# Yeouido Japanese restaurant for tender steki: Izawa - By Saebom (https://superchart.com/en/@beauty-visit/) - Written Sep 13, 2026 - Local places › Restaurants › Yeongdeungpo, Seoul - Sponsored: This visit was sponsored by the business. - English edition: https://superchart.com/en/@beauty-visit/yeouido-izawa-steki-soft-texture/ - Also in: [한국어](https://superchart.com/ko/@beauty-visit/yeouido-izawa-steki-soft-texture/index.md) ## In short Izawa Yeouido Direct Store is a Japanese restaurant near Yeouido Station in Yeongdeungpo, Seoul, where diners grill gyukatsu and steki sets over a tabletop brazier. On a busy Saturday during the fireworks festival, the breading-free steki was especially melt-in-your-mouth tender. Verdict: a satisfying grill-it-yourself beef meal. ## Good to know - **Hours**: Daily 11:00–21:00 - **Break time**: 15:00–17:00 - **Last order**: 20:30 - **Parking**: 1 hour free at the ground-level parking lot; no support for underground parking - **Reservations**: Available via Catchtable - **Ordered**: Steki set, gyukatsu set, and Sapporo draft beer *as written by the visitor on Sep 13, 2026* ## 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! 🙊✨ ![Introduction to Izawa Yeouido Direct Store](https://img.superchart.com/images/yeouido-izawa-steki-soft-texture/yeouido-izawa-steki-soft-texture-01-1kdf9-900.webp) 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. ![Izawa location on the second floor of Yeouido General Shopping Center](https://img.superchart.com/images/yeouido-izawa-steki-soft-texture/yeouido-izawa-steki-soft-texture-02-myulb-900.webp) 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 ![Waiting area at Izawa](https://img.superchart.com/images/yeouido-izawa-steki-soft-texture/yeouido-izawa-steki-soft-texture-03-e61a2-900.webp) ![Waiting area at Izawa](https://img.superchart.com/images/yeouido-izawa-steki-soft-texture/yeouido-izawa-steki-soft-texture-04-1o1ry-900.webp) ![Waiting area at Izawa](https://img.superchart.com/images/yeouido-izawa-steki-soft-texture/yeouido-izawa-steki-soft-texture-05-ispf9-900.webp) ![Waiting area at Izawa](https://img.superchart.com/images/yeouido-izawa-steki-soft-texture/yeouido-izawa-steki-soft-texture-06-1bv4s-900.webp) ![Waiting area at Izawa](https://img.superchart.com/images/yeouido-izawa-steki-soft-texture/yeouido-izawa-steki-soft-texture-07-1eq4u-900.webp) ![Waiting area at Izawa](https://img.superchart.com/images/yeouido-izawa-steki-soft-texture/yeouido-izawa-steki-soft-texture-08-5n1i5-900.webp) ## 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 🙊 ![Steki set and gyukatsu set menu](https://img.superchart.com/images/yeouido-izawa-steki-soft-texture/yeouido-izawa-steki-soft-texture-09-1nnzq-900.webp) 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 ![Full spread of gyukatsu and steki sets](https://img.superchart.com/images/yeouido-izawa-steki-soft-texture/yeouido-izawa-steki-soft-texture-10-g0nup-900.webp) The vivid red cross-section of the striploin gyukatsu looked so appetizing ..💗 ![Vivid red cross-section of striploin gyukatsu](https://img.superchart.com/images/yeouido-izawa-steki-soft-texture/yeouido-izawa-steki-soft-texture-11-1xp0c-900.webp) ![Vivid red cross-section of striploin gyukatsu](https://img.superchart.com/images/yeouido-izawa-steki-soft-texture/yeouido-izawa-steki-soft-texture-12-p3p6x-900.webp) 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 🥹🥹 ![Cross-section of the breading-free steki set](https://img.superchart.com/images/yeouido-izawa-steki-soft-texture/yeouido-izawa-steki-soft-texture-13-4y6fw-1200.webp) ![Cross-section of the breading-free steki set](https://img.superchart.com/images/yeouido-izawa-steki-soft-texture/yeouido-izawa-steki-soft-texture-14-epsfa-900.webp) ## 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 ,,🖤 ![Rare gyukatsu grilling on a mini brazier](https://img.superchart.com/images/yeouido-izawa-steki-soft-texture/yeouido-izawa-steki-soft-texture-15-8zt5j-900.webp) The steki is on top and the gyukatsu below; the steki had a brighter vivid-red color. Meat sizzling away so deliciously 🤤🤤 ![Steki and gyukatsu on the brazier](https://img.superchart.com/images/yeouido-izawa-steki-soft-texture/yeouido-izawa-steki-soft-texture-16-h12a7-900.webp) ![Steki and gyukatsu on the brazier](https://img.superchart.com/images/yeouido-izawa-steki-soft-texture/yeouido-izawa-steki-soft-texture-17-ds2yj-900.webp) 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 ,, ![Grilled gyukatsu and steki topped with wasabi](https://img.superchart.com/images/yeouido-izawa-steki-soft-texture/yeouido-izawa-steki-soft-texture-18-1ot3z-900.webp) ![Grilled gyukatsu and steki topped with wasabi](https://img.superchart.com/images/yeouido-izawa-steki-soft-texture/yeouido-izawa-steki-soft-texture-19-14syd-900.webp) 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 ![Sapporo draft beer paired with gyukatsu](https://img.superchart.com/images/yeouido-izawa-steki-soft-texture/yeouido-izawa-steki-soft-texture-20-kmi4l-900.webp) ![Sapporo draft beer paired with gyukatsu](https://img.superchart.com/images/yeouido-izawa-steki-soft-texture/yeouido-izawa-steki-soft-texture-21-t45op-900.webp) 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. ![Side dishes and soup with the gyukatsu set](https://img.superchart.com/images/yeouido-izawa-steki-soft-texture/yeouido-izawa-steki-soft-texture-22-14pxe-900.webp) ![Side dishes and soup with the gyukatsu set](https://img.superchart.com/images/yeouido-izawa-steki-soft-texture/yeouido-izawa-steki-soft-texture-23-3icah-900.webp) ![Side dishes and soup with the gyukatsu set](https://img.superchart.com/images/yeouido-izawa-steki-soft-texture/yeouido-izawa-steki-soft-texture-24-10m5e-900.webp) ## 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 🤤🫶🏻 ## Where it is - Izawa Yeouido Direct Store (이자와 여의도직영점) - 203–204, 42 Yeouinaru-ro, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, South Korea - 서울특별시 영등포구 여의나루로 42 203호, 204호 이자와 - 37.5214704, 126.9249738 - Google Maps: https://www.google.com/maps/search/%EC%9D%B4%EC%9E%90%EC%99%80%20%EC%97%AC%EC%9D%98%EB%8F%84%EC%A7%81%EC%98%81%EC%A0%90/@37.5214704,126.9249738,17z --- Superchart · https://superchart.com/en/@beauty-visit/yeouido-izawa-steki-soft-texture/ · https://superchart.com/llms.txt