Konkuk Univ. udon restaurant for shrimp tempura sets to share: Kosi

I was looking for something good to eat for lunch or dinner around Konkuk, and this time I visited Kosi Konkuk University Branch. Kosi specializes in handmade udon and katsu — and it's also known as a food expert's pick after being featured as a noodle-making master on SBS's Life's Masters, episode 1053.

The Dogok-dong flagship and Gildong branch are both famous for lining up right at opening, and apparently actor Kim Seung-soo is a fan too. Since Kosi just opened a Konkuk branch, I had to check it out.

Where is Kosi Konkuk University Branch, and is there parking?

Kosi Konkuk University Branch is about a 4-minute walk from Exit 9 of Konkuk Univ. Station toward Seongsu-dong, so it's pretty accessible. It sits right across from Common Ground, so it wasn't hard to find when I had plans around Konkuk.

You can park in the front or rear lot of the building at the address, with 1 hour of free parking — good to know if you're driving. Inside, the restaurant has 52 seats total, which is bigger than I expected. It felt like a good spot for a family meal, a date, or dinner with coworkers.

House-made udon noodles aged 48 hours

What stood out most at Kosi was definitely the udon noodles. Kosi uses just three ingredients — salt, water, and flour — to make its dough by hand, then goes through a first and second fermentation, taking a full 48 hours to finish the noodles.

The udon is made in the traditional Sanuki style, known for noodles that are chewy yet springy. In Japan, that bite is described as having 'koshi' — and that's apparently where the restaurant's name, Kosi, comes from.

Kosi's food philosophy is 'the slower it is, the deeper the flavor,' and you can really tell they take their time with each dish. It's not just the 48 hours for the noodles — the soy sauce is also boiled from scratch and aged for 24 hours before use.

The two udon sets we ordered at Kosi

We ordered two menu items that day.

• Tori-ten bukkake udon set ₩15,000
• Shrimp tempura udon set ₩15,000

Both are set meals, so they felt like a proper full meal rather than just a bowl of udon on its own.

Chewy noodles in the tori-ten bukkake udon set

First up, the tori-ten bukkake udon lets you enjoy chewy udon noodles together with tori-ten (fried chicken tempura).

True to handmade udon, the noodles had that distinct chewy texture — definitely different from your average udon noodle.

Bukkake udon, unlike udon fully submerged in broth, lets you really feel the noodle's texture, so it seems like a great fit if you want to taste Kosi's noodles specifically.

Is the shrimp tempura udon set worth ordering too?

The second dish we ordered was the shrimp tempura udon set. As the name suggests, it comes with crispy shrimp tempura alongside the udon, and the combination of crunchy shrimp and chewy noodles worked really well.

The udon broth wasn't simple either. It's made by simmering South Sea anchovies and kelp for 12 hours, then adding their secret soy sauce to round out the deep flavor. Maybe that's why the broth tasted savory and deep rather than sharply salty.

Next visit to Kosi: the katsu menu

Kosi specializes not just in udon but katsu as well. The katsu is apparently fried fresh to order too — pork aged for 24 hours is breaded and fried the moment you order, which is said to keep it thick yet tender.

So next time, I really want to try the katsu alongside the udon. If you're looking for good katsu near Konkuk on top of udon, Kosi Konkuk University Branch is worth keeping in mind.

Good ingredients plus time: the verdict on Kosi

The more I learned about Kosi's food, the more interesting it got — almost everything here takes 'time.' The udon noodles are aged 48 hours, the soy sauce 24 hours, and the katsu is also aged for 24 hours. It's a completely different approach from food made and sold quickly.

The slower it is, the deeper the flavor becomes

Kosi's food philosophy really comes through in the dishes themselves. Since it's a handmade udon specialist that makes and ages its own noodles, it feels like a great fit for udon lovers, and it's also a solid option if you're searching for good katsu near Konkuk.

It's close to Konkuk Univ. Station and easy to find right across from Common Ground, plus 1 hour of free parking makes it easy to visit by car. It felt like a good spot for all kinds of occasions — family meals, dates, meetups with friends, or dinner with coworkers.

If you're craving chewy handmade udon near Konkuk, I'd recommend Kosi Konkuk University Branch. Like we did, ordering one tori-ten bukkake udon set and one shrimp tempura udon set to share is a great way to go. Next time, I want to try the katsu we missed this time.

If you've been looking for good katsu near Konkuk, or a place where you can have both udon and katsu together, give Kosi Konkuk University Branch a visit. It's a place where you can really feel Kosi's food philosophy of taking the time to build deeper flavor. If you love the chewy texture of 48-hour aged handmade udon in particular, it's worth a visit at least once. I went looking for good katsu near Konkuk and ended up enjoying great udon too — Kosi Konkuk University Branch is a good one to remember when you want a filling meal around Konkuk :)