Hongdae Seoul restaurant: 39,500-won monjayaki set with soba swap

Was scrolling around for something to eat in Yeonnam-dong and ended up at Jojo Yeonnam Branch. Jojo is known for monjayaki and okonomiyaki, and after Seongsu and Yongsan, they've now opened in Yeonnam too. I love monjayaki so this time I didn't hesitate — went straight for the monjayaki set for two.

Where is Jojo Yeonnam Branch, and where can you park?

Jojo Yeonnam Branch is about a 5-minute walk from Hongik University Station Exit 3. Not hard to find from the main Yeonnam-dong alley, and the orange exterior stands out.

The address is 1F, 229-51 Yeonnam-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul, and it's open 11:00 - 22:00. There's no dedicated parking lot, so if you're driving, use the Yeonnam 3 public parking lot or the Yeonnam 4 roadside public parking.

Inside Jojo Yeonnam Branch: griddle tables and bar seats

Walk through the door and every table has a huge teppan (griddle) built in.

The wood-tone decor gives it a bit of a genuine Japanese restaurant feel too. Besides the table seats, there are also bar-style seats good for one or two people.

There were kids' chairs too, so it looked fine to bring children along. While we were there, customers kept coming in and the place filled up fast.

Jojo Yeonnam Branch menu and prices

Jojo's signature dishes are, of course, okonomiyaki and monjayaki. Okonomiyaki comes in Jojo signature ₩17,000, buta cheese ₩15,000, and kaisen ₩15,000. Monjayaki has mentaiko monjayaki ₩19,500 and squid ink monjayaki ₩19,500. Yakisoba options are Jojo yakisoba ₩14,000, karai yakisoba ₩14,000, and shio yakisoba ₩14,000, among others.

Instead of ordering à la carte, we went with the monjayaki set for two at ₩39,500. The default set comes with mentaiko monjayaki, karai yakisoba, and volcano potato, but the soba type can be swapped, so we changed karai to Jojo yakisoba instead. Added a zero-calorie cola on top of that.

Is monjayaki hard to eat the first time?

With a griddle sitting right in the middle of the table, you might think you have to cook it all yourself — but at Jojo Yeonnam Branch, staff cook it tableside for you, so you can just wait comfortably.

It comes out in a big bowl piled with cabbage, broth, mentaiko, and other ingredients, and the staff member skillfully chopped and mixed everything together.

Watching it all come together on the griddle is half the fun. They mix the cabbage and monja broth well first, spread it thin on the griddle, then add the toppings.

Mentaiko monjayaki, cooked at the table by staff

We picked the mentaiko monjayaki. A whole mentaiko (seasoned pollock roe) sits right in the middle, so the visual alone is impressive.

As it cooks on the griddle it gets thicker and thicker, and the bottom layer starts to turn golden and crisp. The first time you see it, you might wonder how on earth you're supposed to eat it — but you just scrape the bottom with a small spatula and scoop up small bites.

The salty mentaiko, the sweet cabbage, and the savory cheese all hit at once. Personally, I liked the crispy bottom part the most. It's not a one-and-done bite either — since it keeps cooking on the griddle, the texture keeps changing bit by bit, which is part of what makes monjayaki fun.

There was more volume than it looked like, so it was plenty for sharing between two.

Swapping the set soba for Jojo yakisoba

The soba included in the monjayaki set for two, we changed to Jojo yakisoba.

Shrimp, meat, cabbage, and thick noodles, topped off with a fried egg! The rich sauce soaks well into the noodles, tasting exactly like the Japanese-style yakisoba you'd expect.

The noodles had a good chewy bite too, and having both meat and shrimp made it fun to pick through. If monjayaki is on the soft, savory side, yakisoba has that punchy sauce flavor, so alternating between the two worked well.

If you're ordering the set, I'd recommend swapping to Jojo yakisoba.

Volcano potato, included in the set for two

The monjayaki set for two also includes volcano potato. It's mashed potato topped with a soft-boiled egg, so you pop the yolk and eat it together.

The fluffy potato mixed with the soft egg yolk was savory and the kind of flavor kids would probably love too.

It also paired well eaten between bites of the monjayaki and yakisoba.

Worth it for monjayaki in Yeonnam-dong?

Jojo Yeonnam Branch cooks everything right at your table's griddle, so beyond the food tasting great, even the process of eating was fun. Monjayaki especially can feel intimidating for first-timers, but since staff make it for you, you can dig in without worry. Ordering the set for two, which comes with monjayaki, yakisoba, and volcano potato, was also a solid combination.

If you're on a Yeonnam-dong date and want something a little different from usual Japanese food, or you're looking for monjayaki around Hongdae, Jojo Yeonnam Branch is worth a visit. Next time I'd like to try the okonomiyaki too.