Gwanggyo Jungang Station Japanese late lunch for three: Gyuen-dang

The two biggest headaches when taking a kid out on weekends are parking and picking the menu, am I right? This time my husband, our second daughter, and I drove out to Gwanggyo hoping to get a proper Japanese-restaurant vibe going after a while. In crowded neighborhoods, not being able to find parking drains all your energy before you even walk in, but this place has such easy parking that I felt lighter from the moment we set out. Among the countless restaurants around, we headed without hesitation to Gyuen-dang Avenue France Gwanggyo Branch, a Japanese restaurant near Gwanggyo Jungang Station that's been getting a lot of buzz lately.

Inside Gyuen-dang Avenue France Gwanggyo, and how the late-lunch booking worked

Gyuen-dang Avenue France Gwanggyo Branch usually has a wait, but since we booked a time well past the lunch rush, we ate at a relaxed pace. The tables were spaced generously and the store was well kept, making it a comfortable place to sit with a child.

The moment we opened the door, the staff greeted us with really bright smiles. I've been to countless restaurants, and nine times out of ten, how the day's meal feels comes down to how friendly the staff are. Anyone else the same way?!

In that sense, this place made me feel well taken care of from the second we walked in, and I couldn't help but smile.

The table spacing was wide and the store was so well organized that it was a really comfortable environment for eating with a child.

This is normally a place you'd have to wait for, but since we'd booked a time well after the lunch rush, we had room to spare.

The three dishes a family of three ordered, and what each costs

At Gyuen-dang Avenue France Gwanggyo Branch we picked out the three signature dishes we'd had our eye on, one of each: sirloin gyukatsu 19,000 won, hamburger omurice 17,000 won, and atsuatsu udon 11,000 won.

Sirloin gyukatsu that comes out fried and ready to grill yourself!! Hamburger omurice with fluffy egg and meat patty that no kid could ever refuse, plus a warming bowl of atsuatsu udon to fill our stomachs — we loaded the table generously with all three.

We made sure to study how to eat gyukatsu properly first~

Sirloin gyukatsu / 19,000 won / beef sirloin grilled to your own taste on a tabletop stove Hamburger omurice / 17,000 won / thick meat patty paired with fluffy egg Atsuatsu udon / 11,000 won / a soup dish with deep, rich broth and chewy noodles that really stands out

How to grill sirloin gyukatsu on the mini tabletop stove

Sirloin gyukatsu arrives fried crisp only on the outside, and you grill it yourself at the mini tabletop stove. Flip it once the surface turns a slightly dark brown, and cook the other side for about 10 seconds — that timing was just right.

Shortly after, the solid fuel in the small cast-iron mini stove at the center of the table caught fire.

Soon after, the sirloin gyukatsu arrived, fried crisp only on the outside with its rosy pink center still intact.

The real charm of this place is the hands-on cooking that unfolds right on this little stove. Pick up a piece of meat and set it gently on the heated grill plate, and you get that sizzling sound along with a savory meaty aroma that hits your nose.

Unlike regular meat dishes that someone else grills all at once and that go cold quickly, being able to grill each piece right when you want it, at your own pace, was genuinely appealing.

Once you put the meat on and the surface turns slightly dark brown, flip it with chopsticks and cook the other side lightly for about 10 seconds — that's the sweet spot. The outside crunches audibly while the inside stays full of soft juices, melting the moment it hits your mouth.

Setting the gyukatsu on the stove with melted butter, flipping it, and finding the exact best timing yourself — this whole cute little process made the meal so much more enjoyable.

My husband grilled piece after piece and kept exclaiming how good it was, and our second daughter was fascinated watching the meat grill right in front of her, saying it was tasty. With such a clear point of difference, it makes sense that so many people always put this place on their list of recommended Japanese restaurants near Gwanggyo Jungang Station.

The hamburg steak omurice our daughter loved

Gyuen-dang's hamburger omurice, 17,000 won, comes with a thick hamburg steak topped fluffily with a half-moon-shaped egg. The slightly sweet, deeply savory sauce went perfectly with the rice, making it the perfect dish for our daughter.

The hamburger omurice that came out next grabbed our attention with its looks right away. That half-moon egg is pretty cute, isn't it?

A thick, juicy hamburg steak was fluffily covered with soft egg, and the slightly sweet, deeply savory sauce was a perfect match with the rice!!

It's the kind of softness that makes you think of it again later.

Why atsuatsu udon is a perfect match for gyukatsu

Atsuatsu udon, 11,000 won, is a soup dish that stays hot for a long time like a stone-bowl dish, and it cuts through the richness of the gyukatsu. We took turns eating it and emptied the bowl in no time.

Taking a sip of the atsuatsu udon broth, which stays as hot as a stone bowl for a long time, my stomach just melted with relief.

The chewy, springy noodles soaked up the deep, savory broth, and it turned out to be a perfect pairing that cut right through the oiliness typical of fried dishes. The three of us took turns eating and cleared the whole bowl in no time.

Is Gyuen-dang Gwanggyo worth it for a family weekend lunch?

Throughout the meal, the staff kindly checked in first to see if any side dishes were running low, and thanks to that thoughtfulness, we were able to finish the meal happily down to the last bite. If you're looking to try a well-rounded Japanese meal near Gwanggyo Jungang Station worthy of a weekend outing, I'd recommend a comfortable trip with your family to Gyuen-dang Avenue France Gwanggyo Branch.