Yeouido Japanese restaurant for tender steki: Izawa

Izawa, said to have introduced Korea's first gyukatsu

This is Izawa Yeouido Direct Store, the original gyukatsu spot in Yeouido ˚ෆ*₊ I knew it was famous, but apparently it was the original gyukatsu restaurant that introduced gyukatsu to Korea in 2015! 🙊✨

It is on the second floor of Yeouido General Shopping Center, units 203–204, 42 Yeouinaru-ro, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul. It is right in front of Exit 5 of Yeouido Station—just a one-minute walk (❁´▽`❁) Open daily from 11:00 to 21:00, with a break from 15:00 to 17:00; last orders are at 20:30. The ground-level parking lot on the first floor is free for one hour, but there is no support for underground parking.

I came without a reservation at around 5:40 p.m. on Saturday, and there was a little wait? It might have been busier because it was the day of the Yeouido Fireworks Festival ,, You can also reserve ahead on Catchtable ෆ

Ordering gyukatsu and steki sets

Ta-da ~~ Shall we take a quick look through the menu first? ✨ There is such a range, from the signature steki set and gyukatsu set to dontoro-don, gyudon, spicy ramen, basil ramen, mazesoba, pan-memil, and curry udon! I ordered the steki set and gyukatsu set, plus a refreshing Sapporo draft beer, haha. I have had plenty of gyukatsu, but this was my first time seeing a steki set—it seemed like the version without breading 🙊

Ta-daaa ~~~ Here come the steki set and gyukatsu set ,, 🤤✨✨ The generous spread includes gyukatsu, cabbage salad, wasabi, rakkyo (pickled shallots), two sauces, kkakdugi (cubed radish kimchi), seasoned dried radish greens, soup, and rice ෆ

The vivid red cross-section of the striploin gyukatsu looked so appetizing ..💗

And the steki set I ordered because I was curious! There really was no breading, and the cross-section alone was so beautiful that it instantly made my mouth water ,, That color is unreal 🥹🥹

Bites grilled just how I liked them on a mini brazier

I grilled the gyukatsu first on the mini brazier. It arrives rare, and I just love that you can cook gyukatsu exactly to your taste like this ,,🖤

The steki is on top and the gyukatsu below; the steki had a brighter vivid-red color. Meat sizzling away so deliciously 🤤🤤

Finally, the grilled gyukatsu and steki—one bite each with a little dab of wasabi, nom ~~~ Wow, this was among the best gyukatsu I have ever had. It seriously melted in my mouth ㅠㅠ So ridiculously good ..🤍 The steki in particular was reaaally tender ,,

Once you start grilling one strip at a time in turns, it disappears in no time ,, It was so good that I just kept grilling, eating, grilling—on infinite repeat .. It is a perfect match with Sapporo draft beer ෆ

The soup and side dishes were clean-tasting and delicious too. The gyukatsu was crisp outside and moist and tender inside, while the steki simply melted away in my mouth ..🤤🤍 Put it over white rice and the seasoning is just right—so good.

Traces of Lim Young-woong everywhere, too

Oh, and it seems Lim Young-woong is a regular here and has visited several times. There were lots of signed items and photos posted around the place?? I came with a friend that day, but my mom is a Lim Young-woong fan, so I decided I would come back with her next time, haha. She had even gone to his Goyang concert that day, so she sent me photos on KakaoTalk ,, What a coincidence ~~

Izawa, the original gyukatsu restaurant said to be Korea's first 🖤 One taste of the gyukatsu and I immediately understood why. The originals really are on another level .. The crisp-outside, moist-inside gyukatsu was amazing, but I had never tried the breading-free version before, and its melt-in-your-mouth tenderness and juiciness really impressed me ,, Everyone, you have to try it 🤤🫶🏻