Gwanggyo Jungang Station gyukatsu after mall shopping: Gyuen-dang

Hi everyone! Today I spent some time shopping and wandering around Avenue France near Gwanggyo Jungang Station. Before I knew it, dinnertime rolled around and I started getting hungry haha. So I looked up good restaurants nearby and found a gyukatsu (breaded beef cutlet) place that people rave about, so I stopped in for dinner.

The place I visited today is Gyuen-dang! I usually love gyukatsu anyway, so I went in curious about the taste.

Gyuen-dang Avenue France Gwanggyo Branch: hours and parking

• Daily 11:30 - 22:00
• Break time 15:00 - 17:00
• Last order 21:00
• 🚗 Parking: use the Avenue France building parking lot (4 hours supported)

How to find the Gyuen-dang entrance on basement level 1 of Avenue France

Gyuen-dang is located toward the outer side of the Avenue France building. It's technically on B1, but it actually looks like the ground floor, which could be confusing for first-time visitors. I also thought, "Wait, this is B1?" haha. If you head toward the outer side of Avenue France, you can find the shop easily.

The exterior was clean and gave off a proper Japanese-restaurant feel right away. Near the entrance, the menu was displayed so you could see everything at a glance. It looked like a great spot to walk by, spot the menu, and decide you wanted gyukatsu on the spot. Especially the gyukatsu items caught my eye and naturally got me excited haha.

Inside Gyuen-dang: interior and seating

The interior was clean overall. There were 4-person tables as well as counter seats good for solo diners or couples.

The interior design was nicely done, giving the place a pleasant overall atmosphere. This could be a good reference if you're looking for a clean Japanese restaurant near Gwanggyo Jungang Station or a lunch spot in Gwanggyo.

What we ordered at Gyuen-dang: tenderloin gyukatsu and steki rice bowl

Looking over the menu, we ended up ordering tenderloin gyukatsu and a steki (steak) rice bowl. I wanted gyukatsu but was also curious about the steak rice bowl, so I picked both haha.

After ordering, they set up a personal charcoal grill at our table. Being able to grill the gyukatsu yourself and cook it to your liking made it even more convenient.

On the table there were also instructions on how to enjoy the gyukatsu the best way. I decided to follow the guide and grill each piece as directed.

Our ordered gyukatsu arrived first!

The look of the meat alone was already mouthwatering.

Tenderloin gyukatsu grilled on a personal charcoal grill, with salt and wasabi

Even though it was tenderloin, there was noticeable marbling and the meat looked moist, which got me excited just looking at it haha.

It didn't come with just the gyukatsu — rice, salad, and a savory soup came along too, making it plenty for a full meal.

Now I put the gyukatsu pieces on the personal grill one by one. The moment the meat hit the grill, it started sizzling, and the sight alone was so satisfying haha. It grilled up nicely browned on both sides, cooked to preference.

Grilling each piece right before eating meant I could enjoy it warm, which was great. Watching the meat cook was also fun while waiting.

I first dipped a piece lightly in salt and took a bite. Wow, it was way more tender than I expected. The meat practically melted in my mouth.

I figured tenderloin would be leaner, but it was quite juicy and the meat itself was soft enough to go down easily. You could really taste the signature savoriness of gyukatsu, and with just a touch of salt, the flavor of the meat itself really came through.

This time I tried it with a generous dab of wasabi. The sharp kick of the wasabi paired with the soft, savory gyukatsu gave it a completely different flavor. Personally, I loved it with salt, but the wasabi combo worked really well too. It was the kind of taste that made you grill the next piece right after finishing one haha.

Steki rice bowl with stuffed fried shiitake mushroom and egg yolk

Next up was the steki rice bowl we ordered together. Steak sat on top of the rice, served with green onion to eat alongside.

The fried shiitake mushroom on top also caught my eye. It wasn't just fried mushroom — it had filling stuffed inside, giving it a light yet subtly savory taste that was delicious.

I also put the egg yolk that came with it on top of the steki rice bowl. Popping the yolk and mixing it with the steak and rice made everything even more moist.

With the subtle smoky flavor of the steak combined with rice, green onion, and egg yolk, the balance of sweet and salty was great. Eating it with rice instead of just the meat alone made it much more filling and satisfying as a full bowl of a meal.

First visit to Gyuen-dang Avenue France Gwanggyo Branch: was the gyukatsu worth it?

This was my first visit and the gyukatsu was much more tender than I expected, so I enjoyed it a lot. I especially liked being able to grill it myself over the charcoal grill and cook it exactly how I wanted. Next time I'd like to have the gyukatsu and the steki rice bowl again, and try some of the other menu items one by one. If you're looking for gyukatsu near Gwanggyo Jungang Station, this could be worth checking out.

• ✓ Moist, juicy tenderloin gyukatsu
• ✓ Fun grilling it yourself on a personal charcoal grill to your liking
• ✓ Soft gyukatsu that worked well with both salt and wasabi
• ✓ Steki rice bowl with a great combo of smoky steak and egg yolk
• ✓ A good Japanese restaurant near Gwanggyo Jungang Station for a meal after shopping at Avenue France