Tonkatsu with five refillable sauces near Olympic Park: Riae Premium

If anyone asks me for a good restaurant near Gangdong-gu, I recommend Riae, the Olympic Park tonkatsu place, without even having to think about it. Ever since I had tonkatsu at Riae, I barely go to any other tonkatsu place — the pork cutlets are really, really, really good, and the interior is so clean that I can just focus on eating whenever I come in. Let me share parking info, menu recommendations, and an honest review.

Where is Riae Premium Olympic Park Branch, and where do you park?

Riae Premium Olympic Park Branch is on the 1st floor at 46 Seongnae-ro 18-gil, Gangdong-gu, Seoul, and it's open daily from 11:00 to 20:00. Note the break time from 15:00 to 16:00 and last order at 19:30.

Something I find neat every time I visit Riae Premium Olympic Park Branch is that it has two entrances, so you can walk in comfortably from either side. There's parking right in front of the store, and if that's full, there's also a dedicated parking lot at the back.

Inside Riae Premium: open kitchen and solo seats

There were easily seven or more 4-top tables, and since they're movable, group visits look totally doable if you book ahead — a solid tonkatsu spot for that.

Riae Premium Olympic Park Branch has such a clean, well-arranged interior that it would work great for a blind date or a regular date too. Along one wall there's a single-line table with solo seats, and honestly there isn't a single bad seat in the place — you can tell a lot of thought went into the space.

What I like most is the open kitchen. This is just my personal opinion, but every place with an open kitchen seems to taste good haha — something about it shows the chef's confidence.

Ordering by tablet at Riae Premium: what the couple chose

At Riae, the Olympic Park tonkatsu spot, you order through a tablet PC set up at each table. Since the menu comes with pictures, you can see roughly what you're getting before you order, which helps a lot with choosing.

There's a half-and-half tonkatsu set, a seasonal cold soba set, and curry alongside the tonkatsu options. We ordered the Riae Signature Trio and the Premium Special Sirloin Katsu + Fillet Katsu.

Riae Signature Trio: tenderloin, menchi and fried shrimp

Even the cola we ordered didn't come as a plain can — they served it in an ice-filled glass that looked cool enough to chase away the summer heat. While my husband and I clinked our glasses of cola and chatted for a bit, all the food we ordered arrived.

The Riae Signature Trio is Riae's signature tonkatsu (pork cutlet) menu made up of three fried items: tenderloin, menchi katsu (ground meat cutlet), and fried shrimp.

They give you a single fried shrimp so big it nearly overflows the plate holding all the fried items, along with a generous helping of thick, juicy tonkatsu that's hard for one person to finish alone.

With so many sauces and each fried item being different, it was a menu full of fun little choices. The breading isn't thick or greasy, and alternating bites with the side dishes and sauces kept it tasting great all the way to the end without getting tiring.

Premium Special Sirloin Katsu + Fillet Katsu: loin and tenderloin compared

The next dish we ordered was the Premium Special Sirloin Katsu + Fillet Katsu. The sirloin katsu is loin, and the fillet katsu is tenderloin.

Both cuts were so tender that at first I genuinely couldn't tell which was the tenderloin and which was the loin — they were so juicy, soft, and delicious that I ended up stealing my husband's portion too.

Five refillable sauces, and why truffle oil wins

One really great thing about Riae Premium Olympic Park Branch is that you get as many as five sauces to go with your food, and refills are no problem at all. The green one that looks like a kiwi sauce is actually truffle oil, and the way it pairs with Riae's tonkatsu is the best.

With every bite, the word 'premium' kept coming to mind — it's crispy-outside, juicy-inside, upscale tonkatsu through and through. Anyone who loves tonkatsu will really, really love this place. If you're looking for a good restaurant near Olympic Park, I'd strongly recommend Riae.