Yeoju restaurant for spicy chashu ramen and tonkatsu: Gyugyu Donkatsu

If you’re looking for somewhere near Yeoju Outlets where you can have tonkatsu and ramen in one go, I recommend Gyugyu Donkatsu. It’s over toward downtown Yeoju; the tonkatsu was delicious too, but personally, the ramen stayed with me even more.

15 minutes from Yeoju Outlets—how is the parking?

After shopping at Yeoju Premium Outlets, we drove about 15 minutes toward downtown Yeoju. When you arrive, the large building with its red exterior immediately catches your eye. There is parking in front of the restaurant and a spacious area behind it too, so it was easy to visit by car.

The exterior already had a slightly different feel from a typical tonkatsu place, and the inside was spacious and tidy as well. It was unique to see photos of the owner making noodles too!! On the right, you can see a separate noodle-making room. For a place that sells ramen alongside its other food, having a dedicated space to make noodles was impressive. And, fittingly for Yeoju, there was also certification showing that they use premium Yeoju rice.

Side dishes, salad, and jang-guk (clear soup) come with a tonkatsu order, and you can get more from the refill bar if you need it.

The basic sauces and seasonings on the table were all kept nice and neatly organized.

Tonkatsu and ramen set menus

You can order directly from a tablet at the table,

• Sets: cold soba set 15, 1-person chashu ramen set 19, 1-person Taiwan ramen set 19
• Tonkatsu: Gyugyu menchi katsu 15, special loin katsu 14, loin katsu 13, ebi loin katsu 17, hirekatsu 14, negi katsu 14, cheese loin katsu 15

There is a good variety of tonkatsu, and the set combinations with ramen are well put together. The chashu ramen and loin katsu come together, so it is perfect when you want ramen in Yeoju but do not want to give up tonkatsu either. We ordered one 1-person chashu ramen set and one hirekatsu.

• Ramen and soba: cold soba 9, chashu noodles 12, Taiwan ramen 12
• Extras: chashu, wood ear mushrooms, egg, noodles
• Rice bowls: katsudon, cheese katsudon
• Sides: loin katsu, hirekatsu, ebi katsu

Thick and crisp hirekatsu

When the hirekatsu arrived, the amount of cabbage surprised me first. Finely shredded cabbage was piled up like a mountain, and the tonkatsu came sliced into easy-to-eat pieces.

The coating was not the thick, hard type; it was wonderfully crisp, while the pork tenderloin was fairly thick but still tender inside.

You can see from the cross-section that it is packed with meat, and I liked that it was not dry. It was delicious with just a little salt and also went well with the tonkatsu sauce. Tonkatsu sauce, salad dressing, and sesame seeds are provided on the table, so you can enjoy it however you like. Dipping it generously into tonkatsu sauce with plenty of sesame added gave it an extra nutty flavor—delicious, of course.

I drizzled salad dressing over the cabbage and ate it alongside the tonkatsu; having it between bites made the meal feel fresh and easy to eat.

The chashu ramen I remembered more than expected

Honestly, because the name is Gyugyu Donkatsu, I naturally assumed tonkatsu would be the main event. But after trying it, I thought the ramen was really delicious.

The chashu ramen comes with chashu, wood ear mushrooms, scallions, and more, with large pieces of chashu on top. What I especially loved was the broth! It is a milky pork-bone broth, rich and nutty in flavor, and it went beautifully with the noodles too.

The noodles held onto the broth so well that, as I slurped them up, I just kept reaching for more. The big pieces of chashu were also easy to eat with the noodles, and because the broth was so good, I naturally kept spooning it up.

And the loin katsu that comes with it was so delicious too.

What happens if you add the spicy seasoning?

After enjoying the original flavor for a while, we added the spicy seasoning too. As it dissolved into the formerly milky broth, even the color changed dramatically. My husband actually said it tasted even better with the spicy chili powder and preferred this version. First enjoying the nutty, rich flavor of the original chashu ramen and then switching it up with some spice halfway through made it fun to get two different experiences from one bowl.

When you are craving ramen near Yeoju Outlets

The Yeoju Outlets food court is crowded, so lately we tend to head into downtown Yeoju when we want to eat. Driving about 15 minutes for tonkatsu and ramen turned out to be a good option. There was plenty of parking, the restaurant was clean, and the set menu made it easy to enjoy both together.

True to the name Gyugyu Donkatsu, the tonkatsu was certainly delicious, but unexpectedly, it was the ramen that made the stronger impression on us. It is a good place to stop by before or after shopping at Yeoju Outlets when you want warm ramen with rich broth—or want crisp tonkatsu with it too. If I go back, I think I will definitely order the ramen again.