Gwanak Japanese restaurant with beer and chicken tempura udon: Kosi

I've been going to an academy near Seoul National University Entrance Station lately! Where exactly is a secret >< So, while wondering what to eat before class, I stopped by Kosi Seoul National University Entrance Branch (코시 서울대입구점) :)

A solo meal before class near Seoul National University Entrance Station

It was only about a 2–3 minute walk from Exit 5 of Seoul National University Entrance Station, so the access was seriously great. I had an awkward amount of time before class and didn't want to go far, but I got there in no time, which was so convenient haha.

I usually like hunting down good places to eat around Seoul National University Entrance Station, but after coming here, I've totally settled on it haha. No need to go anywhere else!

Once I went inside, there were more seats than I expected. There was a separate counter area that was great for sitting alone, and quite a few people were actually eating by themselves. I loved that it didn't feel awkward at all to walk in solo. You know how it is, right? For some reason, taking up a whole table when you're eating alone makes you feel self-conscious lol.

So when you're looking for a good place to eat alone near Seoul National University Entrance Station, seating is quietly a big deal. The single-person seats here were well set up, so I could eat comfortably without feeling self-conscious.

Toriten bukkake udon set with Kirin bottled beer

I ordered the toriten bukkake udon set—cold udon topped with chicken tempura—and a 330ml bottle of Kirin beer. The set came with cabbage salad, danmuji (yellow pickled radish), kkakdugi (cubed radish kimchi), donkatsu (Japanese pork cutlet), and yubu sushi (seasoned tofu-pocket sushi).

The pork cutlet looked like it had a crispy coating as soon as it arrived, and when I tried it, the outside was crisp while the inside stayed moist.

The meat was thicker than I expected, so it had a satisfying bite, and the coating wasn't too thick, which meant it didn't feel greasy!! It's apparently also known as a good pork-cutlet spot in Bongcheon-dong, and I understood why the moment I tasted it! Dipped in the cutlet sauce, it was sweet and familiar; with wasabi salt, it was much lighter and cleaner. Alternating between the two kept it interesting to the end. But the toriten bukkake udon was seriously delicious.

The toriten bukkake udon I remembered most

Honestly, the thing I enjoyed most that day was the bukkake udon haha. Fried chicken sat on top of springy udon noodles, and the combination worked even better than I expected.

Bukkake udon has a stronger tsuyu (Japanese noodle dipping sauce) flavor than udon served submerged in broth, and you can really notice the noodles' chewy texture too.

Eating it with the crispy fried chicken was just ridiculously good… At first, the chicken coating was crisp, then after a little while the bukkake sauce soaked in slightly and made it moist. You can't resist those two textures, right? So definitely set two pieces aside on your plate first.

The savory sauce clung nicely to the chewy noodles, and having fried chicken with them made each bite pretty substantial. If you're looking for a good restaurant near Seoul National University Entrance Station and want both udon and pork cutlet, I highly recommend this menu!

The yubu sushi that came with it was sweet and nutty too, perfect for having one at a time between bites of udon. I only ordered one set, but it came with pork cutlet, udon, and yubu sushi, so it was quite filling!

Adding the Kirin beer made it just right. (Honestly, I was supposed to study, so I shouldn't have had it, but I couldn't resist.) Fried food and beer really do go together haha.

The clean, distinctive taste of Kirin bottled beer cut through the richness of the pork cutlet and fried chicken, so it was great alongside the meal. A bite of crisp pork cutlet followed by a cold sip of beer… impossible to resist 🍺 I think it would also suit anyone who wants to casually pair beer with pork cutlet in Bongcheon-dong.

A meal that felt easy even solo

Kosi Seoul National University Entrance Branch was close to the station and had well-arranged seats for dining alone, so it was an easy, comfortable place to eat overall. When looking for somewhere to eat alone near Seoul National University Entrance Station, what I liked most was that walking in solo didn't feel like a burden at all.

The pork cutlet was tasty too, but personally, the toriten bukkake udon stayed with me more. The chewy udon noodles and crispy fried chicken were totally my kind of combination haha. It was perfect for filling up before my drawing class, and next time I'm looking for a good place to eat near Seoul National University Entrance Station, I'd like to come back and try another set menu :)