Udon restaurant at Isu Station: ₩31,000 bukkake dinner for two, Kosi

If you're looking for a cool noodle dish in summer, Kosi Isu Branch is a spot in Isu well worth visiting. I'd especially recommend it to anyone who loves chewy noodles or cold udon. I went back a second time, so I wanted to share an honest account of Kosi Isu Branch.

Why I went back to Kosi Isu Branch

I returned to Kosi Isu Branch for dinner with my husband after work. With the hot weather going on and on, I naturally started craving something cold on the way home. Noodles or naengmyeon (cold buckwheat noodles) would have been fine, but that day I really wanted bukkake udon.

I like noodle dishes in general, and chewy udon noodles most of all, so we came back together. Honestly, there aren't that many places in Isu that I revisit, but at Kosi Isu Branch the noodles themselves stuck in my memory.

Kosi Isu Branch location, hours and parking

Kosi Isu Branch is at Units 126 and 127, 1st floor, 300 Sadang-ro, Dongjak-gu, Seoul, South Korea. Come out of Isu Station Exit 7 and it's next to the McDonald's corner. It's open daily from 11:20 to 21:00.

• Hours: daily 11:20 - 21:00
• Break time: 15:20 - 17:00
• Last order: 14:50, 20:30
• Parking: Isu Xi building underground parking, free for 1 hour (B2 and B3 levels)

What makes Kosi Isu Branch special? Handmade udon

The biggest draw of Kosi Isu Branch is its handmade udon. Maybe because the noodles are made in-house, the chewiness felt clearly different compared with ordinary cold udon places.

Bukkake udon is a Japanese-style cold udon where you pour tsuyu (a soy-based dipping broth) over chilled noodles and toss it together, so the noodle texture makes or breaks the dish, right? Every bite at Kosi Isu Branch had a springy bounce, so if you love noodles like I do, I think you'll be very satisfied. That's why I think it's worth visiting for the udon alone, even among Isu restaurants.

What we ordered for two, and the price

Two of us ordered four items at Kosi Isu Branch, ₩31,000 in total. It was plenty to fill both of us up.

• ✔️ Handmade bukkake udon ₩9,000
• ✔️ Tempura (tenppura) ₩4,000
• ✔️ Sweet potato cheese croquettes ₩3,500
• ✔️ Mixed katsu (breaded cutlets) ₩14,500
• Total ₩31,000

How does the handmade bukkake udon taste?

The dish I'd recommend most at Kosi Isu Branch is, of course, the handmade bukkake udon (₩9,000).

First, I mixed the tsuyu evenly through the noodles.

The cold udon noodles stayed springy the more I chewed, and the noodles had a real presence. Compared with naengmyeon they were much softer, and that thick, hearty udon texture was lovely. In summer a cold broth is nice too, but a cold, tossed bukkake udon like this seems even better at reviving your appetite. If noodle texture matters to you, this is an Isu spot to remember.

Should you order the tempura too?

Personally, I do recommend the tempura at Kosi Isu Branch (₩4,000). It came with shrimp, kabocha squash, perilla leaf and sweet potato, and I liked that the batter wasn't overly thick.

Thanks to the crispy texture, it paired really well with the cold bukkake udon. It tasted clean rather than greasy, so it didn't get in the way of the udon's flavor. Cold udon alone can feel a little lacking, but with tempura on the side the meal was clearly more satisfying.

The sweet potato cheese croquettes beat expectations

The sweet potato cheese croquettes at Kosi Isu Branch (₩3,500) come as two pieces, and they were more satisfying than I expected.

Crispy outside and soft inside.

The sweetness of the sweet potato and the savoriness of the cheese blended naturally, a flavor kids would love too.

They'd work as a side for a meal, and I think they'd go well with a beer, too.

My husband's pick: the mixed katsu

The mixed katsu at Kosi Isu Branch (₩14,500) was my husband's choice. He usually likes clean-tasting pork cutlet, so we ordered the mixed katsu.

It comes with a pork cutlet (tonkatsu) and a king shrimp katsu, and the size of the king shrimp katsu, made with tiger shrimp, was quite impressive.

Even next to regular fried shrimp, the size difference was obvious.

The pork cutlet was thick but not greasy, and its savory flavor built the more I chewed. I think it's a good option for people who feel udon alone isn't quite enough.

How does it compare with other udon places?

Cold udon specialists often focus on the broth or the tsuyu. Kosi Isu Branch, by contrast, gave me a strong sense that the noodles themselves are well made.

The noodles were really why I came back, too. I can see now why udon lovers rate this Isu restaurant so highly.

Who I'd recommend Kosi Isu Branch to

• ✔️ People looking for a cool noodle dish in summer
• ✔️ Office workers hunting for a good Isu restaurant
• ✔️ Couples undecided on a date-night spot
• ✔️ People who love chewy noodle texture
• ✔️ People who prefer udon over naengmyeon

Will I go back to Kosi Isu Branch?

Kosi Isu Branch is also a good place to eat alone, and since I've already been back once, I guess the answer is obvious.

Next time I crave a cool noodle dish in hot weather, I'll be back. The handmade bukkake udon in particular has a charm that's hard to replace with anything else on the menu. If you're looking for a place in Isu, I'd recommend Kosi Isu Branch for a happy meal built around a bowl of cold udon.