Yeonnam-dong ochazuke restaurant near Hongdae: eel and pork, Ochaya

It's been ages since I've been to Hongdae! I stopped by for dinner and found a really satisfying ochazuke spot in Hongdae haha, here's my full review (●'◡'●)

Where is Ochaya in Yeonnam-dong, and where can you park?

Ochaya Yeonnam is about an 8-minute walk from Exit 3 of Hongik University Station! ✔️ There's no dedicated parking lot, so you'll want to use a nearby lot like Yeonnam Street Parking Lot or Dongjin Parking Lot.

The ochazuke I had before was so good that I made my way to Ochaya Yeonnam while I was already in the neighborhood haha. Ochaya has two locations — Hapjeong and Yeonnam :)

Ochaya's wood-toned room: fine for solo dining or a date

The interior is clean, with a Japanese home-style feel — wood-toned decor and a cozy atmosphere. Ochaya Yeonnam works for solo dining, dates, and family meals alike.

Aprons and water are self-serve. Chargers are also available, so you can charge your phone 👍

Ochaya Yeonnam-dong menu and prices

• Mentaiko ochazuke ₩10,000
• Kaisen chazuke ₩14,500
• Butanogakuni ₩14,000
• Sake chazuke (salmon) ₩15,000
• Unagi chazuke (eel) ₩16,000
• Matoudai chazuke (John Dory fish) ₩15,000

We ordered the butanogakuni and the unagi chazuke 😋

You order at the kiosk, and the food came out not long after we sat down. Nutrient rice, seaweed, and side dishes are all refillable, along with the broth. The tables had Korean, English, Japanese, and Chinese all listed, which made it clear this ochazuke spot gets plenty of foreign tourists too. Nice.

Unagi chazuke (eel) for 16,000 won

The unagi chazuke has seasoned eel, lightly seared and laid over nutrient rice topped with egg strips. I picked eel the moment it arrived haha. It's an ochazuke with a sweet-savory sauce and eel grilled with a nice smoky char!

Ochaya serves a kettle of broth on the side with every dish — at first you eat the toppings and rice as they are! Mash up the eel with your spoon as you go.

The nutrient rice comes with egg strips, wasabi, and pickled ginger, and there's soy sauce on every table, so add it to taste if it's bland for you 🙌 It was a touch bland for me, so I added soy sauce and ate it with seaweed — so good!

I shared bites with my friend who ordered the butanogakuni, topped with wasabi for a big bite. The nutrient rice makes it feel healthy, and eating it with eel felt like a real energy boost! I'd been wanting to go to Japan,,,, but this Japanese home-style meal in Hongdae scratched that itch!!!!

Butanogakuni (braised pork belly) for 14,000 won

The butanogakuni is a whole strip of slow-braised pork laid over nutrient rice. Like the eel dish, it comes with wasabi, side dishes, and seaweed.

The softly braised pork belly and its deep, rich broth make a great pair in the butanogakuni. The seasoning was so well soaked in that just a little soy sauce hit the spot perfectly.

Besides the signature butanogakuni, there's also the kaisen chazuke loaded with tuna, octopus, and shrimp, and the classic mentaiko ochazuke, which is the most popular option. There are lots of ochazuke varieties, so if you're in Yeonnam-dong, I recommend giving one a try.

How to eat it: pour the broth after finishing half the bowl

Eat about half the bowl, then pour in the broth! It's the classic Japanese home-style way to eat ochazuke — rice and toppings soaked in warm broth 👍

I was starving, but this healthy Japanese home-style ochazuke filled me right up, and walking around the neighborhood afterward felt like the perfect small happiness... If you're looking for a Yeonnam-dong restaurant, Hongdae restaurant, Japanese home-style food, or a spot for a Hongdae or Yeonnam date, I recommend Ochaya's Yeonnam location. Revisit intention: 100000%.