Jeonpo tonkatsu with a self-serve condiment bar: Hets Jeonpo, Busan

Why a tonkatsu lover picked Hets Jeonpo Branch in Busan

I'm honestly someone who loves tonkatsu more than anything!! I'm always out hunting for good tonkatsu places. Even when I travel, I look up tonkatsu spots, and whenever I go to a new neighborhood, tonkatsu is the food I love enough to search out first.

So naturally I've been to quite a few famous tonkatsu places here and there! I think I've been to pretty much every notable tonkatsu spot in the Gyeongsang region. This time, I visited Hets Jeonpo Branch?!!!

How to walk from Jeonpo Station Exit 7, and is there a wait?

Hets Jeonpo Branch is straight up from Exit 7 of Jeonpo Station! It's right in front of the Jeonpo-sageori bus stop.

Luckily there was no wait, so I could go right in~ There might be a wait at lunchtime or on weekends/holidays though.

Bar-table seats and the shop-like interior at Hets Jeonpo

There's a generous amount of space set aside for coats and bags, and the seating is bar-table style, so it's great for solo dining too!

There are also waiting seats up front!

If it matches the poster's terms, you can get a free meat curry, boneless gara-age or a drink, and they even take song requests 🎶

They also sell Hets branded goods. It's a tonkatsu restaurant, but thanks to the stylish decor it feels like a chic little shop!

There were also tons of notes left by customers stuck to the wall

Baby chairs are ready too! And the restroom is clean and pleasant!

Jeju black pork or YBD? A tonkatsu menu split by pork breed

What really stood out is that Hets Jeonpo Branch doesn't just split its menu simply into loin and tenderloin like most tonkatsu places — it's organized around two pork types, Jeju black pork and YBD!

Jeju black pork loin katsu (roseu katsu) has a chewy texture and rich umami, with a hint of smoky char you can taste too. There's also a Jeju black pork sang loin katsu, which comes with the gabrisal (pork skirt) attached for even deeper meaty, smoky flavor.

YBD is made from pork crossbred from three breeds — Yorkshire, Berkshire and Duroc! YBD loin katsu has a good amount of fat, great for a savory bite, while YBD tenderloin katsu (hire katsu) uses the leaner tenderloin cut for a soft, juicy texture. A tonkatsu place that carries both Jeju black pork and Berkshire — I love that so much.

The mixed katsu menu comes with loin katsu plus one piece of tenderloin, so you get to try both loin and tenderloin at once! I ordered the black pork mixed katsu.

Self-serve whole black pepper, truffle oil and wasabi

I loved that instead of plain water, they serve a nutty-tasting tea

So many sauces to pair with the tonkatsu! You can pile on as much whole black pepper, truffle oil and wasabi as you want. It's nice that it's not just one tonkatsu sauce — you get to try lots of different combinations.

Rice and soup are refillable if you run out! The salad dressing tasted like corn, which was a first for me! It was nutty and mild and really tasty.

The standard tonkatsu sauce and kkakdugi (radish kimchi) come out with the meal too! You can also add mustard and pink salt.

How the black pork mixed katsu tastes: loin and tenderloin in one plate

I love truffle oil so much!! I drizzled it on generously. The truffle aroma was amazing ㅠㅠ

Loin katsu tasted with whole black pepper and the standard sauce

Tenderloin katsu with mustard too! I loved that at Hets Jeonpo Branch you can choose the pig breed and cut. Next time I want to try other cuts, and even a katsu sando.

I really love tonkatsu personally, and I've eaten at plenty of famous tonkatsu places, but Hets Jeonpo Branch was a tonkatsu place that won me over after a long time. I'm someone who loves tonkatsu so much I'll keep hunting down good places, but Hets Jeonpo Branch is somewhere I want to visit again 🤍

If you're looking for a Jeonpo tonkatsu spot / Jeonpo-dong tonkatsu spot / Jeonpo Station tonkatsu spot, this is one I'd absolutely recommend as someone who loves tonkatsu.