Sinnonhyeon gyukatsu, draft beer and butter with a friend: Ichigyu

Why gyukatsu for dinner in Sinnonhyeon

I was trying to figure out what to eat for dinner in Sinnonhyeon and suddenly had a craving for gyukatsu (breaded beef cutlet) after a while, so I went to Ichigyu Gangnam Sinnonhyeon Branch.

I eat donkatsu (pork cutlet) pretty often, but gyukatsu doesn't come up as much as I'd like. There's something fun about grilling crispy-fried beef yourself on a personal brazier, so it's one of those dishes I think of every once in a while. This time I went with a friend — I wanted meat and a cold beer, so this felt like the right choice. 📍 Ichigyu Gangnam Sinnonhyeon Branch is right near Sinnonhyeon Station, so it's an easy pick if you're looking for a place to eat around Sinnonhyeon or Gangnam.

What's on the menu at Ichigyu Gangnam Sinnonhyeon Branch

First I checked out the menu.

Centered on their signature gyukatsu, there was a wide range of beef dishes like steki-don and hot-plate chop steak. They also had set menus, which looked convenient for a group to mix and match. We, of course, ordered gyukatsu — the whole reason we came.

What's the vibe like inside

The interior had a Japanese restaurant feel and was clean overall. There were quite a few other diners when I visited. With a personal brazier at every table for grilling your own gyukatsu, it felt different from a regular donkatsu place. It seemed like a good fit for anyone looking for a Sinnonhyeon restaurant for a date night or dinner with friends.

QR ordering and the receipt review event

Each table had a QR code menu, so we could check the menu and order right from our phones. It was convenient not having to flag down a server to order. They were also running a receipt review event — leave a review and get one piece of shrimp tempura free. If you want to take part, it's worth checking with staff whether the event is still on.

How to grill gyukatsu on your own brazier

Once we ordered, our personal brazier arrived. Ichigyu's gyukatsu comes out medium-rare, so you grill it to your own taste on the brazier. Rather than piling a lot on at once, it was better to add one or two pieces at a time and eat them right away. Listening to the meat sizzle on the plate made even the waiting kind of fun.

Gyukatsu with draft beer

And finally, the steak and gyukatsu arrived! We also ordered draft beer that day. 🍺 A sip of cold draft beer followed by a bite of hot gyukatsu — meat and beer is a combination that's hard to get wrong. The gyukatsu had a crispy breaded coating on the outside with the pink still visible in the middle.

Alternating between sauce and wasabi

What I liked most was how thick the meat was. Even just from the photo, the cross-section looks pretty tempting, right? I tried a piece as-is first, then grilled it lightly on both sides on the brazier, and personally I liked it best lightly grilled. The outside was warm and crispy while the inside stayed soft. They also had sauce and wasabi on the table, so I didn't have to stick to one flavor the whole meal. First I dipped it in the basic sauce, then added a little wasabi, which cut through the richness.

Then I tried it with butter on the hot plate

Partway through, I added some butter too. As it melted on the hot plate, it added a nutty richness to the gyukatsu — personally, this was my favorite way to eat it that day. Being able to adjust the doneness piece by piece however you like seems like the biggest perk of gyukatsu.

If you're craving gyukatsu in Sinnonhyeon

Picking up a thick-cut piece of gyukatsu, you could really feel how substantial the meat was. Having cabbage in between bites kept things light, so I could finish the whole plate without feeling too heavy. Overall, Ichigyu Gangnam Sinnonhyeon Branch wasn't just about eating gyukatsu — it was fun to grill it yourself too. It's a good place to go when you want something a little different from regular donkatsu, or when you're craving gyukatsu with a cold beer. If you're looking for a Sinnonhyeon restaurant serving gyukatsu, this might be worth keeping in mind. 😊

Ichigyu Gangnam Sinnonhyeon Branch / 19 Bongeunsa-ro 4-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, 2nd floor