Gwanggyo gyukatsu lunch before Aquaplanet, D25 route: Gyuen-dang

I had sirloin gyukatsu, steki rice bowl, and geso-age tempura at Gyuen-dang Avenue France Gwanggyo Branch. Wondering what to eat for lunch in Gwanggyo Avenue France? Here's my review of Gyuen-dang Avenue France Gwanggyo — clean interior, delicious food, and friendly service that had the whole family happy.

Why we chose Gyuen-dang for lunch in Gwanggyo, and where to park

Gyuen-dang is a famous Japanese restaurant that started in Seongsu, and the Gwanggyo branch is on the basement level of Avenue France. We came out to Gwanggyo as a family for the weekend and were trying to figure out lunch — wanting clean, proper Japanese food, we ended up at Gyuen-dang.

Parking at Avenue France is genuinely easy, but finding the actual restaurant can be tricky.

Park at D25, take the escalator up, turn left, pass Baemil Bakery on your right, head outside, turn right — and Gyuen-dang is right there! If you're unsure, come up to the 1st floor and look for e-Pyeonhansesang; it's directly across from that.

Ta-da. There's a clean restroom near Gyuen-dang, right by the escalator.

Inside Gyuen-dang Avenue France Gwanggyo and what the menu costs

There's a CatchTable kiosk at the entrance, and the interior has an open kitchen with a Japanese feel. Luckily there was no wait today, so we got seated right away.

The interior has a Japanese vibe, and the open kitchen made it feel even cleaner — loved that.

The menu is simple.

• Tenderloin gyukatsu ₩24,000 / Sirloin gyukatsu ₩19,000
• Steki rice bowl ₩19,000 / Tsukune rice bowl ₩17,000
• Brie cheese omurice ₩23,000 / Hamburg omurice ₩17,000
• Curry ₩15,000 / Udon ₩11,000
• Geso-age tempura / Torikawa tempura, each ₩7,000
• Drinks and alcohol are also available.

They gave us okonomiyaki as part of a review event, and there's a how-to-eat guide right on the table, so even first-timers to gyukatsu or Japanese omurice can walk in without worry.

They also have cute kids' tableware and high chairs, so I'd recommend this as a family dining spot with children.

What the sirloin gyukatsu, steki rice bowl and fried squid were like

Today we ordered sirloin gyukatsu ₩19,000, steki rice bowl ₩19,000, and geso-age tempura ₩7,000.

Sirloin gyukatsu, 19,000 won

My first bite of the gyukatsu (Japanese-style pork cutlet) at this gyukatsu specialist restaurant: 'you don't even need teeth.' Wow... if the sirloin is this good, I can only imagine how amazing the tenderloin is.

Really tender with a savory meaty aroma. It's fried, but not greasy at all. Our kid, already smitten with the meat, finished a whole bowl of rice with the gyukatsu! I made a mental note to definitely order extra meat (tenderloin ₩19,000, sirloin ₩14,000) next family visit.

One highlight: they use Isigny butter! With gyukatsu, meat sticking to the grill plate can get annoying, but Gyuen-dang uses good butter to season the plate first, so nothing stuck — great touch.

Another highlight: the fire is genuinely strong! Most gyukatsu places use solid fuel and personal grills that run weak, leaving you wondering 'am I grilling this or boiling it?' — but Gyuen-dang's flame really roars, and I loved that. I think it's part of why the meat tastes even better.

Steki steak rice bowl, 19,000 won

This one was chosen for us carnivorous parents.

The bowl comes topped with fried shiitake mushroom, chopped scallions, and a seriously generous amount of meat. Very satisfying ^-^

Every bite had meat in it, and the ratio of meat to rice stayed balanced right down to the last spoonful — total victory!

Geso-age fried squid, 7,000 won (torikawa sold out)

Last up: geso-age (squid) tempura ₩7,000. We'd originally wanted torikawa (chicken skin) tempura, but it was sold out, so we ordered the geso-age instead.

But honestly... if we hadn't tried the squid tempura, we would have deeply regretted it. The tempura itself is crispy and delicious, but the dipping sauce is a total winner — skip it and you'll regret it!

The slightly spicy, slightly sweet sauce keeps the already-tasty tempura from getting overwhelming, even to the last bite.

Where to go after lunch: Aquaplanet Gwanggyo and Gwanggyo Lake Park

• Aquaplanet Gwanggyo (3 min by car / 10 min walk): the best spot to spend time comfortably indoors after a hearty lunch! It's inside the Galleria department store just across the street from Gyuen-dang — perfect to hit right after eating.
• Gwanggyo Lake Park walking trail (5 min walk): highly recommend a stroll around the lake park if the weather's nice! Grabbing a coffee to go from Avenue France after lunch and slowly walking toward the lake park is really lovely.

We all left happily patting our full bellies. If you want real meat and real Japanese food in Gwanggyo, I recommend Gyuen-dang Avenue France Gwanggyo Branch!