Jeonpo tonkatsu with a 7-year-old, no per-person minimum: Hets Busan

On a day out with my kid in Jeonpo, we stopped for tonkatsu (Japanese pork cutlet) lunch at Hets Jeonpo Branch, a well-known Jeonpo tonkatsu spot. The clean interior was lovely and the thick cutlet was delicious, so here's my review!:)

Where is Hets Jeonpo Branch, and what about parking and hours?

• 📌 Location: 225 Jeonpo-daero, 2F Unit 201, Busanjin-gu, Busan, South Korea
• 🚗 Parking: No parking on-site / show your parking ticket from the public lot near Jeonpo Station for ₩1,000 support
• ⏰ Hours: 11:10 AM–8:30 PM / Break time 3:30 PM–5:00 PM / Last order 3:00 PM, 8:00 PM

What is the atmosphere like inside Hets Jeonpo Branch?

Walking into Hets Jeonpo Branch, the whole place felt clean and modern. It's set up as bar-table seating, with handy storage space under the chairs for bags.

It's also an open kitchen, so you can watch the food being made right in front of you. Waiting for our order, it was fun to look around the kitchen and every corner of the place haha. When we visited, there were a lot of young office workers around too — the place really fits the vibe of Jeonpo-dong:)

The menu at Hets Jeonpo Branch

I snapped a quick photo of the menu too:)

Is one menu item per person required with a 7-year-old?

This time we visited Hets Jeonpo Branch with just me and my 7-year-old. Since my kid is still preschool age and doesn't eat much, I asked ahead whether we'd need one menu per person. They kindly told us one adult menu item would be fine, so we didn't have to force an extra order and could just eat comfortably together:) haha. That day we ordered Jeju black pork sang loin katsu, meat curry, and a drink.

Jeju black pork sang loin katsu: taste, salt, wasabi and truffle oil

First I tried the Jeju black pork sang loin katsu plain, without sauce, to taste the meat itself. The juices felt moist and the breading was crispy, so it was delicious even on its own:) After that I tried it with a bit of wasabi on top, dipped in just salt, and also with truffle oil. I personally love truffle oil so it worked well for me, though it might be fine to skip depending on taste. Also, the outside was crispy while the meat itself was chewy yet tender — two textures at once, which made it both tasty and fun:) haha.

It's tasty plain, but with all the sides set out on the table, it was even more enjoyable to mix things up. The cutlet comes with salt by default, and they also served tonkatsu sauce. We took turns with the sharp wasabi, truffle oil, and whole black pepper on the table too. Since I love truffle oil, dipping the cutlet lightly in salt and adding truffle oil gave just the right balance of aroma and seasoning for a satisfying lunch:)

Hearty meat curry — can a child eat it?

We ordered the meat curry for my kid too. The moment it arrived, I could tell there was a lot of meat in it haha. Thanks to that, eating it with rice gave a satisfying bite:) Alternating between the curry and the cutlet kept the flavors from feeling one-note — a great combo, I think. The curry itself had a bit of a spicy kick. As an adult, I found it delicious, but my 7-year-old said it was a little spicy. Still, my kid ate it up happily too 😂

Looking around Hets Jeonpo Branch: thank-you perks and goods

While looking around Hets Jeonpo Branch, I noticed a sign off to the side. It said they offer small thank-you perks for police officers, firefighters, national merit recipients, soldiers, high school seniors taking college entrance exams, and pregnant women. That detail left a good impression:)

They were also selling Hets branded goods on one side of the shop. If you enjoy collecting merch, it's worth a look.

Final verdict on lunch at Hets Jeonpo Branch

On the day I had a delicious lunch with my kid in Jeonpo, we enjoyed a satisfying meal at this clean, well-known Jeonpo tonkatsu spot. Especially the thick Jeju black pork sang loin katsu — I think I'll be craving it again the next time I'm in Jeonpo:)