Late dinner yakisoba napolitan at Wonju gyukatsu restaurant Ichigyu

Where is Ichigyu Wonju?

Ichigyu Wonju is a gyukatsu specialty restaurant tucked into the very back of the first floor of the Lotte Cinema building at 51 Neungna-dong-gil, Wonju, Gangwon, South Korea, in the Musil-dong neighborhood. It's open daily 11:30–22:00 with a break time of 15:00–17:00, and if you use the basement parking, they validate for 2 hours at checkout.

This place is a well-known Musil-dong restaurant, and if you come during regular meal hours you're pretty much guaranteed a wait. So I tend to show up a bit after the rush haha. Today was another late-evening date-and-dinner visit. It's the only place in Wonju where you can properly enjoy real Japanese gyukatsu.

New on the Ichigyu menu: set meals and yakisoba napolitan

Here's the Ichigyu menu board. You can see it's changed a bit — there's a new set menu now. Since most people visit in groups of two or more, going with a set could be a good value option.

Also, tantanmen used to be on the menu but it's gone now, replaced by yakisoba napolitan. Cold soba has been added too.

Ichigyu apparently custom-made their own grill plate specifically for gyukatsu. That lets you really enjoy it properly, and with three different special sauces you get a different, new flavor of gyukatsu every time.

Why the sirloin gyukatsu double beats two single orders

The gyukatsu (sirloin) double is exactly what it sounds like — double the amount of gyukatsu. I used to add extra meat to a single order, but the double is cheaper and gives you the same amount as adding extra meat. Personally I think ordering the double is way better value than ordering two separate gyukatsu. Since we both love gyukatsu, if we ordered two we wouldn't get to try anything else, so we tend to order one double and add other menu items on the side!

This is the moment you can see just how tender the meat's texture is. Ichigyu's gyukatsu feels more like real gyukatsu than the ones I had in Osaka, Japan. Looking at these photos again is making me want to eat it again haha. Grill it just lightly on the plate and it's absolute heaven!

What does the yakisoba napolitan taste like?

And here's my first encounter with yakisoba napolitan. It reminded me of the spaghetti I had in Japan — the home-style Japanese spaghetti. Never thought I'd get to taste that in Korea haha. It's different from regular tomato pasta, but that familiar ketchup flavor is really delicious, and the moment you taste it, it's like a flavor you already know but can't stop eating. You know that feeling, right?

And as you can see, they didn't skimp on the bacon — it's generous, and meeting the sweet-and-tangy ketchup sauce adds a smoky flavor that feels pretty upscale. The toppings of sausage and a fried egg are also delicious, and honestly the visual and toppings you get for the price are so generous, I was impressed over and over!

Karaage and fried shrimp: what the sides include

We must have been super hungry today because we also ordered a side — karaage (Japanese fried chicken) and fried shrimp. It's great as a snack with a beer after an infuriating day at work, and also good paired alongside the main dishes. The value for the price is fantastic!! There were a whopping two pieces of fried shrimp and four or five hefty, meat-packed karaage pieces.

The fried shrimp were so substantial and plump they were almost heavy to hold with chopsticks. It's always delicious, but right now, in this moment, it's the most delicious it's ever been haha. Dipped in tartar sauce, it's heaven all over again. First wave of delight from the crispiness, second wave from the plump, tightly-packed shrimp meat.

How to grill gyukatsu on the Isigny butter cast-iron plate

My partner, wanting to grill their favorite gyukatsu first, was already coating the grill plate with butter. Here's another moment of delight — apparently it's not just any butter, but Isigny, a high-quality French butter. They brush it all over the specially made cast-iron grill plate, and when you grill the gyukatsu on it, the butter aroma wraps around the meat as it cooks without losing any of the juices. So the moment you take that first bite~ it's game over~ haha.

And here I spot the hassun (small serving dish) again. The rice here is free-refill, by the way. The rice itself is good, but somehow, true to a proper Japanese restaurant, even these small details — serving the rice in a hassun — make it feel like you're on a trip to Japan~

Is Ichigyu Wonju a good date spot?

Gyukatsu browning nicely on the Isigny butter. It's always delicious, but true to its reputation as a date hotspot, there really are a lot of couples on dates here. I'm envious~ I'm also here on a date, but the freshness is different somehow haha. Couples taking turns saying 'you try it first'~ recommending bites to each other~ food really does taste better when you come with someone you love, lol.

Honestly, there's no way this could taste bad. But I think it's only possible because it's Ichigyu. Gyukatsu really should be eaten at a place that specializes in it. With gyukatsu that feels more Japanese than Japan itself, it's no wonder this has become the go-to date spot for Musil-dong, Wonju.

A bite of gyukatsu after work, followed by a cold Kirin draft beer. Nothing beats it. Honestly, among the other restaurants in Musil-dong, this one is the real deal — it's tucked in the very back of the first floor of the Lotte Cinema building, parking is easy (2-hour validation), the space is spacious and clean, and above all, it's the only place in Wonju where you can get this. Word has spread so much that now you have to line up to eat here~ Ichigyu. I recommend it for a Musil-dong date, a family meal out, or whenever you're craving Japanese food.