Tonkatsu restaurant in Geomdan with pork loin katsu and tonkotsu

▪️A Megabox spot in the Geomdan new town 📌 HOKATSU, the tonkatsu place in Dangha-dong

A Geomdan tonkatsu restaurant that's held its ground for over a decade

I can confidently say HOKATSU is the best tonkatsu restaurant in the Geomdan new town! It's a local favorite that's stayed in the same spot for over ten years, already with a huge base of longtime regulars. Whenever my husband and I are in the Geomdan area, we always stop by HOKATSU for lunch haha. If it were closer we'd come even more often — that's how good everything is, from the tonkatsu to the ramen. We've already revisited many times, and today we came for assorted katsu and ramen :) Let me introduce you to HOKATSU, a Geomdan new town favorite.

▪️HOKATSU 📌 788 Seogot-ro, Geomdan-gu, Incheon ⏰️Daily 11:00 - 21:30 (break 15:30 - 17:00) 🚘Underground parking available.

What about waiting and parking?

HOKATSU stands out right away thanks to the banners set up outside. It's located in the Geomdan Megabox building, so it's easy to get to and parking is convenient :)

HOKATSU in Dangha-dong tends to have a wait during busy hours, so I deliberately visited during a quieter window after 2pm. You can register for the wait through Catch Table, so there's no need to stand outside the restaurant. There's also a menu board set up outside so you can pick your order in advance :)

There aren't that many tables inside, so it's best to avoid weekends or peak hours. Since it's located in the Megabox building, it's perfect for a movie-and-a-meal combo haha.

This is where we sat :) Being a place that's held its spot for so long, you can feel the years, but it's kept extremely clean. Japanese music was playing throughout the restaurant, and it really felt like being on a trip to Japan haha.

Kiosk ordering and the table setup

You order and pay at the same time through the kiosk on the table. Since HOKATSU starts cooking the moment you order, it takes about 15 minutes. They don't fry things in advance, which is probably why the tonkatsu is so crispy haha.

On the table, HOKATSU's special perilla oil, sauce, and salt are already set out. Salad dressing is there too :)

HOKATSU's menu is broken down clearly, from the popular items to the recommended set for two. Beyond tonkatsu, the ramen and soba are all delicious too :) I end up agonizing over what to order every time I come haha.

After much deliberation, my husband and I decided to order three items...! The popular three-cutlet katsu, the premium loin katsu, and tonkotsu ramen. We couldn't give up either tonkatsu or ramen, so we just ordered a lot 🤭

The self-serve bar and pre-meal house-made yogurt

You can grab extra side dishes and tableware from the self-serve bar. There's also salad at the self-serve bar, so you can eat as much as you like :)

HOKATSU gives you house-made yogurt before the meal! It's sweet and tangy, perfect for whetting your appetite.

It has honey mixed in, giving it a sweet, thick yogurt flavor :)

Tonkotsu ramen — rich but clean broth

The tonkotsu ramen came out first. Can you see the color of the broth~? It's an incredibly rich, deep ramen broth. There was a generous pile of bean sprouts on top too, which I loved — I'm a big fan of bean sprouts haha. I've also tried the spicy tonkotsu ramen here, and each one is delicious in its own way!

The broth isn't greasy at all — it's clean. You know how ramen can go wrong and turn out too rich? HOKATSU's ramen has a light yet deep flavor, so even eaten alongside tonkatsu, it never feels heavy.

There were two big, generous slices of chashu (braised pork belly) in there too :) The noodles held their bite without going soft! The chashu was tender with no gamey smell at all.

Even the egg in HOKATSU's ramen is a cut above haha. It's a soft-boiled egg marinated in soy sauce, and it's even better eaten together with the broth🫶

Premium loin katsu — perilla oil is the trick

Crispy yet tender tonkatsu

This is the premium loin katsu my husband ordered from HOKATSU. It comes out neatly arranged on a tray with side dishes and a light miso-style soup. As their best menu item, the premium loin katsu is loin cut meat that's incredibly tender.

What makes the loin katsu at this Geomdan favorite especially special is that the fatty part is incredibly soft and savory. The breading is crispy and holds in the juices, so it's impossible for it not to taste good haha.

Here's the trick: you're supposed to drizzle perilla oil over the premium loin katsu. The distinctive aroma of perilla oil wraps around the tonkatsu completely, leaving a pleasant flavor lingering in your mouth. Loin cuts can sometimes come out dry, but HOKATSU's version is so tender and delicious 👍

Here's a full overhead shot too haha.

Popular three-cutlet katsu — loin, tenderloin, and cheese

Here's the popular three-cutlet katsu I ordered! It's made up of three of HOKATSU's signature items — loin, tenderloin, and cheese.

Since you get to try all three kinds, I think this might be the best value menu item. It's like it helps you decide when you just can't pick one haha.

The bright yellow cheese katsu is absolutely loaded with cheese. The cheese is so savory that it's not greasy at all even when you finish it. You know cheese katsu can sometimes feel a bit heavy, so you're supposed to always eat it with sauce haha, but HOKATSU's cheese katsu is savory enough to eat plain, with no side dish at all, and it's still amazing :)

Just look at that cheese pull. A place that doesn't skimp on ingredients, that truly cares about its food 🫶 There's a reason it has so many regulars haha. Whatever you order here, you can't go wrong, so I have to recommend it.

Looking at the cross-section of the tenderloin katsu, you can tell how fresh the meat is :) Juices bursting out, crispy on the outside. It's amazing even with just a bit of wasabi on top🫶

For the premium loin katsu, this fatty part right here is the trick. Hearing 'fat' might make you think it'll be greasy, right? I'm usually someone who only eats lean meat, but HOKATSU's premium loin katsu just melts in your mouth 👍

And of course it's delicious dipped in the classic tonkatsu sauce too haha.

HOKATSU, a Geomdan new town favorite selected for the 2026 Blue Ribbon Survey! It's a place where you can enjoy authentic Japanese-style tonkatsu, and every menu item is delicious 🫶