Busan restaurant for family lunch before Lotte World: Deli Donkatsu

A great lunch spot in Songjeong, Busan. In an era when Japanese-style pork cutlets are everywhere, this is a lovely place to visit when you are craving an old-school Korean Western-style pork cutlet. Close to Songjeong Beach and Busan Lotte World, Deli Donkatsu was a filling, good-value Songjeong restaurant for families!

Deli Donkatsu basics

Deli Donkatsu (델리돈까스) is on the first floor at 146 Songjeongjungang-ro 9beon-gil, Haeundae-gu, Busan. It is open Sunday through Thursday from 11:00 to 20:00, with a break from 16:00 to 17:00 and last orders at 19:00. It is regularly closed on the second and fourth Friday of every month, and closes early at 15:00 on the first, third, and fifth Friday. There is no dedicated parking, but you can park on the street in the alley beside the restaurant or nearby. In fact, everyone had parked in a single line, and apparently there are no tickets, haha.

Order the signature old-school pork cutlet and, for ₩9,500, you get a nostalgic Korean Western-style course from morning rolls to cream soup! It really is generous, haha. Great value.

Weekend lunch seating and atmosphere

The large open windows look out onto the greenery of the park, so rather than a flashy new hot spot, it has a cute, comfortable atmosphere.

There are not a huge number of seats, so I heard there can be a wait; it seems you add your name by hand. We arrived at noon for weekend lunch before going to Lotte World, but the solo-diner seats were still quite open.

Inside, there are four tables for two and around four tables for three to four people?

There is also bar-style seating, which is handy for people dining alone.

You order through the table-order system at your seat! You can also split the bill by the dishes each person ordered.

Oh... when it comes to Korean Western-style food, you have to finish the whole course with ice cream or coffee. There was hot coffee brewed in a coffee pot, so it was nice to have a cup on the way out.

Since there are lots of family guests, high chairs are ready too! If you live nearby, it would be nice to bring the kids out for a leisurely weekend lunch.

Old-school pork cutlet and the sides

The signature is, of course, the old-school pork cutlet. Rice and cabbage salad have unlimited refills, and you can order an extra-large portion if you want a seriously hearty cutlet!

This is so funny. It does not normally come set like this—Menji said she has to set out the utensils whenever we come somewhere like this, so she did.

First came warm morning rolls with strawberry jam, plus cream soup. A classic combination.

A little shake-shake of pepper.

The old-school pork cutlet we ordered as our main (₩9,500). It comes with the rice, cabbage, and macaroni I ate as a kid.

It is a thin, wide fried cutlet generously covered in a sweet-savory house sauce. I do not usually love it when I can taste the sourness of Worcestershire sauce, but this did not have that distinctive tang, which I liked.

And just as the restaurant recommends, we stuffed the morning roll with cabbage, macaroni, and pork cutlet to make a sandwich, hahahahaha. It tastes good, but more than anything, it is fun, haha. Kids would really love it if you made these for them.

Cheese pork cutlet and cream kimchi fried rice

The cheese pork cutlet (₩12,500) arrived thick and in a neat square shape.

It really is packed generously with cheese. That might make one whole serving a little rich. Ordering one old-school cutlet and one cheese cutlet to share is best.

And the cream kimchi fried rice that has been absolutely all over social media lately!! It comes on a hot plate, so it stays warm. I liked that the cream did not set in the middle.

Of course, cream and kimchi fried rice cannot possibly taste bad together. Pop the soft-cooked egg yolk and mix it all up. I think I ate almost all of this myself.

And as the notice says, if you ask, you can get a spicy sauce along with something called Cheongyang chili dadaegi...? I wondered what it was.

It was seriously delicious, though? Anyone who likes Cheongyang chili mayo would find it impossible to dislike. It is spicy and punchy, cutting right through the richness. I think it would go even better with the cheese cutlet.

A dab of the spicy sauce too.

A family lunch before Lotte World

There are lots of places serving thick Japanese-style pork cutlets these days, but sometimes you crave this kind of old-school Korean Western-style cutlet piled high with sauce, you know? It is great for families, and the nostalgic dishes arrive course by course, making it a good-value meal in Songjeong! Recommended if you are looking for lunch before going to Lotte World.