# Tonkatsu with two Asahi beers on a date night near Amsa Station: Tonka - By Solbi Ham (https://superchart.com/en/@dongdaemun-late-tray-2/) - Written Sep 19, 2026 - Local places › Restaurants › Gangdong, Seoul - Sponsored: This visit was sponsored — the meal was provided by the restaurant. - English edition: https://superchart.com/en/@dongdaemun-late-tray-2/tonka-amsa-tonkatsu-asahi-couple-dinner/ - Also in: [한국어](https://superchart.com/ko/@dongdaemun-late-tray-2/tonka-amsa-tonkatsu-asahi-couple-dinner/index.md) ## In short Tonka is a Japanese-style tonkatsu (breaded pork cutlet) restaurant on Sangam-ro 5-gil near Amsa Station in Gangdong-gu, Seoul. On a weekday visit at 7pm, a 10-minute wait led to the signature Tonka tonkatsu set, which serves loin and tenderloin together, paired with two bottles of Asahi beer; the limited-quantity special loin katsu and sasami katsu were already sold out. The crust stayed crisp over juicy pork with a moderate amount of fat, so the plate was cleared without feeling heavy. ## Good to know - **Location**: 78 Sangam-ro 5-gil, 1F Unit 102, Gangdong-gu, Seoul - **Hours**: 11:00 - 20:30 - **Break time**: 15:00 - 17:00 - **Last order**: 14:30 and 20:00 - **Closed**: Every Monday - **Parking**: None on site; nearby paid lots - **Seating**: All bar seats, about 8 people maximum - **Wait**: About 10 minutes around 7pm on a weekday - **Ordering**: QR code at the table - **Drinks**: Asahi bottled beer *as written by the visitor on Sep 19, 2026* Today I visited Tonka, a place that's become quietly famous as a tonkatsu (breaded pork cutlet) spot in Gangdong. (My boyfriend actually goes here on his own sometimes!) I love tonkatsu, so I was pretty excited to finally get the chance to visit. ![First shot on arrival at Tonka, a tonkatsu restaurant near Amsa Station](https://img.superchart.com/images/tonka-amsa-tonkatsu-asahi-couple-dinner/tonka-amsa-tonkatsu-asahi-couple-dinner-01-1u4fz-900.webp) ## Tonka near Amsa Station: address, hours and closing days - Location: 78 Sangam-ro 5-gil, 1F 102, Gangdong-gu, Seoul, South Korea - Hours: 11:00 - 20:30 - Break time: 15:00 - 17:00 - Last order: 14:30, 20:00 - Closed: every Monday - Parking: not provided, use nearby lots ![Tonka's storefront and front waiting area](https://img.superchart.com/images/tonka-amsa-tonkatsu-asahi-couple-dinner/tonka-amsa-tonkatsu-asahi-couple-dinner-02-mjz2v-900.webp) ## How long is the wait at Tonka at 7pm on a weekday? Tonka has a classy-looking storefront with a small waiting area out front! When we visited around 7pm on a weekday, we waited about 10 minutes. You can check the opening hours on the glass window in front of the store! But since Tonka can close early once ingredients run out, I'd recommend calling ahead before you visit 🌟 ![Interior of Tonka's open kitchen and bar-table seating](https://img.superchart.com/images/tonka-amsa-tonkatsu-asahi-couple-dinner/tonka-amsa-tonkatsu-asahi-couple-dinner-03-yfrwj-900.webp) ## Eight bar seats facing Tonka's open kitchen Every seat at Tonka is at a bar table. It's an open kitchen, so you can clearly see the owner cooking — it made it really easy to see how clean the cooking process was. The whole space can seat about 8 people max, a small spot the owner runs solo. Maybe that's why the food and service felt so satisfying 👍🏻 There's tonkatsu sauce and salad dressing on the table that you can add freely. ![Tonkatsu sauce and salad dressing on the table](https://img.superchart.com/images/tonka-amsa-tonkatsu-asahi-couple-dinner/tonka-amsa-tonkatsu-asahi-couple-dinner-04-1now0-898.webp) ## Tonka's menu: which cutlets sell out by evening You order through the QR code on the table!! 📢 Tonka's menu ![Tonka's katsu menu board](https://img.superchart.com/images/tonka-amsa-tonkatsu-asahi-couple-dinner/tonka-amsa-tonkatsu-asahi-couple-dinner-05-127cc-900.webp) ![Second page of Tonka's menu](https://img.superchart.com/images/tonka-amsa-tonkatsu-asahi-couple-dinner/tonka-amsa-tonkatsu-asahi-couple-dinner-06-1sqgq-900.webp) When I visited, the limited-quantity items were already sold out. So it was tonkatsu by default!! Which is fine, since you should try the signature dish first anyway. If you want to try the limited special loin katsu or sasami katsu, I'd recommend aiming for lunch service rather than dinner. I'll have to go back for lunch just to try those two. 