Solo weekday lunch tonkatsu set at Himawari, Yangju Okjeong-dong

I went to Himawari, known as a top tonkatsu (breaded pork cutlet) spot in Okjeong-dong, for a solo weekday lunch.

Himawari basic info

• Premium tonkatsu specialty restaurant
• 108 105-ho, Okjeongdong-ro 7da-gil, Yangju-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
• Daily 11:00–21:00 (last order 20:55)
• Parking available
• High chairs available

For reference, there's plenty of parking in the building. This was already my fourth visit — it's on my go-to list whenever I'm craving tonkatsu.

The tonkatsu isn't greasy at all, it's light and clean, so overall it's genuinely delicious. The menu has tonkatsu, udon, curry and more, but I'd definitely recommend the tonkatsu.

Solo dining, but I still ordered the kimchi udon set plus kids katsu

I wanted tonkatsu, but just tonkatsu alone felt a bit lacking, and that day I also wanted a warm broth, so I went with the kimchi udon set. And since I love tonkatsu, I added kids katsu as a single order too. Eating lunch alone, sure, but I decided to properly eat what I actually wanted haha.

They give you sesame to eat with the tonkatsu sauce — you grind it finely with a small wooden pestle, and it tastes even better mixed with the sauce :)

And of course, a refreshingly cold cola to wash it down.

Crispy outside, tender inside

I only expected kimchi udon, so it was a nice surprise that tonkatsu came with it too. Eating the crispy fried tonkatsu together with the warm kimchi udon made for a completely satisfying meal. The tonkatsu was great dipped in sauce, or eaten alternately with the udon to change up the flavor. It was thick and crispy — truly crispy-outside, tender-inside. Not dry at all, soft enough that pretty much anyone would like it.

What comes with the kimchi udon set?

What I ordered that day was the kimchi udon set. It's not just kimchi udon — it comes with tonkatsu, so you get two dishes in one order, which I liked. Being able to eat warm udon broth together with tonkatsu made it a pretty filling lunch. Especially taking a sip of the udon broth between bites of tonkatsu cleanses your palate, so I kept alternating between the two. Since it's udon with kimchi in it, the broth has more umami than regular udon and pairs really well with the tonkatsu.

The kids katsu I added as a single order

On top of that, I added kids katsu as a single order too. It might seem like I ordered a lot for eating alone, but when you're at a great tonkatsu place, you've got to have at least one more katsu, right? The cheese katsu in particular was packed with cheese but wasn't greasy at all — instead it was nutty and savory-salty, really delicious. Kids katsu comes in a more manageable size than regular tonkatsu, so it also looked like a good pick if you're visiting with a child. In the end, this lunch turned into a proper tonkatsu feast with kimchi udon plus tonkatsu plus kids katsu.

Is it a comfortable place to eat alone?

Himawari centers on Japanese-style tonkatsu, with rosu katsu, hire katsu, and mixed katsu platters alongside dishes like kimchi udon and buckwheat soba. Even visiting solo, the atmosphere wasn't awkward at all, making it a great spot for a lunch by yourself. I went on a weekday for lunch, and it was a comfortable setting to eat alone.

The interior itself isn't huge, but it has a cozy, quiet feel, like a Japanese home-style restaurant.

What struck me on this visit is that Himawari works well for groups sharing a mixed platter or several dishes, but it's also a great option for eating alone at lunch on a weekday, like I did. If you don't want just tonkatsu on its own, pick a set like the kimchi udon set that pairs tonkatsu with a broth dish; if you want more tonkatsu, adding a single katsu order like I did works well too. If you're in Okjeong-dong craving crispy tonkatsu with warm udon and looking for a solo dining spot, give Himawari a try.