Yangju Okjeong-dong katsu curry set with half fish katsu: Himawari

Today's lunch is Japanese tonkatsu!

This is a review of Himawari, a clean, savory, thick-cut tonkatsu spot in Okjeong-dong.

Tonkatsu fried fresh in clean oil! Bite into the crispy crust and inside is juicy, meaty pork and cheese galore! A good Japanese tonkatsu never gets old, no matter how many times I eat it. Today I'm introducing a really well-made tonkatsu restaurant in Yangju Okjeong-dong. It's Himawari Yangju Okjeong Main Branch, where you can enjoy all kinds of Japanese tonkatsu in generous portions.

Where Himawari Yangju Okjeong Main Branch is and when it opens

[Location] 108 105-ho, Okjeongdong-ro 7da-gil, Yangju-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea

[Hours] 11:00–21:00, last order 20:55

These days nine out of ten places run a break time, but Himawari operates straight through without a break, so you can eat with more time to spare.

What's on the menu at this Okjeong-dong tonkatsu restaurant

Rosu katsu, hire katsu, fish katsu, nabe, udon, curry, soba, and all sorts of set menus — basically every menu item you'd think of for Japanese tonkatsu is well stocked here. Beyond the mains, there are plenty of side dishes too, like ebi fry, crab croquette, and mini curry, so you can put together a varied, filling meal. With such a wide menu, it's great for feeding kids, and it's a place anyone can eat at comfortably, so I think I'll be coming back often.

Inside Himawari: a clean, simple dining room

Here's what the inside of Himawari looks like.

This is inside Himawari. It's a long layout toward the back, clean with no clutter. The restroom is also a private one for the building, so it was well maintained, which I really liked. On the table you'll find salad sauce, tonkatsu sauce, shichimi, and wasabi. Add whatever suits your taste.

Before the tonkatsu arrives, they finely grind sesame seeds for you first. The nutty smell of freshly ground sesame drifts up right away. Add tonkatsu sauce and mix it a bit more, and you're ready to eat your Okjeong-dong tonkatsu.

Our lunch order: katsu curry set and Himawari Assorted C

• Katsu curry set + hire katsu (half)
• Himawari Assorted C + fish katsu (half), swapped to cheese katsu

A generously set table for today's lunch. It captures that colorful look unique to Japanese tonkatsu really well. Crisp cabbage, wasabi, salt, pickled chili, and pickled radish came as sides. A refreshing miso soup also came out, and it goes perfectly as a finish after eating rice and tonkatsu.

Cheese katsu at Himawari

This is a cheese katsu practically overflowing with cheese. It's massively thick to begin with. If you're a woman, a couple of pieces of cheese katsu with rice would probably fill you up pretty well.

The cheese is totally savory and chewy. If you're a cheese lover, this is exactly the flavor for you. Try it with a bit of tangy tonkatsu sauce or wasabi. The richness of the cheese with the spicy-tangy flavor is really delicious.

Fish katsu: crisp, with no fishy smell

I added fish katsu, and it turned out to be a real delicacy. Honestly, I don't usually like fish katsu. But today I learned just how good a really crispy, well-fried fish katsu can be. No fishy smell at all, not greasy, just this incredibly crisp texture paired with clean, plain fish flesh — genuinely the best combination. And dipped in the dedicated sauce on top! It made me wonder what all the fish katsu I'd eaten up till now even was.

The katsu curry set

I'd been craving curry for a while, so I ordered the curry set. Since this is mainly a tonkatsu place in Okjeong-dong, I didn't expect much from the curry, but it was richer and tastier than I thought, so I ended up totally overeating. It's a curry simmered a long time to be rich and deep — even just eating it with rice and pickled radish was delicious.

Hire katsu (pork tenderloin cutlet)

A bite of the impossibly tender hire katsu! Inside the crispy coating is soft tenderloin with no off flavor at all. It's good dipped in sauce, but honestly the meat itself is so good that just a light touch of salt or wasabi was delicious too.

Final verdict on tonkatsu at Himawari in Okjeong-dong

• The cozy, clean atmosphere makes it easy to visit alone or for a family meal.
• Building parking is available, so it's easy to get to by car.
• Cleanly fried tonkatsu — no off flavor, savory and juicy meat that was really delicious.
• The full spread feels neat and makes you feel well taken care of while eating.
• Try out the various combinations in the assorted sets.