Geomdan tonkatsu near Megabox with free parking: 3-katsu set, HOKATSU

I was craving tonkatsu (pork cutlet), so I headed to HOKATSU in the Geomdan new town in Incheon. It's a Blue Ribbon-listed place, so I was curious. I arrived almost right after break time on a weekday, and it was already full of customers. This time I ordered the Popular 3-Katsu, which lets you try loin, tenderloin and cheese katsu at once, plus menchi katsu (minced pork cutlet). Here's what I ate and the visit info.

Where is HOKATSU and where to park? 2 hours free in the Megabox Geomdan basement

HOKATSU is at 788 Seogot-ro, Unit 128, Geomdan-gu, Incheon, South Korea. It's open daily 11:30–21:30, with break time from 15:30 to 17:30. Parking is available too. HOKATSU is on the first floor of the Megabox Geomdan building, near Dokjeong Station.

For parking, use basement level 1 of the building. Tell the restaurant the last 4 digits of your license plate and you can get 2 hours of free parking validated.

I hear there are lots of people waiting at weekend peak times. You can make a waitlist reservation on Catchtable in front of the restaurant, so keep that in mind if you go when it's busy.

HOKATSU menu and prices

HOKATSU's tonkatsu comes in tenderloin, loin, premium loin, cheese and more, with prices running from about ₩13,000 to ₩18,000. What I ordered this time was the Popular 3-Katsu for two at ₩36,000 and menchi katsu, 2 pieces for ₩4,000.

HOKATSU has been running for over 10 years as a well-known tonkatsu spot in Geomdan. Besides tonkatsu, it also sells curry tonkatsu, gyukatsu (beef cutlet), ramen and more, so there's plenty to choose from. Sadly, the special premium loin tonkatsu was sold out when I visited, so I couldn't try it. I'm definitely ordering it next time.

What comes in the Popular 3-Katsu set and how does it taste?

HOKATSU's Popular 3-Katsu comes with 2 pieces each of loin, tenderloin and cheese katsu. Since you taste several cuts at once, it seemed like a great pick when you can't decide which tonkatsu to get.

Loin katsu

The loin katsu is chewier than the tenderloin, and it's a great cut for enjoying the tonkatsu flavor you'd normally picture.

Tenderloin katsu with truffle oil

The tenderloin katsu, on the other hand, is known for its tender texture. At HOKATSU, they drizzle truffle oil over the tenderloin. I love truffle, so I enjoyed it so much 😆

Rather than only dipping in the tonkatsu sauce, try dipping in salt too. It gives you a different flavor from the sauce.

Cheese katsu

The cheese katsu has cheese inside, so it suits anyone who likes rich, savory flavors. Alternating between loin and tenderloin and then tasting the cheese katsu, I thought it was a good call to order all three together.

Add-on menchi katsu: 2 pieces for ₩4,000

The menchi katsu I added is 2 pieces for ₩4,000. It's a good thing to order alongside when you want something besides the standard tonkatsu.

Table sauces and free rice and salad refills

The tables at HOKATSU are set with tonkatsu sauce, salt, perilla oil and salad dressing.

You can add the salad dressing to your taste, and rice and salad can be refilled.

HOKATSU's yogurt dry-aging method

HOKATSU uses pork from Jeju and, I hear, applies a homemade yogurt dry-aging method developed by the owner.

Yogurt is also served before the meal.

I also hear they don't coat the pork in flour and breadcrumbs ahead of time. Since it's cooked to order, the food can take a while to arrive, and with so many customers even on a weekday, it's best to allow plenty of time for your visit.

Who HOKATSU in Geomdan is best for

HOKATSU in Geomdan was a great place to go when you want to try several kinds of tonkatsu at once. I liked that the Popular 3-Katsu lets you enjoy loin, tenderloin and cheese katsu evenly. With rice and salad refills and 2 hours of free parking too, it was a convenient place to eat.

I was bummed that I couldn't have the special premium loin tonkatsu this time, so next time I want to order it before it sells out. If you're looking for a good tonkatsu place in Geomdan, or need somewhere to eat near Megabox Geomdan, give HOKATSU a look :)