Samsan-dong, Ulsan gyukatsu restaurant with kids: rosu-katsu, Izawa

I remembered waiting in line last time, so this time I did an open-run haha 😆

Where is Izawa Ulsan The Terrace Garden branch, and what are its hours?

You know that pretty Terrace Garden building with the blue accent you pass when driving through Samsan-dong? On the 2nd floor of that building is Izawa, an Ulsan gyukatsu restaurant everyone raves about ❤️

• 2nd floor, Terrace Garden, 231 Samsan-ro, Nam-gu, Ulsan, South Korea
• Mon–Sun 11:00 - 21:00 (last order 20:25)
• May be a wait on weekends
• Ulsan Pay ⭕️, baby chairs ⭕️

Where do you park at Terrace Garden?

Izawa Ulsan The Terrace Garden branch gives generous parking registration, so I parked in the basement level and headed up. There's a standing sign right at the parking entrance haha. Izawa is Korea's very first gyukatsu and steak-don specialty restaurant 😆

If there's a wait, you can sit here — the Japanese vibe here is no joke haha. It brought back memories of renting a kimono in Osaka with a friend ages ago and taking photos in a spot just like this 🤣

Izawa is a high-end dining restaurant specializing in gyukatsu (牛かつ) and steak-don (ステキ丼), built around the main menu item 'gyukatsu' and passing down Japanese food culture blended with Korean research and effort. Izawa introduced Korea's first gyukatsu back in 2015. Korea's own gyukatsu!! They say the quality beef selected by Izawa's own standards, the aging method infused with skill and care, and the special sauce and seasoning built from unique experience and coloring created Izawa's one-of-a-kind flavor!! Korea's first gyukatsu, born from effort 👍

Ok, the entrance already gives off great-restaurant vibes 😆

They have baby chairs, and they say they use dishware sanitized with an ultrasonic washer using a naturally-derived detergent so you can eat with peace of mind. Totally reassuring ❤️

Izawa menu and prices

The main menu items at Izawa Ulsan The Terrace Garden branch are the gyukatsu set for 17,000 won, the steak set for 17,000 won, and steak-don for 15,000 won. There are also noodle, rice, and katsu dishes plus set menus.

• 🍽️ Main: Gyukatsu set ₩17,000 / Double gyukatsu set ₩30,000 / Gyukatsu + curry set ₩18,000 / Steak set ₩17,000 / Steak-don ₩15,000
• 🍜 Noodles·Rice·Katsu: Basil ramen ₩10,000 / Mazesoba ₩10,000 / Cold soba ₩9,500 / Double cold soba ₩12,000 / Pork belly don ₩12,000 / Whole mozzarella cheese katsu ₩13,000 / Rosu-katsu ₩12,000
• 🍱 Set menu: 1. Gyukatsu set + steak-don + soda ₩33,000 / 2. Gyukatsu set + gyukatsu set + soda ₩35,000 / 3. Gyukatsu set + mazesoba + soda ₩28,000 / 4. Gyukatsu set + basil ramen + soda ₩28,000 / 5. Gyukatsu set + steak-don + pork belly don + soda ₩45,000
• 🥢 Sides·extra meat: Mini curry ₩3,000 / Fried beef bites (7pcs) ₩6,000 / Rice ₩1,000 / Extra gyukatsu meat ₩15,000 / Extra steak meat ₩15,000
• 🥤 Drinks: Cola·Sprite·Fanta (zero-sugar available) ₩2,000 / Heineken bottle ₩7,000 / Cass·Terra bottle ₩5,000

Ordering by QR code was so convenient haha. Ordered one gyukatsu set and one rosu-katsu set.

The restaurant is spacious and clean ☺️

Grilling the gyukatsu yourself on a mini tabletop stove

At Izawa they gave us a bottle of water and a kid-sized fork and spoon. They also set up a mini charcoal stove since it's gyukatsu.

For gyukatsu, they say they carefully select the best beef with marbling spread like flower petals, go through a low-temperature aging process the Japanese way, coat it thinly in batter, and fry it fast at high heat for about 60 seconds, so the outside turns crispy while the inside stays medium-rare, letting you taste the beef's natural flavor ❗️

Ta-da~!! The gyukatsu and rosu-katsu we'd been waiting for 😍 It didn't take long to come out haha.

They put a few pieces of gyukatsu on the stove — sizzle~~~ The smell alone gets your mouth watering.

My pick: the gyukatsu set!! My son's pick: the rosu-katsu set!!

Since it only comes lightly seared on the outside, you grill it to your own taste on the mini stove 🥩

Isn't the rosu-katsu seriously thick!? He said he was full even without eating rice ☺️

Gyukatsu set vs rosu-katsu: how they taste

The gyukatsu really melts the moment it hits your mouth 🫠 So tender, how can it be this good — eating it after a while makes it taste even better ‼️

My son liked the plain, clean-tasting rosu-katsu so much he didn't even touch the gyukatsu. Score, it's all mine 😍

Rosu-katsu sauce, clear broth, and diced radish kimchi. The kimchi is delicious too, and it pairs well with the gyukatsu ☺️

The gyukatsu comes with its own sauce too, but it's already quite salty on its own, so I just dipped it once and ate it plain ☺️

Toward the end I grilled it a bit crispier and added a touch of wasabi — tasted amazing 👍

Would I go back to Izawa with my son?

It really is Korea's first gyukatsu restaurant, no doubt about it~ I honestly had such delicious gyukatsu after a long time 😆 Crispy outside, moist and melting soft inside. I'll have to stop by again on a Samsan-dong date with my husband ❤️