Seoul Station gyukatsu lunch with mom after Namdaemun Market: Ichigyu

I recently went on a little Seoul Station date with my mom after visiting Hoehyeon and Namdaemun Market! Before checking out the Seoullo 7017 skywalk bridge, I looked up good restaurants nearby and found Ichigyu, a 🌟 gyukatsu 🌟 spot I absolutely love. It had tons of great reviews, so we went straight there.

Where is Ichigyu Seoul Station Branch, and what are its hours?

Ichigyu Seoul Station Branch is located at 98 Huam-ro, B1, Jung-gu, Seoul. It's open daily 11:00–21:30, with a break time from 15:00–17:00. It's right along the walk from Hoehyeon/Namdaemun Market toward Seoul Station, so the location is great! Perfect spot to hit before heading over to Seoullo 7017.

Inside Ichigyu: the underground entrance and how full the tables were

The inside of Ichigyu Seoul Station Branch isn't huge, but it has a lot of tables. Luckily there was no wait when I went, though every seat was taken...

Ordering Set 1 at Ichigyu: 2 gyukatsu and 2 drinks

I was debating just getting two gyukatsu, but ended up ordering the set with drinks included. We went with Set 1: 2 gyukatsu + 2 drinks. Side note — if you order gyukatsu, butter comes free. I usually add butter as an extra, so it was nice that it just came with it!

What comes with the gyukatsu, and what the special sauce tastes like

They give you rice like this, set up so you can scoop it yourself!! This is how it's laid out first.

And then the butter comes along with it, just like that. What surprised me at first was how thinly the meat was sliced! Most gyukatsu places cut it into thick pieces, but here it was a nice, easy-to-eat size. There's also this brown sauce on the plate — I thought it was soy sauce and almost skipped it, but they told me it was their special sauce. It had a soy-sauce-base kind of feel, but it was delicious so I kept dipping into it haha. I basically never eat soy sauce, but this one was really good. Still, gyukatsu is really all about salt and wasabi, right💗 The basic condiments were absolutely perfect🌟

The meat quality looked really good too. The breading wasn't heavy and was thin.

How to grill the gyukatsu: butter on the brazier first, then the beef

Butter goes on first, then you lay the meat on top. It sizzles so satisfyingly. If you're craving meat but can't decide how done you want it, gyukatsu is perfect for that. With regular meat you have to keep watching it closely to make sure it's cooking right, which takes a lot of attention. But gyukatsu cooks faster than regular meat and everyone can grill it to their own taste, which I think is great. It also feels a bit more upscale somehow? So I think it's actually a really good choice for a date.

I was trying to figure out what to eat with my mom... she likes meat but isn't really into Japanese food that's mostly fried, so gyukatsu was the answer!! It was her first time at a gyukatsu place, and she said the atmosphere was nice and since it's basically meat, it felt easy and comfortable to eat.

If the breading is too thick it's a turn-off, but Ichigyu's gyukatsu had just the right amount, and the meat was so tender it was a joy to chew! The breading was thin and just crispy enough, and the marbling inside the meat was insane... The meat was so tender that even I, who never eats anything remotely chewy, was totally satisfied. The juiciness was incredible haha, you could tell right away this was quality meat.

The drinks came in ice cups too!

After lunch: walking from Ichigyu to Seoullo 7017 near Seoul Station

After eating, we walked over to the Seoullo 7017 bridge right nearby to help digest and take in the pretty night view💗 Seoullo 7017 has an amazing night view, so having a meal at the pleasant Ichigyu and then heading over completes a perfect Seoul Station day-date course 🍀 Ichigyu has a nice, comfortable atmosphere that works with anyone and doesn't feel like a big deal to visit, but the food is genuinely delicious, so I recommend it.