Saturday parking and self-bar broth at a Cheonan katsu spot: Jinsim

Today I'm sharing my visit to Jinsim Wang Donkatsu Cheonan Buldang, a spot in Buldang-dong, Cheonan where you can dig into hearty king-size pork cutlets. I had the big cheese katsu paired with cool cold soba. The self-serve bar and self-packing counter were well set up, making everything easy to use.

Where to park and how to find Jinsim Wang Donkatsu Cheonan Buldang

For parking, I used the temporary public parking lot near the restaurant. Visiting around 2pm on a Saturday, there were still plenty of open spots.

Jinsim Wang Donkatsu Cheonan Buldang sits on the corner of the first floor of the building, with a big sign reading 'king donkatsu made with sincerity' outside, so it's easy to spot.

Inside the restaurant: seating and dining with kids

Walking in, the place had a bright, clean overall feel. The tables were spaced generously, so it looked like a good option for family meals or groups.

They had high chairs and separate tableware ready too, so families with kids should be able to visit comfortably.

The menu and how to order

You order through the tablet installed at each table.

Besides the various katsu types, there was a wide range of noodle dishes too — jjolmyeon (chewy cold noodles), kalguksu (knife-cut noodle soup), udon, naengmyeon (cold noodles), cold soba — plus rice dishes.

What's on the self-serve bar?

After ordering, I checked out the self-serve bar first. It had lettuce, danmuji (pickled radish) and kimchi, plus tongs and scissors for cutting the big katsu into bite-size pieces.

One side of the self-serve bar had warm soup and broth too. You can help yourself to as much soup as you like, and the broth is kept warm as well. Green onion and pepper are set beside the broth so you can season it to your taste.

What we ordered and what it cost

• Sweet potato cheese katsu ₩16,900
• Cold soba ₩8,900
• Two drinks ₩4,000

After a short wait, the food arrived. Both the sweet potato cheese katsu and cold soba were bigger than I expected — my first reaction was surprise 😲

Sweet potato cheese katsu, 16,900 won

The sweet potato cheese katsu came on a big plate loaded with the cutlet, rice, cabbage salad, corn kernels and even peppers — quite hearty.

The moment I cut into the katsu with a knife, soft cheese poured out like crazy.

Cutting it into bite-size pieces revealed so much cheese packed inside, letting me taste the sweetness of the sweet potato together with the savory cheese.

The crispy batter combined with the thick meat and soft cheese made for a great texture too.

I tried putting the sweet potato cheese katsu on lettuce with a bit of ssamjang (seasoned soybean paste) — the combination was better than I expected!

Eating katsu continuously can get a bit greasy, but pairing it with the lettuce wrap and the pepper that came with the katsu helped cut through the richness 👍

Cold soba, 8,900 won

The cold soba came in cool broth topped with buckwheat noodles, grated radish, seaweed flakes and green onion — a great-looking dish for a hot day.

Wasabi is served separately, so it was nice being able to mix in just as much as I liked.

The broth was salty yet clean-tasting, and the buckwheat noodles were smooth. After the sweet, savory sweet potato cheese katsu, a bite of the cool cold soba refreshed my mouth — the two dishes went together better than I expected. It's a good choice for anyone who wants to pair katsu with noodles, or who's looking for a place with a wide range of noodle dishes like naengmyeon, jjolmyeon, kalguksu and cold soba.

Taking leftovers home at the self-packing counter

Since the portions at Jinsim Wang Donkatsu are so generous, they've set up a self-packing counter where you can pack up leftovers yourself. Takeout containers and lids are provided separately, so you just pack whatever's left at your table and take it home.

Jinsim Wang Donkatsu Cheonan Buldang really lives up to its name — a place where you can enjoy generously sized katsu together with a variety of noodle dishes. Being able to wrap the katsu in lettuce with ssamjang was a fun twist compared to typical Western-style katsu restaurants. If you're looking for a filling lunch in Buldang-dong, Cheonan, or planning a family meal out with kids, give Jinsim Wang Donkatsu Cheonan Buldang a try :)