Kid-friendly tonkatsu set with curry rice in Jung-gu, Busan: Daidokoro

I finally got to go on a little date with my kid at Busan Lotte Department Store's Gwangbok branch. Picking a meal for a meal out with a child is always a bit of a headache, but Daidokoro serves all sorts of kid-favorite dishes — Vienna sausages, braised quail eggs, curry, tonkatsu (breaded pork cutlet) — so I didn't have to think twice about going.

Daidokoro Lotte Department Store Gwangbok Branch info

• Address: 2 Jungang-daero, 10th floor, Jung-gu, Busan, South Korea
• Hours: 10:30–21:00
• Last order: 20:00
• High chairs available

An exterior that's great for photos with kids

Daidokoro caught my eye from the outside already — there's a cute character figure right in front of the store that draws your gaze. My kid saw the figure and immediately sat down to pose, so we snapped away haha. They even had headbands ready for photos, which made it even better for picture-taking~

Set Menu B for two

We ordered Set Menu B for two. It comes with a karaage (Japanese fried chicken) set, a tonkatsu set, mini menbosha (deep-fried shrimp toast), and one drink.

A restaurant that even had kid tableware ready

After ordering, I took a look around the store.

There were cute little props everywhere and my kid loved it. I had thought about putting on something for her to watch so I could eat in peace, but she got so into examining all the dolls around the store that we ended up eating without any screen time that day haha.

They had a high chair too, plus kid-sized cutlery, scissors and tongs.

Crispy tonkatsu set and curry rice

We sipped some cold water and looked around the store, and the food came out pretty quickly.

Tonkatsu set

The tonkatsu set came with curry rice topped with a fried egg, crispy fried tonkatsu, and a variety of side dishes.

The sides were generous — Vienna sausages, quail eggs, and even a soft, sweet pudding.

The tonkatsu looked crispy just from the look of it, and dipped in sauce, it really was crunchy through and through.

The meat inside wasn't tough at all, so it was fine for my kid to eat too.

What caught my eye the most was the curry rice topped with a fried egg — they'd drawn a character with the sauce, which was so cute~ You could really tell they'd put care into every single dish.

I mixed the curry into the white rice and topped it with the fried egg. The curry was rich and smooth. I fed my kid a bite too, and she ate it well.

Eating it alongside Daidokoro's signature kimchi made it even more special.

Soy sauce egg rice and the karaage set

Karaage set

Next up was the karaage set. Unlike the tonkatsu set, this one comes with soy sauce egg rice instead.

The side dishes were similar, but this set comes with a white sauce and a chili sauce, plus a small dish of curry sauce.

I tried the karaage — crispy on the outside, with tender, juicy chicken inside.

Personally, I liked dipping it in the white sauce better. Since it's fried food, once it started to feel a bit heavy, I switched over to the chili sauce for variety. Eating the salad in between reset my palate too haha.

I tried the soy sauce egg rice next — it had bonito flakes mixed in, which was unusual. Mixing the rice up and taking a bite, the bonito flakes went surprisingly well with the soy sauce egg rice — a real treat.

Menbosha and pudding my kid asked for more of

Menbosha

The menbosha was crispy and delicious too.

It was my kid's first time trying menbosha, and it must have suited her taste because she asked for more haha.

Lastly, the pudding was a bouncy, sweet milk pudding — a nice way to wrap up dessert.

Overall thoughts on eating here with my kid

If you're looking for a good spot to bring your kid to in the dining hall at Busan Lotte Department Store Gwangbok branch, give this place a try~ The side dish spread was varied, and the fried dishes were crispy and full of juicy flavor. With a sweet pudding to finish things off, we wrapped up the meal in a good mood 😊