Tonkatsu set for two in Yeonnam-dong, ₩39,000 with udon: Katsu Monster

I went on an outing to Yeonnam-dong recently and had tonkatsu (breaded pork cutlet) for lunch for the first time in a while. I'm pretty picky about my tonkatsu, and Katsu Monster Yeonnam Main Branch (카츠몬스터 연남본점) made me super, super happy. Here's my honest review, go ◡̎

Katsu Monster Yeonnam Main Branch: hours and location

Katsu Monster Yeonnam Main Branch is open 10:30 - 21:00, with a break time from 15:30 to 16:30. Group seating, takeout and delivery are all available.

This Hongdae restaurant is 8 minutes from Hongik Univ. Station Exit 3, right in the middle of a Yeonnam-dong alley. It sits in that classic Yeonnam-dong backstreet atmosphere, so even the walk there looked like a good date course :D

There are terrace seats at the entrance too, so on a nice day you could eat tonkatsu with an outdoor-drinking-tent vibe. So much charm ~_~

Is Katsu Monster in Yeonnam-dong good for eating alone?

The inside has 2-person tables, 4-person tables and bar seats, so it works for solo meals and dates alike. The space is small but clean, and the tables are spaced widely, so it looked good for a date or a solo visit. The menu has descriptions with photos, which made choosing easy ෆ ͙˚˖

Katsu Monster menu: how to choose the 2-person set

The menu has loin katsu (rosu-katsu), fillet katsu (hire-katsu), premium loin katsu (pork collar) and cheese katsu, plus set menus you can eat with noodle dishes and a wide range of sides, so it's easy to eat well. There were two of us, so we ordered the 2-person set. You can pick two kinds of tonkatsu, so we chose fillet katsu and cheese katsu, with cold udon as the noodle dish ⸝⸝⸝⸝◟̆◞̆♡

Every table has tonkatsu sauce, salt, salad dressing and other sauces and tableware, so you can customize things to your own taste *_*

What comes in Katsu Monster's ₩39,000 set for two?

• What we ordered: 2-person set (fillet katsu + cheese katsu + cold udon) ₩39,000
• Basic setup: tonkatsu, cabbage salad, rice, soup, kkakdugi (cubed radish kimchi), gangjeong (crunchy sweet rice snack) for dessert
• Rice, soup and salad can be refilled if you need, they say

The 2-person set came out as one big, generous spread like this.

Starting with the cabbage salad to freshen the mouth -! Fresh cabbage with a nutty dressing is perfect as an appetizer before the tonkatsu 🙂

Fillet katsu: thick, generous pork tenderloin

The fillet katsu looked like a lot at first glance, cut thick, and honestly it was so generous that eating it all alone would have left me stuffed, what a deal bb

Mild, clean-tasting meat inside a crispy coating made it soft and juicy, just excellent 🤍 It's the kind of taste you never get tired of, no matter how much you eat

Rice and soup came along too, so it was a hearty meal with the tonkatsu. The soup especially was savory yet clean-tasting, and I kept going back for more 👅

Cheese katsu: four big pieces loaded with mozzarella

The cheese katsu came as 4 big pieces piled with mozzarella, looking like the cheese might melt and drip off any second.

The first bite was crispy outside and juicy inside, with thin, tender loin and the nutty, salty flavor of the cheese really coming through. Dip it in the tonkatsu sauce and the savory depth kicks in, and I thought, no wonder this place is famous as a Yeonnam-dong tonkatsu spot 😗

Cold udon: a full portion, not a mini

The cold udon that came with the set wasn't a mini bowl but about a full single portion, much bigger than I expected!

Cold broth with chewy noodles, need I say more? It's perfect udon for summer, so I hope you try it in weather as hot as these days 👉👈

The full spread, down to gangjeong for dessert

The gangjeong served for dessert wasn't too hard and was moderately sweet, just right as a light palate cleanser :D Everything came out neatly as one set meal, so I enjoyed it from the meal through dessert. Thank you for the food ❤️

Katsu Monster Yeonnam Main Branch: final verdict

Katsu Monster Yeonnam Main Branch is a high-quality Japanese katsu spot in a lovely Yeonnam-dong alley, and I highly recommend it ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️