Magok tonkatsu with Sapporo soup curry and chicken katsu: Katsuryun

Magok Station tonkatsu spot Katsuryun From crispy tonkatsu to tender tori katsu, plus a Sapporo-style soup curry that cuts through the richness — an honest lunch review of Katsuryun near Magok Station.

Hi, it's Choi! Over the weekend my husband and I were looking for a lunch spot near Magok Station and found Katsuryun. At first I just thought it'd be a clean, simple tonkatsu place, but I was surprised at how good it was. These days even a single tonkatsu meal isn't cheap, so I really appreciated that the menu here felt tidy without being a burden on the wallet.

I was especially curious about Katsuryun's tonkatsu because it's made with Korean pork aged for 164 hours, and once I tasted it, I could really feel the meat's own juiciness and moisture. Beyond the usual crispy tonkatsu, I also got to try tori katsu and a Sapporo-style soup curry — this is officially a Magok tonkatsu spot worth knowing about.

Where is Katsuryun, and where do you park? Prugio underground lot, 2 hours free

Katsuryun is a Magok Station lunch spot located at 10 Magok-jungang 6-ro, 1st floor, unit 101, Gangseo-gu, Seoul. You can park at the Prugio underground parking lot.

There were plenty of parking spots and they support 2 hours of parking, which made it easy to come by car.

Inside Katsuryun: a small dining room that works for solo diners

Small but full of atmosphere, this Magok tonkatsu spot isn't a big space. But honestly, I liked that about it. It felt fine for a quiet solo meal, and also comfortable for dining with two or more people.

Overall it had a calm yet warm feel. There was a large window near the window seats, so it didn't feel stuffy either. Each table had a tablet for ordering, which made things convenient.

Katsuryun in Magok is a small shop run solo by the owner, who starts cooking right after you order. While waiting, the smell of frying tonkatsu wafted over from somewhere... 🥹 hard to resist.

What is the Ryun Special Set on the Katsuryun menu?

Katsuryun's basic menu has three options: sirloin katsu, tenderloin katsu, and tori katsu. On top of that, there's a special menu called the 'Ryun Special Set' that lets you have two kinds together.

• Sirloin katsu
• Tenderloin katsu
• Tori katsu

If you're torn on what to order at Katsuryun, I'd recommend the special Ryun Special Set. Being able to taste multiple kinds at once made for a much more satisfying meal.

The special menu lets you pick your own combo — tenderloin+sirloin, sirloin+tori, and so on — which was perfect for people like us who can't settle on just one dish. Since there were two of us, my husband ordered sirloin+tori and I ordered sirloin+tenderloin.

By splitting the menu, we ended up tasting all three katsu... and I'll get into it more later, but all three were seriously delicious. If you want to try a little of everything, I recommend the Ryun Special Set!

164-hour aged Korean pork: sirloin katsu vs tenderloin katsu

The part I was most looking forward to at Katsuryun was the meat itself. They say the tonkatsu is made with Korean pork aged for 164 hours, and once I actually tried it, the meat wasn't dry at all — it was juicy.

The breading was crispy while the meat inside was soft, so there was a clear textural contrast with every bite. The sirloin in particular was great for tasting the meat's own flavor, while the tenderloin felt relatively softer and lighter.

Tonkatsu can sometimes get tiresome after just a few bites or feel dry, but Katsuryun's felt less that way. And the cutlets themselves weren't overly seasoned, so they went well with all the different sauces.

The surprise favorite: chicken katsu (tori katsu) at Katsuryun

But my real unexpected favorite was something else entirely. Tori katsu! Tori katsu is chicken fried like tonkatsu, and honestly, I expected it to be a bit dry since it's chicken. But one bite completely changed my mind. It was so much more tender than I expected!

It had that distinct chicken lightness while still being moist, so it was tasty even without dipping into much sauce. I had mine with truffle salt and Himalayan salt, which brought out a nice nuttiness and let the chicken's texture shine. I recommend the combo of crispy breading and tender chicken!

Truffle salt, Himalayan salt, sauce and wasabi at Katsuryun

Katsuryun offers truffle salt, Himalayan salt, tonkatsu sauce, and wasabi. Even the same katsu tasted a bit different depending on what you paired it with.

I prefer eating tonkatsu with several different methods rather than just one sauce, so I loved that Katsuryun had a variety of condiments.

I started with salt to taste the meat itself, dipped it in tonkatsu sauce partway through, and finished with a little wasabi. Since the meat was so moist, it was fine even without dipping much sauce on it. If you like the pure flavor of tonkatsu, I'd recommend trying it with salt first ❤️

The 3,000 won Sapporo-style soup curry that brought us to Katsuryun

I went to Katsuryun for the tonkatsu, but honestly, I was there for the Sapporo-style soup curry too... The soup curry had broccoli and sausage in it, and the broth had a slight spicy kick that completely cut through the richness of the tonkatsu. I thought of it as just a side dish, but it was way better than expected — highly recommend.

And of course, my food-loving husband couldn't just sit still. He started dipping the tonkatsu into the soup curry. Lol.

Once the crispy tonkatsu met the slightly spicy, savory soup curry, it felt like a completely different dish. The side soup curry is only ₩3,000, such a bargain, so definitely add it on!

Is Katsuryun worth it for lunch near Magok Station? Final verdict

Katsuryun is a small but solid tonkatsu spot in Magok. The sirloin and tenderloin were juicy and full of flavor, and the tori katsu, which I didn't expect much from, was impressively tender.

The Sapporo-style soup curry stuck with me just as much as the tonkatsu did. The slightly spicy broth cut through the richness of the crispy cutlets, and the combination worked really well together. It's a cozy space good for solo dining, and also fine for splitting several dishes between two people. Would visit Katsuryun again ❤️