Gwanghwamun charcoal-grill lunch: steki set and cold soba at Ichigyu

Where is Ichigyu Gwanghwamun Branch, and how far is it from Gwanghwamun and Jonggak stations?

Ichigyu Gwanghwamun Branch is a Japanese restaurant sitting between Gwanghwamun and Jonggak stations, so both are convenient to walk from — from Gwanghwamun Station, heading toward Kyobo Book Centre gets you there easily.

It's also walkable from Jonggak Station, so it's a solid spot for office workers looking for a Gwanghwamun lunch spot :)

Once inside the building, head down to basement 1 to find Ichigyu — since it's a basement shop I thought it might be a bit hidden at first, but I spotted it right by the escalators!!!! haha haha

Any place with a wait has to use CatchTable, right?

What the basement dining room at Ichigyu feels like

Walking in, you get that clean-yet-warm vibe unique to Japanese restaurants — lots of wood tones throughout and soft lighting, which made it more comfortable than I expected.

It's not too dark or busy-feeling, so it works well for lunch, and it's also a nice atmosphere for two people to sit and chat over a meal ^_^

What we ordered at Ichigyu, plus the review-event cheese and mochi

Since we wanted to try a bit of everything, here's what we ordered!

• Steki set
• Steki-don
• Cold soba + fried shrimp

Ichigyu Gwanghwamun is so generous — they always run a review event with grill-your-own cheese and mochi! Definitely get some and grill it up, super tasty!!!!

The steki set: grilling butter first on your own brazier

Steki set

Finally, the steki set arrived! The meat comes cut into easy-to-eat pieces, and you grill it bit by bit on the personal grill at your table. I started with the butter, and though I told myself I'd cook it just right, the moment I put a piece of meat on there the smell of the meat grilling was already amazing... I lightly seared the outside and the meat was really tender, ugh! No toughness at all — chewing it released the juices and it just went down smoothly!

It really wasn't an exaggeration to say it melts in your mouth. Genuinely.. felt like I barely needed to chew;;;; haha The steki set comes with rice, soup, cabbage and more, and the rice is refillable too.

How does the steki-don at Ichigyu taste?

This is a dish with thick-sliced steak on top of rice, and this too had really tender meat..!!! Same texture as the steki, and when you put a piece on the rice, the juices and rice blend together so well you can't stop eating!

Personally, of everything I ate that day, both the steki set and steki-don would suit anyone who loves meat. Especially if you love that tender texture in the meat itself, I'd recommend the steki menu.

Cold soba with fried shrimp: does the combo work?

The buckwheat noodles come out cold, so eating some between bites of meat really cleanses the palate~~~~! Paired with crispy fried shrimp on the side, it was a great combo.

It's mainly a meat-focused place, but with noodles and sides also on offer, it's perfect for a group where everyone orders something different to share.

Rice refills and the egg yolk and wasabi combination

The rice comes out like this in a mini earthenware pot, and apparently you can get a refill if it's not enough!

I mixed in the egg yolk too. There's sauce mixed into the rice already, so mixing it all together and topping it with wasabi is truly the best flavor. If I come back, I'm definitely ordering steki-don again.

The lightly grilled steki, dipped in sauce, is truly fantastic.

The fried shrimp is huge too, right? Fun fact: my kid didn't give me a single bite and ate it all;;

The fun of grilling your own beef at the table

The most fun part of Ichigyu is definitely grilling the meat yourself right at the table. Instead of cooking it all at once, you put on the grill only as much as you want to eat right then, so you can enjoy even the very last piece hot — I really liked that.

Who is Ichigyu Gwanghwamun Branch best for?

This would suit anyone looking for a gyukatsu spot for a Gwanghwamun date, or anyone wanting a slightly different kind of Japanese meat meal. Its location between Gwanghwamun and Jonggak stations makes it easy to reach, and with a variety of filling options, it's a solid choice for a Gwanghwamun lunch spot.

It's also close to Jonggak Station, so it's a good find if you're searching for Japanese food near Jonggak Station. But above all, what stayed with me most was how tender the steki was that day, ugh..

If you're stuck on what to eat for lunch in Gwanghwamun, and you're in the mood for grill-your-own steki or gyukatsu instead of the usual Japanese menu, I'd recommend Ichigyu. Next time I want to properly try the gyukatsu too :)