Weekend gyukatsu lunch near Gyeonggi Library, Gwanggyo: Gyuen-dang

Every weekend I end up eating lunch near Gwanggyo Central Station because I take my kid to a class at Gyeonggi Library. This time I was craving gyukatsu, so I went to Gyuen-dang Avenue France Gwanggyo Branch (규엔당 아브뉴프랑 광교점) inside Avenue France. The menu ranges from grill-it-yourself gyukatsu to omurice, udon, and steak rice bowls, so there was plenty to choose from. I ordered both sirloin and tenderloin gyukatsu to compare, and the melt-in-your-mouth texture was seriously good.

Lunch at Avenue France Gwanggyo after a Gyeonggi Library class

Gyuen-dang Avenue France Gwanggyo Branch is a charcoal-grilled gyukatsu restaurant in the basement of Avenue France near Gwanggyo Central Station. These days I take my kid to a class at Gyeonggi Library near the station almost every weekend, and the class always ends right around lunchtime, so eating at Avenue France afterward has become pretty routine.

Today I was deciding what to eat when suddenly I got a craving for gyukatsu, haha. Lunch decision made — off to Gyuen-dang Avenue France Gwanggyo Branch we go!

Gyuen-dang Avenue France Gwanggyo Branch is right across from the E-Pyeonhansesang main entrance, so it wasn't hard to find at all. It's a decent location if you're looking for somewhere to eat near Gwanggyo Central Station. Being the weekend, Avenue France itself was packed, with plenty of families out for lunch too.

What's on the Gyuen-dang menu besides gyukatsu?

The Gyuen-dang Avenue France Gwanggyo Branch menu isn't just gyukatsu — there's also omurice, udon, steak rice bowls, and more. Looking at the menu, there were more options than I expected, which was a happy dilemma, haha. Seems like a fine spot to bring someone who isn't into gyukatsu, too.

Honestly I was thinking of getting omurice at first, but seeing all the nearby tables grilling gyukatsu on their tabletop grills made me change my mind instantly, haha. I mean, that just looked too good...

In the end we ordered 1 tenderloin gyukatsu, 1 sirloin gyukatsu, and since my kid loves noodles, an atsuatsu udon (hot udon)!

What time does the weekend lunch wait start at Gyuen-dang?

At Gyuen-dang Avenue France Gwanggyo Branch, visiting around 12:30 on a weekend lunch meant no wait at all, but just after 1pm a line started forming. Lunchtime crowds really do build up gradually. If you want to eat without feeling rushed, coming around noon seems like a good idea.

It was so crowded inside that I couldn't really take proper photos, so I just snapped a shot of the window seats. Eating in a spot like that actually had a nice atmosphere. It reminded me of dates with my husband way back when we'd sit somewhere like this chatting over a meal, and suddenly I got a little emotional, haha. Back then it was just the two of us, and now we're a family of three with our kid... time really flies.

How to eat gyukatsu: butter and wasabi salt

Gyuen-dang's instructions said to taste the meat itself first, then add butter afterward.

You just place the gyukatsu on the grill plate and cook it to your liking. It was fun not overcooking it right away but grilling it little by little as we ate.

At first I ate about two pieces plain, and the meat itself was tender and delicious. Then I tried it with butter, and the butter aroma definitely deepened the flavor! I liked it with butter too.

And the wasabi-and-salt combo... this was genuinely amazing, haha. Personally I liked a little wasabi with a pinch of salt even more than dipping in sauce. Since the meat itself is so good, you don't even need much seasoning.

The set meal comes out looking neat too. Gyukatsu, rice, and soybean paste soup together made it feel like a proper, tidy spread. The rice portion was pretty generous too — at first I thought, 'oh, that's a lot of rice, can I finish this?' haha, but with all the gyukatsu going down, I ended up not eating that much rice. No room left after all that meat, haha.

Tenderloin vs sirloin gyukatsu: which cut is more tender?

Ordering tenderloin and sirloin gyukatsu together to compare at Gyuen-dang, the tenderloin turned out softer. First, the sirloin gyukatsu! Cooked just right, it melted in the mouth... genuinely delicious. Nicely juicy and tender, so I kept reaching for more.

And then the tenderloin gyukatsu. Since tenderloin is a softer cut than sirloin, it really did feel even more melt-in-the-mouth, haha. Personally I thought the tenderloin was tastier! But my husband said the sirloin was better. Guess it really comes down to personal taste with meat, haha. Ordering both together and comparing let us really feel the difference between the cuts. Next time I'd probably go with tenderloin!

Atsuatsu udon, an easy dish to share with kids

Gyuen-dang's atsuatsu udon (hot udon) is loaded with meat and the broth isn't spicy, making it good to eat with a kid. I ordered it for my son and thought the price was a bit much for udon, but when it arrived, it was packed with meat.

There was way more meat than expected, so the price didn't feel wasted at all. And the broth wasn't spicy, so it was fine to share with my kid. My noodle-loving son dug into the udon right away, haha. We came to a gyukatsu place and he's over there just plowing through udon, haha.

Gyuen-dang staff will swap the grill plate too

At Gyuen-dang, if the grill plate gets dirty, you can ask the staff to swap it out. As you eat gyukatsu, bits of the breading fall onto the grill and it gradually gets scorched and messy, and this feature was quietly nice. When the grill gets too dirty while eating, it can bug you, but getting a fresh plate mid-meal keeps everything clean for continued grilling.

Is Gyuen-dang worth it for lunch in Gwanggyo?

Today's gyukatsu lunch near Gwanggyo Central Station was, overall, quite satisfying. Grilling it bit by bit on the tabletop grill myself was nicer than eating gyukatsu that's already fully cooked, since you can keep it warm and cook it exactly how you like — sirloin tender, tenderloin even softer, haha.

• Tenderloin wins for me!
• Sirloin wins for my husband!
• For the kids' menu, the meat-loaded udon was solid

If you're near Gwanggyo Central Station craving Japanese food, this is a good option, and if you're at Gyeonggi Library on the weekend looking for lunch, heading over to Avenue France is worth it too.

Especially since the menu is so varied, it's convenient for families to come and each pick what they want. Next time you're deciding on lunch near Gwanggyo and craving gyukatsu like I was today, Gyuen-dang is worth going to, haha. Next time I want to try the omurice too! This time I was so drawn in by the smell of gyukatsu grilling that I didn't even glance at the omurice, haha.