Tonkatsu restaurant in Geomdan, Incheon: HOKATSU tender pork cutlet

Back at HOKATSU in Geomdan after three years

No joke, I visited HOKATSU again after three years. I used to come by often when passing through Dangha-dong, but after moving closer to Geomdan Intersection, somehow three whole years had already gone by.

HOKATSU had changed a little since my last visit. It now had a Blue Ribbon badge, and gyukatsu (beef cutlet) had been added, which it did not have before. I was a little sad that some menu items had disappeared tooㅠ

Order while waiting, then get house-made yogurt

Still, HOKATSU has so many seriously delicious things~!! It takes about 15 minutes after ordering to cook. To Koreans afflicted with the need-it-now syndrome, that can feel long, but at HOKATSU I can happily wait. (Because it is delicious~)

You can place your order while waiting, and you can order at the table too. The cooking time is actually long, but getting the order in while you wait is such a win~

Once we finished ordering, yogurt came out. House-made yogurt!! It was sweet and tasty because it had honey in it. They say the tonkatsu is aged in yogurt too, which was really fascinating.

Ordering tabletop-grilled Hogyukatsu and tonkatsu

The tabletop-grilled Hogyukatsu was ₩18,000. There were jumbo and regular sizes, and I tried the regular. I wondered if it would be too little, but when it arrived, it looked plenty filling. A personal charcoal grill comes with it too.

Tenderloin katsu was ₩15,000, and two pieces of cheese katsu were ₩6,500. HOKATSU is known for tonkatsu, so you absolutely have to eat tonkatsu here. I debated ordering the popular three-katsu set that includes loin, but ordered tenderloin katsu with an extra cheese katsu instead, nice and generously.

The softer cutlet than loin is tenderloin!! That slightly pink grain is exactly what you want from a truly great tonkatsu place.

As a cheese lover, I always have to order cheese katsu. I loved being able to add two thick chunks of it at such a good price.

It comes with cabbage salad, pink salt, and wasabi. At the self-serve bar, you can bring back more baekkimchi (white kimchi), salad, and side dishes. HOKATSU is not a big restaurant, but it is packed neatly with tables, and with the delicious food at the self-serve bar, it is the perfect neighborhood favorite.

Hogyukatsu grilled over charcoal

The gyukatsu I tried at HOKATSU! The key is grilling it over the charcoal. It has a soft yet crisp texture that is different from tonkatsu.

I could enjoy pork with a texture like beef. They gave us plenty of butter too, so it never ran out while we finished the whole plate of Hogyukatsu. There was more meat than I expected, so unless you are a huge eater, the regular size looks more than enough.

Just cook it to however done you like..!! I visited HOKATSU with my dad during vacation this time, and his reaction to trying gyukatsu for the first time was so cute. At first he was like, “What kind of flavor is this..?” But as he kept eating, he said he got it, that it was delicious, and finished it all.

The best thing at HOKATSU: tenderloin katsu

Tenderloin katsu is simply the GOAT. For me, it is the most delicious item at HOKATSU. The tender meat and crisp coating are genuinely 100% perfect. Why go all the way to Jeju for tonkatsu.. to eat? There is a great place in Geomdan right here ><

It is completely thick too, right! It is not undercooked; it is cooked just right, optimally. It is so, so delicious that once you taste it, the 15-minute wait feels totally natural!!

The cheese katsu is also filled with thick cheese, so you can enjoy its mild, soft flavor; I recommend ordering it even just as a side. It was so delicious that I saved it as a favorite—HOKATSU is a Geomdan spot I drop into now and then on the way to Megabox or E-Mart.