# Saturday dinner Set 1 at a Gwanghwamun gyukatsu restaurant: Ichigyu - By Nayeon Cho (https://superchart.com/en/@euljiro-half-pour/) - Written Sep 21, 2026 - Local places › Restaurants › Jongno, Seoul - Sponsored: This post was written after a sponsored visit to the restaurant. - English edition: https://superchart.com/en/@euljiro-half-pour/gwanghwamun-gyukatsu-set-one-saturday-dinner/ - Also in: [한국어](https://superchart.com/ko/@euljiro-half-pour/gwanghwamun-gyukatsu-set-one-saturday-dinner/index.md) ## In short Ichigyu Gwanghwamun Branch is a gyukatsu (Japanese-style beef cutlet) restaurant in Jongno, Seoul, a 4-minute walk from Gwanghwamun Station and 3 minutes from Jonggak Station, on basement level 1 of Le Meilleur Jongno Town. Arriving at 6:30pm on a Saturday meant first place in line and a 3-minute wait, and Set 1 — two gyukatsu (sirloin) with two drinks — cost 42,000 won; the best bite was 30 seconds per side on a small burner with Isigny salted butter melted on it, dipped in the house soy-based sauce. Ichigyu Gwanghwamun suits first-time gyukatsu eaters and a Gwanghwamun date night alike. ## Good to know - **Location**: 4-minute walk from Gwanghwamun Station, 3 minutes from Jonggak Station / B1, Le Meilleur Jongno Town - **Set 1**: Gyukatsu (sirloin) + gyukatsu (sirloin) + 2 drinks (cola/cider), 42,000 won - **Set 2**: Gyukatsu (sirloin) + hamburg steak omurice + 2 drinks, 39,500 won - **Set 3**: Gyukatsu (sirloin) + steki-don (sirloin rice bowl) + 2 drinks, 42,000 won - **Set 4**: Gyukatsu (sirloin) + hot-plate chop steak (sirloin) + 2 drinks, 40,500 won - **A la carte**: Japanese curry, yakisoba, cold soba and more - **Alcohol**: Kirin mini draft beer, 200ml, 4,000 won - **Wait**: Saturday 6:30pm visit, first in line on CatchTable, about 3 minutes *as written by the visitor on Sep 21, 2026* Hi, this is Ice. Cool September has finally arrived. Being a heat-hating human, I suffered from a lack of content all summer haha.. so to welcome the cool September I went on a Gwanghwamun date. We'd been to a wedding nearby and then went on our date late in the evening, and Cheonggyecheon was packed with people..! I'd genuinely never seen it that crowded before! And now for the most important part — today's restaurant is... Ichigyu Gwanghwamun Branch! Honestly I'm not great at keeping up with trends, so this was my first time trying gyukatsu.. I love Japanese food and had really wanted to go, and I finally made it. ## Where is Ichigyu Gwanghwamun, and how far from Gwanghwamun and Jonggak stations? Ichigyu Gwanghwamun Branch is a super-accessible Gwanghwamun date spot — 4 minutes on foot from Gwanghwamun Station, 3 minutes from Jonggak Station. I'd worn heels for once that day and they were pretty uncomfortable, so I was glad we didn't have to walk far haha > Ichigyu Gwanghwamun Branch exterior ![Ichigyu Gwanghwamun Branch exterior](https://img.superchart.com/images/gwanghwamun-gyukatsu-set-one-saturday-dinner/gwanghwamun-gyukatsu-set-one-saturday-dinner-01-5j6mr-966.webp) ![Entrance to Ichigyu Gwanghwamun Branch in the basement of Le Meilleur Jongno Town](https://img.superchart.com/images/gwanghwamun-gyukatsu-set-one-saturday-dinner/gwanghwamun-gyukatsu-set-one-saturday-dinner-02-1mx4c-966.webp) ## How long was the wait at 6:30pm on a Saturday? When we arrived right at dinner time, 6:30 on a Saturday, the place was packed. Luckily there was no line on CatchTable, but we were first in line to wait. After about 3 minutes we were seated. Everyone who came after us also got seated without waiting. > Interior of Ichigyu Gwanghwamun Branch ![Seating inside Ichigyu Gwanghwamun Branch](https://img.superchart.com/images/gwanghwamun-gyukatsu-set-one-saturday-dinner/gwanghwamun-gyukatsu-set-one-saturday-dinner-03-18zbn-966.webp) ![Izakaya-style interior of Ichigyu Gwanghwamun Branch](https://img.superchart.com/images/gwanghwamun-gyukatsu-set-one-saturday-dinner/gwanghwamun-gyukatsu-set-one-saturday-dinner-04-rfg9p-966.webp) ![Table with a black apron laid on it](https://img.superchart.com/images/gwanghwamun-gyukatsu-set-one-saturday-dinner/gwanghwamun-gyukatsu-set-one-saturday-dinner-05-1sczs-511.webp) Ichigyu Gwanghwamun Branch had a strong izakaya vibe. The black aprons made the atmosphere even better. The gap between tables isn't huge, but it was fine for eating a meal. ![Small burner set on the table](https://img.superchart.com/images/gwanghwamun-gyukatsu-set-one-saturday-dinner/gwanghwamun-gyukatsu-set-one-saturday-dinner-06-19oke-966.webp) ![Gyukatsu burner lit with wax fuel](https://img.superchart.com/images/gwanghwamun-gyukatsu-set-one-saturday-dinner/gwanghwamun-gyukatsu-set-one-saturday-dinner-07-16ql0-966.webp) The setup was a small burner lit with a wax-fuel flame for warming the meat yourself. The flame was stronger