Busan tonkatsu with veteran and student perks: solo bar seats at Hets

Today I'm introducing Hets Jeonpo Branch, a well-known tonkatsu spot in Jeonpo.

Where Hets Jeonpo Branch is and when it opens

• 🏠 225 Jeonpo-daero, 2F Unit 201, Busanjin-gu, Busan, South Korea
• ⏰ Daily 11:10 ~ 20:30
• Break time 15:30 ~ 17:00
• Last order 15:00, 20:00
• 🅿️ No parking on-site / ₩1,000 discount at the public lot near Jeonpo Station with parking pass

Hets Jeonpo is straight ahead from Exit 7 of Jeonpo Station. It's on the main road so it's easy to find, and right in front of the Jeonpo Intersection bus stop, so it's also easy to get to by bus.

Is there a wait at 6:30pm on a Tuesday?

It's already known as a top tonkatsu spot in Jeonpo, so there's usually a wait. You can join the queue through CatchTable. We visited around 6:30pm on a Tuesday and there was no wait — though customers kept steadily coming in since it was dinner time.

The limited menu — the black pork dish — was sold out.

All bar seats: why Hets Jeonpo suits solo diners

Here's the inside of Hets Jeonpo Branch. It's set up entirely with bar seats, which makes it good for solo dining, and quite a few people were eating alone. Overall the interior was really clean and tidy.

Hets Jeonpo Branch menu and free extras

Here's the menu board at Hets Jeonpo Branch. The sang loin katsu is limited in quantity, so if you arrive late it might be sold out. They also sell Kirin draft beer, which pairs well with tonkatsu.

On the back of the menu there are illustrations of the different tonkatsu types, which makes choosing a bit easier.

They also offer discounts for police officers, national veterans, high school seniors preparing for exams, soldiers, pregnant women and more. Nice touch from the owner!

Each table has pepper, salad sauce, truffle oil and wasabi set out, and water and utensils are self-service at a station up front.

On one side there's a spot to hang coats and a guestbook too.

They also had cute Hets-branded goods for sale.

It's an open-kitchen layout, so I liked being able to watch the cooking process after ordering.

The Jeju black pork loin katsu set

Today's order

Here's the Jeju Black Pork Loin Katsu Set. Ordering tonkatsu comes with soup and rice by default, and refills are available if you need more.

I drizzled on the salad sauce that came with it. The cabbage was thinly shredded too, so the texture was great. That salad sauce was really delicious — a corn-soup-style sauce that paired perfectly.

The outside of the katsu was fried really crisp.

Pink salt, tonkatsu sauce, truffle sauce: how they differ

The first bite is usually with salt, right? Dipping it lightly in the pink salt, it was crispy and salty and really tasty. The meat inside was tender, and the fatty edge was nicely chewy — overall really good.

Next is the tonkatsu sauce that comes with it. It's the classic tonkatsu sauce flavor everyone knows, so it's a crowd-pleaser without much debate. Eating it with rice and diced radish kimchi was pure honey.

And then the truffle sauce. Truffle sauce with tonkatsu might sound unfamiliar, but it really works well together. That subtle truffle aroma spreads and elevates the flavor of the katsu even more. Everything was good overall, but personally the salt-dipped katsu was my favorite since it let me taste the base flavor cleanly — that's how good the plain katsu itself is here.

Free silbi kimchi (spicy watery kimchi) and frozen jelly

If you ask the owner, you can also get silbi kimchi (a raw-style seasoned kimchi) served separately. You need to ask for it, so make sure to request it and pair it with your meal. The finish has a slight kick of spice, but it went really well with the katsu.

Finally, as we were finishing up, the owner brought out frozen jelly for dessert — a cool little treat for customers on a hot summer day.

Ate so well, thank you~

Final verdict on Hets Jeonpo Branch

If you're looking for a top tonkatsu spot in Jeonpo, I'd recommend Hets. It's great for solo dining and also good for a simple dinner. The food and the shop's atmosphere were both really clean and pleasant overall. Revisit intention: 100% ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️