Junggye-dong shabu-shabu course with ube pudding dessert: Hana Shabu

How do you get to Hana Shabu Shabu in Junggye-dong?

Hana Shabu Shabu Junggye Main Branch is a neat Japanese-style shabu-shabu and seiro-mushi restaurant on the first floor A-ZONE of the Brownstone commercial building in Junggye-dong. If you're driving, you can park comfortably at the Brownstone Junggye underground parking lot and take the elevator straight up to A-ZONE on the first floor to find the restaurant. The underground parking runs 24 hours and connects directly via the building elevator, so getting around was easy.

I visited Hana Shabu Shabu, a Junggye-dong shabu-shabu spot with a soft wood interior that stands out from the outside.

Inside Hana Shabu Shabu: atmosphere and seating

• Cozy, neat wood interior: the inside is cleanly divided by wooden slat partitions, making it great for quiet conversation over a meal.
• A charming bar counter: bar seats are well set up for solo diners or pairs, with cute little props and sake bottles neatly displayed on top, giving off that warm Japanese-restaurant feel.
• An open kitchen you can trust: past the counter you can see the meat slicer and a clean kitchen, which added to my confidence in the place.

Table setting, the three sauces and the receipt-review tadaki service

At Hana Shabu Shabu Junggye Main Branch, once you sit down, each person is neatly set up with scissors, tongs, utensils, salad and basic side dishes. Three sauces are prepared at every table, so you can dip to your taste.

• Three sauces to suit your taste: a nutty sesame sauce, a refreshing and clean yuzu ponzu, and a spicy-sweet chili sauce are set at every table, perfect for dipping however you like.

🔥 A photo review event you shouldn't miss: at this Junggye-dong shabu-shabu spot, writing a Naver receipt photo review gets you a beef tadaki service. The owner sears the surface right in front of you with a powerful torch — a flashy little 'fire show' that makes the whole experience even more satisfying.

What comes with the shabu-shabu course main spread?

The main shabu-shabu at Hana Shabu Shabu, a Junggye-dong favorite, looks fresh just from a glance. The mushrooms and vegetables arrive in a wooden box, and the beef comes thinly sliced.

• Mushroom and vegetable box: flower-shaped white fungus mushrooms alongside shiitake, enoki, oyster mushrooms and beech mushrooms, plus sweet pumpkin, rice cake and quail eggs, all piled generously into a wooden box.
• Deep broth and rich beef flavor: thinly sliced brisket and sirloin cook briefly in a rich broth simmered in a heavy cast-iron pot, and dipping it into the special sauce makes you smile without meaning to. Adding a bit of chili cuts the richness and makes it even tastier.

Gyudon to finish the meal, ube pudding for dessert

The shabu-shabu course at Hana Shabu Shabu Junggye Main Branch continues with a meal course and dessert after you've enjoyed the shabu-shabu and udon noodles. For the meal you can choose between beef gyudon (rice bowl) and mentaiju, and dessert is a purple ube pudding.

• A satisfying meal option: choose between beef gyudon, rich with sweet-savory flavor, or mentaiju with its excellent nutty toppings — either way it rounds off the shabu-shabu meal with real substance.
• A sweet finishing touch, ube pudding: the purple ube (purple sweet potato/taro) pudding has a soft texture and just the right sweetness, cleaning the palate nicely after the meal.

Is the Hana Shabu Shabu course worth it? Honest verdict

From the spacious, comfortable parking to the tidy atmosphere, the fresh-ingredient shabu-shabu course, and the flashy tadaki torch service, nothing was lacking — it was a genuinely satisfying meal. If you're looking for a nice, clean spot for gatherings in Junggye-dong, or a Junggye-dong shabu-shabu restaurant worth trying, I strongly recommend Hana Shabu Shabu!