Mapo Station gyukatsu lunch date: ₩47,000 nikku mabushi set, Gyudo

A Mapo Station gyukatsu restaurant for my cutlet-loving husband

It was date day with my husband! He absolutely loves fried food and cutlets, but he's been going along with my tastes, so he doesn't get them very often. So I looked for a place with great gyukatsu and we decided to go together!

We had lunch at Premium Gyukatsu Gyudo Mapo Gongdeok Main Branch near Mapo Station, a popular spot where reservations are recommended for office workers and families with kids alike.

In short, the basic set, including the gyukatsu, was excellent, and with the onsen egg rice and scorched-rice broth, it was a fun, varied food experience. Let me introduce it: Gyudo Mapo Gongdeok Main Branch.

Where is Gyudo Mapo Gongdeok Main Branch, and what's it like inside?

Gyudo is near the connecting passage by Exit 1 of Mapo Station. It's a 2–3 minute walk from the station! A stylish wood-toned interior welcomes you.

There's a menu standing sign and a Catch Table waiting device for peak hours~

The decoration that greets you as you walk in is classy too.

Seat spacing, counter seats and coat storage at Gyudo

The dining hall is fairly big, but the seats are spaced widely, so the actual number of seats isn't that high. There's coat storage on one side, and across the restaurant are the broth bases for the finishing scorched-rice tea and extra rice.

There's also a tacchi (counter seating), often used by solo diners, on one side.

Most guests seemed to be couples, families with kids, family meals and friend gatherings, people coming with those close and dear to them.

Near the counter there are restroom signs and a country-of-origin board.

There's a receipt review event going on, so be thrifty and join in to get your gift~!

What comes in the ₩47,000 nikku mabushi set?

What we ordered at Gyudo was the nikku mabushi set (₩47,000): smoked gyukatsu set + nikku mabushi (beef over rice) set + seaweed pollock roe + choice of drink. That's what we went with!

Once you order, a brazier for each party or person is placed on the table like this. It's said to be a premium brazier made of bangjja yugi (traditional Korean brass).

At each seat there's an individually wrapped cutlery set in a personal drawer, plus flake topping. The flakes go in at the end for an ochazuke (rice with tea) feel, apparently.

Shindongjin pot rice and three rice-tea broths

Gyudo uses Shindongjin rice, famous as one of the tastiest rices. It's served as pot rice, and the scorched-rice broth comes in three kinds: Solomon's seal tea, bonito, and tonkotsu. Nice touch: you pick up the broth you want first after ordering!

My zero cola came out first, and after a bit of chatting while we waited, the food was ready~

How the nikku mabushi set tastes, with a tonkotsu rice-tea finish

This is the nikku mabushi set I ordered! Cooked beef sits on top of the rice. Perilla leaves make it fragrant~ Seasoned soy sauce comes separately, so you can add it if it needs more salt.

My husband had the gyukatsu set, so the staff lit the brazier for him~

The beef was so tender and delicious!

It came with seaweed, seaweed pollock roe, soup, onsen egg and sauces.

You scoop the rice into the empty bowl provided and pour in the broth. I chose tonkotsu!! Personally, this broth was the tastiest~ Pour it in like this and finish with the scorched-rice tea~ The tonkotsu version felt like gukbap (rice soup) to finish~

Smoked gyukatsu set: how do you grill it on the brazier?

Next, my husband's smoked gyukatsu set! The lineup is similar to the nikku mabushi set~

You grill the nicely fried gyukatsu on the brazier to your preferred doneness. Add homemade wild garlic (myeongi) wasabi, seasoned radish and so on, and it tastes heavenly~~

My husband said doneness is a matter of personal taste, and grilled the breaded part until crispy. You could faintly taste the smoke, which made the gyukatsu even better~

His pick was the bonito broth! Adding the flakes like ochazuke made the broth's savory depth even better~ With so much to do yourself, it was an even tastier and more distinctive dining experience: Gyudo.

Is Gyudo Mapo Gongdeok good for dates, blind dates and family meals?

Lots of good restaurants have opened around Mapo and Gongdeok Station lately, so it's become a hot spot for office-worker dates and blind dates. A gyukatsu place full of elegance like Gyudo seems like a great option for a date or blind date.

Plus, Yongsan and Hangang Park are nearby and car parking is available, so families with toddlers and kids should be able to visit comfortably too.

There's not just gyukatsu but also nikku mabushi and yakiniku (Japanese-style grilled meat), so Gyudo is perfect for treating elders or honored guests! I recommend Gyudo, a Mapo Station favorite.