Yeouido Japanese restaurant with free ground parking: Izawa

Mini-brazier gyukatsu near Yeouido Station

While looking for tasty Japanese food near Yeouido Station in Seoul, I stopped by the gyukatsu spot Izawa Yeouido Direct Store, haha. Yeouido has lots of office workers and so many good restaurants, so choosing somewhere for lunch or dinner can be surprisingly difficult. This time, I went for gyukatsu, which I already love.

Gyukatsu is one of my favorite Japanese dishes because its outside is fried crisp while the meat inside stays tender and juicy. Here, you grill it yourself on a mini brazier, so I was even more excited!

Use the ground-level parking lot

First, here is the parking information for anyone driving! Izawa Yeouido Direct Store offers one hour of free parking when you use the building's ground-level parking lot. There is one important thing to note, though: parking support is not available for the basement lot, so please keep that in mind!

A spacious interior for dates and solo meals

Once inside, the restaurant was quite a bit larger than I expected! The tables were not squeezed together, making it nice for a relaxed meal, and the overall atmosphere was tidy.

It was not overly noisy or dark, so it seemed like a good place for a date in Yeouido. It also felt comfortable for people dining alone, so I would recommend it to anyone looking for a solo meal near Yeouido Station. Gyukatsu in particular makes a neat, satisfying meal for one, and it would suit an office-worker lunch too.

I also spotted a signature from trot singer Lim Young-woong, haha.

Please refer to the photos above for the menu and prices!

Two gyukatsu set meals and a Zero Cola

That day, we ordered two gyukatsu set meals and a Zero Cola. The total came to ₩36,500!

The gyukatsu set was more generously portioned than I expected, and the meat itself looked really fresh. The exterior was fried crisp, while the inside felt tender and juicy!

Grill gyukatsu to your liking on a mini brazier

More than anything, what makes Izawa's gyukatsu special is that you do not simply eat it as served—you grill it yourself to your preferred doneness on the mini brazier set on the table.

The outside was crisp, while the meat inside was truly tender and juicy. The meat was not tough at all; the more I chewed, the more nutty flavor came through. The gyukatsu almost melted in my mouth—it was so good, haha.

Personally, I love gyukatsu with rice. Having a piece of crisply grilled gyukatsu with rice made the savory, clean flavors work even better together. I also liked being able to grill and eat each piece right away, so it stayed warm until the end. The portion was quite generous too, and with rice, it was plenty for a full meal.

A crisp and tender gyukatsu meal

Overall, the dining atmosphere was tidy and the restaurant was fairly spacious, so I thought it was a nice option for anyone seeking a good restaurant near Yeouido Station in Seoul. It would be especially nice when you want a different kind of Japanese meal while on a date around Yeouido.

If you like gyukatsu that is crisp outside and tender inside, I think it is worth visiting at least once :) We enjoyed two gyukatsu set meals and a Zero Cola at Izawa Yeouido Direct Store. If you are looking near Yeouido Station for a date restaurant, Japanese food, or a good place to dine alone, keep it in mind ♡