Seocho tonkatsu date dinner: cheese katsu and fried shrimp at Kosi

Hi everyone, it's Maegi! When it's hot and humid, you don't really want a steaming bowl of broth, right? You want something cold and chewy. This time I went near Gyodae on a weekend-evening date and ate cold udon that blew the heat away, plus a tonkatsu (breaded pork cutlet) that's the king of crispy outside, juicy inside. Here's my review of Kosi, a tonkatsu favorite in Gyodae!

Kosi Gyodae Branch: location and parking

Kosi, a well-loved spot in Seocho-dong, sits in the food alley near Gyodae Station, so it's pretty easy to find. There's free parking in front of the shop for 1 car on weekdays and up to 2 cars on weekends. If the spots in front are taken, you can use the Hanseong parking lot (한성주차장), a 3-minute walk away! They give 30 minutes of free parking per table when you spend ₩20,000 or more, so take note if you're driving.

Atmosphere at the weekend evening peak

We came at the weekend evening peak, and as you'd expect from a popular place, the tables were packed with customers, so I couldn't get a shot of the whole room! Sadly, I just snapped the empty tables. 📸 The interior is laid out efficiently and neatly, with single seats for solo diners, tables for 2 for couples, and tables for 4 for families or groups, so the space is used really well. It felt cozy, with that distinctive Japanese-restaurant vibe.

What we ordered: cold udon + tonkatsu + side

Since it's a hot summer, we ordered cold udon, where you can enjoy the chewiness of the noodles to the max, and paired it with a side.

Tori-ten bukkake udon (토리텐붓카케우동), ₩11,000

🍜 Tori-ten bukkake udon (₩11,000): this is the summer cold bukkake udon (udon with concentrated sauce poured over) I picked! You pour the cool, shallow pool of tsuyu (Japanese noodle sauce) over it and toss everything together.

Maybe because the noodles meet the cold tsuyu, but the springiness and chew were seriously crazy. Even chewing the noodles alone, the elasticity is amazing!

The fried chicken thigh on top is crispy outside and tender and juicy inside, and eating it wrapped up with the salty, cool tsuyu noodles felt like my summer-lost appetite came right back.

Cheese tonkatsu (치즈돈카츠), ₩12,500

🧀 Cheese tonkatsu (₩12,500): this is Kosi's signature handmade cheese tonkatsu, which my boyfriend picked! It comes out freshly fried as soon as you order, and there's really a generous amount of natural mozzarella tucked between the savory pork, so when you bite in, the cheese stretches out long and stringy~

The coating is crunchy and nutty without being greasy, so cheese lovers will definitely like it.

Side of fried shrimp, 2 pcs, ₩4,000

🍤 Side of fried shrimp, 2 pcs (₩4,000): we added these as a side in case we'd feel a little short on food!

The coating is crisp like snowflakes and the shrimp inside is plump and springy, and dipping it in the udon sauce made it a really great accent.

Overall verdict

Chewy, springy tori-ten bukkake cold udon, cheese tonkatsu bursting with savory flavor, and crispy fried shrimp: after finishing it all, we were seriously stuffed! If you're near Gyodae on a sweltering summer day and craving cold udon that cools you down to your chest, or high-quality handmade tonkatsu, definitely visit Kosi. That's the end of today's cool and delicious eating record!