# Hongdae Japanese rice bowl for salmon skeptics: Jongno Donburi Yeonnam - By Eunsol (https://superchart.com/en/@served-in-seoul-3/) - Written Sep 15, 2026 - Local places › Restaurants › Mapo, Seoul - Sponsored: This visit was sponsored by the business. - English edition: https://superchart.com/en/@served-in-seoul-3/jongno-donburi-yeonnam-sake-tarako-don/ - Also in: [한국어](https://superchart.com/ko/@served-in-seoul-3/jongno-donburi-yeonnam-sake-tarako-don/index.md) ## In short Jongno Donburi Yeonnam is a Japanese rice bowl restaurant in Yeonnam-dong, Mapo, Seoul, a short walk from Hongik University Station. The writer, who is sensitive to fishy smells and rarely orders salmon, cleared a whole bowl of the signature sake tarako-don, and the premium white cod roe piled in the middle was the best bite of the day. For a clean, straightforward Japanese meal near Hongdae, the sake tarako-don at Jongno Donburi Yeonnam is the one to order. ## Good to know - **Menu ordered**: Signature sake tarako-don (salmon and white cod roe, limited menu) - **Hours**: Weekdays 11:30–21:30 / Weekends 11:30–21:00 - **Parking**: No dedicated parking; Yeonnam 3 public street parking lot nearby, 3,000 won per hour - **Served alongside**: Barley tea, clear soup, assorted pickles - **Price reference**: ₩3,000 ≈ $2.2 (2026-09-15) *as written by the visitor on Sep 15, 2026* ![Vertical photo of the sake tarako-don at Jongno Donburi Yeonnam](https://img.superchart.com/images/jongno-donburi-yeonnam-sake-tarako-don/jongno-donburi-yeonnam-sake-tarako-don-01-g4810-900.webp) ![Visit to Jongno Donburi Yeonnam, a Japanese restaurant in Yeonnam-dong](https://img.superchart.com/images/jongno-donburi-yeonnam-sake-tarako-don/jongno-donburi-yeonnam-sake-tarako-don-02-3p55j-900.webp) Today I'm bringing you a review of Jongno Donburi Yeonnam, a place in Yeonnam-dong that surprised me way more than I expected! Honestly, I'm pretty sensitive to fishy flavors, so I'm not really a salmon person. Even at spots salmon lovers rave about, I always pick up on that distinct smell and end up not seeking it out. But this was a place that even I, someone who doesn't really like salmon, ended up loving — so let me introduce it to anyone looking for a good Japanese restaurant in Yeonnam-dong :) ## Where is Jongno Donburi Yeonnam, and what about parking and hours? Jongno Donburi Yeonnam is a Japanese rice bowl restaurant that's easy to visit by walking from Hongik University Station toward Yeonnam-dong. There's no dedicated parking, so if you're driving, I'd recommend the nearby Yeonnam 3 public street parking (₩3,000 per hour). ![Location guide photo for Jongno Donburi Yeonnam](https://img.superchart.com/images/jongno-donburi-yeonnam-sake-tarako-don/jongno-donburi-yeonnam-sake-tarako-don-03-vvon6-900.webp) - 📌Parking: No dedicated parking space; nearby Yeonnam 3 public street parking recommended (₩3,000/hour) - 📌Hours: Weekdays 11:30–21:30 / Weekends 11:30–21:00 ![Basement entrance of Jongno Donburi Yeonnam](https://img.superchart.com/images/jongno-donburi-yeonnam-sake-tarako-don/jongno-donburi-yeonnam-sake-tarako-don-04-4anff-900.webp) ![Interior view of Jongno Donburi Yeonnam](https://img.superchart.com/images/jongno-donburi-yeonnam-sake-tarako-don/jongno-donburi-yeonnam-sake-tarako-don-05-3pa3r-m-900.webp) ![Seating and interior at Jongno Donburi Yeonnam](https://img.superchart.com/images/jongno-donburi-yeonnam-sake-tarako-don/jongno-donburi-yeonnam-sake-tarako-don-06-1v7r5-900.webp) ![Menu board of Japanese-style rice bowls at Jongno Donburi Yeonnam](https://img.superchart.com/images/jongno-donburi-yeonnam-sake-tarako-don/jongno-donburi-yeonnam-sake-tarako-don-07-vjaa7-900.webp) Once inside, they showed us to a seat :) True to its name, Jongno Donburi had a wide variety of Japanese-style rice bowls, but since it was my first visit, I decided to go with the signature menu. ![Barley tea served at Jongno Donburi Yeonnam](https://img.superchart.com/images/jongno-donburi-yeonnam-sake-tarako-don/jongno-donburi-yeonnam-sake-tarako-don-08-1fl8u-900.webp) It was a hot day, and the barley tea they served us was so tasty — instant bonus point. ## What we ordered: the signature sake tarako-don What I ordered at Jongno Donburi Yeonnam was the signature sake tarako-don. It's a limited menu that sells out some days, so there was no way I wasn't going to order it. ![Table setting for the signature