Seoul Station Japanese restaurant for egg-topped gyukatsu and steak

Today I'm bringing you a review of Ichigyu Seoul Station Branch, which I visited while looking for a place to have lunch near Seoul Station. It's a great spot when you want a filling meal near the station, and what made it special was that every table has its own grill, so you cook the gyukatsu and steak yourself.

It's also pretty accessible right by Seoul Station, so I thought it could work well for anyone looking for a Seoul Station date spot too. Let me walk you through the wait, the vibe of the place, the menu, and an honest taste review!

Location and directions to Ichigyu Seoul Station Branch

This Seoul Station lunch spot, Ichigyu Seoul Station Branch, is about a 1-minute walk from Exit 10 of Seoul Station toward the LG Seoul Station Building. You can find the restaurant by taking the building's outdoor stairs, or by heading down to the basement level via the escalator on the right side of the LG Seoul Station Building's main entrance.

It's so close to Seoul Station that finding it was no trouble at all, and the short walk from the station makes it an easy pick as a Seoul Station lunch spot.

How long was the weekday lunch wait?

We visited during a weekday lunch, and true to its reputation as a Seoul Station favorite, there was indeed a wait. Ichigyu Seoul Station Branch only takes waitlist registration in person, so I'd recommend putting your name down the moment you arrive. There was a sign at the entrance explaining the Catch Table waitlist system, which made it easy to figure out how it worked. We were 5th in line, and it moved faster than expected — we got in after about 10–15 minutes.

The wait time probably depends on when you visit and how busy it is, so it seems like a bit of a gamble. Still, being 5th in line and getting in that quickly was a relief, haha. There was also a large menu board by the entrance, so we could browse what to order while waiting, which was a nice touch.

The vibe, seating, and a grill at every table

The place wasn't huge. But the tables were spaced fairly close together, fitting a lot of them in, so the room can get loud for conversation — that seems unavoidable given the layout.

There looked to be more than 10 two-person tables in the restaurant. It was fine for two people having lunch near Seoul Station, and the signature feature of Ichigyu was that each table had its own grill, so everyone could cook their meat to their preferred doneness.

Menu and prices at Ichigyu Seoul Station Branch

Gyukatsu & Steak

• Ichigyu Gyukatsu (サーロイン, sirloin) — ₩19,500
• Steki Set (Sirloin) (サーロイン) — ₩19,500
• Steak Don (ステーキ丼) — ₩19,500

Omurice & Teppan dishes

• Hamburg Omurice (ハンバーグオムライス) — ₩17,000
• Teppan Chop Steak (鉄板チョップステーキ) — ₩18,000
• Yakisoba Napolitan (焼きそばナポリタン) — ₩12,000

Noodles & Curry

• Cold Soba & Fried Shrimp (冷やしそば&海老天ぷら) — ₩11,000
• Japanese Curry (カレー) — ₩13,000
• Mini Curry (ミニカレー) — ₩5,000

Sides & Drinks

• Karaage & Fried Shrimp — ₩7,000
• Kirin Draft Mini Beer 200ml — ₩4,000
• Kirin Draft Beer 420ml — ₩8,000

There was also a helpful guide to the set menus and how to enjoy the gyukatsu best.

They were also running an early receipt review event — write a receipt review and you get a free fried shrimp, so it's worth keeping in mind if you visit!

Taste review: gyukatsu set and steak set

We ordered the gyukatsu set (₩19,500), the steak set (₩19,500), and added fried eggs (₩1,000 x 2).

The first thing to arrive while we waited for the mains was the rice. Instead of a regular rice bowl, it comes in a small jar that you scoop out yourself.

The rice was fluffy and the grains didn't stick together, so the texture was really nice. It paired well with the gyukatsu and steak, and it was also tasty to dip a little rice into the meat sauce.

Gyukatsu Set (₩19,500)

The basic side dishes that came with it were pickled cabbage, sauce, soup, and cabbage salad.

Meat dishes can easily feel heavy, but eating the pickled cabbage or cabbage salad in between bites cleaned up my palate nicely. Being able to eat vegetables alongside the meat meant I didn't get sick of it even by the end.

It was crispy on the outside and the sirloin inside was tender, so I really got that crispy-outside, tender-inside texture.

What stood out was that they grill it in the tabletop grill with butter, so the rich, savory flavor of the butter gets added to the surface of the meat, making it taste much richer than eating it plain.

The meat itself had a subtle meaty aroma and savory flavor, and the contrast between the crispy batter and the tender meat inside was delicious. Dipping it in Ichigyu's special sauce added a whole different flavor! The sauce had a hint of garlic aroma and tanginess, which cut through the richness of the meat and perked up the appetite.

Steki Set (₩19,500)

Being sirloin, it had that distinctive savory meat aroma and clean flavor, and since it doesn't have a batter coating like the gyukatsu, I could enjoy the taste of the meat itself more purely.

Grilling it on the butter-melted grill added a hint of buttery flavor to the surface of the meat, deepening the savoriness even more.

Rather than grilling it too long, cooking it just right gave it a nice tender texture. Adding the special sauce brought in garlic aroma and tanginess that paired well with the clean flavor of the sirloin. If gyukatsu's appeal is its crispy, savory character, the steki set was a great way to enjoy the clean, savory taste of the sirloin itself.

Would I revisit? ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ 4 / 5

Ichigyu Seoul Station Branch is a great Seoul Station restaurant to visit when you want a hearty meal near the station. Having a grill at every table made it fun to cook the meat myself, and I liked being able to enjoy the gyukatsu and steak the way I preferred. Next time I want to try the hamburg omurice or the teppan chop steak, so this is a Seoul Station date spot I'll likely come back to :)