Hongdae Japanese restaurant for solo chazuke: Ochaya Yeonnam

Solo ochazuke near Hongik University Station in Yeonnam-dong

Ochaya Yeonnam

It is open daily from 11:30 to 20:30, with last orders at 19:50.

It is a five-minute walk from Exit 3 of Hongik University Station! Just follow the map and you should find it easily.

It is on the second floor, and the interior feels open yet cozy. (Look carefully, because there is no sign.) There are lots of one- and two-person seats for solo diners, so you can eat alone comfortably without feeling self-conscious.

You can place your order easily at the kiosk right by the entrance.

Ochaya Yeonnam’s menu and my unagi chazuke choice

Ochaya Yeonnam specializes in ochazuke (rice served with tea or broth), so there are lots of different options to enjoy! Buta no kakuni (braised pork belly) and sake chazuke (salmon) are the most famous, and there are plenty of other kinds too, including seafood and fish.

I went back and forth between the summer-only chamnamul perilla-oil soba and ochazuke, but in the end I chose unagi chazuke (eel) for an energy boost! Next time, I want to work my way through every menu item, haha.

Unagi chazuke ₩16,000

The size of this eel is crazy... I cannot believe it is ₩16,000••• It comes over rice with shredded egg, wasabi, and beni shoga (pickled red ginger). And unlike a usual rice bowl or ochazuke, Ochaya Yeonnam uses nutritious multigrain rice! You really get both flavor and nutrition at this Yeonnam-dong Japanese restaurant, haha.

When you order, it comes with seaweed, side dishes, and ochazuke broth like this.

This little one was especially the star 😻 It was delicious, with a slightly stir-fried-kimchi kind of flavor. (I even got a refill... haha.)

The table has instructions on how to eat it in Korean, English, Japanese, and Chinese. Since they are written in several languages, I think international visitors can follow them easily too. I followed the instructions exactly, haha.

Because it is multigrain rice, it had a slightly yellow tint. I personally love multigrain rice, so it was totally my thing••♥ With eel and wasabi on top, it is seriously so good... The eel is so tender that you can cut it with a spoon without even using chopsticks! 🥺 It is big and plump too—this eel quality for the price... 🤍

Eat it as a rice bowl, then pour in the broth

After eating about half like a regular rice bowl, pour in the ochazuke broth.

I had no idea, but there were shiitake mushrooms inside too?! Such a nutrient-packed Japanese meal in Yeonnam-dong... (and delicious, too). It was so good that I properly refilled the seaweed and side dishes, then finished every last bit of the ochazuke... haha.

And if you take part in Ochaya Yeonnam’s Naver review event, you can get green tea ice cream like this! It has a matcha shot and a biscuit over vanilla ice cream, and that was super tasty too••• It was just right as a palate cleanser.

At the front, there are self-service aprons, a water dispenser, wet wipes, and even chargers, so you can use them comfortably without worrying about a thing. Having chargers is seriously so thoughtful!!

If you are wondering what to eat for a delicious meal near Hongik University Station, I really recommend Ochaya Yeonnam!! It is close to the station and easy to reach, the staff are so kind, and the food is delicious and nourishing—you can have such a lovely meal in Yeonnam-dong ♥