Incheon Nonhyeon katsu restaurant ranking three katsu: Hongdae Gureume

This time I'm finally introducing a place I've wanted to visit for ages but never got around to — Namdong-gu's Hongdae Gureume Incheon Nonhyeon Branch. Every time I saw photos of the food I just wanted to eat it so badly. And then finally!! I got to go. Was it as good as I'd hoped? Let's start the review.

Where is Hongdae Gureume Incheon Nonhyeon, and where do you park?

Hongdae Gureume Incheon Nonhyeon Branch is 1 minute from Incheon Nonhyeon Station, on the 2nd floor of the iFlex Building. Park in the underground lot and you get 2 hours free, so driving there isn't a burden at all.

If you park in the iFlex Building's basement, just head straight up to the 2nd floor. If you're on foot, it's on the 2nd floor, so keep an eye upward as you follow the map. It wasn't hard to find, so don't worry too much.

Reservations at Hongdae Gureume: weekday afternoons only

Hongdae Gureume Incheon Nonhyeon Branch deliberately closes reservations on weekends. Otherwise walk-in guests wouldn't be able to eat at all, haha. So that made it even more exciting to visit. Just so you know: no reservations for weekday lunch or weekends! Weekday afternoons only!!

Hongdae Gureume Incheon Nonhyeon Branch also runs various events, so give them a try~

Haha... there are so many menu items I had a hard time deciding what to eat!!! They even have a lunch special, so you can enjoy a great deal. I'd also recommend this as an Incheon date-night restaurant!!

There were little things to enjoy while waiting, so the time before the food arrived didn't feel boring at all.

Mixed katsu B set: cheese, shrimp and pork loin katsu ranked

What I picked at Hongdae Gureume Incheon Nonhyeon Branch was the mixed katsu B set. It comes with three kinds: pork loin, shrimp, and cheese. I'm a total pork cutlet lover haha, so after a lot of deliberating this is what I chose.

1st place: cheese katsu, spicy pizza flavor with the hot sauce

First up, the cheese katsu. It's really, REALLY good. Packed with cheese, exactly my style!! Besides the regular tonkatsu sauce, there's a spicy sauce next to it, and dipping the katsu into that gave it a spicy pizza flavor. The sauce itself was like a spicy hot sauce, kind of? So with the cheese katsu I got to taste a whole range of flavors. For me, cheese katsu is #1!!!!

Look at that cheese pull, ugh~ so satisfying.

2nd place: shrimp katsu with original tonkatsu sauce and wasabi

Next, the shrimp katsu. This one's a real delicacy — the shrimp was so plump and delicious. But it went better with the regular tonkatsu sauce than the spicy one. It also paired well with wasabi, and I was very satisfied!!! So in my heart, shrimp katsu takes 2nd place, haha.

3rd place: pork loin katsu, a little dry for my taste

Last, the pork loin katsu. Hmm... this one was tasty too, but for me it was a little dry — I guess I wanted something more moist and tender, especially since the other two were so soft, haha. So in my heart it takes 3rd place. But if I'd eaten this one first and the others later, the order might have flipped, haha.

Fukuoka-style ramen at Hongdae Gureume, finished with rice in the broth

And truly last, the Fukuoka-style ramen was delicious!!! I even added rice to the broth — that's me, haha. I'm not usually a huge ramen person, but this place was really good. The broth especially is different from other places — deep and savory, and it made me, already full, finish it right down to the rice... hahaha.

Verdict: a Japanese restaurant that works for solo dining too

If you're looking for a good restaurant near Incheon Nonhyeon Station or in Namdong-gu, try Hongdae Gureume Incheon Nonhyeon Branch~ They have a lunch special too, and the portions feel like great value, so I'd recommend visiting~ Just remember that weekday lunch and weekends are walk-in only!!

Visit information for Hongdae Gureume Incheon Nonhyeon

• Location: 2F, iFlex Building, 17 Nongogae-ro 123beon-gil, Namdong-gu, Incheon (Nonhyeon-dong 632-2)
• Parking: 2 hours free at the iFlex Building underground lot — enter between the iFlex Building and the S.dot Mall building, through the underground entrance between Mega Coffee and Ginza Ryoko. Roadside public lots are paid!
• Hours: Daily (Mon–Sun) 11:30–21:30, last order 21:00, no break time
• Reservations: Weekday afternoons only — no reservations for weekday lunch or weekends