Konkuk Univ. Japanese lunch: katsu curry & fish cake udon, Hekbap

Hekbap Konkuk University Main Branch is a great spot near Konkuk Univ. Station for a tasty lunch. It's a big, spacious restaurant where you can eat comfortably, and I had a really enjoyable meal here.

How do you get to Hekbap Konkuk University Main Branch from Konkuk Univ. Station?

Walk uphill from Konkuk Univ. Station Exit 2 toward Children's Grand Park Station for about 5 minutes, and Hekbap is on the 2nd floor of a building on the left.

At the building entrance, standing signs describe the menu at Hekbap's Konkuk Univ. branch. It's a good place for Japanese set meals, with rice bowls, ramen, soba and cutlets. Thanks to the signs, you can check what's on offer before you even go in, which I liked.

Head up the stairs to the 2nd floor and you'll find Hekbap. Appetizing food posters are stuck up along the way, so my expectations were already high before going in!!

There's also a huge menu board at the shop entrance, and I liked that the menu was explained so thoroughly.

What are the atmosphere and seats like at Hekbap Konkuk University Main Branch?

Sparkling chandeliers hang from the ceiling at Hekbap. The restaurant is large, so it seems like a good fit for groups of Konkuk students too.

At the seats facing the window you can look down over Konkuk Univ., and the open view makes the place feel more pleasant.

Hekbap specializes in Gajeong-style (home-style) rice bowls and ramen. True to its slogan, "the restaurant that keeps the core of rice," it drops the frills and sticks to the essentials, so you get a filling, tasty and good-value lunch near Konkuk Univ.

Tablet ordering and a self-service corner

Spoons and chopsticks are individually wrapped, which is hygienic. You order on the tablet at your table. Since I'd studied the menu well before coming in, I finished ordering in a flash! haha

The self-service corner has pickled radish, kkakdugi (cubed radish kimchi) and single-use squeeze wasabi packets, so you can take as much as you need for your meal!

What does the Hekbap pork cutlet curry rice set look like?

Hekbap's dishes come out one by one as sets on wooden trays. We sat at a seat with a great view out the window and each ordered our own dish. Since each comes on its own tray, it looks neater and feels like you're being treated well haha The tidy set presentation gets a big thumbs up!!!!

A curry rice set topped with pork cutlet! It came with a generous portion of rice, cabbage salad, miso soup, tteok-twigim (fried rice cakes) for dessert, and the side potato croquette I ordered on top haha

Tasty curry topped with even tastier pork cutlet? There's no way this could be bad, right?!?!?!

Mix the curry into the rice, then eat it together with the cutlet. Amazing!!! Both the curry and the cutlet were so good, hehe. The rice portion was generously large too haha

How do the Hekbap fish cake skewer udon taste, and how big is the portion?

I also tried the udon topped with fish cake skewers at Hekbap! The udon also comes with cabbage salad.

It's topped with fish cake, vegetable fritters, and plenty of fried tofu and scallions, so I enjoyed it a lot.

Spicy broth with chewy udon noodles is always a winner! The generous portion was nice too haha

The vegetable fritters and fish cake went together really well haha The chewy texture of the fish cake is great!!!!

Side potato croquette

The side potato croquette I added was super tasty too haha It looks plump, and with plenty of mayonnaise served alongside, you can dip away without holding back.

Hekbap Konkuk University Main Branch is a great spot near Konkuk Univ. Station for a hearty meal. I had a lovely time, hehe.

• Hekbap Konkuk University Main Branch
• Address: 127 Neungdong-ro, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, 2nd floor
• Hours: Daily 11:00–21:00 (break time 15:00–16:30)