Gangdong lunch tonkatsu with free rice and soup refills: Katsu Monster

Japanese tonkatsu that's also great for solo dining 🍖 Katsu Monster — solo dining | Japanese tonkatsu | Olympic Park restaurant

I work near Gangdong Office, and every time I passed Katsu Monster Gangdong Office Branch on my commute, I wanted to try it!

This time I went during lunch with two coworkers, three of us total haha. It's the kind of tonkatsu place anyone looking for lunch around Olympic Park and Gangdong Office has probably heard of, and after eating there I understood why it's gotten such word of mouth.

It's a menu you can enjoy without any pressure even during a work lunch break, and I had a great meal. Let me introduce Katsu Monster right away.

• 📍 Location: 28 Seongnae-ro, Gangdong-gu, Seoul
• 🕖 Hours: Daily 10:30 - 21:00
• 🚗 Parking: Available in front of and behind the restaurant
• 🚻 Restroom: Outside the restaurant

Where is Katsu Monster Gangdong Office Branch and how do you get there?

Katsu Monster Gangdong Office Branch is on the 1st floor of 28 Seongnae-ro, Gangdong-gu, Seoul, a 5-minute walk from Exit 2 of Gangdong Office Station on Line 8. It's fine to get there by public transit too.

For those driving, there's a parking area right in front of the restaurant, so parking is easy!

At first I was just looking for a sign that said Katsu Monster, but if you see a big sign that says tonkatsu, that's the place! Can you spot the Katsu Monster next to the tonkatsu lettering? Haha

Katsu Monster menu: which katsu can you order?

Katsu Monster has a variety of menu items beyond basic tonkatsu, including cold soba, udon, curry udon, and karaage.

The signature katsu menu items include

• Loin katsu
• Fillet katsu
• Sangloin katsu
• Cheese katsu
• Assorted katsu

and there's also cold soba, katsuo udon, and curry udon to pair with tonkatsu. If you visit with three people like we did, it's great to order different menu items and share them haha. Rice and soup can be refilled if you run out, so it made for a filling lunch.

Counter seats and open kitchen: inside Katsu Monster

Katsu Monster Gangdong Office Branch had an overall clean and cozy atmosphere. The seats are dachi (counter) style, so we sat side by side to eat.

With three of us, it felt different from sitting facing each other at a regular table — we could actually chat comfortably while eating. The layout isn't awkward for solo dining either, so it seemed like a comfortable option for office workers eating lunch alone! Highly recommend.

True to being a Japanese tonkatsu specialty restaurant, the place was decorated throughout with Japanese-style posters and props that suited the atmosphere well. Rather than feeling overdecorated, the Japanese sensibility fit the tonkatsu restaurant vibe nicely in every corner!

Also, because of the counter seating, the kitchen is completely open. Once an order goes in, the tonkatsu gets fried right away, so while waiting at your seat you can watch the whole process of the tonkatsu being made, which was great haha. Seeing it cooked right in front of you built up anticipation for the food, and there was something fun about waiting for freshly fried tonkatsu — made me so hungry 🥺

The water they give you after you sit down. You know a place is extra good when it's tea-like water instead of plain water, right?

At each seat you can squeeze sauce yourself — sauce and sauce dishes are provided.

What three coworkers ordered: cheese katsu, premium loin katsu, cold soba

Since three of us visited that day, we ordered cheese katsu, cold soba, and sangloin katsu! Rather than just one tonkatsu, ordering different katsu like cheese katsu and sangloin katsu along with cold soba made for a pretty solid spread.

The rice and soup came out first. It wasn't plain white rice but multigrain rice, which I liked even more, and the accompanying miso soup was surprisingly well-seasoned, which I loved haha. If you run out of rice or soup, just ask for more!

Cheese katsu: crispy outside, melting inside 🧀

The savory tonkatsu breading paired well with the soft cheese flavor — anyone who likes cheese katsu would enjoy this without fail. The breading wasn't soggy but crispy, so the texture was great from the first bite, and the crispiness combined with the savory cheese was just so delicious ㅠㅠㅠ

Can you see that stretchy, gooey cheese?

Dipped it in tonkatsu sauce once,

and also with a bit of yellow mustard on top — yum. I really love cheese tonkatsu (that's final).

Premium loin katsu: clean and savory 🥩

I ordered sangloin katsu because it uses a different cut from regular loin katsu. The thickly sliced tonkatsu was fried crispy, giving a crunchy outside and tender inside texture. If you want to properly taste tonkatsu itself, I think choosing a basic katsu menu item like this is a great call. Eating it with rice and soup made for a filling lunch haha.

Cold soba, the side that paired best with the tonkatsu 🍜

Eating tonkatsu on its own can get a bit heavy, but ordering cold soba alongside it was great for cleaning your palate in between.

Alternating between the crispy tonkatsu and the cool cold soba turned out to be a pretty nice combination. Especially for lunchtime, when you don't want anything too heavy, this was the best combo for splitting tonkatsu and noodles ,, 🤍

Verdict: is Katsu Monster a good weekday lunch near Gangdong Office Station?

It was a place I'd been curious about for a while, and after actually eating there, the tonkatsu was crispy and the menu variety made it a great spot to visit with several people haha. I especially liked that there were various types of tonkatsu like cheese katsu and sangloin katsu, plus options like cold soba and udon, and that rice and soup were refillable, making for a hearty lunch!

Most of all, since I was working that day, I sadly couldn't drink, but they have Kirin beer at the restaurant too, and I imagine it would pair really well with tonkatsu ㅠㅠ. Next time I'd like to visit during a more relaxed time, not lunch hour, and enjoy tonkatsu with a Kirin beer 🤤

This was a katsu place worth visiting whenever you're craving crispy tonkatsu around Seongnae-dong or Gangdong Office, or looking for somewhere to eat near Olympic Park! If you're looking for a great office worker lunch spot around Gangdong Office or Seongnae-dong, I recommend giving Katsu Monster a try.