Seoul National Univ Station gyukatsu lunch plus basil ramen: Izawa

Izawa Sharosugil Branch | A gyukatsu spot in Sharosu-gil — gyukatsu and steak grilled on a personal tabletop stove

If you're craving gyukatsu (breaded beef cutlet) or steki (steak) around Sharosu-gil near Seoul National University of Education Station, Izawa Sharosugil Branch is worth a visit. Since you grill the meat yourself on a personal mini stove, it's a bit different from your typical breaded-cutlet restaurant. This time we ordered the gyukatsu set, the steak set, and even a basil ramen to try together.

Where is Izawa Sharosugil Branch, and what are its hours?

You can find Izawa Sharosugil Branch by walking along the main Sharosu-gil street from Exit 2 of Seoul National University of Education Station. It's not too far from the station and sits inside Sharosu-gil, so it's fairly accessible. Pass the building with the yellow roof, take the entrance on the left, and head up to the second floor to find the restaurant. Even though it's in the heart of Sharosu-gil, it's tucked into a side alley, so the mood was relatively calm for a meal compared to the main street.

Address: 28 Gwanak-ro 14-gil, 2nd floor, Gwanak-gu, Seoul, South Korea

The interior is fairly spacious with comfortable spacing between tables, so it works well whether you're eating alone, dining with 2–3 people, or on a date. Since you grill each piece of meat over the stove yourself, the atmosphere suits chatting and eating slowly rather than rushing through the meal.

Hours: daily 11:30–21:30 (last order 20:30)

Break time: 15:00–17:00

Izawa Sharosugil Branch menu and prices

Introducing the cutlet menu at this Sharosu-gil favorite

Izawa's menu centers on gyukatsu and steki, alongside gyukatsu curry, a double set, and add-on meat options. For noodles, there's karai ramen, basil ramen, and mazesoba.

The signature sirloin gyukatsu set and steak set are each 18,000 won, and both sets come with rice, soup, side dishes, and sauces to enjoy with the meat.

Ordering lunch at Izawa near Seoul National University Station

We ordered the gyukatsu set, the steak set, and basil ramen — comparing the two meat menus, with the ramen as a side.

The gyukatsu and steki both come out par-cooked, and you finish grilling them yourself on the small stove at your table to your preferred doneness. That makes it a different kind of fun compared to typical meat dishes that arrive fully cooked. Since both sets are cooked on your own personal stove, you can enjoy slightly different flavors depending on how you grill it and which sauce you use.

When it first arrives, the outside is crisply cooked while the inside is still relatively soft, so you finish it on the stove to your liking. Salt, wasabi, and a house sauce are provided, so you can try each piece a different way.

Three sauces for the sirloin gyukatsu set

There are three sauces served with the meat, so you can switch combinations to your taste. The salt lets you taste the meat's own flavor fairly plainly, while wasabi gives it a cleaner finish. The house sauce is sweet and salty, and went well with rice.

Since it's a set meal, rice, soup, and side dishes come along with it, so it's satisfying as a full meal. Eating it with rice rather than just the meat alone made for a more filling experience. If it's your first time trying gyukatsu, the self-grilling process might feel a bit fussy, but it's easy to enjoy once you think of it as part of what makes Izawa unique.

More than anything, grilling it to your own preferred doneness on the stove — rather than eating it straight away — is the biggest feature of the gyukatsu set.

How the steak (steki) set differs from the gyukatsu set

The steki is also grilled yourself on a personal stove like the gyukatsu, but the texture and mood are a bit different from the gyukatsu.

If gyukatsu is about enjoying the breading along with the meat, steki is closer to tasting the meat itself more directly. As you place the meat on the stove, it sizzles and the aroma of the meat rises, and once it's grilled to your liking, you finish it with sauce, salt, or wasabi.

The steki felt like a more relaxed way of eating meat compared to the gyukatsu, so if you prefer the texture of the meat itself over the breading, this might suit you better.

Basil ramen at 12,000 won, added when the sets felt small

Partway through, both of us felt something was missing, so we placed an extra order: basil ramen!

After eating meat dishes for a while, your mouth can start to feel a bit greasy, and having the basil ramen in between changed the mood nicely. Since both the gyukatsu and steki were meat dishes, we thought adding a soup or noodle dish would be good, and it ended up being a great combination alongside the meat!!

Since the set comes with rice, soup, and side dishes, the portion wasn't lacking. If it's hard to choose between gyukatsu and steki, visiting with two people and ordering one of each to share also seemed like a good option.

Is lunch at Izawa Sharosugil Branch worth it?

Izawa Sharosugil Branch was most memorable for the way you grill the gyukatsu and steki yourself on a personal stove. The gyukatsu set was fun for grilling the crispy breading and tender meat to your liking, while the steak set let you taste the meat's own flavor and texture more directly. Adding basil ramen on top let us enjoy both a meat dish and a noodle dish together.

If it's your first visit, rather than picking just one between gyukatsu and steki, ordering one of each for two people to compare is a good approach. It's also close to Seoul National University of Education Station, so it's easy to get to, and it's a solid option to keep in mind when looking for a place to eat in Sharosu-gil.