Yeouido gyukatsu restaurant, medium-rare to medium-well: Izawa

Where is Izawa near Yeouido Station, and is there parking?

Crispy outside, juicy inside! Izawa is the gyukatsu (breaded beef cutlet) spot near Yeouido Station that I'd absolutely recommend for a Yeouido date. I ate so well here (❛ڡ❛ )

Parking is a nightmare in Yeouido, but this place gives you a whole hour free, so it's great even if you're driving 👍

• 📌 71m from Yeouido Station Exit 5
• ⏰️ Mon–Sun 11:00–21:00
• Break time 15:00–17:00
• Last order 20:30
• 🚗 1 hour free at the building's ground-floor lot

Izawa was the first brand in Korea to introduce gyukatsu, in 2015, starting Korea's gyukatsu culture. Crispy on the outside, soft and juicy inside — Izawa's gyukatsu. Izawa's signature dining experience is grilling it yourself on a mini charcoal grill to your own taste. With the same heart we had when we first started making gyukatsu, we cook every day with unwavering care and standards. At Izawa, we'll do our best so that the taste, the atmosphere, and the overall experience become a good memory. — Source: Naver Place description

Izawa's entrance sign and what the wait is like

Being the pioneer of gyukatsu, the entrance was lined with autographs from celebrities like Lim Young-woong and Heebab. Seriously, so many Lim Young-woong signatures it felt like his personal spot. And on the right wall, in big letters: 'DAMN. GOOD.' hahahahaha

You can only get seated once your whole party has arrived, which tells you it's a genuinely popular place with regular waits!

It's famous as one of the best gyukatsu spots in Yeouido, so my expectations were sky-high >0<

One grill per two diners: cooking one plate to different donenesses

At Izawa, you get one mini grill for every two people. Grilling each piece to the doneness you personally want made the meal more fun and more delicious.

Being able to cook everything from medium-rare to medium-well on the same plate made grilling genuinely enjoyable, and getting to eat freshly grilled, warm gyukatsu right up to the last bite was soooo good!!!

What comes with the 18,000 won gyukatsu set at Izawa

The gyukatsu (₩18,000) is a special version made with beef sirloin, grilled yourself on a mini charcoal grill! It came with a full spread — cabbage salad, white rice, two sauces, side dishes, and soup.

The color of the gyukatsu was LEGENDARY ⭐. Even to the naked eye, you could tell it was quality sirloin. I put it on the mini grill right away, heart racing ლ(╹◡╹ლ)

Look at those juices glistening ㅠㅠ We were joking that this had to be Osaka, seriously, the pieces were massive.

The mini grill was so hot it started cooking the moment I put the meat on. Because the grill was so hot, the juices got sealed in right away and it was so good!!

Izawa's house sauce, wasabi and cabbage salad refills

Dip it in the secret sauce with a little wasabi on top — genuine heaven ㅠㅠㅠ

Biting through the thin, crispy breading, the sirloin's juices burst out — the texture was so satisfying ㅠㅜ

Paired with the cabbage salad alongside the gyukatsu and wasabi! The cabbage salad was really well made too. I even refilled it hahaha, so good

Just look at those juicy edges gleaming,,, big meat comes with big beauty and big juiciness (╹ڡ╹ )

I feel like I got better at grilling with each piece hahaha. I usually prefer medium-rare, but the meat here was so good that even well-grilled pieces stayed nice and tender.

Grill it, grill it! ヾ(≧▽≦*)o

Isn't this just insane ㅠㅠ The mini grill cooked things so much faster than I expected, which made the grilling itself part of the fun.

Is Izawa worth it for a Japanese meal in Yeouido?

Grilling and eating it right away meant every piece was freshly cooked, so even the last bite was crispy and warm — I loved that ㅠㅠ It had been a while since I had genuinely great Japanese food in Yeouido, so this was a really satisfying meal ヾ(•ω•`)o

It's a genuinely popular spot with regular waits, so if you want to try something different in Yeouido, I highly recommend it (≧∇≦)ﾉ