Busan tonkatsu with a guestbook memo wall at 6pm: Hets Jeonpo

Busan really has no shortage of great tonkatsu spots, does it?! I visited 'Hets Jeonpo Branch,' which I personally liked even more than Tonshou.

Hets Jeonpo Branch hours, parking and what we ordered

• Hours 11:10 - 20:30 (break 15:30 - 17:00)
• Parking ₩1,000 support with public parking lot near Jeonpo Station
• Ordered Jeju black pork assorted katsu (18,000) / YBD assorted katsu (17,000)

How to walk from Jeonpo Station to Hets Jeonpo Branch

'Hets Jeonpo Branch' has a hip vibe and sits about a 5-minute walk from Exit 7 of Jeonpo Station! It's also close to Jeolli-dan-gil, so I'd recommend it to anyone hunting for good food in that area too.

A 6pm visit with only two seats left at Hets Jeonpo Branch

Even though I arrived just after 6pm, still early evening, there were only two seats left — living up to its reputation as a Jeonpo spot with a real waitlist... You can also do remote waiting through CatchTable, so it's worth putting your name down before you head over! Every seat is bar seating, which made it great for solo dining or a date.

There were notepads and pens set out at the seats! You can write whatever you like and stick it on the guestbook wall, so I wasn't bored while waiting haha. Fun to browse too 〰︎

They also had Hets Katsu merchandise for sale. The pen wrote so smoothly I seriously considered buying one... The staff were even wearing the short-sleeve t-shirts sold as goods, and they looked so cute.

There were coat hooks for aprons and outerwear, plus a separate space to store luggage or big bags like suitcases — very convenient!

And there's even a thank-you discount for people who serve the country!! Friendly staff and a lot to like about this place overall... ♥

The Hets Jeonpo menu board and the limited sang loin katsu

The main options are Jeju black pork katsu and YBD katsu, plus sides like sando (sandwich), curry, and gara-age (Japanese-style fried chicken). I wanted to try the sang loin katsu too, but it's limited quantity and had already sold out.. So I settled for the assorted katsu instead.

They also post a guide on how to enjoy HETZ katsu, and everything except the katsu itself is refillable! You can also join their review event for a free boneless gara-age or a soda ദ്ദി(•̀ᴗ•́ )

Sauces on the bar and the soup served first

At the top of the table there's water and utensils, and up front there's whole black pepper, salad dressing, truffle oil, and wasabi! I liked that there were several kinds of tonkatsu sauce, so you can pick based on what you're in the mood for.

Rice and jangguk (savory soup) came out first, and the soup was spicy and rich — genuinely delicious. That got me even more excited for how good the katsu itself would be!

They serve the tonkatsu sauce along with kkakdugi (cubed radish kimchi), and since I wanted silbi kimchi too, I asked for it separately. I expected it to be spicy but it wasn't spicy at all, just tasted like regular kimchi! It was so good, definitely eat it alongside the katsu.

What does the YBD assorted katsu (17,000 won) taste like?

YBD is katsu made from pork crossbred from three breeds: Yorkshire (Y), Berkshire (B), and Duroc (D)! Since it's an open kitchen, I could watch the katsu being sliced right in front of me.

The loin katsu had fat still attached so it was rich and savory, and the fillet katsu was full of juice and moist — both were so good!

The meat was on the thick side too, so you could really feel the juices with every bite — it was great just dipped in salt or tonkatsu sauce.

Adding a bit of pepper to the truffle oil was also a special combo! Among all of them, though, I liked eating it with wasabi the most ദ്ദി(•̀ᴗ•́ )

The salad dressing tasted like corn! I really love corn salads, and this tasted exactly like that, so I enjoyed it a lot.

Jeju black pork assorted katsu (18,000 won): how is it different from YBD?

The biggest difference between the YBD katsu and the Jeju black pork katsu is the smoky char — the Jeju black pork katsu had an incredible smoky flavor.

The loin katsu was savory as expected, and the fillet katsu was really soft and moist. The moment you take a bite, that subtle smoky aroma spreads through — it gave it a completely different appeal from regular katsu!!

Dipped in salt, sprinkled with pepper and topped with wasabi, or dipped in tonkatsu sauce.. however you ate it, Hets katsu was delicious.. ♥ With so many sauces to mix and match based on your taste, I enjoyed it fully to the last bite!

Here's the proof I ate every bit of it 🫣 Rice, soup, salad, ... I cleaned everything off without leaving a scrap. I genuinely recognize this as a top tonkatsu spot near Jeonpo Station!!!

This is a jelly I used to eat all the time back in elementary school, and they gave us one each after we finished eating! Since it's summer, they served it frozen, so it was slightly crunchy and chewy — a perfect finish to the meal.

On my way out I noticed they'd closed early due to running out of ingredients. I'd recommend putting your name down on CatchTable's waitlist before you visit!

Who should eat at Hets Jeonpo Branch

'Hets Jeonpo Branch,' a spot near Jeonpo Station where you can taste everything from YBD katsu to Jeju black pork assorted katsu

• Anyone looking for a great tonkatsu spot in Jeonpo
• Anyone who loves thick, juicy katsu
• Anyone wanting a more special kind of tonkatsu

It's a place where you can really experience the different flavors and textures of katsu by cut, so I'd definitely recommend it! ˘͈ᵕ˘͈