Mapo Station gyukatsu with tonkotsu broth ochazuke for two: Gyudo

Whenever my husband and I crave gyukatsu (breaded beef cutlet) in Seoul, this is the place we always go! We stumbled on it once years ago and fell in love — it's not close to home, so we've tried other places since, but nothing compares. Gyudo, a Mapo Station restaurant known for being Korea's only premium smoked gyukatsu spot, also lets you finish the meal with a unique ochazuke (rice soaked in broth). Here's our review haha 😊

Where Gyudo Mapo Gongdeok Main Branch is, and what it feels like inside

Gyudo sits on the basement floor of the Hanwha Obelisk building, connected directly to Mapo Station! Gyudo also runs a sister brand called Ichigyu, but personally I think Gyudo tastes much better. Ichigyu has multiple locations around the city, but Gyudo is a restaurant you can only get at Mapo Station.

The vibe is like this~ I liked that the tables were spaced generously, and it really has that Japanese-restaurant feel, so it seems great for a date too.

The ochazuke broth self-serve bar and free rice refills

And here's what I fell for — these broths! When you order gyukatsu, you get a delicious pot rice made with Sindongjin rice, and you can pick your favorite broth to finish it off as ochazuke! It tastes like a mix of Korean sungnyung (scorched-rice tea) and Japanese ochazuke haha. Personally I love the bonito broth, and this time, since it had been a while since my last visit, I noticed they'd added a pork-bone broth too!

There's refill rice right next to the broths too, so big eaters can grab more here!

What's on the menu at Gyudo Mapo Gongdeok

Gyukatsu comes in fillet (tenderloin) or sirloin. Beyond that there's also yakiniku, niku mabushi, and hot-stone steak — a whole range of beef dishes. All the gyukatsu is made using an offset smoker with wood smoking, making it the only smoked gyukatsu in Seoul and setting it apart from everywhere else. If you come with two people, there are set menus that work out cheaper, so keep that in mind :)

Iron-plate steak set: the mu-saengchae is the kicker

We ordered the hot-stone steak set and the smoked gyukatsu set.

Remember how Chu Sung-hoon steak was trending a while back? I already knew Gyudo's gyukatsu was amazing, but I hadn't tried this dish yet, so I gave it a shot! It comes as a full set, so you get salad, mu-saengchae, pot rice, and clear soup — a really substantial spread.

They pour the sauce on while the hot stone is still hot. It can splatter when they pour, so make sure to put on the apron first!

I cut the meat into bite-size pieces, laid it over the rice, and ate it with the mu-saengchae. The sauce wasn't too strong and tasted great, and since it's sirloin, the meat was tender. And this mu-saengchae is such a kicker! It went perfectly.

Smoked gyukatsu set with onsen tamago

Next up is the gyukatsu my husband ordered~ The side dishes are a bit different from the steak set. It comes with onsen tamago (soft-poached egg) that you can mix into the rice.

You cook the meat to your liking on your own personal brazier. The breading is thin and the meat quality is great, so it's delicious even with just a dip in salt!

And eating it with rice mixed into the onsen tamago is pure heaven! Since it's Sindongjin rice made as pot rice, the rice itself is really delicious.

Bonito vs tonkotsu broth: which ochazuke tastes better?

The finale is ochazuke! My husband finished his with pork-bone broth, and I went with bonito broth — this is a real specialty, so you have to try it. Personally I thought bonito was much tastier, but my husband said he preferred the pork-bone. In the end both are delicious, so just go with whichever suits your taste! The pork-bone broth has a slightly light gomtang feel, while the bonito broth is more on the salty side~!

Gyudo, a top gyukatsu restaurant in Seoul. Great meat quality, great rice, and a special ochazuke to finish it off — a Mapo Station restaurant worth the visit. Give it a try 💛

Gyudo Mapo Gongdeok Main Branch: hours, address and parking

• Address: 33 Mapo-daero, Mapo-gu, Seoul, basement 1F, unit 138, Obelisk APT commercial building
• Parking available