DMC gyukatsu restaurant, 3+1 Kirin after 20,000 steps: Izawa Sangam

It was my first time eating in DMC (Digital Media City), and the area was surprisingly shiny and fancy ✨ I'd walked 20,000 steps and was wiped out... I needed protein, so off to a Sangam gyukatsu place we went!

Izawa Sangam hours, reservations and parking

Izawa Sangam is open Mon–Thu 11:00–21:00 (break time 15:00–17:30, last order 20:30) and Saturday 12:00–20:00 (last order 19:30). It is closed on Sundays. It is 385 m from Exit 9 of Digital Media City Station.

• Reservations available (free soft drink when you book via Naver)
• No parking; use the public parking lots in Sangam-dong
• Groups welcome (up to 20 people)

What is the seating like at Izawa Sangam?

Izawa Sangam uses an entire building, so you can sit on either the 1st or 2nd floor.

1st floor bar seats: solo dining with an open-air feel

The 1st floor has bar seats, which look great for eating alone! They'd opened all the windows too, so it had a real outdoor-pub vibe 🍃

2nd floor tables for 2 and 4, with folding doors

The 2nd floor has tables for 2 and 4, and the folding doors make it feel wonderfully open. The brown-toned tables felt warm and cozy.

What did we order at Izawa Sangam?

At Izawa Sangam we ordered gyukatsu and the signature dish, dontoro-don. It's a Sangam gyukatsu spot, so of course gyukatsu is a must! Dontoro-don was listed as the signature, so we got one of those too! I'd never heard of it, but the description said it's a pork jowl rice bowl!

Set menus, drinks and side prices

Izawa Sangam has set menus for 2 people and for 3–4 people, combining gyukatsu, cold soba (buckwheat noodles) and soft drinks. You order easily at a kiosk.

• Soju, beer ₩5,000
• Kirin draft beer ₩7,900 (3+1)
• Highball ₩7,900
• Mini curry ₩4,000
• Poached egg ₩1,500
• Rice ₩1,000

Does Kirin draft beer 3+1 go well with gyukatsu?

The Kirin draft at Izawa Sangam was 3+1, so we ordered four glasses at once. How could I resist Kirin draft 3+1..? So I just knocked back 4 glasses right away 🍻🍻 It was so smooth and cold, ugh. After a glass of beer first, the food arrived.

Look how neat the gyukatsu is! The pork jowl bowl is piled with meat too 😋

Izawa Sangam serves cabbage, kkakdugi (cubed radish kimchi), danmuji (yellow pickled radish) and miso soup as standard. The danmuji was a heart shape 💗

How does dontoro-don (pork jowl rice bowl) taste?

The dontoro-don at Izawa Sangam is a very tender, nutty pork jowl rice bowl, and with a little wasabi it's heaven. The meat is cut small, so it was sooo easy to eat. It goes really well with the sauce.

Gyukatsu cooked to your preferred doneness

The gyukatsu at Izawa Sangam uses totally fresh meat, and it's fun to cook it to the doneness you like. Dab it in salt and add a little wasabi for the best combo.

A bite of gyukatsu~ a sip of Kirin~ a bite of dontoro-don~ a sip of Kirin~ keep going like that and before you know it the kimchi's gone too, plate wiped clean.

Izawa Sangam in one line

Izawa Sangam is Sangam-dong's go-to Japanese restaurant, with a charming crispy-outside, juicy-inside gyukatsu. Grilling it your way on the mini grill is a lot of fun, and the meat is very tender. The sharp wasabi and special sauce work so well that I never got tired of it to the last bite. Besides gyukatsu, meal dishes like dontoro-don are crowd-pleasing and delicious 😋

It has a cozy atmosphere, good for DMC office workers' lunch or a tidy dinner after work. It's just right when you want a reliable, filling Japanese meal in Sangam-dong or a date spot. Beyond the main dishes, the attentive service and cozy space make it even more satisfying.

The wide windows give it a great open feel with no stuffiness. The 1st-floor seats especially give an outdoor-pub mood on nice days, which is real atmosphere. The bar seats are well set up too, so solo-dining beginners can enjoy it comfortably without feeling self-conscious.

There's a bit of a wait at peak times, but turnover is good so a seat opens up sooner than you'd expect. The cute Japanese-restaurant vibe is perfect for chatting with a friend or a casual visit. Portions are generous overall; for an adult man it may look small at first, but by the end you're quietly stuffed.

Add a cold, fizzy highball or soft drink and it cuts the richness, so the balance stays perfect to the end. It's a comfortable place you'd want as a hideout in the busy Sangam-dong alleys!! Don't miss the Kirin draft 3+1 😉