Mapo Korean restaurant for gyukatsu sets and ochazuke: Gyudo

Premium Gyukatsu Gyudo Mapo Gongdeok Main Branch was easily one of the best gyukatsu places I’ve tried in Seoul. It is close to Gongdeok Station and right beside Mapo Station, so it is great for lunch or dinner. With a neat menu and such good quality, this gyukatsu spot made the meal feel like a real treat—here’s my weekend lunch visit :)

Gyudo’s underground Mapo Station location and parking

Gyudo is located at Unit 138, B1, Obelisk APT Shopping Arcade, 33 Mapo-daero, Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea, in the B1 arcade of Mapo Hanwha Obelisk. It is underground, below exits 1 and 2 of Mapo Station.

If you are coming from Mapo Station, you can go straight underground without going up to the first floor. It takes about five minutes on foot from Gongdeok Station. Parking support is available, too. If you drive, park at Mapo Hanwha Obelisk Apartment and tell the counter your vehicle number.

Gyudo reinterprets the traditional Japanese ochazuke concept in a Korean style: a meal where you pour hot tea or broth over delicious rice with assorted toppings.

I visited at 1 p.m. for weekend lunch, and there were about three parties ahead of me. After around 10 minutes, I got the entry notification and went in.

Inside Gyudo and the self-serve broth station

The inside of Gyudo, a popular Mapo Station restaurant, was spacious and comfortable. Grilling meat can create lots of smoke and smells, but the ventilation was good, and my clothes did not pick up much odor even after eating. There are counter seats and tables, so it works nicely for eating alone, a date, or a family meal gathering.

Unlike other gyukatsu spots, Gyudo has a self-serve broth corner. When you order gyukatsu, pot rice comes with it, and you can add whichever broth you like to enjoy as the final course. I loved that it felt different and let you choose to your taste.

Gyudo has three kinds of broth.

• Roasted corn tea: Recommended if you want a nutty, light scorched-rice-soup flavor. It has a subtle aroma and a clean finish.
• Katsuobushi broth: Recommended if you want umami and the deep flavor of the sea. It is a traditional broth that forms the basis of Japanese cooking.
• Tonkotsu broth: Made by simmering pork bones, this broth has a deep meaty flavor and rich umami. It reminded me of pork soup with rice.

Gyudo’s menu and the gyukatsu set for two

Here is the menu at Gyudo, a Seoul gyukatsu favorite. You can order individual dishes or a set for two.

• Smoked gyukatsu set meal ₩22,000
• Smoked yakiniku set meal ₩22,000
• Smoked niku mabushi set meal ₩22,000
• Gyukatsu set for two ₩47,000
• Yakiniku set for two ₩47,000

I chose the gyukatsu set for two, which included two smoked gyukatsu (striploin) set meals, gamtae myeongran (sweet seaweed with seasoned pollock roe), and drinks.

Gyudo in Gongdeok was a place where I appreciated every small thoughtful touch. Under the table were utensils, napkins, wet wipes, and furikake topping. Everything was individually wrapped, which made it feel even more like being treated to a meal.

Grilling smoked striploin gyukatsu and finishing with pot rice

The gyukatsu set for two is ₩47,000. It includes two smoked gyukatsu (striploin) set meals, gamtae myeongran, and drinks.

Gyudo’s gyukatsu set near Mapo Station includes two smoked gyukatsu (striploin) set meals, the gamtae myeongran side dish, and one drink.

The smoked gyukatsu set meal comes with the basics, and you can add more meat. There is salt, spicy sauce, and wasabi, plus one soft-cooked egg. It also comes with seasoned shredded radish, which was just right with the rich meat.

The rice comes in a pot with kabocha squash on top. Scoop out some of the rice, bring back the broth you want from the broth station, pour it in, and eat it later. I used katsuobushi broth for one and beef-bone broth for the other.

Place the gyukatsu on the grill and cook it to your preferred doneness. If the flame goes out, a staff member will relight it. It cooks quickly, so flip it fast!

I put the soft-cooked egg over the rice. Personally, the gyukatsu + wasabi + salt combination was so good. The wasabi was distinctive, sharp, and really delicious with the meat.

The gamtae myeongran side dish was great for wrapping around the meat. It helped keep every bite from becoming too much.

Sprinkle the furikake topping that was under the table over the pot rice before eating it. It gave the meal an ochazuke-like finish, so I liked the progression of the course. Personally, the katsuobushi broth paired especially well with the furikake.

Gyudo, a gyukatsu restaurant near Gongdeok and Mapo Station in Seoul, had a lovely atmosphere and a well-composed menu, making it perfect for lunch or a date. If you are looking for a restaurant with delicious gyukatsu, I recommend Gyudo near Gongdeok Station :)