Gwangjin Japanese restaurant for cold udon and katsu: Kosi

I visited Kosi Konkuk University Branch, a popular spot for donkatsu and cold udon between Konkuk University and Seongsu. It is a Konkuk University-area restaurant recognized by SBS's Master of Living and highly praised by actor Kim Seung-su.

Getting there from Konkuk Univ. Station and parking

It is a four-minute walk toward Seongsu-dong from Konkuk Univ. Station Exit 9, so it is easy to visit from both Seongsu Station and Konkuk Univ. Station. It is across from Common Ground, and you can check the menu board before entering. This is a restaurant in the Konkuk University area with parking: use the spaces immediately in front of the restaurant or the parking lot behind it.

You can check the hours before going in. It is open daily from 11:10 to 21:00, with a break from 15:00 to 17:00 and last orders at 20:30.

A restaurant for both group meals and solo dining

The restaurant is fairly spacious, so it is great for group gatherings. There is also bar-style seating by the window, making it a good place to eat alone.

Ordering from the table kiosk

You order from the table kiosk.

• Zaru udon, à la carte: ₩9,500
• Zaru udon set: ₩13,500
• Lotus-root kusakatsu, 3 pieces: ₩4,000
• Extra donkatsu: ₩6,000
• Pepsi Zero: ₩2,000

Everything arrived together, so we could eat without waiting for separate dishes. The food came out quickly too. It was served so neatly that it would be perfect for a date, right?

How do you eat zaru udon?

Zaru udon is cold udon that you dip into broth. Ordering the à la carte zaru udon also came with salad and yubu chobap (fried tofu rice sushi), which was even better. If you would rather pour the soy-based sauce over your noodles, choose bukkake udon instead. You can choose the style that suits your taste.

As you would expect from a handmade-udon specialist using the traditional Sanuki method from Japan's udon kingdom, the noodles were wonderfully chewy. The dough is made with just three ingredients—salt, water, and flour—and finished after a first and second fermentation over 48 hours. Add wasabi and grated radish to the soy sauce as you like, give it a quick stir, then dip in the noodles and enjoy.

The tempura set and extra dishes

The zaru udon set adds a tempura set to the basic meal, making it even more filling. The fried food was not greasy, and the soy sauce served alongside it seasoned it just right. It included sweet potato, two shrimp, one piece of kabocha squash, and one perilla leaf. The batter was thin, so it felt lighter, while the crisp texture and gentle sweetness were delicious.

We also added lotus-root kusakatsu and extra donkatsu, and it was slightly too much food for two women. It was my first time trying lotus-root kusakatsu, and the texture of the lotus root combined with the crisp coating made it extra fun to eat.

The donkatsu was not greasy either; it was nicely crisp outside and properly cooked through. Eating it with cold udon meant enjoying both chewy and crunchy textures, which made every bite fun.

After finishing our delicious meal at Kosi Konkuk University Branch, the owner handed each of us a fistful of vitamins on the way out. The friendly service and generous portions made me even more satisfied. If you are looking for a restaurant with parking near Konkuk University, I recommend Kosi for its delicious donkatsu and cold udon!