All-you-can-eat self bar tonkatsu in Seo-gu, Gwangju: Jinsimwang

This post is about Jinsimwang Donkatsu Seogwangju Branch, a Maewol-dong, Gwangju restaurant famous for its incredible value tonkatsu. Check out all the details below — parking, menu, prices, and more :)

Exterior and parking info

• Name: Jinsimwang Donkatsu Seogwangju Branch
• Address: 1 Seogwangju-ro, Seo-gu, Gwangju, South Korea
• Hours: 11:00 – 20:50
• Break time: 15:00 – 16:30
• Parking: A large dedicated lot behind the restaurant, parking assistance available

Is the inside spacious?

Here's the inside of Jinsimwang Donkatsu Seogwangju Branch, the tonkatsu spot in Maewol-dong. The interior was super spacious and comfortable, so it seemed great for both family gatherings and solo dining!

We went pretty much right at opening time on the weekend and sat down immediately, but a little after 11:30, it kept filling up until it was almost full! Guess that just shows how popular it is haha.

Self bar setup

And here's the great thing about Jinsimwang Donkatsu, the tonkatsu place in Maewol-dong — the self bar was really well stocked. It was convenient to grab soup, broth, and various side dishes from the self bar, and it was also nice that you could pack leftovers to go yourself!

For reference, the portions here are huge for such a great-value tonkatsu spot, so you'll probably end up taking food home haha.

Menu board and notices

Here's the menu board at Jinsimwang Donkatsu in Maewol-dong! It's made up of several types of tonkatsu, noodles, and rice dishes, so it seemed easy to order a variety according to your taste. Overall the prices were reasonable and the portions were generous, perfect for eating your fill without breaking the bank!

There was also a Naver review event running, so any of you neighbors interested might want to join in! There were other notices posted too, worth a slow read haha.

Basic side dishes

Next up are the basic side dishes we brought over from the self bar! We took small portions of soup, broth, pickled radish, kimchi, lettuce wraps, and more — just as much as we could eat. The soup especially tasted like that nostalgic soup flavor, so delicious I had two bowls lol.

Honest review of Jinsimwang Donkatsu in Maewol-dong!

Here's what we ordered — the Jinsimwang Double Donkatsu, cold buckwheat noodles, and chicken tenders! It came out pretty quickly after ordering, and the owner and staff were all so friendly, which made it even better :)

Jinsimwang Double Donkatsu (₩16,900)

First up is the Jinsimwang Double Donkatsu, which we always order whenever we go to Jinsimwang Donkatsu! The regular tonkatsu here is already huge and flat, but this menu gives you two of them, making it incredible value.

You can choose to have the sauce on the side or poured over, and we went with it poured on haha. Even with the sauce poured on, the crispiness held up, so the texture was crunchy-yet-moist and really good!

The tonkatsu wasn't dry at all — it was really tender and had a great texture, so it was super tasty. The sauce had good umami too, just the right tonkatsu sauce flavor?! I think pretty much everyone would like it haha.

It's delicious on its own, but you know that nostalgic flavor combo when you eat it with the salad and rice that come with it, right?! That combination is a must!

And at Jinsimwang Donkatsu, you can try ssam donkatsu, wrapping the tonkatsu in lettuce, and it goes really well together, a great combo?! The spicy pepper is the highlight, so if you like spicy food, be sure to try it this way haha.

Cold buckwheat noodles / naengmomil (₩8,900)

Next up, the cold buckwheat noodles we ordered since it's summer! Summer's almost over, so I just barely caught the naengmomil train haha. It was refreshing and the portion was huge — enough that the two of us couldn't finish it even after eating until we were really full..!

The naengmomil had a cool, slightly sweet, savory broth — exactly the right flavor for cold buckwheat noodles! It was refreshing and clean, so easy to eat without feeling heavy!

And you know the tonkatsu + naengmomil combo is a must, right haha. It went really well with the tonkatsu and tasted great, but surprisingly, eating it together with the chicken tenders was also a really good match — light and crispy!

Chicken tenders (₩5,500)

Last up, the chicken tenders we ordered as a side! Crispy with an extremely tender bite, so I think people of all ages would love it haha. It was well-seasoned and crispy even plain, but it was also great with the chili sauce that came with it!

Neighbors, if you're looking for a filling, incredible-value tonkatsu spot in Maewol-dong, I don't think you'll regret a visit to Jinsimwang Donkatsu Seogwangju Branch :)