Loin katsu and gara-age combo at Hets Jeonpo Branch, Busan tonkatsu

Today I want to introduce a tonkatsu spot in Jeonpo-dong that might ruin tonkatsu everywhere else for you once you try it: Hets.

Location and parking at Hets Jeonpo Branch

• Hours daily 11:10–20:30
• Break time 15:30–17:00
• Last order 15:00 / 20:00
• No parking on-site; takeout, group seating, Wi-Fi, high chairs, waiting area, easy payment

Hets, a tonkatsu favorite in Jeonpo, sits right about halfway between Seomyeon Station and Jeonpo Station on Line 2, inside Jeonpo Café Street. It's a tiny bit closer to Jeonpo Station — less than a 5-minute walk from Exit 7 heading toward Bujeon Station.

There's no dedicated parking, but if you park at the public lot near Jeonpo Station and show your parking ticket, you'll get ₩1,000 off your parking fee.

Line up via CatchTable

The Gwangan branch always has a line, and the Jeonpo branch — famous as a Jeonpo-dong tonkatsu favorite — can also get a wait, so keep in mind you can queue through CatchTable!

There's a waiting area out front, with a physical menu board set up so you can decide what to order while you wait.

Interior and atmosphere

Here's a look inside Hets, a Jeonpo-dong tonkatsu favorite.

I've been to the Gwangalli Hets several times, but this was my first visit to the Jeonpo branch! The interior feels similar to Hets Gwangan but the space is bigger. It's a stylish space with sleek metal-frame design.

There's also a waiting area further inside. This spot seemed to be for storing luggage — I thought that was such a thoughtful touch.

All seats face the kitchen in a single line

The tables are arranged in a single straight line, so every seat faces the kitchen inside. If you come with someone, you end up sitting side by side. I actually love eating side by side — feels cozy, haha.

The chairs are chunky and distinctive, with storage space underneath for your bags.

The basic side dish is kkakdugi (diced radish kimchi) served with tonkatsu sauce. Spicy silbi kimchi is available on request too. I'm a spice wimp, so kkakdugi was plenty for me, haha.

Menu at Hets Jeonpo Branch

Here's the menu at Hets, a favorite near Jeonpo Station. Signature dishes include Jeju black pork / YBD assorted katsu, Jeju black pork / YBD sang loin katsu, Jeju black pork / YBD loin katsu, YBD hire katsu, and loin sando, plus Kirin draft beer and Sangaria oolong tea.

There are even instructions on how to best enjoy the tonkatsu. Honestly, it's delicious no matter how you eat it.

Hets, a tonkatsu favorite in Jeonpo-dong, also offers discounts for police officers, firefighters, military members, national merit recipients, pregnant women, and senior-year exam students. Sadly none of those applied to me T_T

While waiting for the food, you can request a song, but instead we drew a picture... haha. Time flew by, and the food came out really fast!

Starting with rice and miso soup

They brought out rice and miso soup first. The white rice matters a lot with tonkatsu, and this one passed with its fluffy texture. They even said to let them know if we needed more.

The miso soup was on the spicier side. I think that's meant to cut through the richness of the tonkatsu, and it was a delicious kind of spicy — probably the best miso soup I've had!

Jeju black pork loin katsu

What I ordered was the Jeju black pork loin katsu.

The Jeju black pork loin katsu has a great balance of lean meat and fat, so you really taste the savoriness and richness. I can't get enough of that distinctive rich, fatty flavor of loin katsu, haha. Tender, rich, and so delicious! It's thick enough to give it great texture too.

I tried it plain first, and since it's a fattier cut, wasabi pairs especially well with it too. Salt, wasabi, tonkatsu sauce — enjoy it however you like. Each way had its own charm, so I rotated through all of them.

YBD hire katsu

This is the YBD hire katsu (tenderloin cutlet) my companion ordered.

How can a tonkatsu look this good...? It's tonkatsu, but it's glistening!

Hire katsu has less fat and a soft, moist texture — it's a texture you just don't get unless you try it. You'd expect it to be tough, but it's mysteriously tender!

Since this cut has less fat, truffle oil pairs well with it, and so does pepper. Because the meat-to-batter ratio is so high, it almost feels like eating pure meat, haha.

You can add 2 extra pieces (one portion) of hire, so it's great to pair with other dishes too. People who love hire katsu apparently just order this alone!

Gara-age and dessert

The gara-age (Japanese-style fried chicken) was a cute little size, but the flavor made its presence known. After eating pork, chicken felt refreshingly new!

They gave us a refreshing dessert too!

Wrap-up

No other words needed — I think HETZ Hets is the best tonkatsu in the Jeonpo-dong area! Highly recommend ♡