Sinnonhyeon gyukatsu restaurant Set 2 and mini curry lunch: Ichigyu

My husband had something to do in Gangnam in the evening, so we decided to start our date early with lunch. I remembered how carefully I used to ration gyukatsu back in college, so we picked Ichigyu, a well-known Sinnonhyeon spot.

Where is Ichigyu Gangnam Sinnonhyeon Branch and how do you get in?

The Ichigyu sign on the 2nd floor is small but surprisingly easy to spot. It's visible from a distance, so we didn't wander around trying to find this Sinnonhyeon restaurant. Though honestly, when we first arrived at the building, I assumed the 1st floor was Ichigyu.

Ichigyu Gangnam Sinnonhyeon Branch is on the 2nd floor. You can walk up the stairs, or take the elevator instead.

Right as we walked in there was a meat model on display. Is that real? I nearly got fooled for a second.

What is Ichigyu like at weekday lunch?

As expected, this Sinnonhyeon restaurant was packed. Since it's a well-known gyukatsu spot in Gangnam, I figured we'd mostly see couples or solo diners. But surprisingly, groups of 3–4 were the most common, and there were even older customers gathered to enjoy gyukatsu together. Good gyukatsu really does appeal to everyone.

The interior looked clean. The floor didn't feel sticky at all, though the chairs slid a little when pushed or pulled — nothing that bothered us, though.

Ichigyu's menu and why the couple chose Set 2

There's gyukatsu and steki set meals, plus à la carte options like hamburg omurice, steki-don, hotplate steak, and Japanese curry. For noodles, there's yakisoba napolitan and cold soba with shrimp tempura. If you're looking for a Japanese restaurant near Sinnonhyeon Station with a wide menu, Ichigyu is a great pick. And with Kirin draft beer on the menu, you can properly enjoy the full Japanese dining experience.

As a couple who loves good value, we always go for the set menu!!!! We picked the set with gyukatsu and hamburg omurice. I was already craving omurice on its own — and it comes with hamburg steak too?

Since it was hot out, we started right away with a zero-sugar cola.

Rice came out first, served in a small pot. The portion was way bigger than I expected — I thought Japanese restaurants usually give small rice portions,, we both ended up overeating that day.

Set 2 — ₩39,500 (gyukatsu + hamburg omurice + 2 drinks). We tried this combo and can definitely recommend it — great composition, great taste. (Of course, we haven't tried the other sets, so take that with a grain of salt,,)

Gyukatsu grilled with butter: texture at each level of doneness

If it's your first time trying gyukatsu, it can be a bit surprising,, before eating it, you might wonder if it's really that good, but it's essentially beef that's already delicious grilled plain, lightly fried and then grilled again — there's no way it isn't good.

They gave us butter too — you melt the butter first, then grill the gyukatsu in it.

I grilled mine well-done, and it was seriously melt-in-your-mouth amazing. The outside got slightly crispy without turning tough, staying crisp only on the surface. And inside, it melted so softly,,

The beef seemed genuinely fresh, and this Sinnonhyeon Station restaurant really brought out gyukatsu's unique charm. It was so good I found myself rationing it again. I guess even as an adult, some habits don't change,, and since it happened to be a birthday celebration, we ended up eating beef three days in a row — but I didn't get tired of it at all. It was like,, eating it for the first time all over again,,

I'd recommend trying different doneness levels. Grill it medium, then try it crispy and well-done, then try it just lightly seared on the surface. The texture changes noticeably depending on how long you grill it, so mixing it up made the meal even more enjoyable.

How was the hamburg omurice that comes with Set 2?

Here's the hamburg omurice. A carefully made omurice egg is layered on top.

Omurice was super trendy for a while — back then I never actually ate it though~

My husband sliced it open with a knife and this is the result. The split down the middle is thanks to my blogger husband's effort to show off the hamburg steak inside.

But he tried to eat it without pouring the sauce over it lol. He noticed the sauce late and then drenched it generously on top.

It was a vegetable fried rice with bits of bell pepper you could bite into — really tasty when you get that crunch. The egg on top was soft, and the real standout was the hamburg steak. The juices burst out and it was packed with meat, tasting like a true chunk of beef. The sauce had a slightly kid-friendly taste to it, but honestly, what kids say is delicious usually is delicious.

Is the 5,000 won mini curry worth adding?

Mini curry — ₩5,000. Definitely order this!! This is a genuine curry destination near Sinnonhyeon Station. One bite in, and I got that exact flavor I used to chase down back when I was obsessed with curry.

It was so good I soaked a big scoop of rice in it, like in the left photo. Though honestly, the curry was a bit salty,, I wanted more but I was already full, so like the photo on the right, I cut back on rice and focused on the curry itself. Genuinely a curry spot I'd highly recommend near Gangnam Station.

Final verdict on lunch at Ichigyu Gangnam Sinnonhyeon Branch

Ichigyu, this Sinnonhyeon restaurant in Seoul, is great not just for gyukatsu but for its curry too. Plus the hamburg omurice had such a generous hamburg steak that eating it felt genuinely satisfying.