Kid-friendly Japanese restaurant in Sangam-dong, Seoul: Izawa Sangam

If you're wondering what to eat for dinner in Sangam-dong, go check out Izawa Sangam — my family's favorite spot in the neighborhood! Gyukatsu (beef cutlet) at ₩17,000 with this kind of spread? I looked at the menu twice when I first saw it! And it's just a 5-minute walk from Exit 9 of Digital Media City Station, so the access was perfect too!

Where is Izawa Sangam, and what are its hours?

Izawa Sangam is located at 15 World Cup buk-ro 50-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul, and takes up the entire 1st and 2nd floors. Hours are Mon–Fri 11:30–21:00, Saturday 12:00–20:00, and it's closed on Sundays.

The area around Sangam MBC gets really crowded at lunchtime, so I'd recommend an evening visit! Break time is 15:00–17:30, so it's best to time your visit after 17:30! Also worth noting: last order is at 20:30. Reservations are possible, and they have kids' chairs, so it's well suited for family dining.

Parking is a bit tight right in front of the restaurant, so you'll need to use the nearby Sangam-dong public parking lot. Slightly inconvenient, but it's only about a 5-minute walk, so it's not too much of a burden — just keep it in mind!

Izawa Sangam menu and prices in Sangam-dong

Let me run through the prices of Izawa Sangam's signature menu items first!

• Signature gyukatsu ₩17,000
• Gyukatsu double ₩30,000
• Steak set ₩17,000
• Steak rice bowl ₩17,000
• Pork jowl rice bowl ₩13,000
• Cold soba M ₩9,500
• Mazesoba ₩12,000
• Spicy ramen ₩12,000
• Basil ramen ₩12,000
• Beef rice bowl ₩12,000

Honestly I wanted to order the gyukatsu and mazesoba, but they said the ingredients had run out at lunch, ㅠㅠ. Instead I ordered the cold soba M, and it turned out to be the perfect combination to eat with a kid!

Izawa was the first place in South Korea to introduce gyukatsu, back in 2015. So you could really call it the originator of gyukatsu.

They're also running an event where leaving a receipt review gets you a free can of soda or a mini curry!

Inside Izawa Sangam: bar seats downstairs, tables upstairs

The 1st floor of Izawa Sangam is mostly bar-type seating with an open kitchen, so you can watch the cooking process.

The kitchen was spotless and visible at a glance, which gave off a really hygienic feeling!

I went up to the 2nd floor table seating, and the space was bigger than I expected. Since they use the whole building across both floors, there was plenty of seating room, which was nice!

A staff member was stationed on the 2nd floor too, so I could ask for anything I needed right away, and I could also request extra side dishes through the tablet!

There wasn't a single inconvenient moment the whole time. Since I was with my kid, they brought out kids' tableware right away! They were so kind. The atmosphere itself was clean and tidy, so the whole meal felt comfortable.

Signature gyukatsu at 17,000 won: how it tasted

When the basic gyukatsu arrived, it looked delicious right from the visual!

It's beef strip loin that's aged, then fried crisp while staying rare inside, and you grill it yourself on a natural stone plate.

The sauces included a soy-sauce base and a sesame base, plus wasabi and salt, so you could pick and choose according to your taste!

You grill it on a mini charcoal brazier, and the flame stayed lit longer than I expected.

With the basic portion, the flame never went out while grilling. At the next table over, someone having the double portion had their flame die out, but when they asked, the staff relit it right away.

The meat didn't stick to the grill plate much, so it was easy to cook, and the meat itself was tender with a rich meaty aroma!

Rice, miso soup, and cabbage salad came along with it, and both the soup and salad are refillable!

You can dip the gyukatsu into the added onsen tamago (soft-boiled egg) or mix it into the rice — mixing it into the rice was seriously the best.

Cold soba M at 9,500 won: sharing with a child

Izawa Sangam's cold soba M is ₩9,500, and for that price, the taste is genuinely good!

The noodles come out chewy and cold, and eating them alongside the gyukatsu felt like it refreshed my palate. Grabbing a bite of cold soba between bites of meat was the perfect combo.

Maybe because I was visiting with my kid, they gave us two serving bowls to divide the cold soba into! (Such a nice touch, right?) I'd recommend ordering it together and sharing!

Is Izawa Sangam worth a return visit near DMC?

Izawa Sangam is easy to get to, just a 5-minute walk from Exit 9 of Digital Media City Station, and above all it's known for delicious gyukatsu!

The combination of ₩17,000 gyukatsu and ₩9,500 cold soba was the best pairing to eat with a kid! Oh! Don't forget to add the egg!

Lunch especially gets very crowded, so I'd recommend an evening visit. Since break time is 15:00–17:30, if you're going for dinner, it's best to go after 17:30!

Also good to know: if you leave a blog review and come back, they give you a coupon for extra meat. If you're looking for a gyukatsu spot in Sangam, stop by Izawa Sangam! I'm planning to go back for the mazesoba^^