Sunday gyukatsu date near Seoul Station: Ichigyu, soba sold out

Why we chose a gyukatsu dinner in the Seoul Station LG Building basement

Ichigyu Seoul Station Branch is a gyukatsu (Japanese-style beef cutlet) specialty restaurant in the basement food court of the LG Building near Seoul Station exit 10. I travel back and forth to Busan and Yangsan in Gyeongnam a lot, so I end up at Seoul Station constantly 🚅 which means I've been exploring restaurants near the train station.

My husband said let's get gyukatsu for a bit of a Japan-trip feeling, and it turned out Ichigyu was right there in the LG Building basement.

I hadn't been able to stop thinking about the gyukatsu I had in Japan, so this visit made me really happy 🌸 The vibe of grilling each piece nicely on a little brazier was perfect for a date. I meant to order cold soba but it was sold out, so I'll definitely have to try it next time 💪

Ichigyu Seoul Station Branch: location, hours and parking

It's a 2-minute walk from Seoul Station 🏃‍♀️ Open daily from 11am to 9:30pm, last order at 8:30pm. Paid parking is available in the building 🙆‍♀️

Coming out of Seoul Station exit 10, it's the LG Building on the street where you can see Namsan Tower. It's a business district, so the basement food court is really well developed 👍🏻 Restaurants, cafés, even a convenience store, all packed in there!! And of course, today's star, Ichigyu 😆

How busy is Ichigyu on a Sunday at 7:30pm?

Even though it was a Sunday evening at 7:30pm, the restaurant was full of energy 🤩 I heard weekday lunches get a huge wait. Luckily since it was the weekend, there were some seats available ✌️

The lighting was so cute and stylish I had to snap a photo 📸

What's on the menu at Ichigyu Seoul Station Branch

There are illustrated pictures of the dishes on the wall, so it's easy to get a sense of the lineup 🎨

Mains

• Gyukatsu
• Steak

À la carte

• Hamburg steak omurice
• Steak-don
• Griddle chapsteak
• Japanese-style curry
• Yakisoba Napolitan
• Cold soba & fried shrimp

Sides

• Fried egg
• Karaage & fried shrimp
• Mini curry

There are also set menus that are great for sharing, worth checking out ✔️

There's a review event and tips on how to eat the food listed in detail right on the table ✍️

Our order: ramune soda, gyukatsu for two and mini curry

< What we ordered > 1. Ramune soda 2. Gyukatsu for two 3. Mini curry

Cute ramune soda >< felt like it had been ages since I'd seen one.

The mini brazier had flames roaring away 🔥 and the beautifully plated gyukatsu came out quickly too. Since the food arrived so fast, we had plenty of time before catching our train 👍🏻

One piece in the middle was flipped over so you could see the inside. That bright pink color really stands out 👀 The outside looks like an unmistakably crispy tonkatsu, but inside it's juicy — such an appealing combo 😎

Soaking each piece thoroughly with premium Isigny butter before grilling is what makes Ichigyu's gyukatsu special.

The rice comes in a pretty round container, and you can get free refills when you run low 🍚 It felt like sitting down for kaiseki. Everything from the dishware to the side dishes made for such a cute full spread.

How to grill gyukatsu with butter on the tabletop brazier

They put butter on first, then the meat goes on 🧑‍🍳 My husband, worried about missing our train, put the meat on super fast haha ㅋㅋ

The brazier packed full of meat looked so delicious 🥩 The butter smelled nutty and fragrant.

We each picked up a piece and toasted 🥂 then popped them straight into our mouths 😜

Heart shaped ❤️

My husband cooked his really well-done, while I ate mine a bit rare. Soft, nutty, rich — wow ~~ 🤤

It's also delicious placed on top of the rice.

Even piling on a ton of wasabi like this wasn't spicy at all, surprisingly 🤭 Wasabi is essential with Japanese food ~ The lettuce salad on the side was thinly sliced, easy to chew, and nice and crunchy 🥗

Was the mini curry worth adding at Ichigyu?

I added the mini curry — I'd been craving Japanese-style curry, so the timing was perfect. They mixed it well into the rice for us 🍛

The garlic flakes sprinkled on top were a nice touch. With a hint of pepper, it had that deep Japanese curry flavor. Goes perfectly with the pickled cabbage 🥒

You can also put gyukatsu on top of the curry 🙌🏻 The end piece was thick — a proper tonkatsu vibe 😍

Why Ichigyu's gyukatsu stayed good to the last bite

Since you can adjust the doneness of the gyukatsu yourself and pair it with all sorts of different sauces and side dishes, it's the kind of dish that stays interesting and delicious all the way to the very last piece.