Isu Station udon restaurant with free noodle refills: Kosi Isu Branch

I'm a person who loves cold udon. haha ^^

I've been to a lot of cold udon places, but this is my Nth visit to Kosi near Isu Station, so I figured it was time to write it up🫪 This isn't my first visit to Kosi either — I stopped by once before. The chewy texture of the udon noodles I had that time really stuck with me💦 The noodles were so springy and delicious that after one bite, I kept craving them on hot days like these (¯―¯٥). If you like the particularly chewy, smooth texture of cold udon noodles, I think you'll be satisfied here.

Where is Kosi Isu Branch, and what are its hours?

Kosi Isu Branch is on the 1st floor, right in front of Exit 9 of Isu Station, at 300 Sadang-ro, Dongjak-gu, Seoul, South Korea. Hours are Mon–Sun 11:20–21:00, break time is 15:20–17:00, and last order is at 14:50 and 20:30. Parking available / delivery available.

You can find it easily by coming up from Exit 9 of Isu Station! It's right next to the Yeokjeok Tteokbokki you see as soon as you exit, and being on the 1st floor makes it very accessible. Even first-time visitors shouldn't have trouble finding it :)

There are also waiting chairs set up outside so you can sit while you wait for a table. There were quite a few customers when I visited, and seeing a dedicated waiting area made me think this must be a popular spot people visit often🥵 That probably means it's well known and loved for its food, right?,,

Kosi Isu Branch menu and 48-hour aged house-made noodles

Udon is the main dish at Kosi Isu Branch, with both cold and hot options. There were also many kinds of tonkatsu! The signature dishes are the house-made udon and raw sirloin tonkatsu, and if you go with a set menu, you can enjoy tonkatsu, tempura, and udon together.

Walking into the store, I noticed a plaque from SBS's 'Master of Life' Episode 1053, 'Master of Noodle-Kneading.' Kosi's food philosophy is apparently 'the slower it is, the deeper the flavor,' and they say they knead dough with just three ingredients — salt, water, and flour — going through a first and second fermentation over a full 48 hours.

How to get free extra noodles at Kosi Isu Branch

It's not listed on the menu, but at Kosi Isu Branch, if you ask for extra noodles when ordering udon, they'll add them for free. You order via tablet, and the restroom/Wi-Fi password are posted for you. (Pro tip) Nice!

They're also running a Naver receipt review event that gives you a free canned drink!

And there's sesame and sauces on the side. A baby chair is also available!

Tenbukkake udon with extra noodles and basic tonkatsu

I ordered the tenbukkake udon (noodle top-up) and tonkatsu at Kosi Isu Branch.

Ahhhhh ♡ The noodles are so chewy, the fried shrimp is huge, and the fried sweet pumpkin is nicely sweet — all really delicious. The tempura is crispy too,,, they also give you inari sushi (fried tofu rice), which is sweet and tasty. Apparently 'koshi' means 'chewy bite' in Japanese, and one taste made it instantly clear why the restaurant is named that.

And I also ordered the basic,, tonkatsu to share, and it's really thick. Crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside. (Watch your mouth's roof.) Inside the crispy fried coating was packed with juice, and the meat's flavor really came through with every bite!! I tried the cheese katsu before too, and I recommend it — the cheese overflows.

Grind grind grind the sesame in. The more you add, the nuttier and better it gets. It also went great paired with the salad!

T_T I want to eat this again,, With this combo, two of us ate until we were completely stuffed. The best!!!

What Kosi Isu Branch is like at 7 pm, and the verdict

I visited Kosi Isu Branch around 7 pm after work, and the store was full except for 1-2 tables, with plenty of delivery riders coming and going too! (Must be a popular delivery spot.) On a scorching day like this, I recommend a bowl of Isu cold udon.

• Pro 1. It's de.li.cious
• Pro 2. Great accessibility