Bulgwang Station tonkatsu takeout, 3 lunchboxes: Insaeng Donkatsu

There's a sound I kept hearing whenever I passed by Bulgwang Station. Tang-tang-tang-tang— At first I thought it was construction work, but it turned out to be the sound of pork being pounded at Insaeng Donkatsu haha.

I'd walked past this place a few times before, and this time it popped back into my head so I stopped by. I thought about eating in, but decided to pack lunchboxes to eat comfortably at home instead.

Where is Insaeng Donkatsu Bulgwang branch, and what is the restaurant like?

Insaeng Donkatsu Bulgwang branch sits at 12-10 Tongil-ro 65-gil, Eunpyeong-gu, Seoul — about 2 minutes on foot from Exit 6 of Bulgwang Station, so it's genuinely close. It's near the back gate of NC Department Store, so it's a good spot to grab a meal while running errands or shopping nearby. A solid pick to keep in mind when searching for restaurants near Bulgwang Station or near NC Department Store~☆

The whole building is used as this tonkatsu restaurant, so the place is bigger inside than it looks from outside. The 1st floor has the counter and kitchen space, and

dining happens on the 2nd floor hall, where seating is fairly spacious 👍 It doesn't feel awkward to eat alone here, so it's also a good option if you're looking for a solo-dining spot near Bulgwang Station!

The open kitchen that stands out in person

What I liked most about this place is the kitchen. It's not fully enclosed — it's open, so you can see the cooking process to some extent, watching the tonkatsu actually being made.

And here's the source of that tang-tang-tang sound from earlier haha. The owner is personally pounding and prepping the meat, so no wonder you can hear it every time you walk by.

And if you look at the wall, there's a 'good price business' mark designated by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, plus quite a few certificates and awards.

Seeing this, it definitely feels different from the trendy aesthetic-focused restaurants popping up these days. Rather than a flashy interior, it feels more like a neighborhood tonkatsu shop that's been doing its thing in one spot for a long time. The kitchen and the state of the frying also seem to be kept clean and well-managed!

The three takeout lunchboxes ordered this day

This time I went a bit overboard and packed three: cheese tonkatsu lunchbox, menchi-katsu lunchbox, and garlic hamburg lunchbox. I meant to pick just one, but while looking at the menu I somehow ended up ordering all three.

Opening the boxes, the rice and side dishes were also generous — broth soup, sauce, diced radish kimchi, pickled peppers, pickled radish, all included.

The salad portion is also generous. The overall spread is more substantial than you'd expect, right? It's not just tonkatsu — there's plenty to eat alongside it, perfect for a full meal at home!

Cheese tonkatsu lunchbox: did the batter stay crisp?

With cheese tonkatsu, the moment of cutting it open is always the most exciting part haha. The cheese stretches out in long strings! There's quite a bit of cheese packed inside, so once cut, it looks great and the batter is on the crispy side.

Even with the travel time to get it home, it didn't turn soggy. The cheese adds a savory richness, and eating it together with the meat makes for a pretty hearty bite.

Of the three, I thought the cheese tonkatsu was the best that day. If you're a fan of cheese tonkatsu, this is a menu item you'll enjoy without fail!

Menchi-katsu lunchbox: minced meat with cheongyang chili

Menchi-katsu has a totally different texture from regular tonkatsu.

Honestly, this was my first time in my whole life trying menchi-katsu. (Country bumpkin over here.)

Since it's minced meat formed into a patty and fried, it's chewed much more softly than a regular cutlet with distinct meat grain!!! Kind of like the texture of hamburg steak, if that makes sense?

The outside is crispy and the inside is soft, so it goes well with rice. Cheongyang chili is mixed into the patty itself, so it's a little spicy. 🔥🔥🔥

There are two kinds of sauce plus salt and wasabi, so there's plenty to dip into. If you usually only order the loin cut or cheese tonkatsu, it might be worth trying a different menu item at least once!

Garlic hamburg lunchbox

Garlic hamburg is on a completely different track from tonkatsu!

Look at the cross-section! Packed with garlic, right? The soft hamburg patty has a strong garlic aroma that goes really well with rice.

Eating tonkatsu nonstop can start to taste the same after a while, but having the hamburg in the middle made it interesting again 😆👍 Thanks to ordering all three, each dish had a different texture, so I enjoyed the meal well right to the end.

Worth it for tonkatsu takeout in Eunpyeong-gu?

Insaeng Donkatsu Bulgwang branch feels like a neighborhood restaurant you can casually drop into for tonkatsu.

It's fine to eat alone, good for packing to eat at home, and conveniently located near NC Department Store if you get hungry after shopping. Most of all, the open kitchen lets you see the cooking done cleanly, and with the good-price business certification and various certificates on the wall, it has that long-running, established-shop atmosphere.

If you're looking for tonkatsu in Eunpyeong-gu, having options beyond the basic cutlet — cheese tonkatsu, menchi-katsu, and hamburg — is also a plus! I had it to go this time, so next time I'm planning to try tonkatsu freshly fried and served right at the restaurant. After all, eating tonkatsu fresh in-house rather than carried home is basically the golden rule.

If you're looking for a place to eat tonkatsu near Bulgwang Station, or hunting for a long-running neighborhood restaurant among Eunpyeong-gu spots, give it a try!

📍 Insaeng Donkatsu Bulgwang branch / 12-10 Tongil-ro 65-gil, Eunpyeong-gu, Seoul / about a 2-minute walk from Exit 6 of Bulgwang Station / near the back gate of NC Department Store