Weekday lunch date tonkatsu in Dangha-dong, wasabi-salt katsu: HOKATSU

It's been a while since my husband and I had a lunch date! Since he loves tonkatsu more than anything, we headed to HOKATSU, a famous tonkatsu restaurant in Geomdan. Just as everyone said, even after the lunch peak had passed there was a constant line of people waiting. We ordered the Choiae-katsu (favorite katsu) and the tenderloin katsu and ate very well — let me tell you all about HOKATSU, a place I'd recommend for good food in Dangha-dong, Incheon.

• Hours: 11:00 – 21:30
• Address: 788 Seogot-ro, 128ho, Geomdan-gu, Incheon, South Korea

Where is HOKATSU, and where do you park? 300m from Dokjeong Station Exit 1

HOKATSU is located on the 1st floor of the Holy Land building, which also houses a Megabox theater. It's about 300m from Dokjeong Station Exit 1, so it's easy to get to on foot too. The building's underground parking lot is spacious and clean, and parking is free, so we didn't have to worry about that at all.

HOKATSU has been a steady tonkatsu favorite in Geomdan for 10 years now! Even though we came on a weekday well past the lunch peak, there were still so many customers that my husband and I were genuinely surprised, haha. It really shows why this place is known as one of the best tonkatsu spots in Geomdan.

HOKATSU menu, hours, and what the dining room feels like

HOKATSU had a menu board out, so my husband and I looked it over together. There was everything from a recommended 2-person set to a single set and various side dishes, so the menu was varied enough that you could pick something to match your taste. There were also several types of tonkatsu, so picking what to eat was half the fun, haha. Let's head inside to actually eat the tonkatsu at this Geomdan favorite.

They open at 11am and close at 9:30pm, with a break time from 3:30pm to 5pm, so keep that in mind before you visit :)

Looking around inside, the overall vibe was warm and comfortable — good for families, good for date nights, good for office workers grabbing lunch. The tables were spaced generously too, so it was comfortable to eat. Given how popular it is even on weekdays, I'd recommend getting there right when they open if you're visiting on a weekend.

The handmade yogurt before the meal, and how HOKATSU dry-ages pork in yogurt

This is a well-known lunch spot in Incheon famous for being the first in Korea to age its tonkatsu using a handmade yogurt dry-aging method. They make the handmade yogurt in-house and manage it systematically. The idea that they even make their own yogurt just for the sake of the tonkatsu's flavor made me even more curious about HOKATSU's special technique.

Before the tonkatsu arrives, HOKATSU serves handmade yogurt on the house! It had a clean, mild, and smooth flavor that was exactly my taste. Since it's made in-house, you could really taste how clean and mild it was. My husband and I scraped the bowl clean, haha.

HOKATSU is serious about their aging process too — their special aging method removes any gamey smell from the pork and makes the meat moist all the way through the grain, so you get a clean, smooth tonkatsu with no odd smell at all. That's what makes this such a good lunch spot in Dangha-dong.

Favorite katsu at 16,000 won vs. tenderloin katsu: what's the difference?

Our Choiae-katsu and tenderloin katsu finally arrived!! When I saw them, I couldn't help but let out a little gasp — the visuals were amazing. Seeing the crispy fried tonkatsu, my husband and I both broke into applause, haha. Let me walk you through each one.

I ordered HOKATSU's popular Choiae-katsu (favorite katsu). It costs ₩16,000, but you get a thick cut of tonkatsu plus rice and soup — a real bang-for-your-buck menu item.

The tenderloin katsu, made from a whole pork tenderloin carefully selected by HOKATSU and put through their own aging process, is their most popular item — rich in juiciness and impressively tender. It came out as 4 large pieces, plenty to fill up even a hungry adult man.

The thickly sliced tenderloin katsu was crispy on the outside and moist and tender on the inside — truly excellent. I'd recommend it especially to anyone who likes the mild, tender flavor unique to tenderloin. Taking a bite, it was so tender and you could really taste the juiciness and savory richness. It was so good.

Better than the sauce: tenderloin katsu with wasabi and salt

You get a different side of the tenderloin katsu's charm depending on whether you dip it in tonkatsu sauce or salt, so try it a few different ways! Personally, I thought the wasabi-and-salt combo was the tastiest, haha.

It's made with 100% natural mozzarella and cheddar cheese, so the savory cheesiness is off the charts, haha. It's a way to enjoy healthy but delicious cheese katsu. HOKATSU's cheese katsu is genuinely delicious. If you're a cheese lover, you have to try this menu item too...!

My husband had a hearty and delicious meal with the tenderloin katsu at this great Incheon lunch spot too. He's a man who's serious about his tonkatsu, with strict standards for what counts as a good spot, but he raved that this place is the real deal and that he wants to come back.

Self-bar and kids' tableware: is HOKATSU good for a family meal?

If you want more of the side dishes that come with the meal, you can help yourself at the self-bar. They've also thoughtfully set out kids' tableware, so this is a perfect spot for a family meal too.

The crispiness and tender, savory meat here was really different from regular tonkatsu — genuinely delicious. Eating it myself, I understood exactly why this place has been so loved in Geomdan for so long. If you're looking for a good tonkatsu spot near Dangha-dong, Geomdan, Incheon, I recommend HOKATSU.