Konkuk Univ. udon shop for mazesoba udon and vegetable tempura: Kosi

Hi everyone, it's Tori, your resident dabbler in everything. Today's post is about Kosi Konkuk University Branch, where I had katsu (pork cutlet) and udon together near Konkuk University.

I originally just walked in for katsu. Turns out this place was featured on SBS Life's Masters episode 1053 as a noodle-making master! Wait, I thought this was a katsu place, but they take their udon seriously too!!

Where is Kosi Konkuk University Branch, and what are the basics?

• Name: Kosi Konkuk University Branch
• Address: 197 Achasan-ro, 1F, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, South Korea
• Hours: 11:10–21:00
• Parking: 1 hour free
• Reservations: Available via Naver Reservation

52 seats at Kosi: solo bar seats to group tables

Kosi Konkuk University Branch has a wood-tone exterior that stands out even from a distance. Once you step inside, the space is bigger than expected.

With 52 seats total, there's a mix of two-person tables and tables suited for larger groups.

By the window there are also bar-style seats, good for solo diners.

There are separate two-person tables too, nice if you're visiting as a pair,

and wide tables where several people can sit together.

There's also a sofa-style seating area on one side, so the seating options overall are quite varied. It seemed like a good fit whether you're eating alone, on a date, or with a group.

House-made noodles: Kosi on SBS Life's Masters as a noodle-rolling master

Outside the shop there's a plaque marking SBS Life's Masters episode 1053, the udon noodle-making master. Kosi makes its noodles in-house, and since this place doesn't just serve katsu but treats udon as a real main item, I got curious about the noodle menu too.

So to try both katsu and the handmade udon, we ordered a bunch of stuff. What we ordered was

• Mazesoba udon set
• Cheese katsu set
• Vegetable tempura
• Inari sushi

That's what we picked. Yeah... it might be a bit much for two people, haha. But you've got to try a variety of things to write a proper review...

Cheese katsu set at Kosi: how far does the cheese pull?

First, the thing that caught my eye visually was the cheese katsu!

The katsu comes pre-sliced, so you can see the cross-section right away — there's a generous amount of cheese packed inside.

The outside was fried crispy and the meat inside was fairly thick. Best of all, the cheese was properly loaded in the center — perfect visuals if you're a cheese katsu fan!

And when I lifted a piece with my chopsticks, the cheese stretched out in a long pull. I mean, how could I not take a photo of that, haha. If you like cheese katsu, this is an easy pick.

Mazesoba udon set: thick, springy, chewy noodles

Next up, the mazesoba udon set I was personally curious about! Since Kosi makes its own noodles, I really wanted to try their noodle dish.

The mazesoba udon came topped generously with minced meat, scallions, seaweed, tempura flakes, and an egg yolk.

Before eating, I broke the yolk and mixed everything together evenly. The noodles are on the thick side, and once mixed so the sauce and meat coated every strand, it was delicious. True to a handmade-noodle master shop, it was really chewy. It took a while because I was busy taking photos, but the bouncy, chewy noodles were so good.

The mixed tempura that comes with the mazesoba udon set

The mazesoba udon set also comes with a plate of mixed tempura.

Everything from shrimp tempura to perilla leaf tempura was included, so the set was more generous than I expected.

Eating just the mazesoba udon alone might feel a bit lacking, but having crispy tempura to alternate with made me glad we ordered the set.

Sides at Kosi: vegetable tempura and inari sushi

We also ordered vegetable tempura as a side, and honestly it was more substantial than expected — kind of surprising. I thought it would just be a small side portion.

But once it arrived, it was fairly large and packed with ingredients — like, wait, this is actually legit? was my reaction, haha.

The inari sushi (seasoned fried tofu pouch rice) we ordered alongside was exactly the classic style you'd expect. Not especially special or unusual in flavor, but sweet, savory, and familiar — a good pairing as a side.

And honestly, basic inari sushi is hard to mess up. I enjoyed it alongside the mazesoba udon.

Is Kosi Konkuk University Branch worth a visit?

At Kosi Konkuk University Branch we tried a good range — katsu, handmade udon, tempura, and more. The menu lineup was solid overall, and the spacious shop made for a comfortable meal. The staff were especially friendly, which made the whole visit even better :) If you're near Konkuk University and want katsu and udon together on one table, this place is worth a visit!