Open-run steki double and gyukatsu with 3 friends: Ichigyu Sinnonhyeon

Ichigyu Gangnam Sinnonhyeon Branch location and hours

• Location: 19 Bongeunsa-ro 4-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, 2nd floor (190m from Sinnonhyeon Station Exit 4)
• Hours: Daily 11:00–21:30 / Break time 15:00–17:00
• Last order: 20:30

An open-run visit for a place known for its waits

I went to Ichigyu Gangnam Sinnonhyeon Branch, a sirloin gyukatsu place known for tabletop grilling. I've been completely obsessed with tabletop grilling lately haha. Since it's known for having waits, I went as an open-run. From the entrance, the Japanese vibe is strong, and it's decorated in a cute, detailed way.

What's the atmosphere inside like

The interior stands out for its cozy yet clean wood-tone design, and the soft lighting makes it comfortable to eat in — apparently it's popular for dates and gatherings too, since there were a lot of couples and groups. Overall it felt tidy and almost like being in Japan, and the sophisticated mood built up my expectations the moment I walked in!

QR ordering and the combo we picked this time

You order via a QR code set up at the table, which was convenient. I liked that the menu had photos. There were so many tasty-looking items that I had trouble deciding, so today's pick was set no. 1 (which includes gyukatsu plus a drink), plus the steki set, and to round it out we also ordered mini curry and fried shrimp karaage. There were plenty of set combinations, so it was fun choosing. They're also running various review events, so don't forget to join in.

As soon as we sat down, the staff greeted us super brightly and kindly, so we got great service from ordering all the way through the end of the meal. They're so friendly!

They serve the rice separately like this. It comes out steaming hot and freshly made, and you just scoop out as much as you want.

Steki set double (jumbo), grilled on the butter grill

We ordered the steki set as a double. The meat itself was seasoned just right, so it tasted perfect to me even without dipping into the special sauce it came with. The texture was moist yet tender. Placed on the grill with melted butter, we each adjusted the doneness to our liking and it went down so smoothly.

You can also add extra steki meat. It was sliced so thin and well, so delicious that we kept adding more and more meat, haha. If you want to try both gyukatsu and steki, there are gyukatsu meat add-on and steki meat add-on options, so combine them well when ordering — you can taste both.

Sirloin gyukatsu and itame sauce

Gyukatsu is a Japanese dish where beef is coated in breadcrumbs and lightly fried, and it came out crispy on the outside and moist inside. You put butter on the grill and cook it to your taste. Pairing the savory sirloin with Ichigyu's special itame sauce, known for its garlicky, tangy notes, was such a great flavor combination.

How many grills do they give you?

When the grill's heat starts to weaken, a staff member comes to check and turns the heat back up, and they'll also swap the grill plate if you want. They provide one grill per two people, and since we were three, we got two grills. Plenty to grill happily with!

Side dishes: shrimp karaage and mini curry

The fried shrimp karaage we added as a side also came out freshly fried, with a crispy texture and savory flesh, and the rich, deep-flavored Japanese-style mini curry was a total rice thief. If you like curry, I highly recommend pairing it with Ichigyu's curry.

Overall the seasoning wasn't overdone anywhere, and each dish had its own distinct charm, making for a satisfying meal. There are so many restaurants around Sinnonhyeon that it's hard to decide where to go — if you're a gyukatsu lover, give this place a visit.