Cheese katsu and gyukatsu at Izawa, a Samsan, Ulsan katsu restaurant

Today I'm sharing my visit to Izawa Ulsan The Terrace Garden branch, a gyukatsu spot in Samsan, Ulsan that's great for lunch or dinner.

I was looking for somewhere to eat in Samsan and remembered I'd always wanted to try gyukatsu (beef cutlet), so I decided to visit. At Izawa you grill the gyukatsu yourself on a mini brazier at the table, which makes it a very different experience from regular pork cutlet.

This time I also ordered the whole mozzarella cheese katsu, which comes packed with a whole block of cheese. 😊

• 📍 Izawa Ulsan The Terrace Garden branch · 231 Samsan-ro, Nam-gu, Ulsan
• ⏰ 11:00 ~ 21:00 (last order 20:25)
• 🚗 Parking available in The Terrace Garden building

Where is Izawa Ulsan The Terrace Garden branch, and where do you park?

Izawa Ulsan The Terrace Garden branch is located inside The Terrace Garden building on Samsan-ro in Nam-gu, Ulsan. When you're looking for somewhere to eat in Samsan, good food matters, but easy parking matters too, right?

This place has building parking, so it's fine to visit by car. You just head into The Terrace Garden and find the store, so it's not hard even for first-time visitors.

Inside Izawa: atmosphere and seating

Walking into Izawa, the overall vibe was clean with a slight Japanese touch. There are both table seats and bar-style seats, so it works well whether you're visiting with a friend, on a date, or eating solo — none of those felt out of place here.

If you're looking for somewhere to eat alone in Samsan, or a Samsan restaurant for a casual lunch with a friend, I think this place is worth a visit.

Izawa's menu and what was ordered that day

Izawa's signature dish is gyukatsu, but there's also steak-don, pork cutlet, curry, mazesoba, ramen and more. After some deliberation, we ordered two dishes this time.

• 🥩 Gyukatsu ₩17,000
• 🧀 Whole mozzarella cheese katsu ₩13,000

I wanted to try both, so I picked one beef gyukatsu and one cheese katsu.

Gyukatsu at 17,000 won: how the plate arrives

Our gyukatsu finally arrived. Unlike regular pork cutlet, gyukatsu is beef fried mainly on the outside, then grilled to your own liking on the mini brazier at the table.

When it first comes out, the inside is still red, so you might think 'how am I supposed to eat this?' at first glance. Once the mini brazier is heated up, you just place a piece of gyukatsu on it and grill it lightly on both sides.

Grilling the gyukatsu yourself on the mini brazier

The most fun part of gyukatsu is definitely grilling it to your own preferred doneness. I placed each piece on the brazier and grilled it lightly on both sides.

Eating the crispy breading on the outside together with the tender beef inside gave a texture that felt distinctly different. If you like your meat well done, you can grill it a bit longer, and if you prefer a softer texture, a quick grill works too — it was nice being able to adjust it to your own taste.

The best way to eat Izawa's gyukatsu

With gyukatsu, it's better to grill just as much as you'll eat right away rather than putting it all on the brazier at once. A well-grilled, golden piece of gyukatsu had a crispy outside and a moist inside.

You could taste the beef itself, and the light grilling brought out a savory aroma that went great with rice. If you want something a bit different from regular pork cutlet, or a change from your usual lunch, gyukatsu seems like a good option.

What is the whole mozzarella cheese katsu (13,000 won)?

The other dish we ordered was the whole mozzarella cheese katsu at ₩13,000. As the name suggests, it's a pork cutlet stuffed with a whole block of mozzarella cheese, offering a different appeal from the gyukatsu.

The outside is fried crispy, and the inside is filled with mozzarella cheese — a menu item anyone who loves cheese would enjoy.

While gyukatsu is about enjoying the distinctive flavor of beef, the whole mozzarella cheese katsu is centered on a savory, soft cheese taste, so ordering both together made it fun to compare the two different flavors.

How stretchy is the cheese in Izawa's cheese katsu?

If you cut the whole mozzarella cheese katsu in half before eating, you can see the cheese packed inside. Eating it while it's warm, the cheese stretched nicely, which also made for good photos. 😆

The crispy pork cutlet combined with the savory mozzarella cheese, and alternating bites with the gyukatsu kept things from getting repetitive. Personally, if you like cheese-filled pork cutlet, I'd recommend ordering it alongside gyukatsu and sharing both.

Are two dishes enough for a filling meal?

Eating the gyukatsu and cheese katsu together turned out to be a pretty hearty meal. In particular, grilling the gyukatsu myself on the mini brazier made for a slower, more entertaining meal.

Rather than just digging in the moment the food arrives, grilling it little by little to my own taste made the whole process of eating feel like part of the fun.

Tips to know before visiting Izawa in Ulsan

Izawa Ulsan The Terrace Garden branch has plenty of menu options besides gyukatsu, so it works well even if you're visiting with someone who isn't into gyukatsu — everyone can pick their own dish.

If you're trying gyukatsu for the first time, I'd recommend grilling it a little at a time rather than grilling it long right away, so you can find the doneness you like.

Also, when eating in Samsan it's worth checking parking in advance — Izawa was convenient for visiting by car since you can use The Terrace Garden building parking lot.

Craving gyukatsu in Samsan, Ulsan? Izawa in short

This visit to Izawa Ulsan The Terrace Garden branch left me thinking it's a place where both regular gyukatsu fans and first-timers can enjoy a fun meal.

Grilling it yourself on the mini brazier makes it great for chatting with a friend over the meal, or for trying something different on a date.

That day we ordered gyukatsu (₩17,000) and whole mozzarella cheese katsu (₩13,000), and it was great being able to try two different dishes together.

That's my write-up of trying gyukatsu and whole mozzarella cheese katsu at Izawa Ulsan The Terrace Garden branch in Samsan, Ulsan. If you're looking for a lunch spot in Samsan, want something a bit different from your usual meal, or are curious about grilling your own gyukatsu, this place is worth checking out.

If you've been searching for good restaurants in Nam-gu, Ulsan or Ulsan restaurants while looking for gyukatsu, hopefully today's ₩17,000 gyukatsu is a useful reference. 🤍 And if you love cheese, I'd recommend ordering the whole mozzarella cheese katsu alongside it and sharing both.

I hope today's story helps anyone looking for a Samsan restaurant for a satisfying meal decide what to order. 😊