Gyukatsu spot at Mapo Station: bar-seat lunch & bonito ochazuke, Gyudo

Where is Gyudo, the gyukatsu restaurant at Mapo Station?

Premium Gyukatsu Gyudo Mapo Gongdeok Main Branch (프리미엄 규카츠 규도 마포공덕 본점) is in the basement of the Obelisk arcade, directly connected to Mapo Station. I'd been thinking about the gyukatsu (beef cutlet) I ate in Japan and went looking for a good one, and heard there was a gyukatsu and yakiniku place right by Mapo Station, so I went 🩷

Tasty gyukatsu, yakiniku and even ochazuke (rice with broth poured over), all in generous portions! It's connected straight to the station, so it's easy by public transport, and free parking is available too 😍😍

• Address: Basement level 1, Obelisk arcade, 33 Mapo-daero, Mapo-gu, Seoul
• Hours: daily 11:30-21:00
• Break time: 15:00-17:00
• Last order: lunch 14:20 / dinner 20:00

What are the atmosphere and seats like at Gyudo?

The inside is quite spacious, yet it still fills up at lunchtime! The interior feels upscale and very Japanese. It's big enough for group meals, and the bar seats make it easy to come alone.

The tables were full that day, so we sat at the bar. There's also a receipt review-first event, so give it a try!

What's in the Gyudo yakiniku set for two, and how much is it?

You can check the menu and place your order via QR code. We ordered the yakiniku set for two.

• 1 smoked gyukatsu set
• 1 smoked yakiniku set
• Seaweed pollock roe (gamtae myeongran)
• Choice of drink

All that for ₩45,000, which is good value and plenty of food.

What's at the Gyudo self bar?

At the self bar you can get refills of cauldron-cooked rice made with Shindongjin rice! That's pretty special. And there are no fewer than 3 ochazuke broths to enjoy with the rice: Solomon's seal tea, tonkotsu broth and bonito broth.

Pick what suits you and bring it back in a kettle. It's fun in a little way, and tastes good too! I chose the bonito broth.

The tableware is special too: each table has a personal drawer with a custom-made cutlery pouch, napkins and a flake-topping tea bag.

How did the smoked yakiniku set and smoked gyukatsu set taste?

I was surprised by how much meat comes in the smoked yakiniku set. The striploin is aged for a full 20 hours, apparently.

The gyukatsu set is made with striploin smoked over wood in an offset smoker, and they say it's the one and only smoked gyukatsu!

Grilling it yourself on a brass personal hearth

You lay the gyukatsu on Gyudo's custom-made bangjja yugi (traditional Korean brass) personal hearth and grill it to your liking. Staff checked on us before the fire even went out and kept the grilling temperature just right.

The thickness was just right, so it cooked perfectly. Fun to grill and tasty too, this Mapo Station spot! I even had a bottle of cola for the first time in a while.

How are the seaweed pollock roe and homemade side dishes?

The seaweed pollock roe that comes with the set menu is good with ochazuke and good on top of rice too.

The myeongi namul (pickled wild garlic-chive leaves), all the sauces and the radish salad in the set are said to be 100% homemade. The myeongi wasabi wasn't too sharp and was seasoned just right, and my companion loved the radish salad so much they asked for a refill.

How to finish with cauldron rice ochazuke

I poured bonito broth over the cauldron rice to make it like sungnyung (scorched-rice tea), then added the flake topping, and it was a clean finish. It combines Korean sungnyung with Japanese ochazuke, so I'd say it's really our own dessert, haha

What else stood out at Gyudo Mapo Gongdeok Main Branch?

A coat locker at a gyukatsu restaurant! The thoughtful service surprised me once more. Premium Gyukatsu Gyudo only runs directly managed stores, not franchises, to keep it rare and the quality top-notch. They also run a brand called Ichigyu, and you can tell it's a company focused on gyukatsu.

I had a lovely meal at Gyudo, with high-quality gyukatsu and yakiniku and even ochazuke!