than I expected. ## Ichigyu Gwanghwamun menu and set prices > Ichigyu Gwanghwamun Branch menu ![Set menu board at Ichigyu Gwanghwamun Branch](https://img.superchart.com/images/gwanghwamun-gyukatsu-set-one-saturday-dinner/gwanghwamun-gyukatsu-set-one-saturday-dinner-08-f99u7-966.webp) ![A la carte and drinks menu board at Ichigyu Gwanghwamun Branch](https://img.superchart.com/images/gwanghwamun-gyukatsu-set-one-saturday-dinner/gwanghwamun-gyukatsu-set-one-saturday-dinner-09-16nyh-966.webp) I genuinely agonized over the menu. First, the set menus are: - Set 1: gyukatsu (sirloin) + gyukatsu (sirloin) + 2 drinks (cola/cider), 42,000 won - Set 2: gyukatsu (sirloin) + hamburg omurice + 2 drinks (cola/cider), 39,500 won - Set 3: gyukatsu (sirloin) + steki-don (sirloin rice bowl) + 2 drinks (cola/cider), 42,000 won - Set 4: gyukatsu (sirloin) + hot-plate chop steak (sirloin) + 2 drinks (cola/cider), 40,500 won Besides the set items, the a la carte menu had Japanese-style curry, yakisoba, and cold soba. One interesting detail — they sell a Kirin mini draft beer for 4,000 won. Great if you just want a quick 200ml! ![Set 1 gyukatsu table setting](https://img.superchart.com/images/gwanghwamun-gyukatsu-set-one-saturday-dinner/gwanghwamun-gyukatsu-set-one-saturday-dinner-10-1q4d9-966.webp) ![Soy-based sauce with chili sauce, wasabi, and salt](https://img.superchart.com/images/gwanghwamun-gyukatsu-set-one-saturday-dinner/gwanghwamun-gyukatsu-set-one-saturday-dinner-11-1f06e-966.webp) There are various review perks, so it's worth taking part. Since we wanted to focus on the gyukatsu, we went with Set 1. ## What comes with Set 1, and the Isigny salted butter The set came out fast after ordering. It came with a sweetish soy-based sauce, chili sauce, wasabi, and salt. Hidden behind a bowl — ![Isigny salted butter hidden behind a bowl](https://img.superchart.com/images/gwanghwamun-gyukatsu-set-one-saturday-dinner/gwanghwamun-gyukatsu-set-one-saturday-dinner-12-117vc-966.webp) — was the butter. The famous Isigny salted butter! One of the premium butters haha. Nice to see them being thoughtful with the butter too. ![Salted butter melting on the burner](https://img.superchart.com/images/gwanghwamun-gyukatsu-set-one-saturday-dinner/gwanghwamun-gyukatsu-set-one-saturday-dinner-13-17yg0-966.webp) First you melt the butter until it's nice and soft. There was so much butter I actually had leftovers. Feel free to add a lot. ![Sirloin gyukatsu placed on the burner](https://img.superchart.com/images/gwanghwamun-gyukatsu-set-one-saturday-dinner/gwanghwamun-gyukatsu-set-one-saturday-dinner-14-t0fgd-966.webp) ![Cross-section of gyukatsu grilling in butter](https://img.superchart.com/images/gwanghwamun-gyukatsu-set-one-saturday-dinner/gwanghwamun-gyukatsu-set-one-saturday-dinner-15-7dofi-966.webp) ## How many seconds should you grill gyukatsu on the burner? Then you lay the meat down. The menu says to leave it for 7–8 seconds... but if you only do 7–8 seconds the meat stays cold ㅠㅠ I grilled mine 30 seconds per side. Glancing around, everyone else was also leaving it on for 20+ seconds haha.. Since it comes out medium-rare already, you don't need to worry about it being undercooked! ![A medium-rare piece of gyukatsu](https://img.superchart.com/images/gwanghwamun-gyukatsu-set-one-saturday-dinner/gwanghwamun-gyukatsu-set-one-saturday-dinner-16-un5fv-966.webp) ![The generous portion of rice served with the gyukatsu set](https://img.superchart.com/images/gwanghwamun-gyukatsu-set-one-saturday-dinner/gwanghwamun-gyukatsu-set-one-saturday-dinner-17-7511g-966.webp) ## Rice portions and the best sauce combination And the rice they gave us.. so generous. It looked small but it was more than 2 servings of rice. Ichigyu Gwanghwamun Branch is really generous with portions.. even though we're good eaters, we couldn't even finish half of it.. ![Gyukatsu dipped in the soy-based special sauce](https://img.superchart.com/images/gwanghwamun-gyukatsu-set-one-saturday-dinner/gwanghwamun-gyukatsu-set-one-saturday-dinner-18-1w2nh-1200.webp) My favorite combo was dipping it in a quick dab of the soy-based special sauce! I'd recommend Ichigyu Gwanghwamun Branch to anyone who loves gyukatsu! With the great atmosphere, it's perfect for a Gwanghwamun date over gyukatsu!! ## Where it is - Ichigyu Gwanghwamun Branch (이치규 광화문점) - 19 Jongno, B123, B1F Le Meilleur Jongno Town, Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea - 서울특별시 종로구 종로 19 르메이에르종로타운 지하1층 B123호 - 37.5708344, 126.9798606 - Google Maps: https://www.google.com/maps/search/%EC%9D%B4%EC%B9%98%EA%B7%9C%20%EA%B4%91%ED%99%94%EB%AC%B8%EC%A0%90/@37.5708344,126.9798606,17z --- Superchart · https://superchart.com/en/@euljiro-half-pour/gwanghwamun-gyukatsu-set-one-saturday-dinner/ · https://superchart.com/llms.txt