Counter-seat solo meal in Seocho: house-made udon at Kosi Gyodae

I visited Kosi Gyodae Branch. It's a udon and soba specialty restaurant, but they also serve tonkatsu and katsu dishes. There were quite a lot of people when I visited! There's a standing sign out front so you can check the menu before going in. And personally what I liked was that parking was easy :)

Where is Kosi Gyodae Branch and when is it open?

Kosi Gyodae Branch 🏠 32 Seochodae-ro 48-gil, 1st floor, Seocho-gu, Seoul ⏰ Daily 11:00 - 20:50 Break time 15:00 - 17:00 (Closed on public holidays) 🚘 Parking available ✔️ Group dining, takeout, delivery, reservations, Wi-Fi, high chairs, waiting area, parking

Parking is always a bit of a worry when eating around Gyodae, but there's a space to park right in front of the restaurant, so it was convenient to visit by car.

How long is the wait at Kosi Gyodae Branch?

There were quite a lot of people when I visited, so there was a waiting board. I thought, "Is this place usually this busy?" and sure enough, watching while I ate, customers just kept coming in haha. But the wait cleared faster than I expected! Turnover seems pretty good, so even if it's crowded, you probably won't wait too long. You know that feeling when a place is like this and you start thinking, "Oh, is this actually a real hidden gem?" lol.

Kosi Gyodae Branch menu and prices

Looking at the menu, there were more options than I expected. From udon and soba to tonkatsu, katsudon, katsu, and even mazesoba! Prices were roughly ₩9,000–₩15,000, so it wasn't too much for a single lunch. And the signature menu here is, of course, udon!

There's warm udon and also cold udon that's great for summer, so you can pick depending on the weather or your mood. There are also plenty of side dishes to go with udon, like karaage or tonkatsu, so it's good whether you come alone and just get udon, or add a side or katsu too.

Counter seats made for solo diners

I visited alone, and personally this part was really nice. There are dachi (counter) seats near the kitchen and also by the window, so sitting alone didn't feel awkward at all. Sometimes sitting alone at a big table feels a bit self-conscious when dining solo, but here I could eat comfortably and at ease :-) For anyone who's come to Gyodae for training like me and is looking for a solo dining spot, I think this would work well.

At the self-serve area, there were even aprons ready, along with tonkatsu sauce, salad dressing, sesame, chili flakes, and other things you could mix in to your taste. I especially thought having self-serve aprons was such a thoughtful touch! It was nice being able to grab an apron and eat comfortably haha.

How do the house-made udon and cheese tonkatsu taste?

Ta-da — when the dishes all come out at once, it looks pretty hearty, right? Even though it was lunch for one, it felt like a proper full spread lol. Satisfied from the visuals alone 🙌

And the cheese tonkatsu! The cheese stretches so much—

This one you really need to see in a gif lol. If you love cheese, there's no way you can just walk past a visual like this 🤤💗

And now the udon I'd been looking forward to! Kosi Gyodae Branch makes its own noodles, and they were really delicious. The texture of the noodles was great, and the way the broth's savory flavor blended with the noodles worked really well together. Broth matters for udon, but personally I think the noodles themselves have to be good, and here the udon itself was quite satisfying :-) Looking back at these photos while writing this... ugh, I want to eat it again lol.

Salt, wasabi and freshly ground sesame

The tonkatsu is delicious enough with just a bit of salt, but I also added a little wasabi—

and I tried grinding sesame into the tonkatsu sauce. Grinding the sesame fresh really brought out a strong nutty flavor! It was fun mixing sauces to suit my own taste like this haha.

Is Kosi Gyodae Branch good for eating alone near Gyodae Station?

The cheese stretching all the way to the last bite~~~~ Looking at the photos again, I really want to go eat it again 😂 Overall, the food was satisfying and the staff were friendly. Most of all, since I came alone, I really appreciated that it didn't feel awkward at all to dine solo — I could eat comfortably. Parking was also convenient, and there's a park in front of the restaurant, so I think it'd be good not just for solo dining but for family visits too.

There were quite a lot of people when I visited, but the wait cleared faster than expected and turnover seemed good, so if you're looking for a place to eat around Gyodae, this could be worth keeping in mind :-) If you're looking for a tasty Japanese restaurant in Gyodae, especially if you like self-made noodle udon or tonkatsu, I think it's worth a visit! If I have another reason to come to Gyodae, I'll definitely go eat here again 💗 Writing this post has made me want to eat it again... that's my review of Kosi Gyodae Branch :-)