Seongsu gyukatsu dinner with squid tempura and a highball: Gyuen Dang

I was looking around for somewhere to eat dinner in Seongsu the other day and ended up craving gyukatsu (Japanese-style breaded beef cutlet), so I went to Gyuen Dang Seongsu Main Branch 🥰 Seongsu has so many good restaurants, but grilling your own gyukatsu on a little tabletop grill felt like a fun, different way to eat :) It seemed like a great spot for a special dinner in Seongsu 👏🏻

Where is Gyuen Dang Seongsu Main Branch, and what are its hours?

Gyuen Dang Seongsu Main Branch is on the 2nd floor of 10 Yeonmujang 7-ga-gil, Seongdong-gu, Seoul, South Korea, about 4–5 minutes on foot from Exit 3 of Seongsu Station.

• Mon–Fri 11:00–21:30 (break time 15:00–17:00, last order 20:30)
• Sat–Sun 11:30–22:00 (last order 21:00)
• No parking on site ❌️ please use nearby public parking lots!

Gyuen Dang is on the 2nd floor of the building. On my first visit I assumed it was on the 1st floor and absentmindedly opened the door of the GOD EAT restaurant instead — an awkward moment for both of us, haha.

In case anyone else gets confused like I did, Gyuen Dang is upstairs on the 2nd floor! Don't wander around the 1st floor like we did — just head straight up :)

What the Gyuen Dang dining room feels like

Walking inside, the Japan-inspired interior immediately caught my eye 😆 Big brush-stroke Japanese and hanja-style calligraphy decorated the walls, which really made it feel like being in Japan. The wood-toned tables made the space feel cozy :)

✔️ Tenderloin gyukatsu & squid tempura & Suntory highball

Tenderloin gyukatsu grilled on your own brazier

First, the main dish — tenderloin gyukatsu! Maybe because it's tenderloin, the meat was really tender 👍🏻 I couldn't wait to try the rosy-pink cutlet, haha.

It looked crisp outside and juicy inside, which got me excited! What made it especially fun was being able to grill each slice to your own preferred doneness at the table. Barely grilling it kept the juices and texture intact, while grilling a bit longer deepened the flavor — it was fun eating it according to my own taste :)

Personally, I liked it best dipped in the sauce 👍🏻 The crisp-outside, tender-inside tenderloin paired with the sauce, and I kept reaching for more 😆

Salt, wasabi and sauce: three flavors from one plate

You could pair it with salt, wasabi, or sauce depending on your mood, so even though it was one menu item, it felt like enjoying several different flavors 👏🏻 Personally, dipping it lightly in just salt for a clean taste let me appreciate the meat's flavor the most 👍🏻

Rice, soup and salad make it a full meal

On top of that, the set came with rice, soup, and a salad, which made it a satisfying full meal 🥰 Eating meat alone can get a bit heavy, but the salad added clean, refreshing bites in between. With rice and soup rounding things out, the whole meal felt hearty and complete 👍🏻

The side order: gesoage, fried squid legs

I also tried the squid tempura I ordered as a side :) It's made from fried squid legs, and it was also wonderfully crisp outside and tender inside 🥰 Eating gyukatsu alone can get a little heavy, but having gesoage in between changed up the texture nicely and paired really well :)

How a Suntory highball pairs with beef cutlet

And finally, something you can't skip — the Suntory highball! Adding a highball alongside the gyukatsu and tempura really set the mood for dinner. Crispy tempura with a cold highball was, as expected, a great combo :)

Would I go back for gyukatsu dinner in Seongsu?

Gyuen Dang Seongsu Main Branch offers a fun way to eat, grilling your own gyukatsu, that feels a bit different from a regular tonkatsu place :) The tenderloin gyukatsu was especially satisfying with its tender meat, and adding the gesoage and highball made for a filling, feel-good dinner 🫶🏻 If you're after something a little different in Seongsu, or you enjoy grilling your own gyukatsu, it's worth a visit! Next time I'd like to try some of the other gyukatsu menu items ❤️