Tonkatsu restaurant near DMC Station in Seoul: dinner date at Kitto

There's a new Japanese tonkatsu place near my office, so my husband and I went for a dinner date after work.

What is Kitto near DMC Station like inside?

Kitto is a Japanese tonkatsu restaurant on Maebongsan-ro 2-gil, near Digital Media City Station. Honestly, this whole neighborhood tends to blend together, so I walked in without high expectations — but the moment we opened the door, the pretty, polished interior felt less like near-the-office and more like a tidy trip to Japan. My eyes lit up first.

Even among the tonkatsu spots in Sangam-dong, it's been a while since I found a place that nailed the interior design this well. It was such a great atmosphere for catching up with my husband after a day's work that I wanted to recommend it the second we walked in! We sat at a window seat :)

Kitto's set starts with green-tea water for ochazuke

At Kitto, if you ask, they'll bring you chilled green tea water. The very first basic spread that arrived already showed a lot of thought — it was set up so you could properly enjoy ochazuke, the Japanese dish of rice steeped in tea.

Tonkatsu can get greasy as you eat, but lightly soaking the rice in green tea water to make ochazuke, then topping it with a piece of cutlet, cut through the richness cleanly.

You could also enjoy it separately as a clean, simple ochazuke, which kept things balanced throughout the meal — this kind of small detail really boosted the overall satisfaction. I could see why it's earning a reputation as a Japanese tonkatsu spot worth trying near Digital Media City Station :)

How tender is Kitto's fillet cutlet (ansim katsu)?

The fillet cutlet of a lifetime — and I'm a loin-cutlet person

The real highlight of the day was, without question, Kitto's fillet cutlet.

I'll be honest — I usually don't love pork fillet because of that distinctively greasy, rich feel, so I tend to prefer loin, which has more chew and feels lighter. Loin can sometimes be a bit dry, but the fattiness of fillet just isn't for me, so at most tonkatsu places I default to loin. But the second I bit into this one, my whole preconception flipped 180 degrees.

The outside was genuinely crispy, but the inside was — not exaggerating — soft and moist enough that you barely needed teeth. Fillet turns greasy fast if it's fried wrong, but here there was zero heaviness or grease, just nutty flavor, and my hand kept reaching back for more without ever getting tired of it.

My husband took a bite too and couldn't stop raving. The tenderness was on a different level, and it was so clean that the moment you finished, you wanted more. I actually regretted not just ordering the fillet cutlet alone instead of the assorted platter — it was that good. This place is hands-down my number one fillet cutlet spot!

If you're on the fence about what to order, the fillet cutlet here is an absolute must-try!

Kitto's assorted cutlet platter with truffle sauce and yuzu kosho

Kitto's assorted cutlet platter for a range of textures and flavors

I was thoroughly won over by the fillet, but for anyone who likes trying a bit of everything, Kitto's assorted cutlet platter is also a great choice.

It balances crispiness, lightness, and juiciness, so there's something for every taste. None of the breading was too thick on any piece, so it never got in the way of the meat's natural flavor while still giving a satisfying crunch — it kept the whole meal enjoyable.

What I especially liked was the sauce lineup. The tonkatsu sauce has a subtle, rich truffle mushroom aroma that spreads through it, lifting the meat's flavor even further. On top of the usual wasabi, they also serve yuzu kosho, with its sharp yet bright citrus kick that added a clean finishing touch.

The combination of the truffle-scented sauce and the yuzu kosho made every bite fun. The tonkatsu itself was so well made that even dipping it in just a bit of salt, no sauce at all, still let the meat's own flavor shine.

Among the restaurants in Sangam-dong, finding a place that pays this much attention to the quality of the meat, the frying technique, and the sauce pairings meant I immediately added it to my list of go-to spots for dinner out.

The sherbet that ends the meal at Kitto

A dessert sherbet that gives the meal a perfect finish

At Kitto, once you finish your meal, they bring out a refreshing sherbet for dessert.

No matter how delicious the fried food was, your mouth tends to feel a little greasy afterward — but one spoonful of this sherbet instantly reset everything and wrapped up the meal cleanly.

From the ochazuke made with green tea water at the start, to the main tonkatsu, to the refreshing sherbet at the end, the whole progression felt like being treated to a full course at a refined, upscale Japanese restaurant.

It was a wonderful, atmospheric dinner-date course after work, and between the carefully fried, tender fillet, the tidy atmosphere, and the clean finishing dessert, everything came together perfectly — I genuinely recommend it, and my husband and I are already planning to go back soon. If you're looking for a proper Japanese tonkatsu spot around Sangam-dong, I hope you get to experience just how tender that fillet cutlet really is :)