Handmade sanuki udon and cheese katsu in Seocho, Seoul: Kosi Gyodae

I visited Kosi, a tonkatsu spot near Gyodae Station that's great for lunch or dinner!

Kosi serves udon made the traditional sanuki way alongside tonkatsu fried the moment you order, so it seemed like a good fit for solo dining, dates, or just a simple meal.

It's also the place featured on SBS's Life of Masters and known as a favorite spot of actor Kim Seung-soo, which made me even more curious to check out this Gyodae restaurant :)💛

Where is Kosi Gyodae Branch, and what are the hours?

Kosi Gyodae Branch is at 32 Seochodae-ro 48-gil, Seocho-gu, Seoul, 1F, near Gyodae Station and Seoul National University of Education. It's open daily from 11:00 to 20:50, with a break time from 15:00 to 17:00.

Kosi Gyodae Branch's exterior, interior, and menu

Kosi kneads its dough with salt, water, and flour, then lets it go through a first and second fermentation before finishing the noodles roughly 48 hours later.✨ Since the noodles are made the traditional sanuki way, I was already looking forward to that chewy texture before even taking a bite haha

Solo bar seats and the self-serve side dish bar at Kosi Gyodae

Inside Kosi Gyodae Branch, there was a nice variety of seating — a bar table perfect for solo dining, plus regular tables. It felt comfortable enough to eat alone, but also relaxed enough for a lunch or dinner date for two.

On the table were tonkatsu sauce, salad dressing, sesame seeds, and water. Inside the drawer, chopsticks, tissues, and wet wipes were all neatly arranged.

The self-serve corner had pickled radish and kimchi. Basic side dishes come with your order, and anything extra you want, you help yourself to at the self-serve bar.

What's on the Kosi Gyodae Branch menu?

Kosi's menu ranges widely — udon, tonkatsu, rice bowls, and side dishes.

Cold udon menu 🍜

• Sanuki men bukkake udon
• Ten bukkake udon
• Toriten bukkake udon
• Zaru udon
• Zaru soba

Hot udon menu 🍜

• Kake udon
• Ebi tempura udon
• Toriten udon
• Fish cake udon
• Kitsune udon
• Niku udon
• Sanuki men maze udon

Tonkatsu and rice bowl menu

• Fresh loin tonkatsu
• Cheese tonkatsu
• Half-and-half fresh loin tonkatsu
• Katsudon
• Gyudon

Side dish menu

• Vegetable tempura
• Shrimp tempura
• Sweet potato cheese croquette
• Green onion cream cheese croquette
• Lotus root kushikatsu
• Whole squid rings
• Fried chicken
• Set-meal tonkatsu

With so many udon varieties and several tonkatsu options, it seemed easy to pick something that matched your taste.👍🏻

Sanuki bukkake udon: how were the noodles?

We ordered sanuki men bukkake udon and cheese tonkatsu.

🍜 Sanuki men bukkake udon is described as a signature cold soy-sauce udon made by tossing chewy sanuki udon noodles with cool tsuyu (dipping sauce). The noodles were topped generously with dried seaweed flakes, plus a lemon wedge on the side. Separate tsuyu came with pickled radish, kimchi, grated radish, tempura flakes, and chopped green onion. A single piece of inari sushi and cabbage salad rounded things out — a really satisfying set!

I looked closely at the noodles first.👀 They looked springy and had real bounce to them. I could tell I was about to properly experience that signature sanuki udon chew.

One bite in and the noodles were genuinely chewy and springy.👍🏻💛 Served cold, it had a clean, refreshing flavor, and the savory, slightly salty tsuyu paired well with the seaweed flakes for great umami. What I liked most was that the noodles didn't turn mushy — they kept their bounce all the way through.

Cheese tonkatsu: 4 pieces with cheese that stretches

🧀 The cheese tonkatsu is handmade with domestic fresh loin stuffed generously with natural mozzarella cheese, fried the moment it's ordered. We also added the udon set meal to go with it. The cheese tonkatsu arrived as 4 pieces, and even just visually, they looked crisply fried and appetizing🫢

I checked out the cross-section of the tonkatsu. The outside was crisp, and the inside was packed with tender meat and cheese.

When I lifted the tonkatsu slightly, the cheese stretched out in long strings, haha. If you love cheese, ordering the cheese tonkatsu is a must..🤍 It's delicious plain, but adding a bit of salt or wasabi cuts the richness and makes it taste even cleaner.

Verdict on tonkatsu and udon at Kosi Gyodae Branch

Today I tried sanuki men bukkake udon and cheese tonkatsu at Kosi near Gyodae Station. I loved the combo of chewy sanuki udon noodles with cool, savory tsuyu, and the cheese tonkatsu impressed with its crisp coating and long cheese pulls.⭐️💛

With both a solo-friendly bar table and roomier tables to sit back at, it's good for a solo lunch or a relaxed dinner date with a friend or partner. If you're looking for somewhere to eat near Seoul National University of Education, or searching for tonkatsu or udon near Gyodae Station, this one's worth keeping in mind.

Kosi Gyodae Branch is a great choice when you want to enjoy udon and tonkatsu in one meal! Next time, I'd love to try some of the other udon menu items haha😀