Sharosu-gil udon restaurant, 2pm cold vs hot udon lunch: Kosi

Today I ended up having lunch near Seoul National University Entrance Station. While looking for Japanese food like tonkatsu and udon, I visited Kosi, a newly opened udon restaurant near the station. It had been a while since I'd been to the area, and it felt both changed and unchanged at once — the neighborhood was the same, but the shops seemed different?

Where is Kosi on Sharosu-gil, and what are its hours?

Kosi Seoul National University Entrance Branch is easy to find, within 3 minutes' walk of Exit 6, on a building right on the main road. We arrived at an awkward time (around 2pm) and worried it might be break time, but contrary to our worries, the place was packed.

The place looked freshly opened and clean. (*The interior shots were taken on our way out after eating.) There were a lot of solo diners at the window seats too.

Kosi's hours near Seoul National University Entrance Station

• Daily: 11:00 – 20:50
• Break time: 15:00 – 17:00

We visited around 2pm and ate quickly, and by the time we left it was exactly break time. (I couldn't check on parking, sorry!)

Kosi's udon menu and how tablet ordering works

Kosi Seoul National University Entrance Branch's menu is divided into bukkake udon, hot udon, gama bukkake, maze udon, tonkatsu, and rice bowls.

• Bukkake udon (tori tempura bukkake udon, ten bukkake udon, zaru udon, etc.)
• Hot udon (tori tempura udon, curry udon, etc.)
• Gama bukkake udon, gama ten bukkake udon, maze udon
• Tonkatsu (pork cutlet, mixed cutlet, shrimp cutlet, cheese cutlet)
• Rice bowls (beef bowl, donburi, etc.)

You order via the tablet set up at each table, and again, it comes with photos and menu descriptions that make choosing a bit easier. After some back and forth, we picked the Sanuki noodle ten bukkake udon set and the tori tempura udon (hot). We debated maze soba too, but couldn't give up bukkake,,,

Ten bukkake udon set: how the cold noodles and tempura tasted

The ten bukkake udon set comes with a main dish plus tonkatsu. For the bukkake udon, you add the separately served broth and toppings (tempura flakes, grated radish, green onion) to your taste. It seems every dish comes with one plump inari sushi piece.

I tried mine with cool tsuyu and loaded with toppings, and since they use fresh Sanuki noodles, the noodles are really chewy. The tsuyu was refreshing and not too salty, so the seasoning was just right.

The ten bukkake comes with shrimp tempura and sweet pumpkin tempura together, and the tempura pieces were nice and big and crispy — really good.

The pork loin tonkatsu included in the set. It came with tonkatsu sauce, salt, and wasabi, which was nice. The breading was crispy and the inside stayed moist.

Each table came with sauces, and the cabbage sauce was tangy enough to cleanse the palate.

Hot tori tempura udon and the sweet potato cheese korokke

My companion ordered the tori tempura udon (hot). They said you have to try udon warm, and chose it without hesitation. The warm udon broth paired well with the Sanuki noodles, and the fried chicken topping was said to be tender and delicious too. If you don't like tempura that's gone soggy in the broth, I'd recommend pulling it out as soon as it arrives — that way you can still eat it somewhat crispy haha.

The side dish sweet potato cheese korokke was even better than expected. The coating was crispy and the inside had sweet potato mousse and cheese, making it very soft. This place is good at frying,,, they also do review events, so give it a try!

Cold or hot udon at Kosi: which one to order

Kosi Seoul National University Entrance Branch definitely had good noodles thanks to using fresh Sanuki noodles. Both the cold and hot udon worked well, but the noodles felt chewier paired with the cold udon, which I liked better. The tonkatsu and tempura were also fried nicely and crisply, which suited me since I don't like soggy fried food :) Next time I'll have to try the maze udon I haven't had yet! The place is clean and the food is clean too, so if you're near Seoul National University Entrance for a solo meal or lunch, it's worth a visit.