Okjeong tonkatsu restaurant with sweet potato cheese katsu: Himawari

My tonkatsu cooldown finally ended haha.. Today I suddenly craved tonkatsu, so I went to a place that's been hot in Okjeong! I'd passed by a few times during lunch hours and always saw it packed with customers. Finally visited today *_*

Where is Himawari in Okjeong's central shopping area?

It's located in Okjeong's central shopping area, so it was easy to find! And free parking for 2 hours too~!!

• Himawari Yangju Okjeong Main Branch
• Address: 108 Okjeong-dongno7da-gil, 1F Unit 105, Yangju-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
• Hours: Daily 11:00–21:00
• Last order: 20:55

They even won the grand prize in the restaurant category at the 2026 Korea Brand Media Awards!

Ordering the sweet potato cheese katsu and kimchi nabe sets

Before going in we read the menu carefully, but honestly we'd already decided lol, each of us claimed our own pick haha. The word 'limited' immediately made us go 'that's the one!!' — our first pick was the sweet potato cheese katsu set. And since just tonkatsu alone felt a bit lacking, the other was the kimchi nabe set, let's go! Both are based on tonkatsu but the vibe is quite different, so I'd recommend ordering like we did depending on your mood.

Sometimes it's hard for me to flag down staff, so I really love this kind of self-order system haha..

Grinding away at the sesame to go with the tonkatsu sauce! The smell is so nutty...

Ooh they even had my favorite sesame dressing ready! And after touching the sauce containers my hands weren't sticky at all, which really boosted my trust in the cleanliness!

The interior wasn't huge, but the seats were arranged with a cozy feel haha. We took a window seat!

What is Himawari's sweet potato cheese katsu like?

Whoaaa can you see the amount of cheese?? It's seriously insane!!

I was eating so frantically that I only took this photo a bit later, so the cheese looks slightly set, but the moment it's in your mouth it melts away again!!!

With the set menus you can pick sides separately, which made it even better. Kind of a two-birds-one-stone feeling???

The kimchi nabe set and its tangy broth

And then out came the kimchi nabe set!

It came out bubbling away, so it passed the visual test right off the bat haha. It's a good menu to pick when you're worried tonkatsu with kimchi and broth might feel too heavy, but thanks to kimchi's distinct refreshing taste, it was way less heavy than expected! I usually like to dip — basically drench — my tonkatsu in sauce lol, but with kimchi nabe you don't need much extra sauce since the broth itself has enough flavor, which felt like a nice change of pace.

While eating away, I also took a bite of the perilla dressing salad, which added a different flavor and boosted the savory notes

Sharing two set meals at Himawari: the verdict

You know how someone else's rice cake always looks bigger, right? Haha, mid-bite of the kimchi nabe set I went and stole the cheese katsu! With cheese and sweet potato inside the tonkatsu, you can somewhat guess the taste just from the name, but this is a combo you really have to try for yourself ~~ One bite and the cheese stretches out while you get the sweet flavor of the potato alongside, so good :) With salty cheese and soft, sweet potato together, it's a bit softer and sweeter than a regular cheese katsu, and the sweet-and-salty balance is a work of art. If you like tonkatsu and cheese, this is worth trying at least once! Ordering two and sharing really is the best part of it...

A pretty hearty combo, right?? Since it's a set menu you get it with rice, so there was no sense of the portion falling short, and it seemed like a good spot for adult men wanting a proper meal for lunch or dinner. Super full belly!! Above all, they have such a wide variety of tonkatsu menus that I want to try other options next time I visit! I'll be back. If you're looking for tonkatsu in Okjeong, instead of the usual same old tonkatsu, why not try something with broth like the kimchi nabe, or something different like the sweet potato cheese katsu?