Basil ramen set at Izawa, a gyukatsu restaurant in Samsan, Ulsan

Is gyukatsu a good solo meal in Ulsan?

How about gyukatsu as a solo dining spot in Ulsan~?? Places to visit in Ulsan, Ulsan restaurants, solo dining in Ulsan, dinner recommendations. Do you all eat alone well? I do it completely fine. I grew up as an only child, and even as an adult, when I have a partner it's fun to go around places together, but when I'm single, going around alone is just as fun in its own way.

At first, whenever I went to a restaurant, everyone else seemed to be in groups of at least two or in threes and fours, chatting away happily, and eating alone felt lonely, pitiful, and awkward. But now that solo dining, solo travel, and solo movie-watching culture has taken root, it's become much more comfortable. So now solo travel is just a given for me, no question. And for solo dining, it's not just places where lots of people eat alone anyway, like gukbap (soup with rice) joints or bunsik (Korean snack food) spots — I go without a second thought to places usually seen as family outing or group dinner spots, like shabu-shabu, meat restaurants, or sashimi places. If you've wanted to eat alone like I once did but didn't have the courage, go for it. It's fine.

Simple food is best for solo dining. That's why pork gukbap, sundae gukbap, bunsik, or fast food places like McDonald's, Lotteria, and Burger King are great — but something still feels missing. So if I had to recommend a solo meal that feels a bit more like a proper dish, I'd suggest gyukatsu. Japanese food already has a strong solo-dining feel to it, and eating delicious beef like gyukatsu makes you feel like you're having a real meal even when eating alone — satisfying and comfortable. So today I'm bringing you a gyukatsu restaurant in Nam-gu, Ulsan.

Nam-gu, Ulsan restaurants, Samsan restaurants, Ulsan gyukatsu — Izawa Ulsan The Terrace Garden branch. Shall we go enjoy a comfortable solo meal~? :)

What kind of restaurant is Izawa, and where is the Ulsan branch?

Izawa, Korea's first gyukatsu specialty brand, introduced gyukatsu to Korea for the first time in the mid-2010s. Through carefully selected beef, a special aging technique, signature sauces and seasonings, and diverse menu development, it recreates Japanese flavors in its own original way. The combination of gyukatsu grilled to your liking on your own mini tabletop grill with a cold draft beer is like the best gift you can give yourself after a hard day. The menu is varied, ranging from the signature gyukatsu set to basil ramen, steak set, mazesoba, gyukatsu curry, pork belly don set, and steak don.

The restaurant is located in Dal-dong, Nam-gu, Ulsan, near many places worth visiting, including Lotte Department Store, Hyundai Department Store, Ulsan Design Street, Ulsan Express Bus Terminal, Ulsan Intercity Bus Terminal, Ulsan Agricultural and Marine Products Wholesale Market, NC Outlet, and the Ulsan Culture and Arts Center.

Izawa Ulsan The Terrace Garden branch

Parking at The Terrace Garden and how to reach the 2nd floor

When you drive into the underground parking lot of The Terrace Garden building in Ulsan, there's plenty of parking space and the facilities are clean and convenient. No worries there. Then, if you find the GATE4 elevator, you can get to Izawa on the 2nd floor a bit faster. There are also maps for each floor, which is really convenient. Taking the escalator up works perfectly fine too.

Inside Izawa Ulsan The Terrace Garden branch: exterior and seating

This is the exterior of Izawa Ulsan The Terrace Garden branch. It already has a Japanese feel right from the entrance. There's a photo zone in the waiting area next to it, so you won't get bored while waiting. I got used to a lot of Japanese culture through my girlfriend who used to live in Japan, so it's nice and fun to encounter it here too. The interior also has a Japanese-style wooden building feel, giving off a calm and cozy atmosphere. Takeout is available too, so feel free to stop by comfortably.

What comes in the 28,000-won gyukatsu set with basil ramen

A quick intro to gyukatsu: it's made from delicious beef with marbling spread like flowers, low-temperature aged in the Japanese style. Then it's given a thin coating of breading and fried quickly at high heat for about 60 seconds, so the outside is crispy while the inside stays cooked to about medium-rare.

Ordering is simple — just scan the QR code. I went with the set menu: gyukatsu set + basil ramen + soft drink (₩28,000). Take a look at the country-of-origin labeling too. I'm excited.

Grilling the gyukatsu yourself on a mini tabletop charcoal grill

The gyukatsu set came out first. Once the mini tabletop grill is preheated a bit, place the gyukatsu on it and flip it front and back to your desired doneness, and as long as it doesn't burn, you can enjoy it right away. It tastes even better when you dip the nicely grilled gyukatsu generously into Izawa's special sauce. Pairing it now and then with the miso soup, kkakdugi (radish kimchi), and salad keeps it from getting monotonous.

Why Izawa's basil ramen with basil pesto steals the show

The gyukatsu was really delicious, but the basil ramen — made with a rich broth blended with special seasoning and topped generously with basil pesto — is genuinely amazing too. The moment I took the first spoonful, it was a good shock, and I thought, this is it. The noodles had a nice chewy texture, and the addictive broth was incredibly appealing. I highly recommend it as a solo dining spot in Ulsan.

Ulsan gyukatsu restaurant, Ulsan dinner recommendation, solo dining spot Izawa Ulsan The Terrace Garden branch. Delicious~ :)