Jongno steak dinner you grill yourself: Ichigyu Gwanghwamun

The weather has gotten a little cooler lately, so it was perfect for a walk along Cheonggyecheon Stream, haha. After doing a lap around the stream, we stopped by Ichigyu Gwanghwamun Branch for dinner!! It was a nice Gwanghwamun date spot too, since grilling the gyukatsu ourselves was part of the fun~

Ichigyu Gwanghwamun Branch, between Gwanghwamun and Jonggak Stations

Ichigyu Gwanghwamun Branch is on B1 of Le Meilleur Jongno Town, between Gwanghwamun Station and Jonggak Station.

There are quite a few restaurants in the building basement, but since we visited on a weekend, most were closed. That made Ichigyu Gwanghwamun Branch, which was open on the weekend, even more welcome, haha.

They are open on weekends and public holidays too, so keep it in mind when looking for somewhere to eat during a Cheonggyecheon walk or a Gwanghwamun date~

Table spacing and the building restroom

There were various tables for two to four people, and they were not packed too closely together, so it was comfortable for a meal.

The restroom is the building restroom, and the route feels a bit like a maze, so make sure you find your way carefully!

The current events were one shrimp tempura for a Naver review, and thin-sliced beef with mochi plus grilled cheese for a Kakao Map review. They said duplicate participation was allowed, so keep that in mind if you plan to leave a review~

More than just gyukatsu

The menu had more than gyukatsu: steak dishes, hamburger-steak omurice, Napolitan spaghetti, and more. There were set meals too.

A larger menu photo.jpg We ordered the gyukatsu set, steki set, karaage & shrimp tempura, Kirin small draft beer, and Zero Cola!

The Kirin small draft beer was 200ml, and the glass was so cute, haha. It was just the right amount for one light drink, so it did not feel like too much alongside gyukatsu 🍺 They also gave us a separate cup of ice with the soft drink, which was nice.

The rice came in these jar-like bowls, and you serve it into your own bowl. The grains were pleasantly firm, so it went well with the fried items and meat, haha.

Before grilling, we brushed butter over the mini brazier. Swipe, swipe. The buttery aroma gently rose up, and we were ready to grill ✨

The steki set: grilling sirloin steak yourself

The steki uses sirloin and comes as plain meat without any breading.

You put small pieces of meat on the mini brazier and grill them yourself to your preferred doneness~ Since we grilled only what we were about to eat, it stayed warm the whole time! Sizzle, sizzle. The heat is quite strong, so the meat can get tough if you cook it too long; it is best to keep watching it as it grills~

Meat with salt is simply the rule, isn't it? It was clean and savory with just a touch of salt, and a little wasabi went really well too. Maybe because it was sirloin, it had more lean meat, so it felt clean and light rather than overly rich.

Gyukatsu set with crisp breading

And then, the gyukatsu set, which you could call the star of the day! Gyukatsu is breaded sirloin that you grill yourself over the mini brazier.

Doesn't the golden breading look incredibly appetizing before grilling!?

Line them up and grill them nicely, haha. We placed the gyukatsu side by side on the brazier and flipped them one at a time, haha. These cook quickly too, so watch closely, take them off as soon as they reach your preferred doneness, and send them straight into your mouth 🤤🤤

The breading was crisp while the meat inside was tender, so the texture combination was great~ There were several sauces, so I tried them one by one, and surprisingly, the chili sauce was my favorite pairing, haha. Grilling it yourself also makes it fun to eat, so this is a menu item I would recommend to anyone looking for a good restaurant around Gwanghwamun!

Karaage and shrimp tempura side

The side came with two shrimp tempura and four pieces of karaage, and it was quite good for ₩7,000.

Dip the karaage into the sauce that comes with it and yum! The outside was chewy yet crisp, while the inside was tender, so I enjoyed it. With the sauce, it also seemed like it would make a great beer snack~ The shrimp tempura was large and fried whole from head to tail, so shrimp lovers would probably enjoy it! The batter was a little thick for me, so I preferred the karaage~

Dinner after a Cheonggyecheon walk

The lighting is so cute,,

A walk along Cheonggyecheon followed by a delicious dinner made for a pretty full day out, haha. There was not only gyukatsu but also steki and sides to choose according to your taste, so it was nice for a date or a light dinner. If you are looking for a Gwanghwamun restaurant near Cheonggyecheon or somewhere to eat near Jonggak Station, give Ichigyu Gwanghwamun Branch a visit!