Solo-dining katsu restaurant in Jeonpo, Busan: Katsu Kitchen Premium

I was looking for good spots in the Jeonpo café street area of Busan and ended up at Katsu Kitchen's Jeonpo main branch, which does really solid Japanese tonkatsu! I personally enjoyed it so much I'm planning to go back next week on my own dime.

Katsu Kitchen Premium Jeonpo Main Branch: location, hours and parking

Katsu Kitchen Premium Jeonpo Main Branch is located at 356-45 Jeonpo-dong, Busanjin-gu, Busan, a 3-minute walk from Exit 4 of Jeonpo Station. It's open Mon–Sun 11:30–21:00, last order at 20:30.

• Location: 356-45 Jeonpo-dong, Busanjin-gu, Busan / 3 min walk from Jeonpo Station Exit 4
• Hours: Mon–Sun 11:30–21:00 (last order 20:30)
• Parking: no lot, no roadside parking / nearby public parking lot recommended
• Amenities: Wi-Fi, outlets, restroom

It's right on the Jeonpo café street in Busan, so it was easy to grab lunch here and then hit a café afterward. ★ Just a 3-minute walk from Jeonpo Station! I eat Japanese tonkatsu pretty often, so I'd say my palate has gotten a bit particular, but this was genuinely delicious haha. Head into the Jeonpo alley and you'll find the quiet, cozy 'Katsu Kitchen.'

Bamboo-view solo seats: eating alone in Jeonpo without the awkwardness

Katsu Kitchen's Jeonpo main branch has solo-dining window seats with bamboo planted right outside, which made it a great spot to eat alone in Jeonpo. The warm wood-tone interior was really cozy! With bamboo right outside the window, it had this refreshing, calm, natural feel. I came looking for a good solo-dining tonkatsu spot in Jeonpo, and I really loved the bamboo backdrop at these seats.

There were also counter seats, and each spot had a neatly arranged mat, sauces, utensils, and cup — you could tell they paid attention to every detail. There was also a basket under the chair for bags, so I could comfortably stash my things while eating. Eating delicious tonkatsu in a calm space with soft music playing — what could be happier haha.

There was also a restroom inside the restaurant, which was convenient : ) Water pressure was fine and there was hand wash, so it was nice for washing up before and after the meal. The restroom lighting, shelves, and mirror all matched in wood tones too. Really pretty interior!

What I ordered: Mix Katsu 2 for 15,500 won and mini memil for 4,500 won

Katsu Kitchen, this lunch spot in Jeonpo, Busan, uses top-grade raw meat for its tonkatsu. Here's what I ordered that day:

• Mix Katsu 2 (₩15,500) * loin katsu + cheese katsu
• Mini mobil (₩4,500)

They even had hair ties on hand so you could eat your tonkatsu comfortably, and detailed instructions on how to enjoy it best haha. And instead of plain bottled water, they served barley tea? Plus yuzu dressing, black sesame dressing, spicy tonkatsu sauce, and sesame oil — the sauces were all neatly arranged too.

The side dishes: green onion kimchi, myeongi namul and pink salt

Wasabi, myeong-i namul (wild garlic leaves), Himalayan pink salt, tonkatsu's special sauce, house-made green onion kimchi, rakkyo pickle, and pickled chili peppers all came out in little bowls as sides to eat alongside the tonkatsu, and it was so good haha. I really love myeong-i namul and green onion kimchi, so that was one of the reasons I already decided to come back.

How do the loin katsu and cheese katsu taste?

Can you see how the tonkatsu looks? The loin katsu is made with pork loin, which has just enough fat within the lean meat to be both light and savory. It wasn't dry at all — the texture was firm and the juices really burst out, so delicious! And the cheese katsu — need I even say more haha. It's packed with cheese, and since it was fresh out of the fryer, the cheese stretched forever.

Looking at this photo makes me want to eat it again. Ugh... it was really so delicious. Fresh out of the fryer, the outside was crispy while the cheese inside melted so soft — amazing. Dipping it in the tonkatsu sauce, I couldn't help but think 'I'm so glad I came here.'

Can you see the juices? Taking a bite, the juicy, moist meat came through gently, making it easy and pleasant to eat! I personally prefer pork loin, and I feel like it needs a bit of fat to taste good. Honestly, you could eat it plain without sauce — the meat itself has such a rich, savory flavor.

This is basically a rice thief — perfect for when you have no appetite. When frying the tonkatsu, they coat it well with breadcrumbs, so the crunch is next level. They must use clean oil too, because it's never soggy or smelly, and it stays crispy all the way through haha.

I also tried adding a few drops of sesame oil, and pairing it with green onion kimchi, myeong-i namul, wasabi, Himalayan pink salt, and more — the flavor got much richer and the texture even better. When you dip tonkatsu in sauce, you usually get a bit sick of it by the end, right? But with so many sides to mix in, it stayed delicious from the first bite to the last.

Is the mini memil at Katsu Kitchen really that mini?

Katsu Kitchen's mini mobil (₩4,500) — buckwheat noodles — was actually a huge portion, despite the name. Not so 'mini' after all. They do give you beef soup as a default side, but the tonkatsu + mobil combo is just too good to pass up. Hahahahaha. The mini mobil was really, really delicious. I'm going back next week and I'll be ordering the exact same thing.

The mobil broth was so refreshingly cold! Slurping down some cold noodle broth in between bites of tonkatsu cleaned my palate perfectly, which felt so good haha. And the chewy, springy noodles on top — the best! I highly recommend ordering tonkatsu and mini mobil together.

Final verdict, right down to the vanilla ice cream

To wrap things up, they even gave me dessert ice cream. Vanilla ice cream! A neatly arranged full spread with warm rice, soup, freshly fried tonkatsu, and side dishes — how could this not be delicious? Hahahaha. If you're trying to figure out where to have lunch in Jeonpo, Busan, go to Katsu Kitchen! Seriously recommend it.