Garosu-gil pork cutlet restaurant with cream soup bar: Ikki Roll Katsu

Today I'm sharing an honest review of Ikki Roll Katsu Garosu-gil Main Branch, a place that started out as a tiny alley shop in Sinchon back in 1999 and has grown into a 25-year-old institution in Garosu-gil!

Instead of the usual pork cutlet you'd normally get, you can enjoy unique handmade roll katsu and premium pork cutlets here, which is exactly why this place is so famous as a Garosu-gil date spot and an Instagram-worthy restaurant!

Where is Ikki Roll Katsu Garosu-gil Main Branch and how do you get there?

Ikki Roll Katsu Garosu-gil Main Branch is located at B1, 64 Gangnam-daero156-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul. It's about a 7-minute walk from Exit 8 of Sinsa Station on Line 3 and the Sinbundang Line.

• Address: B1, 64 Gangnam-daero156-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul
• Subway: From Sinsa Station Exit 8 (Line 3/Sinbundang Line), go straight (about 300m) → turn left at Sinsa Police Substation → go straight to the 7-Eleven (about 70m) then turn right → basement of the Apgujeong Gopchang building (about a 7-minute walk)
• From Apgujeong Station Exit 4 (Line 3), about a 15-minute walk
• Bus: about 111m walk from Sinsa-dong-gogae (23107) stop / about 260m walk from Sinsa Station Exit 8·Garosu-gil (23108) stop

How does Ikki Roll Katsu make its pork and sauce?

192-hour cold aging and 100% hand-hammered pork

Ikki Roll Katsu says it uses only premium 1+ grade Korean chilled pork from Seonjin Pork. To bring out the utmost tenderness and depth of flavor, the meat goes through 192 hours of low-temperature aging, and they stick to the traditional method of hand-hammering each cutlet flat for tenderizing, which they say gives the juices a texture that bursts like fireworks.

Plant-based demi-glace sauce simmered for 72 hours

Unlike typical sauces made with animal stock, they use seafood, fruit, and vegetable stock simmered carefully for 72 hours and then aged another 24 hours for their own in-house plant-based sauce. It's deep and clean with a subtle spicy kick that perfectly cuts the richness of the fried cutlet.

Inside the basement-level dining room and the service

• Hygiene & atmosphere: Even though it's in the basement, the space is very clean and pleasant, with group tables and a meeting room that make it perfect for friends, couples, or family gatherings.
• Taste & composition: The 100% handmade cooking method gives it an impressive depth of flavor, and the combination of the refreshing salad pork cutlet with the sweet, savory sweet potato cheese pork cutlet is a can't-fail pairing.
• Friendliness: Thanks to the warm, kind service from the owner and staff, the whole meal felt genuinely pleasant and comfortable.

The unlimited broccoli cream soup self-bar and rooibos tea

At the self-bar in Ikki Roll Katsu Garosu-gil Main Branch, you can help yourself to unlimited refills of carefully simmered handmade broccoli cream soup, warm broth, black rice, and side dishes. Refreshing, clean rooibos tea is also provided as standard, which makes you feel well taken care of before and after the meal.

The broccoli cream soup I grabbed from the self-bar before the main dish arrived was so soft and savory that it's become another one of the signatures I keep thinking about. Pairing it with the pork cutlet doubles the satisfaction.

Sweet potato cheese pork cutlet, 15,500 won: the signature showstopper

The sweet potato cheese pork cutlet costs ₩15,500. It's the visual showstopper signature dish, with a golden-fried cutlet topped with a waterfall of sweet, soft sweet potato mousse and rich, savory cheese. One bite gives you a fantastic combination of sweet sweet potato flavor, rich cheesy savoriness, and the satisfying bite of raw Korean pork all at once. It's the textbook definition of sweet-and-salty and could easily be called a best-ever sweet potato cheese pork cutlet.

Salad pork cutlet, 15,000 won: light to the last bite

The salad pork cutlet is ₩15,000, and it comes with a mountain of crisp, fresh vegetable salad piled on top of a crunchy handmade pork cutlet. The crispy-outside, juicy-inside cutlet meat pairs with the fresh, crunchy salad so that even the last bite stays totally free of greasiness. This is a dish I'd strongly recommend to anyone who normally finds fried food too heavy or who prefers fresher flavors.

Ikki Roll Katsu hours and parking

• Hours: Daily 11:30–21:20 (last order 20:50)
• Sunday and Monday break time: 15:00–16:00
• Before 5pm: paid building parking available (₩3,000 for the first 60 minutes / ₩3,000 per additional 60 minutes / max ₩20,000)
• After 5pm: private or public parking lots near the building are recommended
• Jinwoo Building private parking (20m from the restaurant, ₩4,000/hour)
• J Tower parking (70m from the restaurant, ₩5,000/hour)
• Urban Port Garosu-gil parking (200m from the restaurant, ₩6,000/hour)