Early 5pm dinner at a Gyodae Station tonkatsu restaurant: Kosi Gyodae
In short
Kosi Gyodae Branch is a Japanese restaurant on Seocho-daero 48-gil in Seocho, Seoul, serving house-made udon and handmade tonkatsu (pork cutlet). On a weekday visit at 5pm, the writer ordered the mixed katsu at ₩14,500 as a standalone plate without udon, which came with a pork loin katsu and a king shrimp katsu fried whole from head to tail. The thick loin katsu was the highlight for staying juicy rather than dry, and with counter seats, Kosi Gyodae Branch suits solo diners and dates alike.
Good to know
- Mixed katsu
- ₩14,500 (pork loin katsu + king shrimp katsu)
- Zero Coke
- ₩2,000
- Basic bukkake udon
- ₩9,000
- Chicken tempura bukkake udon
- ₩11,000
- Tempura bukkake udon
- ₩11,000
- Zaru udon (cold dipping udon)
- ₩9,500
- Katsudon (pork cutlet rice bowl)
- ₩11,000
- Gyudon (beef rice bowl)
- ₩10,500
- Karaage don (fried chicken rice bowl)
- ₩10,500
- Parking
- About 4 spots in front of the restaurant, no parking validation
- Seating
- Counter seats available, waiting seats outside
- Self-service bar
- Refills of pickled radish and kkakdugi (radish kimchi); takeout containers, sauces, hair ties and aprons provided
- Price reference
- ₩14,500 ≈ $10.5 · ₩2,000 ≈ $1.5 · ₩9,000 ≈ $6.6 (2026-09-26)
as written by the visitor on Aug 14, 2026
Kosi Gyodae Branch, a tonkatsu (pork cutlet) restaurant worth knowing near Gyodae Station
I'd been to the Isu branch of Kosi before and the thick-cut tonkatsu there was really good. Turns out there's a branch in Gyodae too? I go to Gyodae a lot, so I finally made it over. Kosi Gyodae Branch has this interior that genuinely feels like Japan, so it'd make a great date spot too.
Where is Kosi Gyodae Branch, and is there parking?
Kosi Gyodae Branch is at 32 Seocho-daero 48-gil, 1st floor, Seocho-gu, Seoul, near Gyodae Station. I went around 5pm on a weekday and customers kept coming in nonstop. Lots of solo diners, couples on dates, friends hanging out — all kinds of people. There are about 4 parking spots in front of the restaurant, but no parking support, which was a bit disappointing.
Kosi, a tonkatsu spot worth trying near Gyodae, makes its noodles fresh each day from dough aged 48 hours, so it's said to be easy on digestion and chewy. They also say the broth is drawn fresh every morning from good ingredients like Namhae anchovies, kelp, and bonito flakes!! Kosi's handmade tonkatsu uses domestic pork aged 24 hours and is fried fresh to order, so how could it not taste good.
I heard Kosi Gyodae Branch has a wait during weekday lunch, and maybe that's why — there were seats outside for customers waiting in line.
Inside Kosi Gyodae Branch: counter seats and the self-service bar
Overall it's a modern, clean interior. There's a big window that makes the space look really nice. Just going out for tonkatsu can feel like a weird date idea, but with Kosi's interior giving off real Japan vibes, tonkatsu here totally passes as a date course haha.
The inside wasn't cramped, and since there are counter seats, it seems like a comfortable option for anyone near Gyodae Station looking for a good solo meal.
The self-service corner has pickled radish and kkakdugi (radish kimchi), so once you finish the amount you're given, you can refill it yourself.
There are separate takeout containers, so it's easy to box up leftovers. I always feel like restaurants that do this are just thoughtful, and I like it. Sauces and seasonings, hair ties, even a self-service apron — all really well prepared.
Kosi Gyodae Branch menu and prices
- Basic bukkake udon ₩9,000
- Chicken tempura bukkake udon ₩11,000
- Tempura bukkake udon ₩11,000
- Zaru udon (cold dipping udon) ₩9,500
- Donburi bowls also run in the low ₩10,000s
- Katsudon ₩11,000
- Gyudon ₩10,500
- Karaage don ₩10,500
What I ordered: mixed katsu ₩14,500 and a Zero Coke ₩2,000
This is the mixed katsu set! The mixed katsu comes with pork loin katsu and king shrimp katsu. If you pay extra for the set, it comes with hot udon too, but honestly the mixed katsu alone is already a big portion, so I skipped the udon and just ordered it as a standalone dish.
Here you can see the thick-cut pork loin katsu with a massive shrimp katsu piled on top.
King shrimp katsu (ebi katsu), fried head to tail
The ebi katsu is a shrimp fried whole from head to tail. It's crispy with a great bite, the meat inside is substantial, and biting in released a ton of juice. This might actually be tiger prawn?! haha
The shrimp meat is packed thick inside the batter. This is really a big shrimp!
The batter was crispy too. Eating it with the tartar sauce that came alongside cut through any greasiness completely — highly recommend.
Pork loin katsu: thick but still juicy
The pork loin katsu is really thick, but despite the thickness, the inside was moist, not dry at all, and tender. How did they manage to fry such a thick cut of meat and keep it this soft?!
The tonkatsu was so thick it was almost hard to lift with chopsticks in one hand..!!!!
There's sauce set out at every table, so I tried dipping it in.
Is Kosi Gyodae Branch worth a visit?
That's my review of Kosi Gyodae Branch, a tonkatsu spot worth trying near Gyodae. Everything was good, but I'd especially and strongly recommend the pork loin katsu at this tonkatsu restaurant! Highly recommend it to anyone looking for a good Japanese restaurant near Gyodae Station.
Where it is
32 Seocho-daero 48-gil, 1st floor, Seocho-gu, Seoul, South Korea서울특별시 서초구 서초대로48길 32 1층
