Sinnonhyeon gyukatsu restaurant solo meal, wasabi with chili: Ichigyu

Back from a three-day slump, still standing haha. Making the most of what little was left of my school break, I was wandering around Gangnam alone when I ended up with an errand there — my first time back in a while.

Normally I'd just handle the errand and rush straight home, but since I was already out in Gangnam solo for once, I decided to eat something good and take my time.

Even eating alone, I'm someone who won't compromise on atmosphere or taste, so I searched hard for solo-dining spots and landed on a gyukatsu place: Ichigyu Gangnam Sinnonhyeon Branch (이치규 강남신논현점). I wanted a proper meal I could eat comfortably alone, and this felt exactly right, so I went straight there.

Where is Ichigyu Gangnam Sinnonhyeon Branch and how do you get there?

Ichigyu Gangnam Sinnonhyeon Branch sits on the 2nd floor of 19 Bongeunsa-ro 4-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, right in the middle of the busy Gangnam-daero strip, so it's easy to get to. It's much closer to Sinnonhyeon Station than to Gangnam Station, so I'd recommend getting off at Sinnonhyeon and walking over!

Beside the Maeumaeo annex building there's a staircase — climb it and you're right on the 2nd floor. Easy to find even on a first visit.

You can also join the waitlist through CatchTable, so even if the place is packed there's no need to just stand around out front. Put your name down in advance and go look around the neighborhood while you wait.

Ichigyu still busy at the tail end of lunch

I visited right as lunch hour was wrapping up, and I was a bit surprised there were still quite a lot of customers. I guess a Gangnam favorite stays popular even a little past mealtime!

Still, the interior of Ichigyu Gangnam Sinnonhyeon Branch was clean and tidy overall, which I personally loved. When eating alone I prefer a calm space over a chaotic, busy one, so the first impression was already pretty satisfying. A staff member kindly showed me to my seat, and I sat down comfortably.

Ordering the sirloin gyukatsu set by QR code

I snapped a photo of the view from my table along with the basic menu. Worth noting there are also set menus available beyond the pictured items! After browsing slowly, I went with the most basic option, the sirloin gyukatsu set.

Ordering was simple, done on my phone using the QR code next to the brazier. Not having to keep flagging down staff made the whole process fast and accurate — personally very convenient.

There are also little event stickers tucked around the table, so it's worth checking those out and joining in while you eat — small extras like that are fun to catch!

Rice first, then the full Ichigyu set spread

Not long after ordering, they lit the brazier and brought the rice out first. The steam rising the moment the lid came off the fluffy rice made me weirdly happy, hehe.

The rice wasn't just tossed in carelessly either — it was plated nicely on its own, which felt oddly touching. I'm someone who gets happy over small details like that (+1 point in my book). Even eating alone, it felt like a proper full spread rather than something thrown together.

And then the full spread finally arrived — why was it so beautiful!! A meal for one, yet the spread was so generous the whole table felt full.

The set came with 3 sauces plus wasabi, portion butter, cabbage salad, pickled cabbage, rice, miso soup, and the star of the show, the sirloin gyukatsu. Since gyukatsu is a fried dish and I can't pass up meat with Coke, I ordered a Coke too.

Grilling gyukatsu on the brazier: wasabi with chili sauce

I pulled out the portion butter hiding behind the soup, set it on the brazier, and dove into the real eating rush... Being able to grill the gyukatsu on the brazier bit by bit to my own taste was great. Crisp outside, tender inside, and eating it fresh off the grill meant it stayed warm the whole time, which I loved.

There were 3 sauces ready to go — signature sauce, salt, and chili sauce — so it was fun trying different combinations. My personal favorite ended up being a little wasabi mixed with chili sauce. The clean flavor of the meat plus the kick of wasabi and the sweet-spicy chili sauce kept my chopsticks going back for more.

The cabbage salad and miso soup served alongside were great companions to the gyukatsu too. Fried food can get a bit greasy after a while, but the cabbage and soup kept cutting through cleanly in between bites, so I could enjoy it all the way to the end!

Is Ichigyu a good place to eat alone in Sinnonhyeon?

It had been a while since I'd been to Gangnam, and filling up properly at Ichigyu Gangnam Sinnonhyeon Branch instead of just grabbing a quick bite made for a genuinely good day. Dining alone, I never felt awkward or uncomfortable at any point, so I'd recommend this to anyone hunting for a good solo-dining spot.

It's a great pick if you're looking for somewhere to eat alone in Gangnam, or craving gyukatsu in a clean, tidy setting. Big self-praise for finding such a good spot, ha... Ichigyu is also a great place to bring friends or family — recommending it to everyone, and that's today's log~