Namdaemun lunch at a gyukatsu restaurant: Furato Shokudo Seoul Square

Where is Furato Shokudo Seoul Square, and how close is it to Seoul Station?

Today I went to Furato Shokudo, on the basement floor of Seoul Square, right across from Seoul Station. It was easy to reach since it's so close to the station — you just head down into the Seoul Square basement, ride the escalator, and the store is right in front of you.

Furato Shokudo specializes in Japanese-style gyukatsu (breaded beef cutlet), grilled yourself on a personal tabletop stove — I'd wanted to try it for a while and finally made it in today.

I think this would be a great spot if you have plans near Seoul Station or are looking for somewhere to grab lunch or dinner.

Furato Shokudo is a place singer Lee Young-ji has raved about, and apparently the members of CORTIS — the group that's super hot right now — used to frequent it back in their trainee days, which made me even more curious.

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What the restaurant looks like inside

Walking into Furato Shokudo Seoul Square Direct Store, the overall vibe was clean and orderly. It had that neat, tidy feel typical of Japanese restaurants without being overly elaborate or stiff — comfortable to eat in.

Sirloin gyukatsu grilled on your own tabletop charcoal grill

What I ordered today was the gyukatsu. Once it arrives, you place as much as you like on the personal stove set up at your table and grill it yourself. I think this is part of the fun of eating gyukatsu at Furato Shokudo.

Unlike meat that's fully cooked before it reaches you, being able to grill it bit by bit to your own taste meant it stayed warm right to the last piece — I loved that. Watching the gyukatsu sizzle on the stove and eating it straight off the heat made the meal more fun too.

How long to grill the gyukatsu for the best bite

Lightly searing the outside gave it a really nice nutty flavor. Rather than overcooking it until it goes dry, I personally preferred putting on just as much as I could eat at a time and grilling it just right. Cooking it piece by piece naturally slowed my eating pace, and being able to eat it hot right off the stove was satisfying.

The gyukatsu itself was delicious, and overall it made for a clean, satisfying meal. The outside grills up golden while the inside cooks to your liking, so I think it would especially suit anyone who loves meat.

Above all, grilling it yourself gave it a different kind of fun compared to your usual pork cutlet or meat dishes. Instead of eating everything at once as soon as it arrives, putting it on the stove little by little let me savor the meal slowly. And because it's sirloin, it was so tender!

Is Furato Shokudo Seoul Square worth it for lunch?

When you're looking for somewhere to eat near Seoul Station, there are plenty of spots office workers pack into and plenty of quick bites, but today I tried something a bit different — gyukatsu grilled on my own personal stove. Being inside Seoul Square made it convenient location-wise, and the clean interior left a good overall impression on my first visit.

It's especially easy to get to since you just cross over from Seoul Station, and being on the basement floor of Seoul Square, it's a handy spot if you have plans in the area. It's right by the escalator exit, so there's little risk of getting lost.

If you want something a bit different from the usual Seoul Station lunch options, or you're craving gyukatsu grilled hot right in front of you, this is definitely a place worth stopping by.