Yeonnam-dong tonkatsu restaurant, spicy curry solo meal: Katsu Monster

Where is Katsu Monster Yeonnam Main Branch, and what are its hours?

It's an easy walk from Exit 3 of Hongik University Station, and Yeonnam-dong is such a great neighborhood for a summer date, so I headed to Katsu Monster Yeonnam Main Branch, a Yeonnam-dong Japanese restaurant famous for tonkatsu, for some Yeonnam-dong tonkatsu.

Katsu Monster Yeonnam Main Branch is on the 1st floor of 42-6 Donggyo-ro 38-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul, so it's easy to find on a map and close by bus or from the station.

Hours are Monday, Tuesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 10:30 to 23:00, and Wednesday and Thursday from 10:30 to 21:00. Last order is taken up to 30 minutes before closing, so keep that in mind.

It's also great that there's no break time in the middle of the day, so it's easy to drop in whenever hunger strikes at an odd hour. If you sign up for alerts on Naver and visit, you can get a bite-size spicy curry, so keep that in mind too.

Finding Katsu Monster down the Yeonnam-dong back alleys

Following the map led me to the adorable Katsu Monster Yeonnam Main Branch — the streets around it are so pretty that just walking there puts you in a good mood, and maybe that's why this Yeonnam-dong tonkatsu spot does so much delivery too.

There's something fun about hunting down these alleys, and there are lots of pretty cafés nearby too, so Katsu Monster is a great Yeonnam-dong restaurant to visit.

Out front there's a neat, easy-to-read menu board, so you can check the menu before going in, or just look it over on the kiosk once inside.

Solo seats at Katsu Monster make eating alone easy

Walking in, the place was pretty full, so I tried to photograph the emptiest corner I could — there are 4-person tables, 2-person tables and solo seats, so it's great for eating tonkatsu alone, and also a nice Yeonnam-dong restaurant for a date with friends or a partner.

On the table at this Yeonnam-dong Japanese restaurant, Katsu Monster, you'll find salad sauce and tonkatsu sauce ready to drizzle on once the katsu arrives. The table was really clean and had good space for setting down bags too. And I came alone because I wanted to enjoy my tonkatsu solo, haha :)

Ordering the spicy curry and triple katsu

True to a Yeonnam-dong tonkatsu spot, the menu centers on tonkatsu, with plenty of side dishes that pair well with it — various noodle options and set menus too, so it's worth checking those out.

I ordered spicy curry with triple katsu, since I wanted to taste the loin, fillet and cheese katsu all at once :)

Wow, the triple katsu and spicy curry came out looking so neat and delicious — one piece each of loin katsu, fillet katsu and cheese katsu, so I really came away full and satisfied. Let's look at each one in detail.

How spicy is the curry at Katsu Monster?

First, the spicy curry!! It's delicious on its own, delicious with rice, and delicious dipping the katsu into it. Definitely order it.

Is the triple katsu portion big enough for two?

The fillet katsu, loin katsu and cheese katsu were all fried perfectly, and the portion was generous enough that if you added a noodle dish, two people could easily eat their fill here.

Salad sauce turns the katsu into salad tonkatsu

Drizzling the salad sauce over the salad makes it so fresh and delicious, and eating it alongside the tonkatsu gives you that full salad-tonkatsu flavor — so good.

The sauce was exactly the kind I like, and it went perfectly with the tonkatsu.

Dipping it into the spicy curry is seriously irresistible, T_T. As soon as the curry arrived I dropped a piece of katsu right in and let it soak up the sauce, ate it dipped, tried it every which way.

Cheese katsu and fillet katsu compared

And the cheese katsu is definitely the best one, T_T — it was completely packed with cheese inside.

The fillet katsu was so moist with a great texture too, so I really enjoyed a delicious meal. This Yeonnam-dong restaurant is such a great date spot with good quality, a clean space and friendly staff — I'd happily recommend eating at this Yeonnam-dong Japanese restaurant, Katsu Monster. There are plenty of pretty cafés nearby to explore too, and the whole area was lovely to just walk around — this was Katsu Monster, a Yeonnam-dong tonkatsu spot.