Sinnonhyeon gyukatsu Set 1 with ramune soda and tartar sides: Ichigyu

Hey, it's Bongsami, here to try Japanese food in style. This time I visited Ichigyu, a Sinnonhyeon spot famous for its unbelievably soft gyukatsu (fried beef cutlet).

Ichigyu Gangnam Sinnonhyeon Branch ✔️Address: 19 Bongeunsa-ro4-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, South Korea, 2nd floor ✔️Hours: Daily 11:00-21:30 (break time 15:00-17:00) ✔️Parking: Use nearby private parking lots

How to find Ichigyu Gangnam Sinnonhyeon Branch, and where to park

This place sits tucked behind the Nike Gangnam store. It's just a 3-minute walk from Sinnonhyeon Station exit 4, where lines 9 and Shinbundang cross, so the accessibility is excellent.

Because of the location, there's no in-building parking, but there are private parking lots nearby, so I'd recommend parking in advance before your visit.

Inside Ichigyu: atmosphere and seating

Walk up to the 2nd floor and open the door, and this tidy interior of Ichigyu, the Sinnonhyeon spot, opens up. There were plenty of tables good for 2 to 4 people, but there can be a wait during peak times, so booking ahead might be a good idea.

Ichigyu's menu and ordering gyukatsu Set 1 for two

The menu here is centered on gyukatsu and steki (steak), with plenty of variety — meat dishes like hambagu omurice and hotplate chapsteak, noodles like yakisoba, plus Japanese curry and fried items.

You order comfortably from your seat using the QR code. After some deliberation, I went with Set 1 — gyukatsu for two with drinks included — and added karaage and shrimp tempura. The drink options were unusual: you could pick ramune soda, so I chose that.

Ramune soda and a glass of ice

Before the food arrived, they thoughtfully brought out the drink and a glass of ice first. Pouring cold cola over the ice made me forget all about the heat wave outside. A cold sip later, I felt like I could survive.

Ramune, famous for that banana-milk-candy-like soda flavor, isn't something you usually find at a regular restaurant, so it was a nice surprise. The portion is a bit small, but the sweet soda flavor is great, and the bottle is so cute it just makes me happy.

Rice served separately: what comes with the gyukatsu set

Ichigyu, the Sinnonhyeon spot, serves rice in a separate bowl like this. This portion is for two, so you just scoop as much as you want into your own bowl. The staff mentioned to ask if it runs low, so it seems refills are possible.

And here it is, the full gyukatsu spread. With soup, salad, various sauces, and pickles, nothing is missing and it all looks so tidy. The gyukatsu itself is especially huge, which made me thrilled.

First bite goes to the salad, crisp and sweet, which really gets the appetite going. They say it's good to eat salad before the main dish, and it's also perfect to nibble on between bites of a dish that could otherwise feel heavy.

Grilling sirloin gyukatsu with butter on the tabletop brazier

Now, at each seat there's a small brazier, so you melt a bit of butter on it and lay a piece of the cutlet on to grill. Since it's beef, it doesn't really need much cooking, but grilling it briefly adds the flavor of the butter.

Once the color has just faded from red, take it off and eat. The gyukatsu at Ichigyu, the Sinnonhyeon spot, is a lean sirloin cut like a plain steak, lightly fried on the outside like a tonkatsu (pork cutlet).

Topped with fresh wasabi and dipped generously in sauce, it's neither salty nor greasy — just a great chew of meat. Depending on your taste, dipping it in salt or chili sauce works too. Soft yet chewy — that texture is really good.

The added shrimp tempura and karaage with tartar sauce

I'd almost forgotten, but then the added side dishes — shrimp tempura and karaage (Japanese fried chicken) — arrived. I was genuinely surprised at how big the shrimp were. Fried whole, head and all, alongside boneless-chicken-style karaage.

Ichigyu, the Sinnonhyeon spot, serves tartar sauce alongside the fried items, and dipping generously in it gives a nutty, tangy flavor that's just delicious. This would go to heaven with a cold draft beer...

Is Ichigyu Gangnam Sinnonhyeon Branch worth a return visit?

I ate beef until I was genuinely full and satisfied — and at this price? It feels far more upscale than tonkatsu, but with a price like this, this is where I'll come whenever I crave beef.

So my personal takeaway from visiting Ichigyu, the Sinnonhyeon spot, is that this is a Japanese restaurant where the soft gyukatsu is absolutely unbeatable. If you want to try some seriously flavorful beef, go check it out in style!