Jeonpo tonkatsu bar with 8 seats and a mixed set: Katsu Gimseondo

Do you know the three soul foods of Korean men?

They say it's gukbap (soup with rice), jeyuk bokkeum (spicy stir-fried pork), and donkatsu (pork cutlet). My husband loves all three, so we went to Katsu Gimseondo in Jeonpo. Everything was clean and the tonkatsu was tasty, so it made for a nice date-and-dinner outing :)

Where is Katsu Gimseondo in Jeonpo, and where do you park?

Katsu Gimseondo is right near Jeonpo Fire Station, on Seojeon-ro 47beon-gil in Busanjin-gu. When I visited a few years ago it wasn't at this location — apparently they moved about a year ago. Being right next to the fire station makes it easy to find! The building is nice and clean, haha.

There's no parking support, so park at a nearby paid lot.

How many seats does Katsu Gimseondo have?

There was one two-top, three four-tops, and 8 bar seats! Not too cramped, not too spacious — just the right size, haha.

Katsu Gimseondo menu and what we ordered

The two of us ordered like this:

• Mixed tonkatsu set (₩17,000) - loin, tenderloin, shrimp katsu
• Gabri loin set (₩16,000) - limited quantity

We didn't order beer, but Cass draft was ₩3,000 for 300ml. A 500ml can feel like too much when you're already full, so it was nice they sold a 300ml size, haha.

We sipped cold water while waiting.

Mixed tonkatsu set: three sauces and a soft fried egg

The mixed tonkatsu set (₩17,000) comes with three sauces total — tonkatsu sauce, salad sauce, and a dipping sauce for the shrimp katsu, haha.

The mixed set comes with a soft-fried egg on top of the rice! Break it and mix it in 💛

My husband was really happy to see the egg — it was delicious, haha. Rice and soup are refillable, so just ask staff if you need more, haha.

They pour the salad sauce over shredded cabbage. The sauce was tangy-sweet and paired really well with the tonkatsu — the kind of taste that makes you wonder how it's made!!

What does the gabri loin taste like?

This was my first time eating tonkatsu where the loin and gabri (pork skirt) are attached together — it was tender and delicious 😋 And the whole cutlet had a slight seasoning to it, which made it even better!!

Looking at the menu later, it said the meat is aged 180 hours in an ice-temperature chamber and salt-cured for 20 hours — I guess they fry it when the seasoning is at its best. I love tonkatsu where the meat itself is seasoned just right like this, so I give Katsu Gimseondo's meat a passing grade with a medal 🏅

Tenderloin katsu at Katsu Gimseondo

The tenderloin katsu was nice because it wasn't too red, and had a soft texture, haha.

Shrimp katsu at Katsu Gimseondo

🍤 The shrimp katsu wasn't a thin shrimp — it was nice and plump inside 🦐 If we'd only eaten tonkatsu it might have felt slightly lacking, but having the shrimp katsu too let us try a variety of flavors, haha.

The best order to eat the loin katsu

Since the loin katsu is already seasoned in the meat itself, try it without sauce first, then dip it in sauce afterward!

Who is Katsu Gimseondo best for?

There are several tonkatsu spots worth trying in Jeonpo!! But Katsu Gimseondo does a great job too — the two of us ate until we were really full, the portions are big, haha. I'd recommend it for a date or meeting friends~~ For guys especially, ordering the curry to eat with the rice would probably be even more satisfying. Next time I'm in Jeonpo, I think I'll come back to eat here again~!