Korean pork tonkatsu near Pangyo Station: 2 sets for ₩30,000 at Bizzle

When you can't decide on lunch in Pangyo, tonkatsu (breaded pork cutlet) is the first thing that comes to mind, right? Today's find is Bizzle Donkatsu (예술작품을 빚다 비즐), a Pangyo tonkatsu spot I visited with a friend.

When can you go to Bizzle without a wait?

Bizzle has a queue at lunchtime, so we avoided the peak and went after 2 p.m., and we got a seat right away. The name is already special: it's a tonkatsu restaurant that means to shape each plate like a work of art. Since we skipped the peak and arrived after 2 p.m., a table was ready for us.

Bizzle location and parking

Bizzle is at 231 Pangyoyeok-ro, H Square Building S, 1st floor, Unit 126, Bundang-gu, Seongnam, Gyeonggi, about a 10-minute walk from Pangyo Station Exit 1. For parking, use the H Square Building S car park, which is free for 2 hours on weekdays.

Opening hours differ a little from review to review, so I'd check before you go. The H Square underground car park is fairly roomy, so driving there shouldn't be a parking headache.

Why can you trust Bizzle's tonkatsu?

What makes Bizzle stand out among Pangyo tonkatsu spots is the meat. They say they use only domestic Korean pork (hanDon), and that they handle only hanDon certified by hanDon farms and the hanDon Self-Help Fund Management Committee.

They also wrote that they're a place that serves food in good condition rather than serving it fast. Even if you wait a little after ordering, that means freshly fried katsu, so the wait was actually welcome.

How do you choose a menu at Bizzle?

At Bizzle you can combine two or three katsu from loin, tenderloin, cheese and chicken (tori) katsu. There are also sets with soba, nabe (hot pot) or udon, so going as two, you can order differently and share.

Besides katsu there's even hitsumabushi (grilled rice bowl), so it works for people who want something other than tonkatsu too.

What we ordered for two, and the prices

• Cheese katsu + nabe ₩14,500
• Loin + tenderloin + soba ₩15,500
• Total ₩30,000

One of us picked nabe and the other soba, so we got to try both something hot and something cold.

How are Bizzle's cheese katsu and nabe set?

The cheese katsu and nabe set came out first. I grabbed the cheese katsu before the cheese could cool.

When I lifted a piece, the cheese stretched out long, and the sight made me laugh. Inside the crispy coating there was meat, and inside that, cheese packed full, so each bite was hefty.

Cheese katsu is best when it's hot, so I'd eat it first, the moment it arrives. The nabe that came with it was a warm broth that gently cut the richness of the katsu.

Alternating a bite of katsu with a spoonful of broth, I never got tired of it, right to the last piece.

How was the loin and tenderloin soba set?

The other was a soba set where you taste loin and tenderloin together. It was good for comparing the two cuts.

Along with the soba, the set also came with yubu chobap (sweet fried tofu pouch sushi) and a salad, so the tray felt generous.

Why the tenderloin is pink inside

Bizzle's tenderloin katsu has a faint pink cross-section. It isn't undercooked; they say it's because the meat is fresh. The restaurant also has a note explaining that a component in the meat gives it a pink tint, so I could eat with peace of mind.

The loin had more chew than the tenderloin, and I could taste the meat's own flavor strongly.

Alternating the soft tenderloin and the chewy loin made the difference between the two cuts even clearer. The soba comes with a cold broth, so a chopstickful between katsu bites left my mouth feeling fresh.

Ordering one nabe set and one soba set meant we enjoyed both warm and cool.

What should you dip Bizzle's tonkatsu in?

Bizzle's tables have tonkatsu sauce and pink salt, and you can add wasabi too. Many people recommend cheese katsu with the sauce and tenderloin with wasabi.

Tips for visiting Bizzle

True to a Pangyo tonkatsu favorite, lunch gets a queue from nearby office workers, so I'd go after 2 p.m. Some reviews say writing a Naver review gets you a free tori katsu, so ask when you pay.

They also have meal tickets for office workers, so regulars may want to look into that. They take reservations too, and since there's no deposit, they say they keep the order fair for every guest.

Who Bizzle suits

• Anyone looking for a good tonkatsu spot in Pangyo
• Anyone who wants tonkatsu made with domestic hanDon pork
• Anyone who wants loin and tenderloin in one meal
• Anyone who loves stretchy cheese katsu
• Anyone who wants soba or nabe with their katsu
• Anyone who wants to avoid the lunch peak and eat leisurely

Final verdict

Cheese-packed cheese katsu with warm nabe, plus a soba set where we tasted loin and tenderloin together. For ₩30,000 for two, we enjoyed three kinds of katsu and two sides.

If you want hanDon pork and freshly fried katsu, I'd quietly recommend picking Bizzle.