Jongno gimbap-style rice refills and mini curry at Ichigyu Gwanghwamun

One-line summary

A Japanese restaurant near Gwanghwamun and Jonggak stations recommended for its steki set and gyukatsu!

Hours

• Daily 11:00–21:30
• Break time 15:00–17:00
• Last order 20:30

Ichigyu Gwanghwamun Branch near Jonggak Station — reserve ahead and skip the wait

I found Ichigyu while looking for restaurants near Gwanghwamun before heading to an exhibition!!! I'd heard there's one at Seoul Station too, but this was my first time here. You can book through Catch Table, but if you reserve ahead on Naver, there's no waiting!

The inside looks like this~~

Set menu options

They have set menus, and it looks like you get an extra drink!!

• Set 1: gyukatsu (striploin) + gyukatsu (striploin) + 2 drinks
• Set 2: gyukatsu + hamburg omurice + 2 drinks
• Set 3: gyukatsu + steki don + 2 drinks
• Set 4: gyukatsu + hot plate steak + 2 drinks

There's also a receipt review event that gives you fried shrimp, plus a cheese & mochi event!!! (If only my stomach hadn't been so full... T_T)

What we ordered and the prices

What we ordered!!

• Ichigyu gyukatsu set ₩19,500
• Ichigyu steki set ₩19,500
• Mini curry ₩5,000
• Kirin draft beer ₩4,000
• Zero Sprite ₩3,000

This place is known for gyukatsu, but I wanted something without frying too, so I also ordered the steki set! And Japanese curry is a must... (greedy, I know...)

The drinks came out first!! My partner got a tiny 200ml Kirin draft, so cute... looks like one sip but... gotta watch the calories... restraint..

Free rice refills

Interesting thing!! They serve the rice like this!!!! Steaming hot and so delicious... I love rice so much..... and get this, the rice comes with free refills!!! We finished the first bowl and refilled once more haha

Staring into the fire before grilling the gyukatsu~~~~

Gyukatsu set vs steki set

The gyukatsu set!! I noticed differences from other franchises — there's chili sauce and butter, plus a soy-pickled cabbage? That was really good too, and the gyukatsu was quite thick-cut!!

This is the steki set!!!!! Cutting to the conclusion — the steki was tastier than the gyukatsu haha. Everything else in the set was identical, but the meat......!!!! I think I'll get the steki again next time!!!!

Don't skip the mini curry

The real rice thief. Japanese curry is so good.. T_T_T_T_T_T There were garlic flakes on it too, which made it even better — perfect as a side dish! Highly recommend!!!!

Took a group shot and now it's time to go grill! Off we go

Tips for grilling on the tabletop grill

At first we grilled each piece one at a time without butter. Grilled the steki first and dipped it in salt — so good • • • 🫪 The best part is you can cook it to exactly how you like it, right there!! Then we grilled the gyukatsu too... actually, other gyukatsu is usually thinner, so a quick sear on each side is enough, but Ichigyu's gyukatsu is pretty thick, so you need to cook it through properly!! It takes a bit longer, but you get to taste all that juiciness, which is great too~~ Anyway, key tip!! Grill it longer than you would typical gyukatsu!!!!!

Grilling with butter

This time I wanted to try grilling with butter — Isigny salted butter is so good....!!!!!!

Melt the butter well, then grill the steki and the gyukatsu in it haha

+)) Just my personal preference — normally I don't use butter when grilling beef and only use it for asparagus, so I liked using just a little butter. Without any at all, the gyukatsu kept sticking to the plate and burning T_T_T_T So having the butter was so so good!!!!!

What's great about Ichigyu Gwanghwamun Branch

And... why is this so good.... that cabbage salad... and the soy-pickled cucumbers....... asked for a refill and they gave us that much again....!! T_T

+)) A strong point of Ichigyu Gwanghwamun Branch!!!! There are plenty of staff, so you can ask for anything right away. Our grill fire went out and we had to ask twice, plus we needed tongs and scissors... and more... everyone was so kind!! Had a great meal haha