchart.com/images/cityhall-tawa-hitsumabushi-bar/cityhall-tawa-hitsumabushi-bar-01-1rxg4-1200.webp) ## Tawa, reserved in advance for my day off I took Thursday off and reserved Tawa, a popular spot near Deoksugung Palace, for lunch in advance! ![Tawa reserved for lunch on a day off](https://img.superchart.com/images/cityhall-tawa-hitsumabushi-bar/cityhall-tawa-hitsumabushi-bar-02-gcp7h-900.webp) It was a little sad not to have any special plans during my day off, but thanks to Tawa near Deoksugung Palace, I could start the day in a great mood. So satisfying! ![Tawa space that is good for dining alone](https://img.superchart.com/images/cityhall-tawa-hitsumabushi-bar/cityhall-tawa-hitsumabushi-bar-03-4mkch-900.webp) *A restaurant great for solo dining* ## How do you find Tawa near City Hall Station? Tawa (타와) is near City Hall Station. See the address below! ✅️ In the building right beside Exit 10 of City Hall Station ✅️ Located in the basement ⏰️ Opens at 10 AM, has a break time, closed Sundays It was really easy to find, haha. ![Tawa entrance located in the building basement](https://img.superchart.com/images/cityhall-tawa-hitsumabushi-bar/cityhall-tawa-hitsumabushi-bar-04-y9byt-900.webp) *It is in the building basement* But at first I couldn’t find the entrance, so I went inside the building and came down the stairs. ![Route to Tawa via the stairs inside the building](https://img.superchart.com/images/cityhall-tawa-hitsumabushi-bar/cityhall-tawa-hitsumabushi-bar-05-7pcgm-900.webp) ![Outdoor stairs leading down to Tawa](https://img.superchart.com/images/cityhall-tawa-hitsumabushi-bar/cityhall-tawa-hitsumabushi-bar-06-1l5vu-900.webp) When I was leaving, though, I saw there was a separate staircase outside the building leading down. I recommend coming down that way if you visit! > I visited at 11 AM. It opens at 10 AM, but I came at 11 AM, which still felt early for lunch. ![Guests waiting during weekday lunch](https://img.superchart.com/images/cityhall-tawa-hitsumabushi-bar/cityhall-tawa-hitsumabushi-bar-07-1v5jd-900.webp) *Guests waiting when I left* But from 11:30 AM on a weekday, more and more people started arriving. ![A look at Tawa during a lunch-menu visit](https://img.superchart.com/images/cityhall-tawa-hitsumabushi-bar/cityhall-tawa-hitsumabushi-bar-08-azvcl-899.webp) There are probably lots of offices nearby, so Tawa also seems like a popular lunch spot for office workers 👍 Looking at the menu, there were also 📌 options in the ₩15,000 range that looked good for lunch. But since this was a special day, I tried the ✅️ ₩30,000 hitsumabushi! ![₩30,000 hitsumabushi menu](https://img.superchart.com/images/cityhall-tawa-hitsumabushi-bar/cityhall-tawa-hitsumabushi-bar-09-50mz0-900.webp) ## Watching eel grill at a solo bar seat > I visited alone that day. ![Bar-table seating for solo dining](https://img.superchart.com/images/cityhall-tawa-hitsumabushi-bar/cityhall-tawa-hitsumabushi-bar-10-zlqmj-900.webp) Tawa has a whole row of bar seats that are great for dining alone. But this seat has one huge advantage. 📍You can watch the eel being grilled right in front of you, haha. Honestly, even on the way there, I kept debating: should I get kaisendon (seafood rice bowl)? Or an eel rice bowl? ![Eel grilling in front of the bar table](https://img.superchart.com/images/cityhall-tawa-hitsumabushi-bar/cityhall-tawa-hitsumabushi-bar-11-au0qf-900.webp) But once I saw the staff grilling eel right in front of me, I immediately chose the eel rice bowl. Since the eel was being grilled right in front of me, though, I could feel a bit of heat. ![Eel-grilling area and bar seats](https://img.superchart.com/images/cityhall-tawa-hitsumabushi-bar/cityhall-tawa-hitsumabushi-bar-12-jixqn-900.webp) ![Eel being grilled over intense heat](https://img.superchart.com/images/cityhall-tawa-hitsumabushi-bar/cityhall-tawa-hitsumabushi-bar-13-1uw1n-900.webp) I had felt this at an eel-grilling specialty restaurant before too—the heat used to grill eel is seriously intense. Even