🤨 The menu is nicely simple — just katsu dishes and drinks! ![Tonka's drinks menu](https://img.superchart.com/images/tonka-amsa-tonkatsu-asahi-couple-dinner/tonka-amsa-tonkatsu-asahi-couple-dinner-07-xx3ru-900.webp) *Drinks* Asahi bottled beer — how do you say no to that? haha ![Notice on the wall explaining the reddish color inside the tonkatsu](https://img.superchart.com/images/tonka-amsa-tonkatsu-asahi-couple-dinner/tonka-amsa-tonkatsu-asahi-couple-dinner-08-w5f8r-m-900.webp) After ordering, I looked around the store and noticed a note on the wall explaining why the inside of the tonkatsu looks reddish. > The reddish color inside the tonkatsu doesn't mean it's undercooked. As a tonkatsu lover I already don't worry about that, but it was nice to see the reassuring note anyway. ![Neatly plated tonkatsu set](https://img.superchart.com/images/tonka-amsa-tonkatsu-asahi-couple-dinner/tonka-amsa-tonkatsu-asahi-couple-dinner-09-6giff-900.webp) *Tonkatsu* ## What comes with Tonka's signature tonkatsu set Finally, our tonkatsu arrived! The plating was so neat — beautifully sliced, with a piece laid down in the center like a little performance (I think that's the owner checking the doneness). The 'tonkatsu' set comes with loin katsu, tenderloin katsu, cabbage, rice, soup, perilla leaf side dish, mustard, and wasabi salt. ![Plate with both loin katsu and tenderloin katsu](https://img.superchart.com/images/tonka-amsa-tonkatsu-asahi-couple-dinner/tonka-amsa-tonkatsu-asahi-couple-dinner-10-l8tue-900.webp) The visuals are insane 🙏🏻 ![Close-up of the crispy breaded tonkatsu](https://img.superchart.com/images/tonka-amsa-tonkatsu-asahi-couple-dinner/tonka-amsa-tonkatsu-asahi-couple-dinner-11-1m767-1200.webp) The doneness of the meat is perfect. Even in photos you can tell the breading looks crispy. ![Cross-section of a piece of tonkatsu](https://img.superchart.com/images/tonka-amsa-tonkatsu-asahi-couple-dinner/tonka-amsa-tonkatsu-asahi-couple-dinner-12-141r4-900.webp) ## Pairing the tonkatsu with two bottles of Asahi beer I couldn't resist the moment I saw the tonkatsu. The only beer here is Asahi bottled beer! What more do you need to say about Asahi~~ Plus a cute Sapporo bottle opener! ![Asahi bottled beer with a Sapporo bottle opener](https://img.superchart.com/images/tonka-amsa-tonkatsu-asahi-couple-dinner/tonka-amsa-tonkatsu-asahi-couple-dinner-13-1bxn0-900.webp) Beer topped up, sauce topped up, dressing topped up. The perfect spread, ready to go. ![Full spread at Tonka with beer, sauce, and dressing](https://img.superchart.com/images/tonka-amsa-tonkatsu-asahi-couple-dinner/tonka-amsa-tonkatsu-asahi-couple-dinner-14-1fw89-900.webp) ### Loin vs tenderloin: how each cutlet tasted I bit into the loin and the juiciness and flavor were insane — so tender too. It balanced perfectly with the crispy breading. ![A bitten piece of loin katsu](https://img.superchart.com/images/tonka-amsa-tonkatsu-asahi-couple-dinner/tonka-amsa-tonkatsu-asahi-couple-dinner-15-s76r8-900.webp) I also tried the tenderloin, and you could really feel the grain of the meat still intact. Delicious.!!! Personally, I think eating it with just the salt is the best way to taste the meat's natural flavor. ![Tenderloin katsu dipped in wasabi salt](https://img.superchart.com/images/tonka-amsa-tonkatsu-asahi-couple-dinner/tonka-amsa-tonkatsu-asahi-couple-dinner-16-1eafo-900.webp) With tonkatsu that's over half fat, you get greasy fast, but Tonka's cutlets felt like they had exactly the right meat-to-fat ratio. There wasn't even a moment to feel greasy. ![Cross-section of tonkatsu showing a balanced fat ratio](https://img.superchart.com/images/tonka-amsa-tonkatsu-asahi-couple-dinner/tonka-amsa-tonkatsu-asahi-couple-dinner-17-1tznh-900.webp) ### The perilla leaf side dish that stole the meal Still, for anyone who might feel it's greasy 👏 — I think it's perilla leaf, and even though I wasn't feeling greasy at all, I finished it because it was so good. It felt unusual for a tonkatsu place to serve a side dish other than diced radish kimchi or pickled radish, but it went really well 🫶🏻 ![Perilla leaf side dish served with the tonkatsu](https://img.superchart.com/images/tonka-amsa-tonkatsu-asahi-couple-dinner/tonka-amsa-tonkatsu-asahi-couple-dinner-18-1ergd-900.webp) It was so good we ordered another bottle! ![An additional bottle of Asahi beer ordered](https://img.superchart.com/images/tonka-amsa-tonkatsu-asahi-couple-dinner/tonka-amsa-tonkatsu-asahi-couple-dinner-19-1dclx-900.webp) Food fight complete. The portions were generous too, nothing to skip. As someone who eats a lot, I still donated one piece to my boyfriend. Personally, the soup was really delicious — the kind you can just gulp down. ## Is Tonka in Gangdong worth a dinner visit? Tonka, a tonkatsu restaurant in Gangdong, is a place where you can taste the best of Japanese-style tonkatsu through premium ingredients, special aging, and frying technique. Clean interior, friendly service, and above all delicious tonkatsu — it was a satisfying visit in every way!!! If you're looking for a good restaurant in Gangdong or near Amsa Station, I recommend visiting Tonka to experience true crispy-outside, juicy-inside tonkatsu 🫶🏻 ## Where it is - Tonka (톤카) - 78 Sangam-ro 5-gil, 1F 102, Gangdong-gu, Seoul, South Korea - 서울특별시 강동구 상암로5길 78 1층 102호 - 37.5537784, 127.1283467 - Google Maps: https://www.google.com/maps/search/%ED%86%A4%EC%B9%B4/@37.5537784,127.1283467,17z --- Superchart · https://superchart.com/en/@dongdaemun-late-tray-2/tonka-amsa-tonkatsu-asahi-couple-dinner/ · https://superchart.com/llms.txt