Seoul Station gyukatsu with side karaage after a noon wait: Ichigyu

I had a lunch appointment near Seoul Station and spent a while thinking about what to eat, and I ended up craving the gyukatsu I once had in Japan — so I went to Ichigyu Seoul Station Branch, a gyukatsu specialty restaurant.

Where is Ichigyu Seoul Station Branch, and its hours and parking

Ichigyu Seoul Station Branch is at 98 Huam-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul, B1 B116. It's open daily from 11:00 to 21:30, with a break time from 15:00 to 17:00.

• Location: right in front of you as you come out of Seoul Station Exit 10
• Looks like an office building, but that's Ichigyu!
• Parking: basement parking available (₩1,000 per 10 minutes)

You know how there are actually surprisingly few good lunch spots near Seoul Station? Especially on weekends, a lot of places that come up when you search 'Seoul Station lunch' turn out to be closed, so I've ended up just eating at the station itself many times. This time I searched ahead of going. Coming out of Seoul Station Exit 10, look to your left and you'll see the LG Tower — that's the building. I thought it was just an office building at first and wandered around before checking the map again to find it. Haha.

How long is the noon wait? KakaoTalk calls and the dining room at Ichigyu

Ichigyu Seoul Station Branch is down the escalator in the building, then to the right. I went at noon and it was popular enough that there was a bit of a wait.

Go down the building's escalator and head right, and you'll see the restaurant. I went at noon and, since it's popular, there was a small wait.

But after putting our name down and chatting with my friend for a bit, we got a KakaoTalk message pretty quickly. The turnover looked fast. If even this kind of short wait bothers you, I'd recommend booking ahead through Naver or Catch Table.

Apparently if you reserve ahead, they give you snow-flake beef tempura, so booking in advance seems like the better move.

The interior felt calm rather than flashy, so it seemed good both for eating alone and for a quiet meal for two. There were also quite a few people who looked like they were on a first date.

Ichigyu menu, sides and the free-shrimp review event

Ichigyu Seoul Station Branch mainly serves Japanese-style set meals. There's a range of options — gyukatsu, omurice, steki-don (steak rice bowl), yakisoba, curry, cold soba, and more.

Since gyukatsu was my whole goal, that's what I ordered. Next time I want to try the steki-don too. For sides there's fried egg, karaage, and mini curry — we went with karaage.

They're also running a review event right now — apparently you get shrimp tempura for participating, so give it a try!

Grilling gyukatsu and side karaage: how the Ichigyu lunch tasted

The gyukatsu at Ichigyu Seoul Station Branch is grilled yourself on a grill, so you can cook it exactly to your taste. Keep it on the grill and you can eat it warm the whole meal.

Gyukatsu has that special feature of letting you both enjoy the fun of grilling it yourself and control the flavor. Plus, if you keep it on the grill, you can eat it warm the entire time. Sometimes gyukatsu has a gamey smell, but true to its reputation as a well-known gyukatsu spot, this one didn't.

Tasting exactly the same as a famous restaurant in Japan, I found myself thinking — oh, I should've just skipped the lines in Japan and eaten it here instead. Haha. Just put the gyukatsu on the grill, cook it to your preferred doneness, and that's it. The first time I had gyukatsu I was confused about how to eat it, but now I've got it down pat.

It also came with several kinds of sauce, so I could try different combinations bite by bite depending on the cut. My personal favorite ended up being the basic one — the salt-plus-wasabi combo.

They also give you a generous serving of rice along with butter — and butter is love!

Who should eat at Ichigyu Seoul Station Branch

• Anyone craving Japanese gyukatsu
• Anyone looking for a good lunch spot near Seoul Station
• Anyone who wants an atmosphere comfortable for eating alone
• Couples looking for a date course near Seoul Station

There's a break time and a last order time, so make sure to check before you visit. And if you book ahead too, even better. It was such a satisfying visit that I'm already thinking about going back. If you're stuck on what to eat near Seoul Station, give Ichigyu a try~~