Sookmyung Station tonkatsu: basil vs Toowoomba demi at Goshi Goshi

I went to Sookmyung Station recently! Since it's near a women's university, there are so many great restaurants around, which is why I love the area. Today I'm posting about one of the Sookmyung favorites, 'Goshi Goshi'. It looks like a chain, but this was my first time visiting. Soba, tonkatsu, rice bowls — it turned out to be a Sookmyung restaurant with a really wide variety of menu options.

Where Goshi Goshi is and when it opens

• 📍 16 Cheongpa-ro 45-gil, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, 1st floor
• 🚇 About 5 minutes on foot from Exit 8 of Sookmyung Women's University Station
• ⏰ Daily 11:00–22:00
• ⏰ Last order 21:00
• 🚗 Parking at the restaurant is difficult, so nearby public parking lots are recommended.

Event offers waiting at the door

Even before stepping inside, I noticed all sorts of events at Goshi Goshi — a review event, a movie ticket giveaway, and more! If you leave a review, side dishes get 50% off, and there's also a discount event tied to movie tickets when you order a set menu. Sounds like you could plan a whole outing: eat well, then head to the movies haha. That said, these events can change depending on the season, so it's worth checking the signage in-store when you visit.

Soba, tonkatsu and rice bowls on one menu

Personally I loved how many unique, tempting menu items there were. Best protein-carb-fat balance, fusion soba, one of Seoul's two best demi tonkatsu spots! Just hearing the names made my mouth water haha. Goshi Goshi is a fusion Japanese restaurant centered on soba, tonkatsu, and rice bowls. Looking at the actual menu, there was basil soba, mazesoba, cold soba, basil and Toowoomba demi tonkatsu, and rice bowls — way more options than I expected. It seemed like a great spot for a simple solo meal, but also good if you go with a group and everyone picks something different.

Bar seats made for eating alone

Walking into Goshi Goshi, it was clean and had quite a lot of seating! What caught my eye especially were the solo-dining seats hahaha, or rather the bar seats. Goshi Goshi does in fact have bar-table style seating, so it's introduced as a place where eating alone doesn't feel awkward.

We sat at the bar seats by the window, and the atmosphere was nice and the seats were comfortable. I thought it would also be a good option for anyone near Sookmyung Station looking for a place to eat alone.

Choosing between too many dishes

The menu was so varied and there was so much I wanted to eat that I agonized for a long time. In the end, I ordered my favorite, the 'basil demi tonkatsu' for 13,900 won, and my friend ordered the 'Toowoomba demi tonkatsu' for 12,900 won!

Not long after, the dishes arrived!

Basil demi tonkatsu, 13,900 won

First up, the basil demi tonkatsu. Right off the bat, the little dishes on the tray had a cute Japanese feel to them! So cute haha. And then, of course, the bright green tonkatsu sauce really caught my eye.

I dipped a piece in plenty of basil sauce and tried it! Given how vividly green it was, I expected a strong flavor at first, but it wasn't as strong as I thought. Instead, it was a soft sauce with a subtle basil aroma. Since I love basil to begin with, I personally really liked it 🌿 The basil flavor didn't hit too hard, so it wasn't overwhelming eaten together with the tonkatsu, and the sauce itself was smooth enough to pair well.

Toowoomba demi tonkatsu, 12,900 won

Next to it was the Toowoomba demi tonkatsu we also ordered. Funny how my photo of it came out looking like it was shot on some vintage old-school camera lol.

The Toowoomba sauce definitely had a different vibe from the basil one — slightly spicy but still smooth, which paired really well with the tonkatsu. And honestly, whether basil or Toowoomba, the plain tonkatsu itself was just so good! Crispy outside, juicy inside — good enough to eat on its own without any sauce. Personally, more than the sauces, I liked it even more because the basic tonkatsu was so tasty haha.

The broth soup and potato salad on the side

The soup that came alongside had a rich, bone-broth-like feel that was nice and warming, and the potato salad had a really good texture too. A bite of tonkatsu, a bite of potato salad, a sip of soup — the combo worked surprisingly well together. Let's wrap this up Japanese-style.

Is Goshi Goshi worth a meal near Sookmyung Station?

Gochisousamadeshita! hahaha 🇯🇵 The area around Sookmyung Station is a university district, so there are tons of places serving all kinds of food, but what I liked about Goshi Goshi in particular was the wide range of soba, tonkatsu, and rice bowl options, plus the solo-friendly seating. For someone like me who takes forever to decide, having lots of options is honestly a kind of happiness lol. Next time I'd like to try one of the soba dishes, like the basil soba or mazesoba. If you're looking for a filling meal at a Sookmyung Station restaurant where you can pick something that suits your taste from a huge menu, give Goshi Goshi a try :)