Jeonpo tonkatsu with round bar-table solo dining: Hets, Busan

Today I want to introduce Hets, a tonkatsu restaurant in Jeonpo I visited during a trip to Busan. A friend of mine ate at the Gwangalli branch and raved about it as the best tonkatsu of her life, so I'd been curious about it for a while. Turns out there's also a Jeonpo branch, so I went to check it out!

Where is Hets Jeonpo Branch, and how do parking and reservations work?

Hets Jeonpo Branch is located at 225 Jeonpo-daero, Busanjin-gu, Busan. You can book through CatchTable, and if you're driving, you can get ₩1,000 in parking support at a nearby public parking lot.

Let me start with the exterior. Walk just a bit from Jeonpo Station and you'll spot Hets' clean, eye-catching facade. The whole vibe is calm yet stylish, more like a small concept shop than a restaurant. It's close enough to the station to reach easily by public transit, and near Jeonpo Cafe Street too, so it's easy to grab tonkatsu and then hit up a nearby café. If you're driving, remember you can get ₩1,000 in parking support at a nearby public lot!!

You can reserve at Hets through CatchTable. I visited just as the weekend lunch rush was winding down, and luckily I got in with no wait at all. Still, even though it was past the main lunch hour, the place was packed with customers! Clearly a well-loved tonkatsu spot in Jeonpo.

Inside Hets Jeonpo Branch: is the round bar table good for solo diners?

Instead of the usual restaurant layout with tables facing each other, Hets Jeonpo Branch has a round bar table where you sit side by side. The space, done up mainly in silver and black, felt comfortable even to visit alone.

Stepping inside, the overall mood was calm and clean. Decorated mostly in silver and black, the space felt tidy without being too cold, and it matched the stylish character of Jeonpo really well! In particular, rather than the usual facing-table layout, Hets has a round bar table where everyone sits side by side. It felt like a place you could visit solo without any awkwardness at all.

There was also a guestbook corner off to one side where visitors could leave messages freely. I love reading what other people write in spots like this, so I read through a bunch of them, and there were more entertaining entries than I expected, so I ended up browsing for a while. They also sell various goods that capture the Hets vibe. Between checking out the goods and reading the guestbook while waiting for food, the wait time didn't feel boring at all, even though it took a while for the dishes to come out.

Menu and prices at Hets Jeonpo Branch

The menu at Hets Jeonpo Branch consists of hire katsu (fillet cutlet), rosu katsu (loin cutlet), and an assorted katsu platter, priced mostly in the low ₩10,000s. Given current tonkatsu restaurant prices, it didn't feel like a big burden.

Looking over the menu, it's a good lineup for anyone who loves tonkatsu to pick according to their taste — from the light, tender hire katsu, to the savory rosu katsu, to the assorted platter where you can enjoy several cuts at once. If you're like me and can't settle on just one menu item, ordering the assorted platter to sample a few types might be the way to go!

Salt, wasabi and the rest of the sauces on the table

On the table at Hets Jeonpo Branch, salt, tonkatsu sauce, pepper, wasabi, and salad dressing were all set out as standard. It wasn't just one flavor — there was fun in mixing and matching.

The table was set with a variety of sauces and accompaniments so you could enjoy your tonkatsu however you liked. With salt, tonkatsu sauce, pepper, wasabi, and salad dressing all provided as standard, it was fun to mix and match instead of sticking to just one flavor! You could dip the cutlet lightly in salt for a clean taste, pair it with wasabi, or dunk it in the sauce — plenty of ways to enjoy it depending on your mood.

How does the hire katsu taste? Moist lean pork, thin coating

What I ordered was the hire katsu at Hets Jeonpo Branch. Since it's a lean cut, it felt less greasy and lighter, and it wasn't dry at all — moist with every bite.

Let me start with the hire katsu I ordered :) Since hire is a mostly lean cut, it felt less oily and was a light, clean way to enjoy tonkatsu. Taking a bite, the meat was softer than I expected, so it was moist rather than dry. If you like your tonkatsu on the leaner, cleaner side, I think this is a dish you can enjoy without any guilt.

The coating was thin all around, so the crunch really came through from the very first bite. When you bit into it, the coating broke lightly, so the greasy taste wasn't strong, and it stayed light rather than heavy even as I kept eating.

Who should visit Hets Jeonpo Branch?

Having tried it myself, I get why the Gwangalli branch built such a reputation as a tonkatsu spot. The hire katsu was light yet tender, and the crispy coating pulled it all together to suit my taste really well.

The atmosphere was clean and the dining space was comfortable enough to visit solo, but it's also a great spot to bring a friend or stop by on a date in Jeonpo. If you're looking for a good tonkatsu restaurant in Jeonpo, I'd recommend Hets Jeonpo Branch!