Naju Innovation City pork cutlet lunch with kimchi udon: Jinsim Wang

We stopped by Naju Lake Park in Naju Innovation City and went for lunch afterward at Jinsim Wang Donkkaseu Naju Innovation Branch. We visit Naju fairly often — it's close to Gwangju and the park is lovely — so this time too we came here for lunch with the kids after the park.

• Address: 10 Ujeong-ro, Ba-dong 101-ho, Naju-si, Jeollanam-do
• Hours: Daily 10:30 – 21:00

Is there parking at Jinsim Wang Donkkaseu in Naju?

Jinsim Wang Donkkaseu Naju Innovation Branch has a large parking lot, so we didn't have to worry about finding a spot. Parking is free for 2 hours.

Inside Jinsim Wang Donkkaseu: a big room with roomy tables

The restaurant is spacious and clean, plenty big enough for group diners, families with kids, and solo diners alike.

Baby chairs are set up near the front, so families with young kids are well taken care of. Since the menu is mostly pork cutlets and noodles, we come here often with the kids without much fuss — the food is good and the staff are friendly, which makes it even better.

What's on the menu at Jinsim Wang Donkkaseu?

The menu features the signature wang donkkaseu (giant pork cutlet) along with various other cutlet styles, udon and kalguksu noodles, plus rice dishes like curry rice and bibimbap. We ordered the Jinsim Wang Double Pork Cutlet, our son's favorite Jinsim Kimchi Udon, and a skewered fish cake udon for the younger ones. You order via the tablet at your table.

The self-serve bar: soup, broth and side dishes

There's a self-serve bar set up near the entrance. The soup at Jinsim Wang Donkkaseu is genuinely delicious, and the warm broth is amazing too, so it's a must before the meal haha.

You can scoop your own soup and broth, and pick up kimchi, pickled radish, and lettuce wraps from the self-serve bar too. Kids' cutlery and trays are also available there.

Alright, all set haha. Once you bring over the broth, the kids finish it all — so good, so good. There's a Naver review event running, so leave a review and get a drink!

Fair warning though — if you fill up on soup and broth before the meal arrives because it's so tasty, you won't have room for the actual meal lol. Speaking from experience lol. Pace yourself on the soup!

This is the kids' tray. So cute, right? Our kids are already in elementary school, but they asked to eat off the cute tray anyway, so we served their food on it haha.

A serving robot brought our food out. You see them more often in restaurants these days, but it's still fun and a little amazing every time. The kids love it too, and it kind of feels like the robot deserves a pat on the head haha.

Eating the 25cm Jinsim Wang Double Pork Cutlet

This is the signature dish at Jinsim Wang Donkkaseu — the Jinsim Wang Double Pork Cutlet, with two 25cm cutlets.

Can you see the scale of this? It's an astonishing double giant cutlet every time I see it lol. A size that's tough for my husband and me to finish even between the two of us!

This is our son's absolute favorite, Jinsim Kimchi Udon, and it's genuinely delicious. Since the wang donkkaseu is so huge, it can get a little heavy as you eat — the spicy kick from the kimchi udon cuts right through it and refreshes your palate.

The spicy kimchi udon pairs perfectly with the giant pork cutlet, letting you demolish the whole thing lol. The crunchy kimchi and the rich kimchi broth make this our go-to order every time.

This is the skewered fish cake udon, for our daughters who aren't great with spicy food. The chewy noodles and deep, savory broth are a hit with kids and adults alike.

Still astonishing every time I look at it — the Jinsim Wang Double Pork Cutlet. If you're after a pork cutlet spot in Naju, I recommend Jinsim Wang Donkkaseu Naju Innovation Branch.

Sauce poured over or served on the side?

If you prefer dipping the sauce on the side, be sure to check that option when ordering. I like both, and today I meant to go with dipping but forgot lol. Honestly though, sauce-on is the true way to eat wang donkkaseu — that soaked-in-sauce flavor is really the whole charm haha.

Who has time to cut with a knife lol — just snip it up with scissors.

Pork cutlet wrapped in lettuce — pretty groundbreaking, right? I have no idea who came up with it, but it felt like it broke the mold. Cutlet in lettuce? But surprisingly, it works really well together.

I really love dipping the cutlet into the thickened sauce at the end. That's the stuff! I make sure to dip every last bite right to the end haha.

Taking leftover pork cutlet home from Jinsim Wang Donkkaseu

Don't worry if the cutlets are too big to finish — there's a self-serve packing station to take the rest home.

Here's how to enjoy your packed-up Jinsim Wang Donkkaseu leftovers:

• Air fryer at 180°C for 7–8 minutes
• Pan-fry with no oil
• As a katsu sandwich, layered with bread and lettuce
• Cold, with salt and wasabi

There's a self-service license plate registration machine right at the entrance. Enter your plate number yourself, and double-check it went through — ours didn't register properly, so we ended up paying for parking lol.

Is Jinsim Wang Donkkaseu worth it for a weekend lunch in Naju?

We stopped by Naju Lake Park and had weekend lunch at Jinsim Wang Donkkaseu Naju Innovation Branch. We enjoyed the Jinsim Wang Double Pork Cutlet, Jinsim Kimchi Udon, and skewered fish cake udon with the kids. Reasonable prices, the sheer size of the double giant cutlet, and great flavor all around — that's Jinsim Wang Donkkaseu Naju Innovation Branch. Pair it with a visit to the lake park for a fun family outing.