Family lunch with kids at Gyuen-dang Avenue France, Gwanggyo

It's really gotten cool even in the daytime now~ Autumn is my favorite season out of the four, but it passes by so fast that I have to make the most of my weekends and get out and enjoy it!! So this weekend we headed out to Gwanggyo for an outing after a long while.

Why we chose Gyuen-dang at Avenue France

Gwanggyo really seems like a great place for a family outing with kids. Among all the options, we headed to Avenue France, where a lot of good restaurants are clustered together. You know how surprisingly hard it is to pick a sure-fire winner even within Avenue France? On top of that, since my kid and husband both love it, we decided today would be gyukatsu day!!

Last time I came to Avenue France on a weekday for lunch with friends, and Gyuen-dang Avenue France was apparently so well known among office workers as a Gwanggyo lunch spot that there wasn't a single seat free. Of course, being able to use the Avenue France parking lot made it really convenient for a family to drive over. The moment we stepped inside, I understood why it's so often mentioned as the go-to gyukatsu specialist among Ajou University students and daters, and as an atmospheric Japanese restaurant landmark near Gwanggyo Jungang Station.

The neat wood-tone interior and the lively energy of the open kitchen made it a really pleasant place for the three families to eat comfortably together.

What the three families ordered

Since we wanted to try a bit of everything, we ordered the signature stekki-donburi (steak rice bowl), the hot-broth atsuatsu udon, the crispy geso-age (fried squid legs) side dish, and for drinks, the ramune soda that always delights the kids plus a clean zero-sugar cola.

Atsuatsu udon – grilled scallion and chadolbagi broth

The food came out faster than I expected. First up was the atsuatsu udon! My kid loves noodle dishes and always orders udon whenever we go to a gyukatsu or tonkatsu place, but you really have to try Gyuen-dang's atsuatsu udon. It tastes so different from regular udon that my kid's eyes went wide after just one spoonful haha. The broth, made from a base of nuttily grilled scallions and what seemed like seared chadolbagi (thinly sliced beef brisket) simmered into the stock, was rich and delicious.

On top of the rich base broth, the plump noodles kept their chewy, springy bite all the way through without ever going soft.

Would the geso-age fried squid be tough?

The geso-age (fried squid legs) we ordered as a side was also a fantastic treat. Fresh, chewy squid legs were fried in a thin, crispy batter, so the outside was crunchy while the inside kept that distinctive springy squid texture and savory, salty flavor.

I'd worried that, being fried squid, it might just be a thick coating of batter with a tough or chewy interior, but this was truly the kind of taste you can't stop reaching for, and the squid's springy texture was perfectly preserved!

Udon usually comes topped with fried tofu pouches or shrimp tempura, but here it's grilled scallion and chadolbagi instead, which made the broth taste even richer!

Stekki-donburi: rice portion and sauce balance

The stekki-donburi caught the eye right away with its thick, generous slices of tender beef steak piled high across the bowl. The outside was seared golden-brown over high heat to seal in the juices, while the inside was cooked moist and just right, so every bite released a mouthful of savory beef aroma.

The sweet-salty house tare sauce soaked into the rice just enough, pairing well with the wasabi served alongside, and the rice portion matched the salty steak perfectly — no more, no less. I could see exactly why this place is known as a Gwanggyo lunch spot. I polished off the whole bowl and felt really full and satisfied.

How to eat it with the egg yolk mixed in

If you lightly break the fresh egg yolk served alongside into the bowl, the stekki-donburi becomes even smoother and richer. With a piece of beef on rice and a touch of fresh wasabi to taste, we cleaned our bowls completely without a hint of greasiness.

How was it as a family meal?

It's a solid choice not just for a couple's date but also for a family meal with kids, so next time I'm planning to come back and try the signature gyukatsu. If you're heading out to Gwanggyo and want a satisfying Japanese meal with the family, or a can't-go-wrong lunch in a nice atmosphere, I recommend Gyuen-dang Avenue France Gwanggyo Branch.