Hapjeong solo lunch shabu-shabu with dipping sauces: Nahonsha

Where to eat shabu-shabu alone near Hapjeong Station: Nahonsha

I was looking for somewhere to eat lunch near Hapjeong Station and ended up at Nahonsha. Hi, this is Chugu, traveling and running.

Even the name brings to mind eating shabu-shabu solo — and that's exactly what it is, a place specializing in one-person shabu-shabu, so it's a great fit if you're looking for somewhere to eat alone near Hapjeong Station.

Hapjeong has so many restaurants and cafés that lunch options feel endless, but the moment you're eating alone things change a bit. A lot of the popular spots are set up with tables meant for two or more, so walking in solo can feel a little awkward.

That's what I liked about Nahonsha — it's built from the ground up for solo shabu-shabu and sukiyaki, no awkwardness required.

Nahonsha menu: clear broth shabu-shabu for 14,900 won

I ordered the clear broth shabu-shabu at Nahonsha, priced at ₩14,900. Broth is everything in shabu-shabu, and the clear broth lived up to its name — clean, light, and easy to drink.

Clear broth shabu-shabu, ₩14,900

Vegetables first in the one-person pot, then meat one slice at a time

Eating at Nahonsha is simple. Once the broth starts boiling, you cook the prepared vegetables first, then add the meat one slice at a time.

Dipping a thin slice of meat briefly into the bubbling broth and pulling it out the moment it's cooked — that's the whole charm of shabu-shabu.

As the meat and vegetables cook, they naturally add flavor to the broth, so it gets a little richer with every bite compared to how it started — I really liked that.

This is the kind of dish that suits a day when you want something clean and warm rather than heavy or spicy.

Dipping the shabu meat in each table sauce at Nahonsha

Another highlight of Nahonsha's clear broth shabu-shabu is the vegetables and sauces. One reason I love shabu-shabu is that you get to eat a variety of vegetables along with the meat.

Cooking the vegetables in the hot broth wilts them just slightly and brings out their sweetness, and pairing them with the softly cooked meat makes for a pretty great combination.

There was also fun to be had trying each of the different sauces set out on the table.

The clear broth in particular doesn't have a strong flavor of its own, so I could taste the meat and vegetables fairly cleanly. When lunch feels too heavy for a full meal but too light for just a salad, shabu-shabu turns out to be a great option. And with warm broth included, it was filling enough to count as a real meal.

What makes Nahonsha easy for solo diners

This visit to Nahonsha near Hapjeong Station was a good choice when I wanted a proper meal while eating alone. The clear broth shabu-shabu I had wasn't spicy or heavy, and there was real enjoyment in cooking the meat and vegetables one piece at a time. Most of all, the personal pot meant I could eat at my own pace without worrying about anyone else — that stood out to me.

Nahonsha's biggest strength is definitely how easy it makes eating alone. With a personal pot, I could add whatever vegetables I liked first, and cook the meat slowly, one piece at a time, instead of dumping it all in at once.

When several people share shabu-shabu, at some point everything gets thrown into the pot together and it turns into more of a hot pot stew. Eating alone, I could control the whole process from start to finish exactly the way I wanted. If you're not used to eating out solo, a place set up like this makes it a lot less intimidating.