Tonkatsu with 1-hour free parking near Isu Station: Kosi Isu Branch

I'm usually team "iced coffee no matter the season," and it's the same with udon — I rarely order the hot kind, but I really love cold udon when the noodles have that springy bite, and I go out for it pretty often.

This time I visited Kosi near Isu Station, a place said to make proper udon with 48-hour aged, handmade noodles!

• 119m from Isu Station Exit 9 — super close to the station — plus 1 hour of free parking in the basement
• Handmade cold udon noodles, made from dough aged 48 hours, with an exceptionally springy, chewy texture
• Thick tonkatsu, fried moist and crispy, made with domestic chilled pork loin

If you're looking for an Isu Station restaurant with all this going for it, I highly recommend Kosi! haha

Location and parking at Kosi near Isu Station

Kosi is on the 1st floor of the Isu Xi commercial building, a 1–2 minute walk from Exit 9 of Isu Station, so it's very accessible, and there's plenty of space in the building's basement parking with a free 1-hour allowance too. (Parking is on B2–B3.)

We drove there, and the parking lot was spacious so there was zero parking stress — so convenient! And if you're taking the subway, it's right there as soon as you come out of Exit 9, which is honestly such a great location.

What's the atmosphere like inside?

We came during dinner time and it was already packed with customers — must be a well-known spot. Luckily there were one or two seats left so we could sit down without waiting.

The inside has an ivory-and-wood-tone look that feels cozy and clean, perfect for a casual everyday meal or even a date spot. Even though the staff were busy, everyone was so friendly the whole time, which put me in a great mood! hahaha

The menu board and what we ordered

Kosi's signature menu near Isu Station is udon and tonkatsu. I was especially happy to see cold udon on the menu since that's my favorite! haha

We ordered two main dishes plus a side.

• Handmade Ten Bukkake Udon ₩11,000 (+tempura ₩4,000)
• Mixed Tonkatsu ₩14,500
• Sweet Potato Cheese Croquette (2 pcs) ₩3,500

How the handmade ten bukkake udon tastes

The handmade ten bukkake udon has noodles aged 48 hours that aren't hard at all but springy and chewy, and the house-simmered tsuyu soy sauce isn't too salty, so it paired well with the noodles.

Apparently Kosi sticks to the traditional Japanese Sanuki method — kneading the dough from just three pure ingredients (salt, water, flour) and letting it age through two stages over 48 hours. Fun fact: the Japanese phrase "koshi ga aru" means "having a satisfying bite," and true to the name, the noodles really delivered on that!

If you've been around for cold udon, you know some places have noodles that are too hard or taste raw-flour-ish, right? But Kosi's noodles had zero flour smell, were cooked evenly all the way through, and still had great springiness and chew! hahaha

On top of that, the tsuyu broth, simmered with soy sauce brought in directly from Japan, wasn't salty and had deep umami that matched well with the thick noodles.

The added tempura — shrimp tempura and sweet pumpkin tempura placed on top of the udon — was crispy and delicious too, so we ended up with a more filling bowl! haha

Mixed tonkatsu and sweet potato cheese croquettes

The tonkatsu in the mixed platter is domestic chilled pork, seasoned first, then coated in milk and moist breadcrumbs and fried only after the order comes in, apparently!

Maybe that's why there was zero off-smell, and it wasn't the kind of overly-crispy fried food that scrapes up the roof of your mouth — just the right amount of savory and crunchy. Above all, the cutlet meat was so thick that one bite filled my mouth with the savory taste of the pork loin — it was no joke! hahaha

The king shrimp cutlet in the mixed platter was crispy too, with plump, tasty shrimp inside.

Since the batter itself is so thin and crispy, the sweet potato cheese croquette we ordered as a side (2 pcs, ₩3,500) was sweet, soft, and delicious. 😍

Overall verdict on Kosi Isu Branch

The cold udon at Kosi near Isu Station has noodles that are chewy without being too hard, and the tsuyu seasoning isn't overly salty, so I could happily finish the whole bowl.

The tonkatsu and other fried items also had a great overall balance — the batter wasn't thick or greasy, and the meat was thick-cut too! haha If you're near Isu Station and want a clean, not-too-salty meal with handmade cold udon or thick tonkatsu, this place is a great stop. The basement parking is easy too, so if you're driving, I'd definitely recommend swinging by without worry! hahaha