Jeonpo tonkatsu comparing YBD loin and fillet katsu: Hets, Busan

I was looking for a place to eat in Jeonpo when I ended up at HETZ (Hets), a Japanese-style tonkatsu spot famous for its notoriously long waits. I always saw people lined up whenever I passed by, so this time I went on a weekday, in that awkward window between lunch and dinner.

Hets Jeonpo Branch hours and parking

Hets Jeonpo Branch is at 225 Jeonpo-daero, 2nd Floor Unit 201, Busanjin-gu, Busan, and is open daily 11:10–20:30.

• Hours – Daily 11:10–20:30
• Break time 15:30–17:00
• Last order 15:00, 20:00
• No parking space (use the public lot near Jeonpo Station; show your parking ticket for ₩1,000 support)
• Groups, takeout, and mobile payment available

Even visiting on a weekday in that in-between hour, it was busy enough that I got the last open seat. I'd known about this place for a while and was so curious, so I brought along a friend who really knows good food.

Seating at Hets Jeonpo Branch: a U-shaped bar counter

The inside of Hets Jeonpo Branch is arranged as U-shaped bar seating, and the whole place was seriously spotless.

It's an open kitchen, and you know how hard it is for kitchen staff to keep things this clean while cooking... that was shock number one. Shock number two was how friendly the staff were when we sat down to order.

Hets Jeonpo Branch menu and prices

The Hets Jeonpo Branch menu has a limited Jeju black pork sang loin katsu at ₩17,000 and a limited YBD sang loin katsu at ₩16,000, plus regular menu items like the YBD fillet katsu at ₩15,000 and YBD loin katsu at ₩13,000.

• Limited Jeju black pork sang loin katsu ₩17,000
• Limited YBD sang loin katsu ₩16,000
• YBD fillet katsu ₩15,000
• YBD loin katsu ₩13,000
• Fillet sando ₩7,000
• Kirin draft beer (430ml) ₩7,000
• Kirin mini draft (130ml) ₩2,500

By 5:30pm the limited-quantity katsu was sold out

True to being a Japanese-style tonkatsu specialist, Hets builds its menu around katsu. They also sell certain items in limited quantities, and when we visited at 5:30pm, both limited options were already sold out :( I'd heard the wait here was already long, but factoring in the limited menu too, I really should have come earlier.

A little disappointed, we ordered from what was left — I got the YBD loin katsu, my friend got the YBD fillet katsu, one each. Before we even ordered, the water turned out to be roasted barley tea, so my expectations shot up (a place that serves barley tea has higher odds of being good).

YBD loin katsu, 13,000 won: how was it?

My loin katsu arrived. The first thing I noticed was how thick the cutlet was. Classic Japanese-style tonkatsu: thick meat wrapped in a crispy coating.

The salad that came with it was so good once I poured the corn sauce over it.

There was just enough fat on top that it melted in my mouth while still tasting rich and savory. The katsu itself was so good that I kept eating it with just salt and wasabi instead of the tonkatsu sauce.

What does the 15,000-won YBD fillet katsu taste like?

I also tried my friend's fillet katsu. Compared to the loin, the meat was definitely leaner and more tender. At a truly good tonkatsu spot, the tenderloin cut isn't dry — it's moist.

You could see the juices with just a light press of the chopsticks. It was so, so tender and delicious. It had just the right amount of chew while staying moist — really tasty.

Loin (loin katsu) versus fillet (fillet katsu) really comes down to personal taste, so if you're visiting with two people, I'd recommend ordering one of each and sharing, like we did.

Black pepper, fresh wasabi and truffle oil: the condiment lineup

My favorite thing here was how many condiments came with the katsu. Even the pepper was freshly ground whole peppercorns, so the pepper flavor really came through.

The salad sauce was a corn sauce, and it seriously... paired so well. It was good enough that I wanted to buy a bottle of it separately. Then there was the truffle oil, plus wasabi — and not just any wasabi, but fresh grated wasabi.

I'm a self-proclaimed wasabi addict so I know this stuff well — fresh wasabi is a lot more expensive than the regular kind. The fact that they still use the good stuff... I loved that.

What is YBD pork?

On top of that, this place isn't just famous for no reason — apparently they process the raw meat themselves to bring out the meat's own flavor and texture. They specifically use YBD pork and Jeju black pork, and YBD stands for a premium pork breed cross of Yorkshire, Berkshire, and Duroc. I think meat quality is what matters most for tonkatsu, and it showed — this place clearly cares about the raw meat from the start, and it tasted amazing because of it.

It's on a completely different level from store-bought tonkatsu, and honestly, it feels unreasonable that you can eat this for just ₩13,000. I get why this is the famous tonkatsu spot in Jeonpo.

If the regular menu is already this good, I'm so curious how good the limited menu items are... next time I need to do an opening run to try them.

Would I go back? Final verdict on tonkatsu in Jeonpo

Seriously, 1000000% would come back. If you're looking for a proper Japanese-style tonkatsu spot in Jeonpo, you have to check out Hets. It's tied for first place with that famous katsu spot in Gwangalli that has an N-hour wait.

This is the tonkatsu spot to know in Jeonpo — Hets. And the fact that you can enjoy it at a much cheaper price without that long wait is such a bonus. Highly, highly recommend. That's my review of Hets, the Japanese-style tonkatsu spot in Jeonpo.