Bongcheon-dong tonkatsu restaurant, half-and-half katsu set: Kosi

With the seasons changing, foods I hadn't craved suddenly started sounding good again. Tonkatsu was one of them. I like tonkatsu but the summer heat kept me from thinking about it — the moment it cooled down, though, it popped right into my head. And luckily there's a new tonkatsu place in my neighborhood, so I went straight there!

Where is Kosi Seoul National University Entrance Branch, and what are its hours?

Kosi Seoul National University Entrance Branch, a well-known spot near Seoul National University Entrance Station, is close to Exit 5. It's right across from a Twosome Place, so it was easy to find.

Hours are daily 11:00–20:50, with a break time from 15:00–17:00.

As the sign says, Kosi is known for Sanuki udon and handmade tonkatsu, and being a Japanese restaurant, both the interior and exterior have that Japanese feel.

Fresh pork loin katsudon and tenbukkake udon seem to be signature menu items too.

Inside Kosi: the window bar table

Here's what the inside of Kosi Seoul National University Entrance Branch looks like. Being newly opened, it was really clean. There are 4-person tables as well as a bar table, so it can actually seat quite a few people.

Since there were no other seats, I ended up at the bar table. Honestly, I love window seats like this — being able to look outside while eating is great!

Each table also comes stocked with wet wipes and tissues, utensils, and cabbage sauce with sesame seeds, so you can use as much as you like.

Kosi menu and prices

At Kosi Seoul National University Entrance Branch there's a menu board with prices right at the entrance, so you can check the menu and prices without even stepping inside!

Each table has a tablet for ordering directly. First, there's a variety of cold udon including bukkake udon,

and if there's cold udon there has to be hot udon too — there are hot options including kake udon.

There's also a lot of tonkatsu I love, including cheese katsu and a half-and-half option, so you can pick whatever suits your taste!

There's donburi and kama udon too,

plus various side dishes and even beer! After going back and forth on what to order, I chose the half-and-half katsu.

Ordering the half-and-half katsu set with udon

At Kosi Seoul National University Entrance Branch, I ordered the half-and-half katsu! If I remember right, there's a separate set menu that comes with udon like this. I love trying a bit of everything, so having half-and-half katsu made me really happy — and getting to try udon on top of that was great.

First, I poured on the cabbage sauce provided at the table. A friend once told me you should eat vegetables before rice... so I dug into the cabbage right away. The sauce didn't taste like a store-bought bottled one — it seemed to have something extra added. Delicious!

Then I looked at the tonkatsu — oh, look at that shine. It was also nice and thick, which really got me ready to eat!

Pork loin katsu with salt and wasabi

Kosi Seoul National University Entrance Branch's tonkatsu comes with a standard tonkatsu sauce, which you can also mix with ground sesame, but salt and wasabi are served alongside too, so you can dip it however you like. I love tonkatsu sauce, but personally, dipping it in salt and wasabi was just so good.

I picked up a piece of the katsu and the juices came flowing out. I wanted to capture that in a photo, but it's not super visible... (if you look closely, you can kind of see it)

I dipped it straight into the salt and wasabi as is — genuinely so delicious. At mediocre tonkatsu places, the meat quality is often poor, with nothing to chew on and sometimes no flavor at all. But here at Kosi Seoul National University Entrance Branch, which comes recommended as a Bongcheon-dong tonkatsu and udon spot, the tonkatsu was truly amazing. A full bite released juices and was incredibly tender.

Cheese katsu and Sanuki udon

The cheese katsu was really delicious too, and the cheese stretched so beautifully! The cheese katsu piece was large, so I split it into two bites — writing this now genuinely makes me want to eat it again.

After eating the tonkatsu, I started craving broth, so I tried the udon. There was what looked like a kelp strip on top, which was interesting. The udon was tasty, and the noodles were really chewy and springy, which I loved.

On my way out after a satisfying meal, I noticed toothpicks and dental floss set up right next to the entrance. That kind of attention to detail was a nice touch!

Is Kosi worth it for tonkatsu and udon in Bongcheon-dong?

Honestly, there are plenty of restaurants around Seoul National University Entrance and Bongcheon-dong, but ones that are genuinely delicious and clean are hard to come by. Kosi Seoul National University Entrance Branch is not only newly opened but also truly tasty and spotless, so if you're a fan of tonkatsu or udon, I'd definitely recommend giving it a visit!