Yeouido gyukatsu restaurant with stone-plate grill, extra rice: Izawa

Maybe it's because people think gyukatsu absorbs less oil than regular pork tonkatsu and is therefore a bit healthier, but lately I find myself craving gyukatsu more and more.

Today I visited Izawa Yeouido Direct Store to eat Korea's original gyukatsu — the real deal.

Where is Izawa Yeouido Direct Store, and what are the hours?

• Address: 42 Yeouinaru-ro, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, South Korea (203, 204 ho)
• Hours: Daily 11:00 - 21:00
• Break time: 15:00 - 17:00
• Last order: 20:30

Where do you park at Izawa Yeouido Direct Store?

Izawa Yeouido Direct Store offers 1 hour free at the building's ground-level parking lot. The underground parking lot is paid!

Izawa's exterior and how long the wait was

An old commercial building with a real sense of history, but the signage is clean and stylish.

Since it was late, the waiting board was clear when I visited. I heard the wait gets pretty intense at Izawa Yeouido Direct Store during peak hours.

Inside Izawa Yeouido Direct Store

A neatly arranged interior. Looks like a famous singer really enjoyed the food here — photos and autographs are scattered around the walls haha.

Izawa's menu and what we ordered

Besides the main gyukatsu, there's ramen, memil (buckwheat noodles), and rice bowls too, so there's plenty of choice. What I ordered was the gyukatsu double set!

Gyukatsu double set at Izawa: first impressions

A very intuitive, simple setup: gyukatsu, side dishes, sauce, soup, rice. Nothing to overthink.

Very crisply fried gyukatsu. Being the double set, the portion is substantial.

Kimchi and pickled vegetables, plus two kinds of sauce.

Meat, rice, soup — honestly, game over already.

Considering the inside is basically raw meat, it must have been cooked over high heat for a very short time.

This bright red cross-section is exactly how a gyukatsu should look. Being Korea's first gyukatsu restaurant, Izawa's craftsmanship is near perfect.

Grilling the sirloin yourself on the stone-plate brazier

Alright, let's grill some on the tabletop grill. Sizzling away deliciously.

Izawa Yeouido Direct Store's stone plate has good heat output, so the Maillard reaction really kicks in. Looks incredibly appetizing, and the aroma is something else too.

I try dipping it in the white garlic sauce. Wow... delicious. Izawa really lives up to being the original gyukatsu.

Now that I've confirmed it's delicious, I load the grill up breathlessly. Golden brown front and back, haha — I honestly find this whole process so fun.

I also try a piece with wasabi on top. As expected, wasabi cuts through the richness of gyukatsu with its sharp kick. Such a great ingredient.

Sizzling, perfectly grilled gyukatsu. A savory, rich flavor spreads through the whole bite.

The two sauces and the seasoned salt

I also dip it into the soy-based sauce. The sauce at Izawa Yeouido Direct Store isn't too salty, so somehow it lets the natural flavor of the beef come through more. Eating it with rice makes it even better.

I spot the seasoned salt a bit late, haha, and sprinkle it generously over the gyukatsu on the grill.

A bite with the salad too, no sauce needed. I like that this bite feels healthy as well.

Is the double set enough? Adding an extra bowl of rice

I thought I'd eaten a lot, but there was still a whole other portion left, haha — true to the name double set.

Since I'm starting a whole new portion, of course I add another bowl of rice.

At this point, grilling just three pieces at a time feels unsatisfying.

I load the grill up with gyukatsu. A genuinely over-the-top sight, haha.

It almost feels like enjoying a meat party. I finish off the last piece with wasabi.

Dr. Bear's nutrition check on gyukatsu

Gyukatsu is beef coated in breadcrumbs and fried, and tends to have a higher protein content than pork tonkatsu.

Beef is rich in iron and zinc, which can help prevent anemia and support immune function.

Since you grill it yourself on the mini table grill, you can control the doneness, and the more rare it's cooked, the less the protein is denatured by heat.

Grilling it again after frying lets some of the oil render out, so it tends to feel lighter than regular tonkatsu.

Final thoughts on Izawa Yeouido Direct Store

I visited Izawa Yeouido Direct Store craving that original, foundational gyukatsu flavor.

It's a place with real fun and flavor — grilling thick, bright-red cuts of beef to your own liking on a strong mini tabletop grill.

The combination of a not-too-strong sauce, sharp wasabi, and savory beef with a proper Maillard crust made even the generous double set disappear in no time. Grilling it once more on the tabletop cut down on the oiliness while still delivering plenty of good-quality protein and iron from the beef — a satisfying meal overall.

If you want a foolproof, original gyukatsu meal packed with protein in Yeouido, I'd recommend Izawa Yeouido Direct Store.