Jungnang tonkatsu spot with pork jowl katsu and ramen: Katsu Monster

Where to eat tonkatsu in Myeonmok: Katsu Monster Myeonmok

Today I'm bringing you a story about Katsu Monster Myeonmok, a place I found while looking for tonkatsu (breaded pork cutlet) around Myeonmok.

I usually like crispy tonkatsu, but this time I wanted to try several menu items together instead of just a basic tonkatsu, so I ordered the two-person set.

Katsu Monster in particular has a wide range of choices, from cheese katsu to gabrisal katsu to tonkotsu ramen, which made it great for sharing dishes when visiting with someone else.

Katsu Monster Myeonmok location and opening hours

Katsu Monster Myeonmok is located at 25 Sangbong-ro, 1F, Jungnang-gu, Seoul, and is open daily from 10:30 to 21:00, with a break time from 15:00 to 16:00. The place also offers group seating, takeout, delivery, catering, reservations, Wi-Fi, a waiting area, and easy payment.

What is the restaurant like inside?

Katsu Monster Myeonmok is located at 25 Sangbong-ro, 1F, Jungnang-gu, Seoul, making it convenient to visit if you live near Myeonmok-dong.

Overall the restaurant felt compact and clean.

Since the seating is mostly bar-style, it felt comfortable for solo dining, and it was also fine for two of us to sit side by side and eat.

You can order comfortably from your seat, so I took my time looking through the menu before picking what I wanted.

There's a good variety of katsu too — loin katsu, fillet katsu, cheese katsu, sangloin katsu, and more — plus noodle dishes like tonkotsu ramen, udon, and cold soba, so there are plenty of options for anyone who feels a single tonkatsu isn't enough.

Cheese katsu with long, stretchy cheese pulls

The dish I was most looking forward to at Katsu Monster Myeonmok this time was the cheese katsu!

When you bite into the crispy fried outer layer first, the savory cheese spreads out softly, and you get both the crunchy texture of the breading and the chewy, soft texture of the cheese at the same time — it was delicious.

The cheese's own savory flavor came through so well that it was fine to eat without dipping much sauce, and adding sauce or wasabi here and there gave it a different feel each time.

As you can tell just from the photo, there's quite a generous amount of cheese packed inside the tonkatsu, so when I lifted it with chopsticks, the cheese stretched out long.

This is definitely a dish you need to eat right when it arrives, haha.

What does gabrisal katsu (pork jowl cutlet) taste like?

Gabrisal katsu is a dish worth trying if you like the distinctive savory flavor of gabrisal (pork shoulder blade meat).

Unlike typical lean-meat tonkatsu, the meat's own flavor felt richer, with a savory taste that builds up more the more you chew.

The outside was crispy and the meat inside was nice and thick, so the texture was quite satisfying with the first bite.

Tonkatsu really needs to have crispy breading to taste good, and eating it fresh out of the fryer, I could really feel the combination of crispy coating and juicy meat.

At Katsu Monster, the gabrisal item is sold as sangloin katsu, described as featuring the deep meaty aroma and savoriness of gabrisal, the extra meat attached to the loin.

Why we added tonkotsu ramen to the set

Since tonkatsu alone felt like it might not be quite enough, we also ordered Katsu Monster Myeonmok's tonkotsu ramen (pork bone broth ramen).

Eating noodles in the rich, savory tonkotsu broth gave a completely different feel from the tonkatsu!

Taking a bite of tonkatsu followed by a sip of ramen broth left your mouth feeling moist and refreshed, and the combination worked well.

Especially since there were two of us, we each picked a different type of tonkatsu and shared the noodle dish too, so we got to taste a nice variety.

💛 Final verdict on Katsu Monster Myeonmok

Of everything we ate this time, the cheese katsu was the most memorable for me.

The gabrisal katsu should suit anyone who likes the savory flavor of the meat itself, and ordering the tonkotsu ramen alongside it let us enjoy both tonkatsu and noodles together — great for when two people visit and want to order a variety of things.

If you're looking for a good restaurant near Myeonmok Station, craving crispy tonkatsu, or want to pick from a variety of katsu dishes, this place is worth a visit!