Course-style Genghis Khan lamb BBQ in Jungdong, Bucheon: Ichiryu

Should you book Ichiryu Bucheon Hyundai Branch ahead?

Ichiryu Bucheon Hyundai Branch is a lamb rib specialist near Bucheon City Hall Station. It seems to open mainly for dinner, and with a reservation it seemed to open to match your time. If you have a particular visit in mind, I recommend calling ahead.

Ichiryu, a premium lamb rib place selected by the Michelin Guide, has a branch near Bucheon City Hall Station too, so I paid a visit.

Ichiryu introduces itself as Korea's first authentic Genghis Khan (Japanese-style grilled lamb) specialist, a famous name in lamb. It has appeared on Sikshin Road and Wednesday Foodie Talk, and I hear it was selected every year from 2017 to 2025. A truly legit lamb rib spot.

Seating and atmosphere at Ichiryu Bucheon Hyundai Branch

At Ichiryu Bucheon Hyundai Branch, guests don't grill the lamb themselves because staff serve everything, so the room is set up with bar-style tables, and there is group seating on the 2nd floor too.

I'd made a reservation, and the table was neatly laid out when I arrived~ The atmosphere was great the moment I walked in, right? With the table already set because I'd booked, I really felt treated like a guest.

Menu and ordering at Ichiryu Bucheon Hyundai Branch

The menu at Ichiryu Bucheon Hyundai Branch focuses on lamb: fresh lamb shoulder loin, flower rib meat, fresh lamb loin, fresh lamb ribs and French rack. This time I ordered the premium fresh lamb ribs and the top-grade French rack. It feels focused on lamb rather than a bit of everything.

There are also side dishes you don't see often, like lamb sausage and soup curry, so I was curious about every single item at Ichiryu Bucheon Hyundai Branch.

Banchan and sauces

The banchan (side dishes) at Ichiryu Bucheon Hyundai Branch are edamame, pickled chili peppers, pickled scallions and white kimchi, and the sauces are the house special sauce, salt and wasabi. There are plenty of drinks that suit lamb too, so if you like a drink, you can really enjoy lamb with alcohol here!

Once the lamb was ordered, the table shone even more, haha. The fresh, bright pink lamb arrived without a trace of gamey smell.

What's the difference between French rack and lamb ribs?

In the photo, the French rack is on the left and the lamb ribs are on the right. They are said to differ in cut and trimming: lamb ribs refers to the rib section of the lamb, while a French rack is the rack portion of the ribs, trimmed so the rib bones are cleanly exposed.

The meat and fat on the bones are removed so the bones stand out long, and you can try this French rack, usually found at fine-dining restaurants, at Ichiryu too. The French rack is mostly a cut close to the loin, so it's tender and juicy, and the lamb's characteristic aroma comes across relatively mild, which is said to make it even tastier.

This Bucheon City Hall Station favorite, Ichiryu Bucheon Hyundai Branch, has such a nice atmosphere that I was already in a good mood as soon as I arrived~ The neatly set table was lovely, and with fresh, delicious premium lamb, my satisfaction was high in every way.

How does Ichiryu Bucheon Hyundai Branch grill the lamb?

At Ichiryu Bucheon Hyundai Branch, staff grill the fresh vegetables first, then grill the ordered lamb piece by piece at the pace you eat. They also told us how to make sauces using the salt and other items on the table, and if you follow them exactly, you get the best flavor of top-grade lamb.

Best of all, because they trim and grill it for you, you get to enjoy lamb cooked just right. If I'd grilled it myself, I wouldn't know the doneness and might not cook it properly, so I might never know how good premium lamb tastes, hahaha.

The lamb sizzles in the cast-iron pot they sourced themselves~ You really need that pot; grilling anywhere else probably wouldn't give this flavor, hahaha.

First bite of the French rack: just a little salt

At Ichiryu Bucheon Hyundai Branch, they recommended dipping the first piece in just a little salt. The moment it hit my mouth, there was no off-odor at all and the meat melted away, and I thought, is this a tongue or meat, hahaha.

It was cooked beautifully and the French rack really melted in my mouth. Many people think of a gamey smell when they hear lamb, but the lamb at Ichiryu Bucheon Hyundai Branch is fresh with no gamey smell at all, and I strongly recommend it for real premium lamb.

It's good with the pickled scallions provided too, right? Switching sauces now and then to vary it makes it even tastier and more varied.

Tearing into the French rack bones with sauce

For the bone part of the nicely grilled French rack, they brush on a little sauce so you can comfortably pick it up and tear into it. Thoughtful service like this makes you fall for Ichiryu even more. Meat is all about the fun of gnawing, and nibbling the meat off the bone tastes great too. Haha.

Ichiryu's special sauce and bean sprout rice

If you add a little chili powder to Ichiryu's own special sauce, it becomes sweet yet spicy, and it's good for dipping all sorts of things, and later mixing into rice is delicious too.

Finally, the bean sprouts are grilled and served. They're good eaten plain, good dipped in the special sauce, and also good piled on a bowl of steamed rice if you order one.

As recommended, I put the bean sprouts on the rice, added Ichiryu's special sauce and mixed it all together. The meat was great as meat and the rice was great as rice, and it felt like a proper course meal.

Finishing with yuzu kosho noodles

The meal at Ichiryu Bucheon Hyundai Branch ended with kosho noodles lightly flavored with yuzu! The noodles had a pleasantly firm texture and the broth wasn't strong, so it was just right as a final dessert-like dish after the meal.

Lamb ribs, French rack, assorted vegetables, rice with the special sauce and kosho noodles: Ichiryu Bucheon Hyundai Branch gave me a proper premium lamb course spread.