Whole-eel unagi-don at Ilpum, a Gangnam Station Japanese restaurant

Today I want to introduce a spot I visited when I was craving proper Japanese food in Gangnam haha. I'd heard there's a place in Gangnam serving real Japanese dishes like kaisendon (seafood rice bowl) and eel sushi, so I went to check it out. I generally love seafood and sushi, so I went in with high expectations. The place I'm introducing today is Ilpum Gangnam Branch, where you can enjoy all kinds of sushi, sashimi, kaisendon, and eel dishes!

Ilpum Gangnam Branch hours and parking

• ⏰ Hours: Daily 11:00–21:30 (break time 15:00–17:00)
• 🚗 Parking: Basement parking available in the building
• 📍 Location: 23 Seocho-daero74-gil, Seocho-gu, Seoul, B1 106

The exterior of the restaurant already felt clean and put-together. It has an overall look that reminds you of a traditional Japanese restaurant, so even just passing by, you'd sense this is a Japanese specialty spot.

Inside Ilpum Gangnam Branch: seating and atmosphere

Once inside, I found the space at Ilpum Gangnam Branch divided into bar-table seats and table seats. The restaurant itself isn't huge, but the overall atmosphere is comfortable, making it a nice place to eat.

Each table came neatly set with bowls and cups.

Looking at the menu, it mentioned that Ilpum's seafood goes through an aging process to deepen the flavor.

What is on the menu and how to order

That bumped up my expectations for the seafood menu even more haha. On top of the signature kaisendon, they even had a one-eel uangi-don (unagi rice bowl) with a whole eel, and the omakase nigiri platter looked pretty tempting too.

You can also order sushi, sashimi, or tempura à la carte, and they carry several kinds of sake and other alcohol, so it looked like a great spot to pair drinks with Japanese food.

You can order either directly with staff or through a QR code, so you can choose whichever method is more convenient. Also, if you leave a Naver receipt review, they give you 2 croquettes, which is worth keeping in mind.

There were also new menu items listed. I tried other dishes this time, but I plan to try the new items on my next visit.

Starters: soup, chawanmushi and baek-kimchi (white kimchi)

After ordering, the basic broth, chawanmushi (steamed egg custard), and baek-kimchi (white, non-spicy kimchi) came out while we waited. Of those, the chawanmushi stood out the most.

The steamed egg was really soft and moist — you could feel how tender the texture was from the moment you scooped it with a spoon. The flavor had the clean, savory quality unique to egg, with a subtle umami on top, making it a nice light bite before the meal. The baek-kimchi was good for cleansing the palate in between.

Kaisendon wrapped in seaweed: how it tastes

Finally, the kaisendon I ordered arrived!

The bowl was piled with a variety of seafood, so it looked seriously appetizing just from the sight of it.

With tuna, mackerel, salmon, and more all in one bowl, I got to enjoy a range of flavors in a single dish.

Eating each type of seafood with rice was great on its own, but wrapping it in the seaweed (gim) they provided gave it a whole different charm. Putting the seafood and rice onto the seaweed and eating it in one bite added a nutty seaweed aroma that paired really well. Especially for anyone who loves kaisendon, the fact that you can taste several kinds of sashimi at once makes this a satisfying dish. If you're looking for kaisendon near Gangnam, this is worth trying.

One-eel unagi-don: whole eel over soft egg

Next up was the one-eel uangi-don.

True to its name, a whole eel is laid on top, and the eel flesh was plump and generous, so it looked seriously filling just from the visual.

Underneath the eel was a large, soft egg. I tried the eel, egg, and rice together, and the smoothly melting eel paired really well with the rice, which had soaked up a salty-sweet sauce.

The eel itself was quite tender, so eating it with rice, I kept going without feeling heavy haha.

I also tried it together with the egg. The nutty flavor of the soft egg combined with the salty-sweet eel brought out a subtle sweetness — a whole different sensation.

Cold udon mid-meal and the dessert finish

Midway through the meal, cold udon arrived too. I expected a sweet cold udon, but surprisingly the sweetness wasn't strong at all. Instead, there was a slight tang that felt like it rinsed the palate clean.

After eating richer dishes like the kaisendon and eel, one bite of the cold udon felt like a palate reset, which I appreciated. Thanks to that, I could dig back into the food with fresh focus haha.

After finishing the meal, they even brought out dessert! The closing dessert was a Japanese-style milk pudding topped with mango mousse. The soft milk pudding with mango mousse on top made for a sweet, satisfying finish after the meal.

Having dessert show up like this made the whole meal feel satisfying right to the end haha.

Is Ilpum Gangnam Branch worth a visit?

• ✓ Kaisendon that let me enjoy tuna, mackerel, salmon, and more all in one bowl
• ✓ The one-eel uangi-don, generously filled with a whole eel
• ✓ A great combo of tender eel, egg, and salty-sweet rice
• ✓ Cold udon that reset the palate with a tangy, clean taste, plus a sweet dessert to finish
• ✓ A Gangnam Station sushi spot I'd like to revisit to try more of the sushi menu next time