Hongdae Japanese restaurant, 30-minute dinner wait for donpeyaki: Jojo

I came across Jojo Yeonnam while searching for Japanese restaurants for a Yeonnam-dong date course, and it kept popping up, so here's my review.

Where is Jojo Yeonnam Branch, and how long is the evening wait?

I visited in the evening and waited about 30 minutes. I found Jojo while searching for good Japanese food in Yeonnam-dong — it's a spot where you can get both monjayaki and okonomiyaki.

• Location: 5-minute walk from Exit 3, Hongik University Station
• Hours: 11:30 – 22:00
• Break time: 15:20 – 17:00
• Last order: 14:30, 21:10

What comes in the 39,000-won signature set for two

Looking around at the other tables, a lot of people were ordering monjayaki. So it really is known for monjayaki in Yeonnam-dong! But we came in thinking okonomiyaki, so we went with the signature set for two, which includes an okonomiyaki.

Signature set for two, ₩39,000 — Jojo okonomiyaki, spicy yakisoba (karai yakisoba), and donpeyaki. You can swap the noodle type.

I thought they might stir-fry things right on the tabletop griddle, but no — the dishes are cooked in an open kitchen and then placed on the heated table griddle once finished. The upside of teppanyaki-style serving is that the food stays warm till the very last bite!

Jojo okonomiyaki and the nickname flag on top

The Jojo okonomiyaki (savory Japanese pancake) comes loaded with shrimp, squid, beef, and pork. There's a little flag stuck in it with a nickname written on it. Before the food arrives, they hand you a slip of paper to write your nickname on — and that paper gets reborn as the flag on top of the okonomiyaki!

It's clearly a restaurant with a young, on-trend vibe. Japanese music was playing, and it felt like a good spot to visit if you want a taste of Japan without leaving Korea — or to relive memories of a trip to Japan. There's also a spicy sauce on the table that tasted a lot like buldak (fire chicken) sauce.

How spicy is the karai yakisoba at Jojo?

Enter the karai yakisoba — a Japanese-style spicy stir-fried noodle dish.

It definitely had a spicy kick, but nowhere near punishing — even someone who can't handle spice should be fine. There was such a variety of ingredients that I kept going back for more without ever getting tired of it.

Since we ordered okonomiyaki and an egg roll, a lot of our dishes had egg in them, so we filled up pretty fast. To avoid getting sick of it, we cleansed our palates in between bites — ordering a draft beer to cut through with some carbonation works too.

Donpeyaki: Japanese-style pork belly wrapped in egg

Donpeyaki is a Japanese-style rolled omelet with pork belly inside. If you love egg rolls, give this one a try. There's sauce drizzled over the top, which gives it a different feel from a plain egg roll.

The parsley on top of the egg roll was a cute touch.

Tips for two people: portion size and booking on Naver

Next time I'd like to try the monjayaki. Almost every other table was ordering it, so while I was eating my okonomiyaki I kept getting curious about it. I've heard it tastes just like it does in Japan, but I've never actually had it, so I'll take on the challenge next time!

We visited as two and ordered the signature set for two, and the portions were pretty generous — so if you don't eat much, ordering two à la carte dishes could work better. I'd recommend pairing that with a draft beer.

We waited on-site for about 30 minutes, but it turns out you can also reserve ahead of time through Naver.

Jojo Yeonnam Branch, close to Hongik University Station, is a great restaurant for two or a small group — which makes it even better as a date spot.