Euljiro pork cutlet restaurant lunch wait tips: Hunta Euljiro

Hunta Euljiro, a great pork cutlet spot in Euljiro! I dropped by for weekday lunch and found out it is basically a mecca for office workers around Euljiro and City Hall. Lunch breaks are precious when you are busy, so a place people queue for must already be proven, right? I visited around lunchtime too, but luckily avoided the wait.

I’m sharing the relatively quiet lunch hours, a handy no-wait tip (Catch Table), and my honest thoughts on the food.

Hunta Euljiro’s black pork cutlets

Hunta is a black pork cutlet specialist said to have been created by an owner who is totally obsessed with pork cutlets. They traveled around famous cutlet shops in Japan to study the flavor, then developed Hunta’s own aging and frying techniques to preserve the rich fat, springy lean meat, and flowing juices 🫢

As someone who has scraped the roof of my mouth on pork cutlets before, I took my first bite of the tenderloin cutlet here—and it just sliced straight through(?) So tender, with no off smell, and the juices just flowed out... Seriously delicious!!

Hunta Euljiro location, hours, and parking

Location

Hunta is on the first floor of the Fast Five building in Euljiro. It is practically right next to Euljiro 1-ga Station. It is also very close to City Hall, and about a 10-minute walk from Jonggak Station. There are lots of banks and offices nearby, so it feels like word has really spread among local workers.

I do not work in this area, but I was out on a business errand, searched for a good restaurant, and stopped in—then it was unexpectedly so delicious! You know that odd little feeling of pride when a restaurant you entered unsure about turns out to be a gem...

Hours, reservations, and parking

• Hours: 11:00–21:10
• Break time: 15:00–17:00
• Last order: 14:30, 19:40
• Regularly closed on weekends
• Group reservations are available after 13:00 and 18:00; inquire by phone
• Paid parking is available in the Fast Five building. It can be a little hectic, so public transportation is recommended.

How to avoid the weekday lunch queue

Lunch service starts at 11:00, and when I arrived around 11:20 there were plenty of seats. But it seemed to fill up quickly around noon, and the waiting line continued after that.

Handy no-wait tips

• Come before 11:30, or around 1:00, for a more relaxed meal. Office workers with fixed lunch hours may not have much choice, but visitors looking for a good restaurant near Euljiro 1-ga Station can aim for these times.
• If you need to eat during the lunch rush, it is a good idea to join the queue in advance through Catch Table’s remote waitlisting.

Hunta Euljiro exterior and interior

Hunta is immediately visible when you enter the first floor of the Fast Five building.

There is a Catch Table check-in kiosk at the entrance.

They take pre-orders to shorten the wait even a little.

Inside, there are tables for four and counter seats for solo diners.

As you can see, it fills up completely at lunchtime 🫢

Hunta menu and tenderloin cutlet order

They specialize in black pork cutlets, but they also serve kimchi-jjigae (kimchi stew)..! The people at the next table always ordered the kimchi stew, so maybe it is a great stew spot too. I was dining alone, so I ordered only the tenderloin (hire) cutlet set.

The origin information is posted prominently, and most ingredients, including the pork, are domestic.

How to enjoy Hunta properly is important, so read this carefully 🌝

Hunta tenderloin cutlet and scallion kimchi

I already know how it tastes, but seeing the photos makes me want to eat it again...

Looking at the cross-section, it is cooked to a lovely bright pink with no blood.

Juices running through the cross-section of the meat 🫠 When you take a bite, it cuts through in one clean motion with nothing getting in the way, and all the juices trapped inside spread smoothly through your mouth.

There are also pork cutlet sauce, mustard, wasabi, pepper, and more to dip into however you like. It went well with the pork cutlet sauce too, but...

This was the real special treat!!

Hunta’s own house-made pa-kimchi (scallion kimchi)!!

When the richness of the cutlet starts to kick in, placing this scallion kimchi on top is just perfection... Add the cabbage salad, rice, and soup, and it is an incredibly satisfying meal.

That day, I had to return straight to the office after lunch, so I was feeling a little gloomy—but after eating Hunta’s cutlet, my mood lifted completely 🌝 Good Euljiro restaurants are oddly hard to find, but if I am in Euljiro or City Hall again, I will come here without hesitation!