Gyukatsu restaurant in Seongsu, Seoul after a pop-up crawl: Gyuen Dang

When you're looking for a date spot in Seongsu, it's not just about finding a good restaurant — you end up thinking about where to walk around before or after the meal too. Seongsu has pop-up stores and events happening all the time, so it's a great neighborhood for planning a full day date course. This time, after checking out a few things to see in Seongsu, I was craving Japanese food, so I went to Gyuen Dang Seongsu Main Branch.

Where Gyuen Dang Seongsu Main Branch is and what the room feels like

Gyuen Dang Seongsu Main Branch is on the 2nd floor at 10 Yeonmujang 7-ga-gil, Seongdong-gu, Seoul. The place felt cozy and pretty. It's on the second floor. I could feel that clean yet warm atmosphere typical of Japanese restaurants, and it fit well with the trendy feel that Seongsu has.

It wasn't too formal a space either, so we could eat comfortably — nothing stressful about bringing a date here.

Ordered: striploin gyukatsu, tsukune don Hours: weekdays 11:00–21:30 / weekends 11:30–22:00 Chuseok holiday: closed Thursday, Friday

Striploin gyukatsu: grilling each slice with butter at the table

The first thing we ordered at Gyuen Dang Seongsu Main Branch was the striploin gyukatsu (breaded beef cutlet). Gyukatsu comes out crisped on the outside while staying tender inside, so there's a fun element of grilling it to your own taste. Since it's the striploin cut, you really get to enjoy the texture of the meat itself.

What surprised me while eating the striploin gyukatsu was that it came with butter. I'd never had gyukatsu with butter before, so it was a bit of a novelty — using butter while grilling the meat added a nutty aroma that felt different from usual. Being able to grill it to whatever doneness we wanted right at the table was one of the fun parts of gyukatsu. Crisp outside, moist inside — the contrast in texture was really clear, and grilling one piece at a time naturally made for good conversation over the meal.

Gyukatsu is a dish that tastes totally different depending on what you pair it with, rather than just eating the meat plain. It was nice to try it plain first, then add sauces to taste. Wasabi is a must!!! If you love meat, this is a dish you're guaranteed to enjoy.

What is the tsukune rice bowl at Gyuen Dang?

The second thing we ordered was the tsukune don (chicken meatball rice bowl). Tsukune is a Japanese dish made from ground chicken shaped into rounds and grilled, and as a rice bowl it felt like a totally different experience from the gyukatsu.

With tsukune piled on top of the rice, it made for a filling, satisfying meal, and the soft tsukune paired well with the rice. If grilling your own food like the gyukatsu feels like too much effort, or you just prefer rice dishes, the tsukune don is a solid choice too.

Gyuen Dang Seongsu Main Branch as the first stop on a Seongsu date course

Ordering both dishes together worked well — one side had the fun of grilling the meat yourself, the other let us eat easily as a rice bowl, which suited us when we wanted to enjoy two different kinds of dishes. Especially on a Seongsu date, if you'd rather split between two dishes based on preference instead of ordering just one menu item, this kind of combination is a good option.

Seongsu has so many good restaurants and cafés that it's a great neighborhood for wandering around or stopping by a café after your meal. If you're planning a date course that goes from dinner to café, starting with a Japanese meal at Gyuen Dang Seongsu Main Branch sounds like a good idea.