Japanese beef cutlet grilled tableside in Yeongdeungpo, Seoul: Hurato Sikdang

Hurato Sikdang Yeouido (후라토식당 여의도) is a place where you can enjoy Japanese-style gyukatsu (breaded beef cutlet) grilled on your own individual brazier.

For those looking for good food near Yeouido Station, don’t Japanese flavors sound tempting pretty often? I visited Hurato Sikdang Yeouido, where the gyukatsu you grill over a Japanese-style brazier is the real deal.

It’s on the third floor of Yeouido Finance Tower, so it’s super close to Yeouido Station!

Inside Hurato Sikdang Yeouido and its seating

There were tables that fit four people nicely, as well as tables great for dining alone. The restaurant itself is not especially large. There may be a wait, but turnover is fairly quick.

Gyukatsu and steki rice bowl menu

The gyukatsu grilled over a brazier is the popular menu item. Looking around, I saw lots of people ordering gyukatsu, the steki set meal, and the steki rice bowl.

There are set menus, too, when choosing feels hard!

• Gyukatsu ₩19,500
• Steki rice bowl ₩19,500

Gyukatsu and steki rice bowl grilled over a brazier

Steki rice bowl ₩19,500

This rice bowl comes with aged steak grilled in a secret seasoning sauce, served over rice with onsen tamago (soft-cooked hot-spring egg).

The meat was not tough and was fairly tender.

Add just a little wasabi and it stays delicious without becoming too much all the way to the last bite. Mixing the steak grilled in the secret sauce with the soft-cooked onsen tamago was delicious, too. It went so well with the cabbage that I thought, richness—what’s that? With this wasabi-and-cabbage combination, you can finish every bite without any heaviness!

Gyukatsu arrives as lightly fried beef in a rare state, then you grill it yourself on a personal brazier. If you’re looking for a Japanese gyukatsu specialty restaurant, take note.

How to enjoy gyukatsu

Place the meat on the heated grill. Grill one or two pieces at a time, evenly on both sides for 20 to 30 seconds each. Until the surface turns brown!

It’s nice that you can eat it to your preference: rare, medium rare, medium, or well done. I gave the gyukatsu instructions written on the table a quick thorough read before grilling. The restaurant’s own recommended way to eat it is the real deal, after all.

At Japanese gyukatsu specialty restaurant Hurato Sikdang, you grill it yourself on an individual brazier. Grill it to your preferred doneness, then dip it in salt or sauce—that’s it! Since you cook it yourself, it was nice to keep eating it hot from start to finish. Grilling it is fun, too, so it even feels a little like being in Japan.

The outside is crisp, but one bite reveals a tender interior, which is really charming.

Dipping it in salt was the most delicious way. Or add just a little wasabi!

Walking in is fine because turnover is fairly quick, but you can also visit with a Naver reservation. Even if a time slot appears sold out on the Naver reservation screen, there may be seats if you walk in. When guests had reservations, the tables were kept open with reserved signs on them. I definitely recommend reserving ahead for a gathering.

For anyone craving Japanese gyukatsu, I recommend Hurato Sikdang Yeouido, where grilling it yourself over a brazier is part of the fun. The steki rice bowl was delicious too, so ordering the gyukatsu-and-steki-rice-bowl combination to share is another option!