Keto gimbap restaurant in Euljiro3-ga with 3 mayo sauces: 29 Tamago

My mother-in-law and father-in-law wanted a light lunch, so while looking for something to bring, I found 29 Tamago, famous in Euljiro for keto gimbap (seaweed rice roll), and decided to try it haha. My in-laws had a bit of a bias against keto gimbap, but 29 Tamago in Euljiro totally won them over! I picked up three kinds — keto tuna, cheese vegetable whole egg, and whole sausage cheese — so let me walk you through the store and then the actual taste test :)

29 Tamago Euljiro Branch hours and closing days

• Address: 17-1 Mareunnae-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul, 2nd floor
• Hours: Mon–Fri 10:30–20:30 (break 15:00–17:00)
• Saturday 10:00–14:30
• Closed every Sunday

How to walk to 29 Tamago from Euljiro3-ga Station

29 Tamago Euljiro Branch is about a 3-minute walk from Exit 12 of Euljiro3-ga Station. The building sits down an alley and the shop is on the 2nd floor, so you could easily walk right past it the first time — but there's a big standing sign with the menu right at the entrance, so I found it without much trouble.

What the second-floor 29 Tamago shop looks like

Going up to the 2nd floor, the store was bigger than I expected. The tables weren't cramped, and there were window seats where you could eat while looking outside. I was there for takeout so I didn't stay long, but it looked like a fine spot for nearby office workers to grab lunch too.

A video was playing on one wall and there were little props placed around, so the vibe felt a bit different from a typical gimbap shop.

Which keto gimbap rolls were ordered, and the calorie labels

What I took out from 29 Tamago was the keto tuna, cheese vegetable whole egg, and whole sausage cheese — three kinds. If you're searching for 29 Tamago's calorie counts while looking into keto gimbap, I should mention I couldn't find exact calorie labeling on the menu when I visited. I packed these three to eat at home with my family.

Each roll came in its own separate container, and all three were packed into one bag together, which made it easy to carry home. They also gave us three sauces to go with the gimbap.

Once I got home and laid everything out, each roll's cross-section looked distinctly different, and I was glad I'd ordered all three together.

Keto tuna gimbap: egg and carrot instead of rice

The one I was most curious about was the keto tuna. Egg and carrot filled the space where rice would be, and there was a generous amount of tuna packed to one side, so even one piece felt pretty substantial. The carrots and vegetables were crunchy, and with the tuna added, it felt filling even without rice. I thought the lack of rice might leave it feeling a bit empty, but the egg and tuna filled that gap so there wasn't much to miss. It actually felt cleaner to eat than regular tuna gimbap since there were more vegetables to bite into.

Whole sausage cheese: the easiest keto gimbap for beginners

The whole sausage cheese sounded like something I'd like just from the name, and sure enough, it had a thick sausage and egg inside along with plenty of other fillings like carrot and burdock root. With the sausage in there, this one came closest to a familiar gimbap taste out of the three, and there was a nice salty note running through it. If you're trying keto gimbap for the first time, I think whole sausage cheese is the easiest of the three to get into.

Cheese vegetable whole egg: a third of the roll is egg

The cheese vegetable whole egg lived up to its name — the plump egg was the first thing that caught my eye. Egg took up about a third of the roll, wrapped around spicy fish cake, carrot, pickled radish, and burdock root, all bound with cheese, so the cross-section alone looked quite hearty. The egg was soft, and the spicy fish cake and vegetables added some bite here and there, so it wasn't as plain as I expected. With the egg being so prominent, it really did feel like a true 'whole egg' gimbap, true to its name.

The three mayo sauces, and why ssamjang mayo won

The sauces that came with the order were wasabi mayo, soy mayo, and ssamjang mayo. I alternated dipping each roll into different sauces, and honestly, I liked these more than expected. The wasabi mayo had a slight kick that cut through the richness, and the soy mayo paired well in a safe, familiar way — but being Korean, I guess, ssamjang mayo was the winner for me. The slightly spicy, salty edge it added went especially well with the rolls packed with egg and vegetables.

The verdict after a keto gimbap lunch with the in-laws

I brought everything home and ate it with my mother-in-law and father-in-law. At first they doubted keto gimbap would taste good, but after actually trying it, they admitted they'd had a total bias against keto gimbap haha. They ended up really enjoying it, saying it tasted better than expected. I also thought I'd miss the rice, but the fillings were so generous that it felt just as filling as regular gimbap. If you're looking for a light lunch or takeout meal in Euljiro, I'd recommend it :)