Spicy pork rice bowl & tonkatsu curry set at Haekbap Pyeongtaek

I went to dinner at Haekbap, a popular spot near Pyeongtaek Station. It's a Japanese home-style restaurant located right across from Pyeongtaek Station, and this is my review after enjoying a hearty meal of spicy pork rice bowl and tonkatsu curry rice bowl sets.

2nd floor across from Pyeongtaek Station: location and hours

I was looking for a hearty dinner spot near Pyeongtaek Station and ended up at Haekbap Pyeongtaek. It's on the 2nd floor right across from the station, so it was easy to get to, and the big sign outside made it easy to spot even on a first visit.

It's open daily from 11:00 to 21:00, so you can drop by anytime, but note that it's closed during major holidays. If you're driving, there's a nearby public parking lot at ₩1,700 per hour. Being so close to the station, it's also a convenient spot to meet up and eat near Pyeongtaek Station.

What's the vibe like? Spacious and bright interior

Once I went up to the 2nd floor, the place was much bigger than I expected. Natural light poured in through large windows, giving it a bright, clean overall atmosphere.

There was a variety of seating too, from window-side single seats to 2-person tables and sofa group seating. It's a good spot for a simple solo meal, and also nice for a relaxed meal with friends or a partner. If you're looking for a restaurant close to Pyeongtaek Station, both the location and the interior were convenient.

Menu and prices: what we ordered

Haekbap serves a wide variety of Japanese dishes, not just rice bowls but also ramen, soba, katsu, curry, and udon. With so many options, I liked being able to pick based on what I felt like eating that day. Prices were also fairly reasonable, with many menu items starting from around ₩10,000, making it an affordable lunch or dinner option near Pyeongtaek Station.

✔️ We ordered two set menus that day.

• Spicy pork rice bowl (butadonburi) set – ₩14,900
• Tonkatsu curry rice bowl set – ₩16,900

The set menus come with mini udon and 2 pieces of karaage (Japanese fried chicken). Rather than just having the rice bowl alone, getting the sides too made it a pretty filling meal.

A full spread delivered by serving robot

About 10 minutes after ordering, everything came out at once. A cute serving robot brought the tray of food right to our table. Seeing the rice bowls, mini udon, and karaage all neatly arranged on a wooden tray, the portions looked more generous than expected.

In particular, the pork rice bowl with its red sauce sitting next to the golden-fried tonkatsu was visually appetizing right away. On a day I wanted a hearty dinner near Pyeongtaek Station, I felt like I'd picked well.

The look of the spicy pork rice bowl

What I ordered was the spicy pork rice bowl (butadonburi), one of the new "spicy duo" items. It's described as pork stir-fried in a fiery special sauce with a smoky char. The rice was piled high with pork deeply coated in sauce.

Vegetables were mixed in among the glossy meat, and green peppers and red cherry tomatoes on top made it look pretty too. As soon as it arrived, a subtle smoky aroma rose up, and as someone who loves spicy rice bowls, I was already sold on the look of it.

A smoky, spicy bite

At first, rather than mixing the rice and meat right away, I tried a bite of each separately to taste them individually. Eating the seasoned pork together with rice, the sweet-savory sauce combined with the smoky char was quite good. Since I was hungry, I ended up mixing the rice and meat together evenly, and the sauce soaking into the rice brought out even more umami.

The spiciness builds up as you eat, but it was more of a delicious spicy than an overwhelming, punishing heat. Adding a bit of wasabi partway through gave it a sharp kick that cleaned up the palate nicely — it went well together too. If you like spicy rice bowls, this is worth trying at least once.

The look of the tonkatsu curry rice bowl

The other dish we ordered was the tonkatsu curry rice bowl set. It's Haekbap's mild curry topped with crispy fried pork loin cutlet, and the amount of tonkatsu looked bigger than expected. There were a whopping 6 pieces of tonkatsu on top, which looked quite filling from the first glance.

Sauce was drizzled over the golden-fried tonkatsu, topped with chopped green onions, making for a clean yet appetizing look. Since it's a dish combining curry and tonkatsu, I figured it would appeal to most people.

Mild curry and crispy tonkatsu

The curry leaned mild and clean rather than being spicy or salty. Mixed with rice, the curry blended in smoothly and was easy to eat without feeling heavy, and pairing it with the crispy tonkatsu made for a fun contrast in texture. The tonkatsu had a crispy coating with tender meat inside, which went well with the curry.

Personally, while the spicy pork rice bowl had a stronger smoky, spicy character, the tonkatsu curry rice bowl felt relatively mild and easy to eat. It's worth picking based on your preference.

The mini udon and karaage that come with the set

The mini udon that comes with the set was also tastier than expected. The portion was mini-sized so it wasn't overwhelming, and having a sip of warm udon broth while eating the spicy pork bowl slightly cooled down the heat. It made me want to order the udon or ramen on its own next time.

The karaage came out already drizzled with sauce, and alternating bites of the crispy fried chicken with the rice bowl worked surprisingly well together. With udon and karaage included alongside the rice bowl, the whole set felt like quite a full spread.

Naver review event

At the time of our visit, there was also a Naver review event running. Writing a Naver review earned you a drink, and since we each wrote a review, we got 2 cans of cola total.

Final thoughts

Haekbap Pyeongtaek has great accessibility being right across from Pyeongtaek Station, and offers a wide range of menu options from rice bowls to curry, udon, and ramen. The set menus we ordered came with mini udon and karaage on top of the rice bowl, making for a pretty hearty meal.

The spicy pork rice bowl stood out for its smoky, sweet-and-spicy sauce, while the tonkatsu curry rice bowl was easy to eat with its mild curry and crispy tonkatsu combo. With a spacious, clean interior close to Pyeongtaek Station, it's a good place for solo meals, get-togethers with friends, or dates.

Considering how much comes with the set menus, this is a place worth visiting if you're looking for a good-value restaurant or Japanese home-style food near Pyeongtaek Station.