Yeoju tonkatsu restaurant with chashu ramen: Gyugyu Donkatsu

Yeoju lunch before visiting Namhangang Suspension Bridge

Before heading to Namhangang Suspension Bridge, I stopped for a meal at Gyugyu Donkatsu, a popular lunch spot in Yeoju nearby. It was so good—I seriously fell for this place..

Parking

There are parking spaces in front of and behind the restaurant, so groups and families arriving by car can come without worrying about parking.

The red exterior really catches your eye and has all the atmosphere of a Japanese-style restaurant.

Inside, it was neat and pleasant!!

It had a comfortable atmosphere for everyone, from solo diners to families and groups. I went to eat alone, and it felt really easygoing haha.

There were separate restrooms for men and women, and they were super clean! Disposable aprons are available too.

Self-service bar and table sauces

The self-service bar has salad, danmuji (yellow pickled radish), kimchi, wet wipes, mustard sauce, and wasabi.

Beside the table were salt, pepper, sesame seeds, tonkatsu sauce, chili powder, and more! Sprinkling ground sesame over the tonkatsu sauce made it even more delicious~

Receipt review event and restaurant information

Join the receipt review event and get a complimentary drink?? Ask a staff member for the interim bill (receipt), use the QR code on the sign to go to the review tab, verify the receipt, take one food photo, write a review, and show it to the staff—it’s done!

They make their tonkatsu with fresh meat delivered daily from the family-run butcher shop! They say that myoglobin, the red protein in meat, can leave a reddish tint even when it is fully cooked, so you can eat without worry. You can have unlimited refills of sticky, prized Yeoju rice, and their ramen, made with Gyugyu Donkatsu’s own secret broth, is said to be known for its clean, refreshing flavor!

They start cooking once you order, so it may take a little time! But it didn’t take as long as I expected~

Gyugyu Donkatsu menu and my solo order

Gyugyu Donkatsu, a great Yeoju lunch spot, had set menus including cold soba sets, single-serving chashu ramen sets, and single-serving Taiwan ramen sets. The tonkatsu menu included Gyugyu menchi katsu, special loin katsu, loin katsu, ebi loin katsu, fillet katsu, negi katsu, and cheese loin katsu. The ramen and soba menu included cold soba, chashu ramen, and Taiwan ramen, and takeout is available too!!

Chashu ramen (loin + fillet) ₩16,000 / Extra egg ₩1,000 / Side ebi katsu ₩5,000 / Zero Cola

This is what I ordered.

I ordered all this just for myself, and somehow I finished every bit. This place was seriously delicious.

Plump ebi katsu and tender tonkatsu

The side ebi katsu (fried shrimp cutlet) I added had huge shrimp. They also gave me tartar sauce on the side! The shrimp head innards were savory and tasty, the coating was crisp, and the plump shrimp flesh had a great texture.

The loin katsu and fillet katsu that came with the set!

Just as the sign said about using fresh meat from the butcher shop every day, the meat was seriously bursting with juices. So tender!!

Rich, clean chashu ramen broth

The chashu ramen came with their rich, house-made broth, generously topped with big pieces of chashu and a soft-boiled egg.

The secret broth, simmered for a long time, soaked beautifully into the noodles. Once you finish the noodles, you can get extra noodles for free, which I loved even more! Eating the tender chashu together with the noodles was insanely delicious~ The broth was seriously rich too.

I love eggs, so I added one as a topping. The yolk was moist and perfectly seasoned, and it went so well with the ramen broth. It was even more insanely delicious when I lightly mashed it up.

At another ramen restaurant I visited in the past, the broth tasted too much like mixed-in powder? It was really bland and disappointing. But Gyugyu Donkatsu’s chashu ramen broth was genuinely rich and clean, so I think I practically inhaled it. Ever since moving to the Icheon–Yeoju area, I’d been searching far and wide for a good ramen place, and I finally found one.

Families, groups, and solo diners looking for a restaurant near Namhangang Suspension Bridge or a great lunch spot in Yeoju, you really have to visit here. The ramen and tonkatsu were so, so delicious—I’m 100% coming back.