Grind-your-own sesame tonkatsu sauce at Himawari, Yangju Okjeong

Everyone eats out a lot on weekends, right? My family pretty much always eats out on weekends. Last weekend we headed to Himawari Yangju Okjeong Main Branch, a tonkatsu spot in Okjeong that the kids love, for some tonkatsu.

It was our first visit and honestly I can't even describe how much everyone enjoyed it, haha. Partway through eating, the kids went, "Mom, can we come here every weekend?" lol. I have no idea how much they loved it to ask for that, but here's the recap of how the whole family ate ourselves full.

Himawari Yangju Okjeong Main Branch: location and parking

• Address: 경기 양주시 옥정동로7다길 108 드림타워2 105호
• Hours: Daily 11:00–21:00 (last order 20:55)
• Parking: Building's surface parking lot available

When I visited, I used the surface parking on floors 4–6. Before leaving after your meal, you have to tell a staff member your license plate number to register your parking.

The restaurant is in the Okjeong central commercial district, so it wasn't hard to find. The entrance felt a bit calmer than your typical tonkatsu place, which made a good first impression.

A cozy, atmospheric interior

Inside, the space was on the smaller side, but the white tones mixed with wood gave it a clean, slightly exotic feel — like stepping into a small Japanese restaurant. The soft lighting made the whole place feel warm and comfortable too.

We came with kids, but I also spotted a few solo diners. Since every table has tablet ordering, it seemed like an easy spot for anyone looking for a place to eat alone in Okjeong.

Grind your own sesame at the table for the sauce

As soon as we sat down, the kids spotted something. "Mom, what's this sesame for?" I was confused too at first, lol — there was sesame and a little mortar sitting right on the tonkatsu table.

Turns out at Himawari you grind the sesame yourself to make the tonkatsu sauce. Grind the sesame in the bowl well, then mix in the tonkatsu sauce from the table — done!

While we waited for the food after ordering, the kids never got bored — they were too busy grinding sesame, lol. It was their first time doing something like this, so they were completely focused, as if determined not to leave a single sesame seed unground. It was so cute to watch — little moments like this are what make eating out with kids fun.

Himawari's menu and what we ordered

Himawari's menu was pretty varied, not just different tonkatsu but curry, udon, nabe (hot pot), and cold soba too. We ordered the katsu curry set, roseu katsu set (pork loin), cheese katsu, and skewer udon, plus we also got a fish katsu through the Naver receipt review event.

As the dishes started coming out one by one, the table filled up fast. Seriously so much food, haha. Whenever I go for tonkatsu I always want the curry and the udon too, so this is what I love about eating out as a family — everyone orders something different and we share bites. Sure, dividing everything up between the four of us got a little hectic... but hey, it was delicious, so who cares, lol.

The roseu katsu was properly crispy

First up was the roseu katsu set. The first thing I noticed with the first bite was just how crispy it was! The breading stayed so crunchy that little crumbs fell off with every bite. But the pork loin inside was soft and nutty, and I loved that contrast between the crispy outside and tender inside.

I dipped it into the sesame sauce the kids and I had worked hard on earlier. Maybe because we ground the sesame ourselves, it tasted way nuttier than plain sauce, and it cut through the richness of the tonkatsu nicely — a great match.

Definitely also try the salt-plus-wasabi combo, not just the sauce. A light dab of salt on the tonkatsu topped with a bit of wasabi added a sharp kick that made it taste cleaner overall. It brought out the meat's own nutty flavor in a different way than the sauce did, and I really liked this combination too.

The katsu curry had a subtle spicy kick that kept me coming back for more

The katsu curry set let me have crispy katsu and curry together, which was perfect for someone like me who wants both. The curry wasn't fully mild kid-style curry — there was a slight spicy kick at the finish. My younger one said "spicy" and didn't eat much of it, but I actually liked that hint of spice because it kept it from feeling greasy and kept me wanting more. Dipping the crispy katsu generously into the curry was a real treat too.

As expected, the kids' favorite was the cheese katsu

The one that was a hit with the kids was, of course, the cheese katsu! Inside the crispy breading was rich, melty cheese, so after the crunch comes a soft, deep cheese flavor. Kids who love cheese simply can't pass this up, haha. Our kids kept reaching for the cheese katsu even while sharing everything else.

The skewer udon had great chewy noodles

After a while of just eating tonkatsu, you start craving warm broth — that's where the skewer udon came in perfectly. Above all, the udon noodles were really springy. No mushiness, just chewy bite, and the texture of slurping it up was properly there. Paired with the warm broth, it was great to eat a bit at a time between bites of crispy tonkatsu. There was fish cake in it too, which worked well for sharing with the kids.

Fish katsu from the Naver receipt review event

And then there was the fish katsu we got for writing a Naver receipt review. Instructions for the receipt review event were posted at the table, and after writing the review and showing it to staff, we got to pick one item from the event menu. If you visit, check with the restaurant whether the event is still running and what's offered.

Final thoughts: the Okjeong tonkatsu spot the kids want to revisit

This was our first visit to Himawari Yangju Okjeong Main Branch. The tonkatsu was crispy outside and tender inside, and with curry, udon, and cheese katsu all on the menu, it was great for ordering a variety and sharing with the kids. But best of all, the kids really ate well — that made me the happiest.

Even after we finished eating, they kept saying, "Mom, let's come here again next time!" so I've already saved it to our family's go-to restaurant list, haha. If you're looking for a place to eat out with kids in Okjeong, searching for Okjeong tonkatsu, or just want a comfortable solo tonkatsu meal, Himawari Yangju Okjeong Main Branch is worth checking out. Next time we're in the area, I'll have to grant the kids' wish one more time ^^