Sinnonhyeon date at Japanese restaurant Ichigyu: grilled cheese, mochi
In short
Ichigyu Gangnam Sinnonhyeon Branch is a gyukatsu (beef cutlet) restaurant a 3-minute walk from Exit 4 of Sinnonhyeon Station in Gangnam, Seoul. On a date here, the writer ordered one gyukatsu set and one steki (steak) set, then grilled the event-freebie cheese and daepae-mochi (thin-sliced rice cake) together on the mini tabletop brazier. The gyukatsu was crisp outside and juicy inside and the steki was tender, making it impossible to pick a winner.
Good to know
- Hours
- Daily 11:30–21:30
- Waiting
- Remote queuing and on-site sign-up from 11:00
- Parking
- Nearby paid private lots (Le Meridien Lot 2 and Lot 3, etc.)
- Location
- 3-minute walk from Sinnonhyeon Station (Line 9, Sinbundang Line) Exit 4; also reachable from Gangnam Station (Line 2, Sinbundang Line)
- Ordered
- Gyukatsu set, steki set
- Event
- Grillable cheese and daepae-mochi (rice cake) plus shrimp tempura, given for taking part
as written by the visitor on Sep 20, 2026
A Sinnonhyeon favorite: Ichigyu Gangnam Sinnonhyeon Branch
- 30 Bongeunsa-ro 6-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, 1st floor
- 🕖 Hours: Daily 11:30–21:30
- 📢 Remote queuing and on-site registration available from 11:00
- 🅿️ Parking: nearby paid private lots (Le Meridien Lot 2, Lot 3, etc.)
- 📍 Location: 3-minute walk from Sinnonhyeon Station (Line 9, Sinbundang Line) Exit 4; also walkable from Gangnam Station (Line 2, Sinbundang Line)
I love gyukatsu, so on a date in Sinnonhyeon we went to a place famous for it.
I came away amazed by the gyukatsu — crisp outside, juicy inside — and the steki set at this Sinnonhyeon favorite, Ichigyu Gangnam Sinnonhyeon Branch.
How to reach Ichigyu Gangnam Sinnonhyeon Branch, plus waiting and parking
Ichigyu Gangnam Sinnonhyeon Branch is just a 3-minute walk from Exit 4 of Sinnonhyeon Station, so it's super accessible by public transit! It's such a well-known hotspot that using remote queuing (available from 11 AM) or on-site registration lets you get in without much of a wait.
Even the exterior has that Japanese butcher-shop vibe with a warm atmosphere — it really caught my eye as I walked by 🖤
If you're driving, the nearby paid lots — Le Meridien Lot 2 and Lot 3 — are convenient 🚗
Is Ichigyu's wood-toned interior good for a Sinnonhyeon date?
Step inside and a calm yet warm wood-toned interior greets you! It felt cozy and comforting 🖤
A perfect spot for a Sinnonhyeon date, chatting away with your partner 🫶🏻
Ichigyu's menu and how to order
Ichigyu's signature dishes are the gyukatsu set and the steki set. 💡 You can also add extra meat or butter.
There were plenty of other delicious-looking options too — hamburg omurice, steki-don, pollock roe chapsteak, Japanese curry, yakisoba Napolitan, cold soba with shrimp tempura — but we ordered the gyukatsu and steki sets! You have to get gyukatsu when you come to Ichigyu.
Every table has a QR code, so you can browse the whole menu and even order right from there!
Each dish comes with a clear description 🫶🏻
Order placed: one gyukatsu set, one steki set ✨
They also sell combo sets!
Ichigyu's cheese and daepae-mochi event: how to get the freebies
💡 One way to enjoy Ichigyu even more is to spread butter, then pile on cheese and daepae-mochi (rice cake) to grill. You get the chewy daepae-mochi and grillable cheese by joining the event!
There's another event too 🤍 a shrimp tempura giveaway! Ichigyu's event freebies are always so generous.
While waiting for the gyukatsu and steki, I read up on how to eat gyukatsu the best way 🫶🏻 Gyukatsu is basically served medium-rare, so you grill it to your own taste! They say about 7–8 seconds is ideal, but personally I like mine cooked a bit more, for that crisp-outside, juicy-inside texture 🤍
Grilling the gyukatsu set yourself on a mini brazier
It finally arrived... my beloved Ichigyu gyukatsu.
🥩 A gyukatsu set you grill yourself on a mini brazier, to your own taste. Grilling it yourself on the little brazier might sound like a bit of a hassle, but I actually found it really fun — like its own little bit of entertainment.
On the cute little brazier at our table, I first put butter and the gyukatsu, sizzling it to the doneness I wanted!
The freshly fried, crispy coating locked in the juicy red meat inside, and the moment I bit in it just melted in my mouth — insane texture.
So delicious.
The meat's natural umami is so good that even with just a touch of salt and wasabi, it's heavenly ✨ A bite of gyukatsu, a bite of rice — the best combo!!!
What is the steki set at Ichigyu like?
Next, the steki set. Every time I've come to Ichigyu, I've only ever ordered gyukatsu, but this time I was curious about the steki set so I gave it a try! And wow...
It was so good!
The soft, richly flavored steki set had its own bold savoriness, and alternating bites of gyukatsu and steki turned out to be the perfect pairing 🤍
The cheese and daepae-mochi (rice cake) we got from the event.
Grilled right beside the gyukatsu and steki.
The cheese had a soft, pillowy texture and a lovely nutty flavor!!!
The rice cake was also nice and chewy.
Gyukatsu or steki: which set was better at Ichigyu?
The steki had a completely different charm from the gyukatsu! If gyukatsu is crisp outside and juicy inside, steki is soft and tender all through 🤍
Turns out Ichigyu isn't just great at gyukatsu — the steki is delicious too.
The steki felt cleaner and lighter than the gyukatsu 🫶🏻 Both were so good I honestly can't pick a winner...
It was so delicious I forgot all about my diet.. If you want high-quality gyukatsu and steki near Sinnonhyeon, or you're looking for a great date spot in the area, I highly recommend Ichigyu Gangnam Sinnonhyeon Branch 🤍
Where it is
19 Bongeunsa-ro 4-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, 2nd floor, South Korea서울특별시 강남구 봉은사로4길 19 2층
