Seongsu beef katsu restaurant, no-wait next-day booking: Gyuen Dang

Today's Right Living post is about Gyuen Dang Seongsu Main Branch, which my husband and I visited for a date in Seongsu.

Gyuen Dang Seongsu Main Branch: how the next-day Naver booking worked

Gyuen Dang Seongsu Main Branch is a gyukatsu (beef katsu) specialty restaurant on the 2nd floor of a building at 10 Yeonmujang 7-ga-gil, near Seongsu Station. We booked through Naver the day before, so we walked straight in without any waiting.

Every time I go to Seongsu these days there are so many restaurants and cafés that I end up agonizing over where to go. Some popular spots have hours-long waits. This time I was craving gyukatsu after a while, so my husband and I decided to check this place out.

Gyuen Dang Seongsu Main Branch, the Seongsu gyukatsu spot, is on the 2nd floor!

Gyuen Dang Seongsu Main Branch is located on the 2nd floor. Walking in, even though we were right in the middle of Seongsu, it felt just like stepping into a Japanese restaurant.

Since it was just the two of us, we decided to order different dishes and share.

Gyuen Dang Seongsu Main Branch also seems to be known for its omurice (omelet rice). Next time I'll have to try that too...

Tenderloin vs striploin gyukatsu at Gyuen Dang: prices and differences

At Gyuen Dang Seongsu Main Branch we ordered two dishes — tenderloin gyukatsu for ₩24,000 and striploin gyukatsu for ₩19,000. We tried both!

You get to grill the gyukatsu yourself on the charcoal grill set up at the table, to whatever doneness you like. Grilling piece by piece with that sizzling sound made for a fun, slow-paced meal. Ordering both tenderloin and striploin together let us really feel the difference in texture between the two.

Tenderloin gyukatsu, 24,000 won: the softer cut

Tenderloin gyukatsu has a soft, tender texture,

Striploin gyukatsu, 19,000 won: for those who like a chewier bite

The striploin gyukatsu has a bit more chew to it! Rather than picking one over the other, I liked alternating between tenderloin and striploin. My husband, who usually likes meat with more bite like sirloin, said, "I like the striploin better." Definitely knows what he likes, haha.

If you like soft meat, go with the tenderloin; if you like a chewier bite, the striploin is a great pick.

The best way to eat Gyuen Dang's gyukatsu: salt and wasabi

For me, the tastiest combination was salt + wasabi! There are several ways to eat gyukatsu depending on your taste. I liked grilling it once more on the charcoal grill, dipping it lightly in salt, and then topping it with wasabi. You could really taste the meat, and the wasabi kept it clean and light, so I kept coming back to this combo.

The pickled radish served alongside was also great to snack on in between bites. It wasn't plain pickled radish either — it was seasoned, so having a bite of gyukatsu followed by the radish cleaned the palate nicely :)

Chatting about which cut was tastier while slowly grilling it together made for a really nice date meal.

Grilling it with butter gave it a whole different flavor to enjoy too. The tenderloin and striploin also came with different sauces — a citrusy soy sauce for the tenderloin and a teriyaki sauce for the striploin. We dipped it in the sauces sometimes, but I mostly ate it with the salt + wasabi combo.

Salt bread after beef katsu? Betong, right next door in Seongsu

Right next to Gyuen Dang Seongsu Main Branch is the famous salt bread bakery Betong. Even when we visited, there was a line of people waiting to buy salt bread. If you're planning a date in Seongsu, gyukatsu followed by salt bread or coffee makes for a great course.

Barom's Right Living verdict on Gyuen Dang Seongsu Main Branch

We visited Gyuen Dang Seongsu Main Branch together and tried both the tenderloin and striploin gyukatsu. Since there's a real difference between the soft tenderloin and the chewier striploin, if you're going with two people, I'd recommend ordering one of each to share.

I preferred alternating between the two rather than picking one, while my husband was firmly on Team Striploin. And the salt + wasabi combination on well-grilled gyukatsu was the best part :)

If you're craving gyukatsu in Seongsu, or looking for a place to eat with your husband or partner, give Gyuen Dang Seongsu Main Branch a try.