Nowon, Seoul tonkatsu restaurant for dinner highballs: Dangke Donkatsu

Even among restaurants near Taereungipgu Station, I find myself looking for somewhere I can visit comfortably without the pressure of a long wait, rather than simply somewhere famous. My husband and I went back to the neighborhood where we used to live for a haircut, then decided to have dinner before heading home. While looking around for something to eat, we spotted a tonkatsu place we had never seen before and went in out of curiosity. Dangke Donkatsu is a newly opened handmade tonkatsu (Japanese breaded pork cutlet) specialty restaurant near Taereungipgu Station, and we were able to walk straight in without waiting when we visited.

What did we order?

Since it was newly opened and did not have many reviews yet, I spent quite a while studying the menu to decide what to order. In the end, we ordered the signature Tokyo loin katsu and the tenderloin tonkatsu that I usually love, planning to share them. When there are two of you, it is more fun to order different tonkatsu dishes and compare them than to have just one.

• Spicy Tokyo loin katsu ₩24,000
• Tenderloin tonkatsu ₩13,000
• Lemon highball ₩8,000
• Strawberry ade ₩8,000

Why the Tokyo loin katsu is the signature

The spicy Tokyo loin katsu was the dish I was most curious about at Dangke Donkatsu. At ₩24,000, it is on the pricier side compared with regular tonkatsu, so I hesitated a little before ordering. But once it arrived, the spread was more generous than I had expected, and it included not only loin katsu but cheese katsu too. Since there were several items on one plate, my husband and I naturally kept reaching in for another piece as we shared it.

The price was what caught my eye at first, but once we started eating, what stayed with me more was being able to try several kinds of katsu at once.

How was the tenderloin tonkatsu?

The Tokyo loin katsu may be Dangke Donkatsu's signature, but personally, I preferred the tenderloin tonkatsu. At ₩13,000, it felt relatively easy on the wallet, and its clean, mild flavor suited my taste when I took a bite.

Rather than eating it only with sauce, I alternated between salt, wasabi, and sauce, and the same tenderloin katsu felt different with each pairing. Adding just a little wasabi now and then cut the richness, so I could eat comfortably through to the end. If I come back to Dangke Donkatsu, I think I will order the tenderloin tonkatsu first.

What about the lemon highball and strawberry ade?

The fruit highballs came in lemon, strawberry, and melon. We ordered one lemon highball and one strawberry ade to share, and a sip of the lemon highball after crisp tonkatsu freshened up my palate, while the strawberry ade was sweet and gave a different feel. Ordering one drink each with my husband and taking turns drinking them was also a nice way to switch up our palates during the meal!

A relaxed setting for a dinner date

The atmosphere was memorable as well as the food. When we opened the door and walked in, the wood-toned interior was the first thing I noticed, and the overall feeling was neat and calm. The tables were not packed tightly together, so it was comfortable to take our time over dinner while talking. Among restaurants near Taereungipgu Station, it had just the right atmosphere for a dinner date when you want tonkatsu with a highball.

Check waiting times and parking in advance

Before visiting, I wondered whether we might have to wait because it is a newly opened restaurant near Taereungipgu Station. But when we visited, we were seated right away with no separate wait >_< It was not overwhelmingly busy while we ate either, which actually made it easier to enjoy the menu slowly. Waiting times can vary by day and time, though, so please take this only as a reference.

Dangke Donkatsu's main branch does not have its own dedicated parking lot. If you are driving, it is best to check nearby parking in advance; if you take public transportation as we did, it is within walking distance of Taereungipgu Station and was not especially inconvenient. If parking matters to you when looking for a restaurant near Taereungipgu Station, checking this before your visit will make things easier.

It was comfortable to have a slow dinner with my husband in the neat setting, and because there was no wait at the time we visited, we could enjoy our meal at a relaxed pace. If you are looking for a date spot near Taereungipgu Station where you can enjoy tonkatsu and highballs together, Dangke Donkatsu may be worth considering.