Cheese katsu vs. loin katsu size comparison in Yeonnam: Katsu Monster

Katsu Monster Yeonnam, already a second revisit

This is already my second revisit to Katsu Monster. To anyone looking for good food in Yeonnam-dong, or anyone who wants to eat alone in a quiet atmosphere, I recommend this place! True to the name 'Monster,' every pork cutlet is huge and packed with meat. The sauce is delicious and the portions are generous, so you always leave full.

Basic Info

• Address: 38 Donggyo-ro 38-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul
• Hours: Mon, Tue, Fri, Sat, Sun 10:30-23:00 (Wed, Thu 10:30-21:00)
• Takeout, delivery: available
• Parking: not available (paid Dongjin parking lot nearby)

Exterior and interior mood

It's in the alley full of good restaurants in Yeonnam-dong, about a 5-6 minute walk from Exit 3 of Hongik Univ. Station.

Outside, the Katsu Monster logo and a sign spelling out 'D-O-N K-A-T-S-U' catch your eye. Let's go inside!

The interior looks like this - compact but neatly arranged. There are lots of 4-person, 2-person, and solo seats.

People who'd already come to eat alone were dining there!

Every seat has sauces and condiments to go with the katsu. There was yuzu salt, katsu sauce, cabbage salad sauce, pepper, wasabi, and more.

Menu and prices — what to order

The signature menu items are as follows. Hire katsu is tenderloin pork cutlet at ₩16,000, gabrisal katsu is also ₩16,000, and cheese katsu is ₩17,000! There are also combo katsu and mixed katsu sets, so you can pick different cuts of pork cutlet, which is another plus.

But because the portions are so big, if you eat a normal or small amount, I'd recommend sticking with the regular katsu. Starting from the mix sets, the portions are big enough that you might leave food behind.

After ordering, I set up the salt, wasabi, and other condiments to eat with it. The yuzu salt on the far left is special. It's refreshing and pairs well with pork cutlet. If you don't like the yuzu flavor, you can ask for regular salt instead. I tend to eat a lot of wasabi too, and it was nice that you could scoop out just as much as you wanted. The katsu sauce is delicious too!

Cheese katsu, ₩17,000

Drumroll, the cheese katsu arrives first. They use mozzarella cheese, so you can already tell it's going to taste insane. Alongside it, they serve kimchi, a cabbage soup broth, and rice sprinkled with something like seaweed flakes.

There was meat in that broth too, and it came out nice and hot — loved that. 🙏💛

Does it look like a small portion in the photo? Honestly, even two pieces will fill you up. It's crazy stuffed with cheese, and one bite gives you this totally satisfying feeling. Plus there's a lot of meat too, ㅠ

When it starts to feel rich, dip the cabbage that comes with it in plenty of sauce and eat it for a refreshing break.

Look at that amount of cheese... 💛 If you love cheese pork cutlet ㅠ please come to Katsu Monster, please!!!!

(An excited husband)

Loin katsu, roseu katsu, ₩14,000

Next up is the loin pork cutlet, roseu katsu. At ₩14,000, it's a great value. This one also comes in a huge portion. Each piece is incredibly thick and hearty.

This one's amazing eaten with salt and wasabi... The outside is crispy, but the inside is incredibly tender. No gamey meat smell at all.

To sum up

Katsu Monster Yeonnam is a place where you can enjoy various katsu dishes alongside other Japanese dishes like cold soba and kimchi katsu nabe. The thick loin katsu, the tender tenderloin katsu, and the cheese-bomb cheese katsu are all next-level... The interior is also clean and quiet, making it a good spot for a date or a solo meal.