Couple grilling gyukatsu their own way at Gyuen-dang, Suwon

Gyuen-dang Avenue France Gwanggyo hours, parking, reservations

• 🕛 Hours: Daily 11:30 ~ 22:00
• Mon–Fri break time 15:00 ~ 17:00 / no break time on weekends
• Last order 21:00
• 🚘 Parking: Avenue France basement 2nd floor, section D24, up to 4 hours of parking support
• ✔️ Reservations: available via Naver Reservations

Suddenly craving gyukatsu, so we booked a table

I suddenly wanted gyukatsu (breaded fried beef cutlet) so badly that my husband and I looked it up and booked a table at Gyuen-dang Avenue France Gwanggyo Branch, a Japanese restaurant near Gwanggyo Jungang Station. Today's mission was simple: both of us eating gyukatsu ☆*: .｡. o(≧▽≦)o .｡.:*☆ It's inside Avenue France in Gwanggyo, so it's also a great spot for a date meal.

How to park and find Gyuen-dang's entrance

Must-read if you're parking or having trouble finding the place! Park near section D25 in the Avenue France underground parking lot. Right next to D25 you'll see a mall entrance — take the escalator up and you'll be right at Gyuen-dang's back entrance!

Japanese vibes from the outside, personal grills at every table

Stepped outside and snapped a photo of the exterior first. Gyuen-dang really gives off strong Japanese vibes even from the outside. The interior matches — clean, tidy Japanese-restaurant feel overall. Best of all, since this is a place where you grill your own gyukatsu, there's a personal grill at every table. There are solo seats as well as regular tables, so it seems like a place people visit for solo meals, dates, or family dinners alike.

We each ordered our own cut: tenderloin and sirloin gyukatsu

Since there were two of us, we were ready to sit side by side and eat gyukatsu haha. I got tenderloin gyukatsu, my husband got sirloin gyukatsu. We also ordered a mini okonomiyaki (savory pancake) through a review event! Besides the gyukatsu we ordered, the menu also has omurice, rice bowls, curry, udon, and more. The omurice at the next table looked really good too, so I decided next time I'm getting omurice haha.

The gyukatsu set and how to grill it

The gyukatsu finally arrived! Rice, soup, salad, and dipping sauces for the gyukatsu all came out neatly as a set. And in the middle of the table, the personal grill 🔥 Since gyukatsu itself isn't served fully cooked through, you place each piece on the grill and cook it to whatever doneness you like.

Look at that color. When it first came out, the cross-section was this bright pink-red! Such an appetizing color. Time to really start eating!

Butter on the grill, 15-20 seconds each side

You put butter on the grill, then place each piece of gyukatsu on top to cook. About 15-20 seconds per side!? Sizzle sizzle 🔥 This is exactly why you eat gyukatsu haha. I cook mine all the way through, but my husband likes his lightly cooked. Being able to grill it to whatever doneness you personally want seems to be the fun part of gyukatsu.

Crispy outside, tender inside, with a touch of wasabi

And finally, the first bite! It melts, it just melts. The breading outside is crispy while the meat inside is soft — the crispy-outside, tender-inside texture is amazing 💗 Compared to eating it plain, grilling it in butter brings out a savory, salty flavor that really pops. My favorite way is with a little wasabi on top 🤤

While we were eating, a staff member came by and swapped out our grill plate like this. So kind 💗

The review-event mini okonomiyaki

The mini okonomiyaki we got from the review event! It tastes exactly like the okonomiyaki we know. Delicious as expected.

Tenderloin or sirloin — which would we pick again?

All cleared. Looks like it's been washed, it's so clean ( •̀ ω •́ )✧ That was our trip to Gyuen-dang Avenue France Gwanggyo Branch for gyukatsu with my husband. What I liked most was grilling each piece myself on the personal grill to whatever doneness I wanted, and having tried both my tenderloin gyukatsu and my husband's sirloin gyukatsu, I honestly can't tell much difference in taste. Both were so tender the meat basically melted in your mouth, and both were delicious — that's really all I can say. Since there isn't much of a taste difference, if I had to pick just one again, I think I'd go with sirloin gyukatsu! Sirloin gyukatsu with extra meat, plus hamburger omurice, hahahaha, I sound like such a glutton ╰(*°▽°*)╯

If you're craving gyukatsu in Gwanggyo, or looking for Japanese food while on a date at Avenue France, I recommend Gyuen-dang! 🥩🥩🥩