Seoul Station Japanese restaurant with grill-your-own steak bowls: Ichigyu

The day my friend came all the way up to Seoul from Daejeon, I couldn’t just feed a friend who had traveled so far anything, you know. As soon as we met at Seoul Station, we were like, “What should we eat today?” Then someone said they wanted a nice, tidy Japanese meal, so we went on a lunch date at Ichigyu Seoul Station Branch (이치규 서울역점).

It’s less than five minutes from Seoul Station Exit 10!

Why Seoul Station is busy at lunchtime

Maybe because it was lunchtime, but I was surprised by how many people were there as soon as we walked in. There were people on dates, of course, but I also saw loads of office workers from around Seoul Station. There are so many offices nearby, and plenty of people are looking for somewhere to eat before catching a train, right?

That can make choosing a restaurant oddly difficult, but Ichigyu had an atmosphere that suited everything from eating alone or an office lunch to a casual meal with a friend. Guests kept coming in during lunch, so I could see why it’s popular with office workers near Seoul Station. Even though it was busy, the food came out neatly plated, and I was pretty pleased from the first impression.

How was the quality of the gyukatsu?

When I have gyukatsu (breaded beef cutlet), I’m always disappointed if the coating is too thick or the meat is low quality.

Here, the first bite was crisp on the outside and tender inside, and it had less of that processed-meat feel that gyukatsu can sometimes have. The meat was in better condition than I expected.

The nutty, savory flavor that is so characteristic of gyukatsu came through nicely, and it wasn’t too heavy with rice. My friend, who loves Japanese food, said it was delicious and ate it happily too.

The fun of grilling it yourself over a mini brazier

What I personally found fun was that a mini brazier comes with it, so you can grill the meat yourself to exactly the doneness you want.

I prefer meat that stays a little tender rather than being cooked too much, while my friend likes it more done, so our preferences are completely different. But since we could each adjust the cooking, we got to enjoy the same dish exactly how we liked it.

It was more fun than simply eating a bowl of rice, since we could grill little bits at a time, so it also suited a Seoul Station lunch date really well.

A neat Japanese meal for dates and quick meetings

I came with a friend, but I think it would also be great for couples on a date or for a quick meeting nearby.

And when you order the steak bowl at Ichigyu Seoul Station, it comes with an egg yolk—such a Japanese-food moment, you know? Hahaha.

Just dip it right in and eat it—instant shiawase, happiness~~ Honestly, of all the gyukatsu places I’ve been to, this one had the meat I liked best, so I definitely want to come back.

Shrimp tempura perk for Naver reviews at the time of my visit

When we visited, we could get shrimp tempura for participating in a Naver review, so we made sure not to miss out on that too.

Adding the crispy shrimp tempura meant we could eat well right through to the end.

When we left, it didn’t feel overly heavy or greasy; it felt more like we’d had a clean, satisfying Japanese meal. The review perk may change depending on when you visit, so it would be a good idea to check with the restaurant.

For Seoul Station dates and office-worker lunches

My friend had come a long way from Daejeon, so we spent quite a while wondering where to go around Seoul Station, but in the end our menu choice was a success. If you’re meeting a friend at Seoul Station for a lunch date, or you work nearby and are tired of the same old lunch options, it could be worth a visit on a day when you’re craving a hearty Japanese meal like gyukatsu or a steak bowl.

The steak bowl, where you can enjoy the meat cooked to your preferred doneness, and the neatly served gyukatsu were especially memorable.

I think I’ll stop by again next time I meet a friend at Seoul Station.