Samgakji shabu-shabu date with Prime Angus chuck flap: Shabu in Seoul

Where is Shabu in Seoul Yongsan Main Branch?

Shabu in Seoul Yongsan Main Branch is a shabu-shabu restaurant a 3-minute walk from Exit 3 of Samgakji Station. The access from the station is amazing. And everywhere around it is a hotspot, so it's perfect for hitting a second place after shabu-shabu!

I was craving shabu-shabu, which I really~~ love, so I went with my boyfriend to 'Shabu in Seoul Yongsan Main Branch' in Samgakji. And I think I can say, out of every shabu-shabu place I've ever been to, this is easily #1. The vibe, the taste, the friendliness — nothing was lacking, and I felt great the entire meal 🤍

No parking is available, so they recommend using the Samgakji temporary public parking lot.

Waiting time and how to reserve at Shabu in Seoul

Shabu in Seoul Yongsan branch gets busy, so waiting is essentially required! You can book ahead through Catch Table, so I recommend reserving before you go. Even at 8pm on the Friday I visited, it was fully booked and there was a wait 🥺

While waiting, I looked over the menu too~ Unlike other shabu-shabu places, here the dessert changes depending on which broth you choose. That's a nice, unusual touch! I was already excited before even eating.

Seating, atmosphere and private rooms

Shabu in Seoul Yongsan Main Branch doesn't cram the tables too close together, giving it a private feel — great for gatherings, blind dates, or couple dates. And since there are private rooms, group gatherings should be no problem either!

Since we had reserved, the table was already fully set when we arrived! Every piece of tableware was neatly arranged — I loved it 👍

The three dipping sauces

There are three sauces: ponzu, sweet chili, and sesame sauce. And next to them are minced garlic and minced chili too. Add whichever to your sauce of choice as you like.

Our order: Prime Angus chuck flap, eye round and spicy mushroom broth

To try a variety, we ordered Prime Angus eye round, Prime Angus chuck flap, and spicy mushroom broth. If you choose the spicy broth, the dessert is rose risotto.

While waiting for the meat, they carefully walked us through how to eat it deliciously.

Next time I want to try the crab doenjang broth. The dessert for that is doenjang rice roll — I'm so looking forward to it!

Finally, the meat we ordered arrived!

Wow, the chuck flap looked amazing. Seeing the meat arranged so neatly made me even hungrier! And the wood the meat sits on is made of harmless natural wood with a food-safe oil coating, so it's hygienic and durable — safe to enjoy. I really love this kind of thoughtful attention to detail haha

They said if you take part in the review photo event you get free soy milk skin, so everyone should join in! And if it's your birthday, you get a free mushroom too! You should always claim these kinds of perks, right?!

How to eat shabu-shabu at Shabu in Seoul, step by step

Load up the broth with vegetables and bring it to a boil (level 8), then once it's boiling well, lower the temperature to 4 and add the meat!

We put in the chuck flap first! Look at that visual — every bit of marbling looks alive 🩷

You can see exactly why this is the best-seller 🤩

Why the chuck flap is the top pick

My boyfriend and I both love dipping in chili sauce, so that's how we ate it! And honestly, out of every shabu-shabu I've ever had, this was really #1. Maybe because it's chuck flap, the meat was so~ tender that I finally understood what people mean by 'melts in your mouth.' Both of us picked the chuck flap as our top choice. Next time we're planning to order two portions of it..! That's how~~ delicious it was.

A panda begging to be saved — isn't it cute? We ate it near the very end, so baby panda Fu Bao had already grown into mama panda Fu Bao, haha

What does the Prime Angus eye round taste like?

Next we had the eye round. It has a bit more texture than the chuck flap! It felt more like the usual shabu-shabu meat you're used to. Because of that, it actually paired really well with the broth and vegetables! The chuck flap was so~ delicious it was overwhelmingly the top pick, but the eye round was genuinely tasty too 👍

Kalguksu noodles for an extra 4,000 won

Kalguksu isn't included, so we ordered it separately (₩4,000). I'm the type of person who has to. have. kalguksu with shabu-shabu, no exceptions haha. They added more broth and boiled the noodles right away. Kalguksu needs at least 5 minutes of boiling.

The kalguksu was honestly amazing. The only slight letdown was that there was no kimchi.

Dessert: rose risotto and omija tea

Once you finish the kalguksu, just call over a staff member. With the spicy mushroom broth, the dessert is 'rose risotto.' It even came with four big shrimp! This place doesn't skimp on dessert either.

The staff cooked it for us from start to finish, ready to eat. All we had to do was enjoy it 🩵

And one more dessert! Omija tea. My favorite drink is actually omija, so getting omija tea on top of everything made it impossible not to love this place.

The small details at Shabu in Seoul

It felt so good to finally find a truly delicious shabu-shabu restaurant after a long time. When it came time to pay, I noticed they also donate to Save the Children — I always feel a little more fond of a place when I see something like that.

And as I mentioned earlier, having that little explanation of the wood name tag over the meat was a nice touch too! I think small details like this really make a big difference.

Is Shabu in Seoul worth it for a Samgakji date?

Between the taste, atmosphere, friendliness, and even the careful little details, everything was on point, and I felt great the whole meal. If you're looking for a date or gathering spot around Samgakji or Sinyongsan, I highly recommend visiting Shabu in Seoul Yongsan branch. Don't forget to reserve on Catch Table before you go, and you absolutely have to try the chuck flap and rose risotto combo!