Gangnam tonkatsu restaurant with cold soba lunch: Riae

Gaepo-dong lunch at Riae, where there was a wait even with a reservation

I stopped by Riae while looking for somewhere to have lunch in Gaepo-dong. It specializes in tonkatsu (Japanese-style breaded pork cutlet), and... we had reserved ahead. I thought a reservation meant we could eat right away, but there was still a whole line on site!! We waited a little before going in^^ Waiting is never exactly welcome haha, but it really is a place that gets plenty of diners. Especially if you are looking for a good Gaepo-dong lunch spot, it seems best to leave yourself some extra time even if you have a reservation.

Naengmomil hire set and a loin–tenderloin duo

We ordered the naengmomil hire set, Premium Special Sang Loin Katsu (loin), and Tender Hire Duo (tenderloin) ♡ Personally, at a tonkatsu place, if there is a set that lets me have momil (buckwheat noodles) alongside it rather than just a single item, my eyes always go straight there. Especially while it is still warm out, cold momil is nice for resetting your palate between bites of tonkatsu.

The momil set arrived as a full spread with tonkatsu, momil, and salad, so it looked quite hearty. The noodles were topped with shrimp, cucumber, carrot, shredded seaweed, and more, plus a slice of orange. There was plenty of ice too, making it look refreshing at a glance. 👍

The combination of a bite of tonkatsu followed by a bite of momil worked so well, as expected. If you keep eating fried food, it can start to feel a little heavy, but the cold momil made it fun to alternate between the two dishes.

Riae tonkatsu that caught my eye for its thickness

And the thing that stood out most here was, of course, the thickness of the tonkatsu. Looking at the cut surface, the meat was quite substantial. Rather than the kind with thin meat and a heavy proportion of breading, this one clearly showed off the meat inside ♡

The boundary between the meat and breading was fairly distinct, and the outside still had that crisp texture. This is the type worth noticing if you are looking for Japanese food in Gaepo-dong and love a thick Japanese-style tonkatsu. Instead of soaking it in sauce, I dipped it a little at a time, which made it easy to enjoy the texture of the breading too ♡

From the moment it arrived, the cheese nearly covered the tonkatsu, so the difference from the regular cutlet was unmistakable. It was not just lightly topped with cheese; the cheese covered the top generously. Cheese lovers will probably be drawn more to this one. On the other hand, if you want to taste the breading and meat of the tonkatsu more directly, the regular tonkatsu would likely suit you better.

Sharing regular and cheese tonkatsu

Since the two of us ordered different things, it was nice to share. If you are looking at tonkatsu menus around Dogok-dong and cannot decide between regular and cheese tonkatsu, it could be a good idea to visit with several people and order different dishes. 👍

Riae seems like a good fit for anyone who prefers thick-cut Japanese-style tonkatsu over the thin, wide old-fashioned kind. This time, I tried the regular tonkatsu, cheese tonkatsu, and momil together; each menu item had its own character, so it was nice for a group to share. I was especially impressed by the thickness of the cutlet, and I loved having cold momil alongside it for those moments when tonkatsu alone started to feel a bit heavy. For anyone looking for a solo meal near Guryong Station, the set itself is easy to enjoy alone; if you visit with two or more people, ordering regular and cheese tonkatsu separately to share would work well too. Just keep in mind that, like us, you may have to wait even with a reservation during busy times^^