Mixed katsu lunch set at a Myeonmok-dong tonkatsu spot: Katsu Monster

If you love tonkatsu (breaded pork cutlet) so crispy it's practically ASMR, this is the first place that comes to mind. Thick-cut meat, fried in clean oil so it stays crispy even after it cools — let me introduce Katsu Monster. It's close to Myeonmok Dongwon Market, and near Seoil University and Myeonmok High School too.

Where is Katsu Monster Myeonmok, and what are its hours?

Katsu Monster Myeonmok

• Address: 25 Sangbong-ro, 1st floor, Jungnang-gu, Seoul, South Korea
• Hours: Daily 10:30–21:00
• Break time: Daily 15:00–16:00

Katsu Monster has great reviews among Myeonmok-dong locals. I was looking for a solo late-lunch spot and suddenly craved crispy tonkatsu after a while, so I stopped by.

Why all-bar seating makes Katsu Monster easy for solo diners

Katsu Monster is entirely bar seating, making it ideal for eating alone. The seats facing the kitchen even have outlets, which was a nice touch. I came for a late lunch around 2pm, well past the lunch rush. I was the only one in the dining room, but delivery orders kept coming in nonstop, with riders constantly showing up — this really is a tonkatsu spot near Seoil University.

Katsu Monster menu and prices

Katsu Monster is known for generous portions, and it also has well-put-together, budget-friendly set menus.

With middle and high schools plus a university nearby, prices overall aren't too high, so students make up a lot of the crowd.

I looked over the menu at this Myeonmok-dong lunch tonkatsu spot near Seoil University and made my decision. Since it was a late solo lunch, I wanted both tonkatsu and a noodle dish, so I ordered the hearty solo set menu. (The portions are genuinely huge, so I'd recommend it for big eaters!)

Every seat comes with pink salt, wasabi, tonkatsu sauce, cabbage salad dressing, and utensils, while the water dispenser and tissues are off to one side of the restaurant.

Solo set for 19,000 won plus the 3,000 won mixed katsu upgrade

Solo set (tonkatsu + large noodles) ₩19,000, mixed katsu (pork loin + fillet) upgrade +₩3,000. It's an open kitchen, so before I knew it, listening to the frying sounds, my solo meal was ready. Even at a glance, the huge portion surprised me. Above all, my eyes went straight to the golden-fried tonkatsu.

Hire katsu (pork fillet cutlet) with salt and wasabi

Personally, the fillet cut is my favorite — tender texture with no greasiness. Hire katsu (pork fillet cutlet) is delicious on its own, so I'd recommend just a bit of salt and wasabi. The outside is impossibly crispy, while the fillet inside melts soft and smooth.

This Myeonmok-dong lunch tonkatsu spot, Katsu Monster, only uses domestic female pork, aged for over 200 hours as refrigerated meat and hand-trimmed in-house. That seems to be how they can offer such thick-cut tonkatsu at a reasonable price.

The cabbage salad drenched in dressing is tonkatsu's perfect companion — it'd be a shame to skip it.

How much cold soba comes with the set?

You know the feeling when the noodle side dish in a tonkatsu set disappears after just one or two slurps? This Myeonmok-dong lunch tonkatsu spot serves the side dish in a generous portion too. It was the kind of heat where I really craved cold soba broth, so I dug in enthusiastically alongside the tonkatsu — and no matter how much I ate, the amount barely seemed to go down. You could really feel the owner's generosity.

Who should eat at Katsu Monster Myeonmok?

This is the Myeonmok-dong lunch tonkatsu spot that made me really feel what proper crispy tonkatsu is like all over again. The set menu I ordered comes to about 1.5 servings, so it's perfect for big eaters and men in particular. Tonkatsu I've had elsewhere always left me wanting more, but visiting Katsu Monster Myeonmok changed my mind. If you want crispy breading, thick and tender meat, and a filling meal, I'd recommend this Katsu Monster near Seoil University.