Seoul Station gyukatsu spot with jubako rice and candle swaps: Ichigyu

I'm here to share my review of Ichigyu Seoul Station Branch, where I found my new favorite gyukatsu place haha

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

Ichigyu Seoul Station Branch is at 98 Huam-ro, B1 B116, Jung-gu, Seoul, about a 1-minute walk from Seoul Station Exit 10 toward the LG Seoul Station Building. It's open 11:00 - 21:30 with a break time of 15:00 - 17:00, and closed Thursday (9/24) and Friday (9/25) for the Chuseok holiday.

• 📌 98 Huam-ro, B1 B116, Jung-gu, Seoul
• ⏰️ 11:00 - 21:30 (break time 15:00 - 17:00)
• 🌝 Chuseok holiday - closed Thu (9/24), Fri (9/25)
• 🚇 1-minute walk from Seoul Station Exit 10 toward the LG Seoul Station Building 💙Line 1, Line 4, AREX, Gyeongui-Jungang Line, GTX-A💜

We took public transit, came out of Seoul Station Exit 10, and immediately spotted the stairs down to B1 of the LG Seoul Station Building haha. There were restaurant banners set up right in view so you wouldn't get confused about where to go!

We found the 'Ichigyu' banner and happily headed down🤗

Ichigyu Seoul Station Branch, famous as a Seoul Station lunch spot, is a gyukatsu and steki restaurant, and sure enough there was meat hanging right inside! The butcher-shop-style interior already had me hungry as we walked in😋

Ichigyu menu and gyukatsu prices: 19,500 won basic, 32,000 won double

Gyukatsu at Ichigyu Seoul Station Branch is ₩19,500 basic, ₩32,000 for the double (jumbo). It's described as gyukatsu made with fragrant chaesal (thin-cut beef) paired with Ichigyu's special itame sauce, featuring rich garlic aroma and tanginess♡

I love gyukatsu enough to fly to Japan just to eat it, so both my companion and I ordered the basic gyukatsu (₩19,500)!

Warm rice served in a jubako lacquer box

Since we ordered basic gyukatsu for two, Ichigyu Seoul Station Branch brought out steaming rice in a jubako box, the kind you'd see at an unagi-don restaurant🍚

Usually when rice comes in separate bowls it tends to go cold, but I loved being able to scoop warm rice from the jubako box as much as I wanted haha!

We were seated against the wall, so the brazier was placed like this at first, but since both of us ordered gyukatsu, we asked them to move it to the center haha

Free shrimp tempura with a Naver reservation, plus the 7,000-won karaage

They told us shrimp tempura is given free to people who made a Naver reservation haha. We also ordered karaage & shrimp tempura (₩7,000) extra and enjoyed 2 pieces each with tartar sauce!

How to grill and eat gyukatsu at Ichigyu

Ichigyu Seoul Station Branch's gyukatsu comes with butter that you're supposed to melt on the brazier first before grilling the meat. On the back of the menu there's a guide titled 'How to Enjoy Ichigyu Gyukatsu,' and the staff also told us to melt the butter first haha

They explained that you melt the butter that comes with the gyukatsu first, then grill the gyukatsu haha

Following the instructions, we melted the butter first and started grilling the beautifully marbled gyukatsu haha. The brazier was wide enough for two people to grill together comfortably~

How Ichigyu gyukatsu compares with gyukatsu in Japan

Honestly, I never thought any gyukatsu place in Korea could match what I had in Japan... but the moment I tasted Ichigyu Seoul Station Branch's gyukatsu, I was amazed at how good it was!!

I totally understood why it's famous as the best gyukatsu place near Seoul Station! The sirloin really did melt in my mouth, it was fantastic! I grilled it longer than the 7-8 seconds recommended on the back of the menu, and it still melted in my mouth~🫠❤️🔥

Honestly, even when eating gyukatsu in Japan, by the time I got more than halfway through I'd usually feel a bit greasy... but the gyukatsu at Ichigyu was so good I could finish the whole plate, and the reason was their special sauce, the 'itame sauce' haha

Staff swap the brazier candle again and again

While enjoying such delicious gyukatsu, the staff checked in and swapped out the candle heating the brazier whenever it was about to burn down~! I was so touched by how carefully they made sure the flow of eating gyukatsu was never interrupted haha. Thanks to that, we could grill and eat the gyukatsu crispy-outside-juicy-inside on the hot brazier down to the very last piece! ❤️🔥

The story behind Ichigyu

Apparently it's a unique restaurant that combines the warmth of a butcher shop and a market. Growing up as the son of parents who ran a butcher shop, the owner naturally learned about meat freshness and butchering skills while helping them as a child, and he built today's 'Ichigyu' from those warm memories and his experience with meat. 🥩

Maybe that's why it felt like a gyukatsu restaurant with butcher-shop-style interior and a real sense of warmth — Ichigyu Seoul Station Branch❤️🔥

A second entrance so you won't get lost at Seoul Station

Walking out after our meal, I noticed that instead of the entrance we came in through, there's another one right through the revolving door that leads straight to Ichigyu Seoul Station Branch haha. There's a GS convenience store right next to it too, so it shouldn't be hard to find!

I hope this helps anyone looking for a Japanese gyukatsu restaurant near Seoul Station🤗 Next time I'm craving gyukatsu, I think I'll come back to Ichigyu Seoul Station Branch❤️🔥 This kind of melt-in-your-mouth gyukatsu is something I haven't had since Japan, and I think I'll keep thinking about it haha