Pangyo, Seongnam Japanese restaurant: zaru vs iced soba, Godai Kitchen

What is Godai Kitchen like?

Godai Kitchen Lunch Special (고다이주방) is a tonkatsu and soba restaurant in the basement level 1 of Samhwan Hi-Pex Building A in Sampyeong-dong, Pangyo. Hours are Mon–Fri 11:00–21:00, Sat 10:30–15:00 and Sun 10:00–20:00, and parking is available in the building.

With the heat wave on, I came to try cool soba and tonkatsu at Godai Kitchen, a Pangyo lunch favorite! It's a Sampyeong-dong spot where you can eat solo too, so here's my recommendation. 🚗 Parking available in the building

I'd finished some errands nearby and stopped by Godai Kitchen, a well-known Pangyo restaurant, for an early dinner! It's in the Samhwan Hi-Pex building and I'd heard office workers already rave about it for lunch, so I went in with high hopes.

True to its reputation as a Pangyo tonkatsu and soba spot, there was a waiting list set out in front of the shop! It seems to get packed with nearby office workers, especially at lunchtime.

Atmosphere and menu

Inside, Godai Kitchen was clean and spacious. It was an in-between hour, so there were no other customers when we arrived, but by the time we finished the place was full of people coming for dinner.

Godai Kitchen specializes in Japanese home-style food, not just tonkatsu and soba but also butadon (pork rice bowl), curry and gyudon (beef rice bowl). The walls were covered in appetizing menu items, haha.

After some deliberation, we settled on soba and tonkatsu sets, perfect for the hot weather! When we sat down, the utensils came neatly sealed in a paper sleeve, which felt hygienic and was a nice touch.

Special zaru soba katsu set

After a short wait, the special zaru soba katsu set that my partner (Bokdol-ssi) ordered came out! With zaru soba, the tsuyu (dipping sauce) comes separately and you dip the noodles in, haha.

Bokdol-ssi loves Japanese food especially! Haha. Grabbing a big bunch of noodles and dunking them in the tsuyu was cool and savory, a flavor that suits sweltering summer weather perfectly.

Special cold soba katsu set

Next came the special cold soba katsu set that I ordered. The cold soba was the even chillier style, with plenty of noodles in icy tsuyu with floating slush.

Scooping up a big bite of noodles and dipping them in the cold broth makes the heat disappear! They also floated lemon in the tsuyu, which added a fresh tang and made it even better. The tsuyu wasn't salty at all even when I sipped it on its own, which I liked.

The tonkatsu that came with the set

Next, the tonkatsu I'd been looking forward to! The cutlet itself was very thick and the meat looked really substantial, which got me even more excited. Bokdol-ssi and I clinked our cutlets together, haha, then dunked them in the sauce that came with them, and the juices burst out! I officially recognize this as a Pangyo fried-food hotspot ❤️

Extra order of karaage

The tonkatsu was so good that I figured the other fried dishes had to be good too, so we also ordered karaage (Japanese fried chicken)!

I took a bite of the chunky karaage... there's definitely a frying master in the kitchen, haha. The meat itself is good, and with the crispy coating it makes you crave a beer! Cool soba, crunchy tonkatsu and karaage, we ate it all so happily ❤️ Once the weather cools down a bit, I'll have to come back for the kimchi nabe (hot pot)!

Wrapping up

I visited Godai Kitchen, a Pangyo lunch favorite and Sampyeong-dong tonkatsu and soba spot! With fresh ingredients and generous portions, I understood why nearby office workers rave about it. You can dine solo and parking in the building is very convenient, so if you're looking for a Japanese restaurant in Pangyo, I recommend giving it a visit!