Yeouido Station gyukatsu 19,500 won, salt and wasabi: Hurato Sikdang

Why Hurato Sikdang Yeouido comes to mind first for gyukatsu

Today I went back to Hurato Sikdang, the place I always think of first whenever I'm craving gyukatsu (Japanese-style fried beef cutlet) 😊

Of all the gyukatsu restaurants I've tried, this is honestly my favorite, so I came in with high expectations again — and once again, it didn't disappoint haha

The food is delicious, of course, but what makes it even better is how kind the staff are, from the moment you book to the moment you're seated ☺️ It's also close to IFC Mall, so I'd recommend it to anyone in Yeouido looking for a place to eat before or after shopping :)

Hurato Sikdang Yeouido location and opening hours

• Address: 32 Gukjegeumyung-ro 2-gil, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, Room 303, 3rd Floor, Yeouido Finance Tower
• Location: about 161m from Exit 3 of Yeouido Station, roughly a 3-minute walk
• Weekdays: 11:00–21:00 (break time 14:30–17:00 / last order 20:30)
• Weekends: 11:30–21:30 (break time 15:00–17:30 / last order 21:00)

Hurato Sikdang was started by three young men who fell in love with the flavors and cozy atmosphere of small restaurants they found on a trip to Tokyo. They apparently visited a whole range of Japanese restaurants to research the menu so they could recreate that feeling here in Seoul's Gyeongbokgung area — which explains the warm atmosphere of the place :) It's also somewhere Lee Youngji recently shouted out, and a gyukatsu spot the group CORTIS reportedly visited every weekend during their trainee days haha. I already loved this place, but knowing this little bit of history made it feel even more special haha

Is there a wait at 1pm on a weekend?

I made a reservation and arrived around 1pm on a weekend, and there was still a steady wait. If you're planning a weekend lunch here, I'd recommend booking ahead.

The interior has a cozy Japanese-restaurant feel, with wood-toned tables and soft lighting.

There are window seats as well as side-by-side seating along the wall, which looked good for a meal for two. Seeing the little personal brazier at every table made me want to start grilling gyukatsu right away haha😋

Gyukatsu ₩19,500 × 2 / zero-calorie cola ₩3,000 × 1

Japanese gyukatsu grilled on your own tabletop brazier

Hurato Sikdang specializes in Japanese-style gyukatsu that you grill yourself on a personal brazier. Beef with a fried outer coating is served in slices, and you cook each piece to your own liking, so there's real fun in grilling it warm right at the table.

There was also a sign for their barbecue gyukatsu rice bowl, so if you'd rather have it as a rice bowl, that's worth checking out too. But whenever I come to Hurato Sikdang, the basic gyukatsu is what I crave first, so I chose it without a second thought this time as well :)

The gyukatsu arrived neatly fried golden brown, and it looked delicious just from the visual alone.

Alongside it came finely shredded cabbage, wasabi, and side dishes, so it was easy to mix up the combinations bite by bite. Looking at the cross-section, you could see the thick, juicy meat under a thin layer of breading, which built up my anticipation even before I put a piece on the brazier haha

Crispy outside, pink and juicy inside: how the beef cutlet tastes

The charm of Hurato Sikdang's gyukatsu is that you get the crispy breading and the tender beef all in one bite. The breading doesn't feel like a thick coating smothering the meat — you can really taste the texture of the beef itself, which I love.

Placing each piece on the brazier, the sizzling sound alone is delicious, and grilling it right in front of you means you get to eat it warmer. Rather than grilling everything at once, cooking just enough for each bite as you go is part of the fun that's unique to gyukatsu haha

The savory crust combined with the juicy meat had me saying it was delicious all over again.

A little salt lets you enjoy the taste of the meat itself, while a touch of wasabi adds a sharp kick for a different flavor altogether.

Dipping into the sauce and mixing in bites of cabbage and side dishes along the way kept it satisfying right to the end. With a place you already love, what matters most is whether the same satisfaction holds up on a return visit — and this time too, I left having eaten well, which made me even happier :)

A Yeouido lunch worth remembering for the food and the service

Hurato Sikdang Yeouido was satisfying once again 😘 The gyukatsu was delicious, of course, but the kind service from reservation to seating made the meal even more enjoyable. There was a steady wait during weekend lunch hours, but this is a place I'll want to visit again the next time I'm craving gyukatsu.

3 reasons to recommend Hurato Sikdang Yeouido

• Gyukatsu grilled yourself on a personal brazier, enjoyed warm
• Kind service that felt good from the reservation right through the visit
• A convenient location near Yeouido Station and IFC Mall for meeting up

If you're looking for a Japanese restaurant near Yeouido Station, try a meal of gyukatsu at Hurato Sikdang. It also makes a great combo with a shopping trip to IFC Mall :)