Yeouido gyukatsu restaurant, set eaten three ways with salt: Izawa

This is the place that comes to mind when I'm craving a neat, warm set meal, or looking for a clean solo dining spot or a low-key gathering place in Yeouido! It's already famous among Yeouido office workers as a lunchtime holy grail — 'Izawa Yeouido Direct Store,' where the fun of grilling it yourself on a mini charcoal grill meets savory, rich juices. Izawa is apparently the brand that first introduced gyukatsu to Korea in 2015, starting the whole gyukatsu culture here~ Here's my honest review after trying the signature gyukatsu set 😉

• 📍Address: 2nd floor, 42 Yeouinaru-ro, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul
• ⏰ Hours: 11:00–21:00 / break time 15:00–17:00 / last order 20:30
• 🚙 Parking: available

Where is Izawa Yeouido Direct Store, and what is the dining room like?

Izawa Yeouido Direct Store is just a one-minute walk from Yeouido Station, so it was really easy to get to, and easy to find even among Yeouido's massive forest of office towers!

Once you open the door and step in, soft, calm lighting and interior set a relaxed mood. True to its reputation as the lunchtime holy grail for Yeouido office workers, the impeccably kept interior stands out. There are 2- and 4-person tables, of course, but also well-arranged solo seating, making it a perfect spot to enjoy a comfortable meal alone without feeling self-conscious.

What is on the menu at Izawa?

Izawa's menu is thoughtfully divided into distinctive Japanese dishes — gyukatsu, donkatsu, and rice bowls. 👇🏼👇🏼👇🏼

• Gyukatsu Set — the signature menu: carefully selected beef coated in a thin, crispy batter, served medium rare with a crisp outside and juicy inside
• Double Gyukatsu Set — two rows of cutlet for those who want to enjoy the beef's flavor more generously
• Steki Set — no batter, just the tender, rich juiciness of the fresh red beef itself
• Steki-don, basil ramen, pan-momil (buckwheat noodles), and other soft beef bowl and noodle options

What comes with the gyukatsu set at Izawa?

Izawa's signature gyukatsu set comes with beef gyukatsu, rice, miso soup, salad, two special sauces, wasabi, and diced radish kimchi!

Next to the diced radish kimchi there was something like seasoned dried radish greens — it was nicely refreshing! The sauces were a mustard-peanut style one and a basic soy-based one. Both were delicious!

Grilling the gyukatsu yourself on a mini charcoal grill

They brought the gyukatsu straight to the mini charcoal grill to cook. After lightly brushing fat over the preheated grill plate and laying the gyukatsu down, a crisp sizzle sounds off and a savory aroma fills your mouth, making your mouth water... Grilling it to the doneness you want, savoring even the last bite warm, is a small but genuine pleasure 😆

Soy sauce, mustard-peanut sauce or salt: which suits gyukatsu best?

Once cooked through, I first added a bit of wasabi and dipped it in the soy-based sauce. It cut through the richness cleanly for a perfect balance. Past that crisp outer crust, the tender, savory juices of the beef burst through in a wave. Cooking it medium rare — just until the redness on the surface faded — brought out the most perfect tenderness!

Dipped in the mustard sauce, it turned even juicier with more umami, and I kept reaching for more!

Sprinkling the tableside salt next to the wasabi and dipping in gave a cleaner taste that paired really well with the fattiness 👍🏻

After the cabbage salad with its savory dressing, I put a piece of the cooked gyukatsu with a little wasabi on top of the rice and popped it in my mouth, then followed with a sip of warm miso soup — a whole bowl of rice disappeared in no time 🤣🤤

The wall of celebrity autographs at Izawa

From trot singer Lim Young-woong to many other celebrities, the wall is covered in autographs, and somehow that made the food taste even better..? There were especially a lot of Lim Young-woong's autographs everywhere 🤣

Who should eat at Izawa Yeouido Direct Store?

Izawa Yeouido Direct Store isn't just a place to grab a quick meal — it's a place worth visiting for both the fun of grilling it yourself and the pampered feeling of a neatly set table, all in one. The attentive, kind service from the staff (like adding more charcoal) added to the satisfaction throughout the meal. I confidently recommend Izawa Yeouido Direct Store to anyone wanting a pleasant evening with painstakingly made, crisp-outside-juicy-inside gyukatsu, or anyone near Yeouido looking for a nice date spot or a solid Japanese restaurant.