Jeonpo tonkatsu with no oily smell and free refills: Katsu Gimseondo

Hi everyone haha, today I want to talk about the dish I've searched for the most lately 😊 I'm someone who's always craving tonkatsu on those days when I'm vaguely hungry. But as I've gotten older, eating just any tonkatsu leaves my stomach feeling heavy. Even a slight whiff of oil and I end up leaving more than half. So when I search for Seomyeon tonkatsu, I look at the condition of the meat before the batter. This time I visited Katsu Gimseondo, tucked in a Jeonpo-dong alley, which apparently specializes in tonkatsu made from pork aged 200 hours — I was curious enough to check it out.

Where is Katsu Gimseondo, and how do you walk there from Jeonpo Station?

Katsu Gimseondo is located at 16 Seojeon-ro 47beon-gil, 1st floor, Busanjin-gu, Busan. It's about a 5-minute walk from Jeonpo Station Exit 7, so it's easy to reach by subway. It's in the building next to the Seoul Kkakdugi Jeonpo branch, so there's little chance of getting lost, and it's close to Jeonpo Café Street too, which makes for a nice route — meal first, then coffee. That said, the sign isn't very big, so it's easier to navigate by looking for the gray building. I nearly walked past it myself lol.

One thing I should mention upfront — parking at Katsu Gimseondo is difficult. Jeonpo-dong itself is a neighborhood full of alleys where parking isn't easy, so if you're planning to drive, it's more comfortable to look up a nearby paid parking lot in advance. I just took the subway, and that turned out to be the right call.

What does 200-hour aged pork actually mean? 🥩

I learned this while reading the Katsu Gimseondo menu — this place does 180 hours of ice-temperature aging plus 20 hours of brine aging, totaling 200 hours. I used to think 'aging' was just marketing copy, but seeing the actual plate changed my mind a bit. The cross-section has a faint pinkish-red tint, and they explained that's not undercooked meat but a natural result of the aging process. It might be surprising the first time you see it, but it's completely fine to eat.

Katsu Gimseondo menu and prices

The menu is neatly arranged: loin tonkatsu set ₩13,000, tenderloin tonkatsu set ₩14,000, and mixed tonkatsu set ₩15,000. There's also the Gimseondo set for ₩17,000, which includes loin, tenderloin, fried shrimp, and a soft-fried egg, plus a daily limited-quantity item called the gabri loin set for ₩16,000. Sides include katsu sando, side curry, fried shrimp, potato croquette, and extra tenderloin katsu — good options if you're a big eater.

The set comes with tonkatsu, freshly cooked rice, miso soup, and cabbage salad. Rice, banchan, cabbage, and soup are all listed as refillable, so I ate without holding back.

Is solo dining comfortable at Katsu Gimseondo? 🍽️

The interior of Katsu Gimseondo has an open kitchen layout, so you can watch the tonkatsu being fried right in front of you. I secretly love this kind of setup — seeing the cooking process makes me feel more at ease. Seating ranges from the bar counter in front of the kitchen to tables for 2 and 4, so quite a few solo diners were there too. In fact, when I visited, the two people next to me were each eating alone, and nobody paid it any mind.

The lighting is soft and the interior has a toned-down wood finish, so it's calm rather than noisy — not the kind of place where you can hear the conversation at the next table, so it'd work fine for a date too. There's a coat hanger provided as well, which is oddly appreciated during the thick-jacket season haha. The pink salt and pepper set on every table were also a nice touch.

Pink salt and wasabi: how the menu tells you to eat it

The Katsu Gimseondo menu has instructions on how to eat it deliciously, so I followed them. The first way is to grate pink salt onto the black plate, dip the katsu lightly, and pair it with fresh wasabi. The second is to mix wasabi and mustard into the sauce and dip it in that. I tried the first bite with just salt, and there was really no oily smell or gamy taste at all. That was the most surprising part. Dipping in the sauce mixed with wasabi added a sharper kick, almost like a different dish. And picking at the radish pickles in between cleared away any greasiness, so I ate through the whole thing without getting tired of it.

Don't skip the cabbage salad that comes with it either. The dressing is savory and tangy-sweet, so I finished that before the tonkatsu and got a refill lol. It looked like a lot at first and felt a bit much, but the sauce kept me reaching for more.

Tips before you visit Katsu Gimseondo 📝

• First, seats fill up fast during the lunch peak. Aim for the 11:30 opening or right after break time ends at 5pm to eat without rushing.
• Second, break time runs from 15:00 to 17:00, so if you show up during that awkward afternoon window, you might make a wasted trip — check before you head out.
• Third, the gabri loin is a daily limited item made in small quantities, so it may be gone if you arrive late. Visit early if you really want to try it.

What to order at Katsu Gimseondo alone or for two

If you're going with someone, I'd recommend ordering one Gimseondo set and one gabri loin set to share!!! Since we already had loin, tenderloin, and regular tonkatsu, next time it'll be that — this way you get to try everything in one sitting. If you're going solo, I'd suggest starting with the mixed tonkatsu set to compare loin and tenderloin on your first visit, then leaning toward your preference next time. For reference, the loin has a slight richness from its fat, while the tenderloin is soft and juicy — preferences really do split between the two.

To sum up, if you're looking for Seomyeon tonkatsu and you're as sensitive to oily smells as I am, Katsu Gimseondo is worth a visit. The biggest strength here is that the word 'aged' is actually borne out on the plate. Next time I'm planning to go back for the Gimseondo set with a side of curry.