sake tarako-don at Jongno Donburi Yeonnam](https://img.superchart.com/images/jongno-donburi-yeonnam-sake-tarako-don/jongno-donburi-yeonnam-sake-tarako-don-09-9to9b-900.webp) ![Sake tarako-don topped with salmon and cod roe together](https://img.superchart.com/images/jongno-donburi-yeonnam-sake-tarako-don/jongno-donburi-yeonnam-sake-tarako-don-10-1jt75-900.webp) Sake tarako-don lets you enjoy salmon and pollock roe (tarako) together. Like I said, I'm not really into salmon, so I was slightly torn between this and another menu at first. But when I visit a place like this, I'm the type who can't rest easy without trying the signature dish, haha. So in the end, I ordered the sake tarako-don. ![Sake tarako-don with generous salmon and white cod roe in the center](https://img.superchart.com/images/jongno-donburi-yeonnam-sake-tarako-don/jongno-donburi-yeonnam-sake-tarako-don-11-1yq00-1200.webp) And then the sake tarako-don arrived! The visuals alone were pretty generous :) It looked insane... plenty of salmon piled on, and the white cod roe sitting right in the center. Honestly, at first I was more worried about the salmon than the roe — I'm really sensitive to fishy smells, so even a hint of that signature salmon aroma and I usually can't eat it well ㅠㅠ Still, I took one bite — wait, this is good...? Took another bite — no, seriously this is good???? hahaha ![Picking up a piece of salmon from the sake tarako-don](https://img.superchart.com/images/jongno-donburi-yeonnam-sake-tarako-don/jongno-donburi-yeonnam-sake-tarako-don-12-uxg76-900.webp) ![Eating the sake tarako-don salmon together with rice](https://img.superchart.com/images/jongno-donburi-yeonnam-sake-tarako-don/jongno-donburi-yeonnam-sake-tarako-don-13-1psk5-900.webp) If I'd already liked salmon, I probably would've just thought 'this is a tasty sake-don.' But the fact that I, someone who doesn't usually seek out salmon, kept eating it was kind of surprising, haha. Guess it's the signature menu for a reason... ![Close-up of the premium white cod roe on the sake tarako-don](https://img.superchart.com/images/jongno-donburi-yeonnam-sake-tarako-don/jongno-donburi-yeonnam-sake-tarako-don-14-15e86-717.webp) ### The best bite of the day: the white cod roe But the real star was something else. That premium white cod roe!!! If you asked me to pick the single best thing that day, I think I'd pick this roe. It was seriously delicious ㅠㅠ You put a little of the roe on top of your rice, and honestly this alone could carry a whole bowl of rice... I thought the roe in sake tarako-don would just be a minor accent, but its presence was way bigger than expected. Eating the salmon, then the roe, then both together... switching up the combinations like this, I finished the whole bowl in no time. I came here looking for a good Japanese restaurant near Hongik University Station, and I definitely picked the right menu, haha. ![Miso-style soup served with the sake tarako-don](https://img.superchart.com/images/jongno-donburi-yeonnam-sake-tarako-don/jongno-donburi-yeonnam-sake-tarako-don-15-167wo-900.webp) ![Plate of pickled side dishes at Jongno Donburi Yeonnam](https://img.superchart.com/images/jongno-donburi-yeonnam-sake-tarako-don/jongno-donburi-yeonnam-sake-tarako-don-16-8fm2w-900.webp) The miso-style soup and assorted pickles served alongside paired so well with the salmon, which can get a little rich otherwise!! ## A Yeonnam-dong date when you want Japanese food Honestly, when people come for a Yeonnam date, they usually end up eating pasta or some kind of meat dish, but for those days when you want something clean like Japanese food, Jongno Donburi Yeonnam is a great option. It's also easy to hit up a Yeonnam café afterward :) If you're looking for a good Japanese restaurant near Hongik University Station or a date spot in Yeonnam, save this one! I think next time I come back, I'll order the sake tarako-don again just for that white cod roe, haha. ## Where it is - Jongno Donburi Yeonnam (종로돈부리 연남) - 9 Donggyo-ro 46-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea, B1 - 서울특별시 마포구 동교로46길 9 B1 - 37.562598, 126.925406 - Google Maps: https://www.google.com/maps/search/%EC%A2%85%EB%A1%9C%EB%8F%88%EB%B6%80%EB%A6%AC%20%EC%97%B0%EB%82%A8/@37.562598,126.925406,17z --- Superchart · https://superchart.com/en/@served-in-seoul-3/jongno-donburi-yeonnam-sake-tarako-don/ · https://superchart.com/llms.txt