with glass between us, I could feel it a little, so I turned on the mini fan in front of my table, haha. Still, watching the eel cook right before my eyes only made me more excited. ## How did I eat the hitsumabushi? > The eel rice bowl finally arrived! ![Nagoya-style eel rice bowl, hitsumabushi](https://img.superchart.com/images/cityhall-tawa-hitsumabushi-bar/cityhall-tawa-hitsumabushi-bar-14-s6cdk-900.webp) 📍Apparently, it is Nagoya-style eel rice. I didn’t get to eat eel rice when I traveled to Nagoya, but here I was trying it in Korea, haha. It looked absolutely delicious from the start. The staff explained that I should divide the eel rice bowl into four portions with the rice paddle that came with it and enjoy it in different ways. First, I served some into a bowl and had it as ochazuke (rice with tea broth). The ochazuke broth itself was seasoned, so it was tasty even on its own. ![Ochazuke with rice mixed into broth](https://img.superchart.com/images/cityhall-tawa-hitsumabushi-bar/cityhall-tawa-hitsumabushi-bar-15-15s3s-900.webp) I especially liked how smoothly it went down when I mixed the rice into the broth. I also had the rest simply with eel and rice. But my favorite combination was rice + eel + wasabi + gim (roasted seaweed)! ![Eel paired with wasabi and gim](https://img.superchart.com/images/cityhall-tawa-hitsumabushi-bar/cityhall-tawa-hitsumabushi-bar-16-3rz52-900.webp) I had no idea gim and wasabi would pair this well with eel. ### The eel’s texture and sauce The eel itself was incredibly tender too. No discomfort from bones at all! I loved how easily it ate. The sauce was on the sweet side! I already like grilled eel, but having it as Nagoya-style eel rice had a charm all its own. ## A refined interior and private rooms The food was great, of course, but I really loved the atmosphere here too. ![Clean and refined Tawa interior](https://img.superchart.com/images/cityhall-tawa-hitsumabushi-bar/cityhall-tawa-hitsumabushi-bar-17-1ey8g-900.webp) ✅️ Clean throughout ✅️ Refined atmosphere I dined alone, but it made me want to come back next time with other people rather than solo. ![Tawa space suitable for a meal with companions](https://img.superchart.com/images/cityhall-tawa-hitsumabushi-bar/cityhall-tawa-hitsumabushi-bar-18-16w4e-900.webp) ![Tawa interior with private rooms](https://img.superchart.com/images/cityhall-tawa-hitsumabushi-bar/cityhall-tawa-hitsumabushi-bar-19-370x8-900.webp) There are private rooms too, so it looked like a good option for ✅️ a work dinner near City Hall Station or ✅️ a meal in a nice setting. ## 100% willing to revisit It was so delicious that I think I’ll be back. ![Eel rice bowl meal that made me want to revisit](https://img.superchart.com/images/cityhall-tawa-hitsumabushi-bar/cityhall-tawa-hitsumabushi-bar-20-1ulfp-900.webp) This was Tawa, the City Hall Station eel rice bowl spot that gave me a very strong desire to revisit. Seriously!! And one little episode from that day. ![View from the route where I mistakenly emerged by Deoksugung Palace](https://img.superchart.com/images/cityhall-tawa-hitsumabushi-bar/cityhall-tawa-hitsumabushi-bar-21-c32ph-900.webp) I was supposed to come out of Exit 10 at City Hall Station, but I took the wrong exit and ended up by Deoksugung Palace. Thanks to that, I happened to see this kind of event near the palace. ![An event I happened to see near Deoksugung Palace](https://img.superchart.com/images/cityhall-tawa-hitsumabushi-bar/cityhall-tawa-hitsumabushi-bar-22-xdqrw-900.webp) I took the wrong way, but it turned into a small, fun thing to see. ## Where it is - Tawa (타와) - 102, B1, Hansan Building, 115 Seosomun-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul, South Korea - 서울특별시 중구 서소문로 115 한산빌딩 지하1층 102호 타와 - 37.5634157, 126.973652 - Google Maps: https://www.google.com/maps/search/%ED%83%80%EC%99%80/@37.5634157,126.973652,17z --- Superchart · https://superchart.com/en/@seoul-street-supper/cityhall-tawa-hitsumabushi-bar/ · https://superchart.com/llms.txt