You No Longer Need to Visit Japan for Monjayaki as Japanese Dining Brands Rush Into Korea

Japanese restaurant brands that South Korean travelers once had to visit Japan to experience are now opening stores in Korea. The latest example is Tsukishima Monja Moheji, a well-known monjayaki specialist from Tokyo’s Tsukishima district.

The brand opened its first Korean location in Seoul’s Jongno 3-ga area early last month. Customers have continued to visit since the opening, and reviews describing waits have appeared on online platforms and social media.

Monjayaki is a Tokyo-style griddle dish made by cooking a loose batter with ingredients such as cabbage and seafood. It remains less familiar in Korea than okonomiyaki, another Japanese griddle dish. The Seoul restaurant offers signature items from Japan, including cod roe and mochi monjayaki, seafood monjayaki and squid-ink monjayaki.

To recreate the experience of eating at the Tokyo restaurant, employees cook the food directly at each table. Tsujihan, a famous Tokyo restaurant specializing in kaisendon, is also preparing to enter the Korean market.