Geomdan, Incheon tonkatsu restaurant for tender tenderloin: HOKATSU

HOKATSU’s location and interior in Geomdan

HOKATSU is at 788 Seogot-ro. It is tucked between commercial buildings, so it is a little hard to find, but look carefully and you will spot HOKATSU.

Hours are 11:00–21:30, with a break from 15:30–17:00. Last orders are at 15:00 and 21:00, and parking is available. There is an underground parking lot in the building, but I could not find it, so I parked nearby and paid.

Inside is all table seating. There were fewer tables than expected for such a large space. I would guess it holds around 40 to 60 people.

HOKATSU’s menu and appetizer

First, they bring yogurt as an appetizer. It has honey in it, so it is sweet and easy to eat. Even this was so good that I wished there had been a little more.

Each table is set with sauces: salad dressing, tonkatsu sauce, and perilla oil.

We had two pork loins, two tenderloins, two cheese cutlets, and gukbap (rice soup) side dishes. Naturally, the cheese cutlet caught my eye first. The loin and tenderloin here were really full of meat, and the meat quality was good too.

How I ate the cheese cutlet and pork loin

I took a bite of the cheese cutlet. The frying was a little disappointing, but other than that, I was satisfied with everything: the amount of cheese and the condition of the meat. The cheese pulled nicely too.

As expected, something rich like this tasted balanced and delicious with wasabi.

The pork loin has a fatty section, and I was told it would be good with a little perilla oil, so I tried it that way.

But honestly, I found it most savory and delicious with just a light dip of salt rather than perilla oil.

Add a little salt and a bit of wasabi, and it is deliciously well balanced.

At a really good tonkatsu place, tenderloin is usually incredibly soft. Here, though, the loin was truly tender and packed with meat; it felt like eating a high-yield snow crab.

I really enjoyed the pork loin.

The tender texture of the tenderloin

Now it was time for the tenderloin. It was also really good, but it felt less like meat and more like soft tuna. It was like the solid meat in canned tuna had been softened, pressed together, and fried. It was genuinely tender, had no unpleasant meat smell, and tasted really good.

The loin was great too, but the tenderloin was so soft that I recommend it if you love that texture. If you still want some bite, I recommend the loin. Both were so delicious that it felt a little sad to watch them disappear.

It was so good that, while eating, I found myself thinking, “Why is this all that is left already?” The breading on both the loin and tenderloin held on well, which made me think the frying temperature had been just right.

Cucumber pickles and finishing soup

Partway through, we ran out of cucumber pickles and went to get more. They were well looked after and seemed homemade. The pickles were crisp and their texture was well preserved, so I thought, yes, these really must be homemade. Even the cucumber pickles were delicious.

The yogurt was so good that I wanted another one when I had it as an appetizer. If it is made and stored this well, I think you can eat it with confidence. I finished with the soup.

A Geomdan tonkatsu restaurant I want to revisit

It feels like it has been a while since I came to a truly delicious tonkatsu restaurant. Among the tonkatsu places I have eaten at in Incheon, this is number one, and I would say it beats most of them. The prices are a little high, but if you think of it as an occasional delicious tonkatsu meal, it does not feel all that expensive.

Nothing else needs to be said: it is really delicious. The meat itself was well aged, tasty, and tender. The texture was just right, and the frying was good too. The breading on the cheese cutlet came away a little, but aside from that and the slightly high prices, I was satisfied with everything. From the appetizer to the cutlets’ condition, flavor, and texture, everything was satisfying. Even the cucumber pickles served as a side dish were delicious, so this was a restaurant meal I really enjoyed.

If friends nearby ask whether there is anywhere good to eat in Incheon, this is a place I would introduce as truly delicious. Of course, my intention to revisit is 100%.