Gwanak Japanese restaurant beef cutlet lunch: Izawa

Finding Izawa on Sharosugil near Seoul National University Entrance Station

While looking for gyukatsu (Japanese beef cutlet), I visited Izawa, which is famous for lunch gyukatsu around Sharosugil near Seoul National University Entrance Station!

Hours Daily 11:30–21:00 Break time 15:00–17:00 Last order 20:00

Walk straight from Exit 2 of Seoul National University Entrance Station, turn into the Starbucks alley (Sharosugil), and walk another 100 m—you’ll find it on the second floor of the building with the yellow roof on the right!

The waiting list and the restaurant atmosphere

At the entrance, you can write your name on the waiting list by hand, and apparently they offer mini memil noodles or a drink to people who wait!! There are so many places with waits on Sharosugil, but nowhere else gives you service like this—absolutely the best!!

The interior was clean overall, in white tones! I went in the evening, and it was packed. It felt like a go-to place for Seoul National University students on meal dates?!? You can trust a place that lots of college students visit!!!

Kiosk ordering and the set for two

The system lets you browse and order comfortably from the kiosk at each table. Just a heads-up: you can also call a staff member for things like extra salad or an extra cup of ice!

We ordered the ₩38,500 set for two: two striploin gyukatsu set meals, mini curry, and drinks!! I couldn’t take a photo, but there are lots of set options sized from two people upward, so if you want to try a variety of dishes with a group, go for a set!! You can choose steak rice bowls or steak set meals as well as gyukatsu set meals ❤️

Lightly grilling striploin gyukatsu over the brazier

The gyukatsu finally arrived!! Overall, the set comes with gyukatsu, salad, rice, soup, pickled ginger, wasabi, sauces, and side dishes.

It comes with tare sauce and mustard sauce, and there’s salt on every table! Add them however you like. This is the most exciting moment—my heart races, I’m all aflutter, and I’m drooling. Cook already!!!

I like mine cooked exactly this much. You can cook it to your taste, but if you trust my pick, I highly recommend cooking it just the tiniest bit!!!

My tare sauce and wasabi combination

Let me share my own delicious gyukatsu sauce combination.

Dip it in salt, then dunk it in tare sauce. Top it with wasabi and take a huge bite.

I tend to eat salty food, so I really love it this way, but I recommend adjusting the amount to suit you. Seriously, ridiculously delicious.

Thoughtful staff service and curry

And the best thing about Izawa Sharosugil Branch!! The staff are so, so kind. They’re incredibly thoughtful too: even without us asking, they brought extra salad, changed the grill plate, and added more charcoal,,, ❤️ Honestly, one slightly awkward thing at gyukatsu places can be asking for the grill plate to be changed, right?! If they look super busy, you can feel a little self-conscious, but here there was no need to worry—they changed it on their own, so it was incredibly comfortable,,, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I love having curry with gyukatsu, and I liked that this one had such a strong Japanese-style spicy curry aroma! It’s a flavor every Korean would definitely love. If, like me, you get tired of beef quickly and end up eating less than usual, I recommend adding curry!!

If you’re looking for a great lunch spot near Seoul National University Entrance Station or on Sharosugil, or for gyukatsu and tonkatsu around the station or Sharosugil, I recommend Izawa Sharosugil Branch!! I left after such a delicious meal. I’m personally planning to visit again too ❤️ I’m so happy to have found this neighborhood gem!!!!