Gwanak Japanese restaurant dinner for sharing three dishes: Kosi

If you are looking for a good place near Seoul National University Entrance Station where you can have udon, tonkatsu, and gyudon all at once, I would recommend Kosi. This time, I visited for dinner and ordered tori-ten bukkake udon, gyudon, and tonkatsu. Sharing all three dishes, each had its own appeal, so it was easy to choose according to our tastes.

Even though I visited at dinnertime, there were quite a few people inside. The overall atmosphere was neat and orderly. It was not overly crowded or hectic, so it was a comfortable place to eat. If you are looking for a restaurant near Seoul National University Entrance Station with lots of menu choices, it is worth stopping by.

Kosi near Seoul National University Entrance Station for a shareable dinner

There are so many restaurants around Seoul National University Entrance Station, extending all the way to Sha-ro-su-gil, that choosing where to eat can be a real dilemma. That day, I went for dinner with my husband and we visited Kosi.

Perhaps because it was dinnertime, there were quite a few people eating, but the restaurant was neatly kept, which made a nice first impression. The menu ranged from udon to rice bowls and tonkatsu, so it was great for the two of us to pick what we each wanted. We ordered three dishes that day and shared them.

The chewy, clean bite of tori-ten bukkake udon

The first dish we tried was tori-ten bukkake udon.

Because it is bukkake udon, it is a different style from udon with lots of broth. The chewy noodles with sauce and toppings tasted clean and light. It also came with tori-ten (chicken tempura), so the texture was more varied than noodles alone.

It was cold, clean-tasting udon, so it felt quite different from warm soup udon. It would be a nice choice when you want cool noodles on a hot day, or if you like straightforward, clean udon.

Since it was cold udon, the noodles felt chewier and bouncier than warm udon. I think it would be a really great match for anyone who loves that kind of texture!!!

A filling gyudon for days when you want rice

The second dish was gyudon. With beef and seasoning served over rice, it felt more substantial than the udon. It seems like a great menu choice for days when you want rice rather than noodles, or when you want to feel full from one bowl.

When having dinner near Seoul National University Entrance Station, there are times when you cannot decide between noodles and rice, and I liked that Kosi offered choices like this. I also thought gyudon would be an easy, no-pressure dish to order when visiting alone. There were actually plenty of counter seats for solo diners, too, so I would recommend it as a good nearby restaurant for eating alone.

Crisp and juicy tonkatsu

We also tried the tonkatsu we ordered alongside everything else. The tonkatsu came out last.

The outside was fried crisp while the inside was fairly tender, making it good with rice. I usually like pork cutlet, so it is hard for me to pass up a dish like this. Ordering it with udon or gyudon made the meal feel even more abundant.

The inside of the tonkatsu was moist and tender. It was the kind of tonkatsu that felt full of moisture.

And I liked that it came not only with tonkatsu sauce, but also wasabi and salt. I like dipping it in salt, so I was happy I could eat it that way at Kosi, too. It is such a clean way to enjoy tonkatsu.

When you are looking for tonkatsu near Seoul National University Entrance Station but your companions want udon or gyudon, a place like Kosi with several menu options makes it easier to suit everyone's tastes.

One meal that works for different tastes

Overall, Kosi gave me the impression of a place where you can choose familiar dishes such as udon, gyudon, and tonkatsu according to your taste. Even though we visited at dinnertime, there were quite a few people there, and I liked that the restaurant was clean, orderly, and comfortable for a meal.

The tori-ten bukkake udon offered chewy, clean-tasting noodles, the gyudon was a filling rice dish, and the tonkatsu had an appealing crisp texture. Ordering all three together meant we could try a bit of everything.

If you are looking for a neat place to eat around Seoul National University Entrance Station or Bongcheon-dong, or want a range of dishes including udon, tonkatsu, and gyudon near Sha-ro-su-gil, Kosi was a solid option. On days when, like me, you have trouble choosing just one dish, I would recommend ordering several and sharing them.