Right in the middle of Ikseon-dong’s hanok alleys is one of the neighborhood’s most reliably packed restaurants: Oncheonjip, a shabu shabu specialist that’s held a Blue Ribbon every year since 2021. For shabu shabu in Ikseon-dong — cook-it-yourself hot pot with an unusually deep, savory soybean-paste broth — this is the spot locals queue for. Here’s how it works and how to eat it.
What is shabu shabu (Korean-style)?
Shabu shabu is a hot-pot meal where you swish thin slices of beef and a spread of vegetables through a simmering broth at your table, then dip them in sauce — and it’s hugely popular in Korea, usually finished with noodles and rice porridge in the flavorful leftover broth. Oncheonjip’s signature twist is the broth: instead of a light stock, it’s a deep doenjang (fermented soybean paste) base that’s rich and comforting.
Finding it & the space
Oncheonjip is a 4-minute walk from Jongno 3-ga Station Exit 6, in the heart of the hanok street. Inside is atmospheric and hanok-cozy, with both table seats and floor seating — if you have a choice, take a table seat, which is more comfortable and looks onto the courtyard. There’s a self-serve corner with broth, sauces and napkins.
It’s very popular, so there’s usually a wait — it uses the Catchtable app now for on-site or remote queueing. Note that some items can sell out late in the day, so going earlier helps.
How the set works: 4 tiers
You pick your broth — doenjang (soybean paste), miso, or spicy — and your beef, then it comes as a build-your-own set. The signature is the doenjang shabu, and the set arrives in four tiers:
- Tier 1 — the beef: thinly sliced beef (choose your cut; hanwoo 1++ seolgit or buchae, etc.)
- Tier 2 — vegetables: napa cabbage, enoki, oyster and shiitake mushrooms, bok choy, chicory
- Tier 3 — sauces: soy sauce, chili sauce, a raw egg, and fresh wasabi
- Tier 4 — toppings: wood-ear mushroom, crown daisy, bean-curd sheets, rice cake, and dumplings
How to eat it
The order is simple, and half the fun:
- Start the vegetables and toppings in the broth to build up flavor.
- Swish the beef through the simmering broth just until it changes color — a few seconds — then dip in sauce.
- The raw egg trick: separate it — stir the yolk into your soy sauce as a rich dip, and save the white to add to the noodles later (or just cook the whole egg into the noodles, which is what I do).
- Finish with the noodles: shabu shabu comes with kalguksu (knife-cut noodles) to cook in the leftover broth — and since the broth has soaked up all that beef and vegetable flavor, this is the best part. Rice is extra (2,000 KRW).
The crown daisy (ssukgat) really lifts the broth, and the shrimp dumplings are a highlight. The beef is clean and tender, if a slightly modest portion.
Prices
- Oncheonjip shabu (doenjang / spicy / mushroom) — hanwoo 1++ seolgit 31,000 / buchae (flank) 23,000 KRW
- Oncheongom shabu — hanwoo 40,000 / buchae 32,000
- Sukiyaki (soy-based) — hanwoo 40,000 / black angus 24,000
- Add-ons: extra rice or noodles 2,000, premium mushroom platter 8,000
It’s on the pricier side, but portions are generous. Cards accepted.
Details
- Location: Ikseon-dong Hanok Village, Jongno-gu — 4 min from Jongno 3-ga Station Exit 6 (Google Maps)
- Hours: 11:30am–9:30pm daily (last order 8:30pm); break 3:00–5:00pm weekdays / 4:00–5:00pm weekends
- Ordering: menu with photos; cards accepted; noodles included, rice extra
- Waiting: Catchtable app; popular, so go early — some items sell out
Verdict
For shabu shabu in Ikseon-dong, Oncheonjip earns its Blue Ribbons and its queues: a rich doenjang broth, a generous four-tier spread, and a noodle finish that soaks up all the flavor, in a hanok in the middle of the prettiest street in the area. Take a table seat if you can, do the raw-egg trick, and save room for the kalguksu. Make a day of it with salt bread from Jayeondo or another meal at Songam Onban nearby.
