Tonkatsu spot in Myeonmok with full-size cold soba: Katsu Monster

I'd been craving good tonkatsu for a while, so my partner and I went looking and ended up at Katsu Monster Myeonmok, a tonkatsu spot near Myeonmok Station.

Katsu Monster Myeonmok's hours and parking

Katsu Monster Myeonmok is on the 1st floor of 25 Sangbong-ro, Jungnang-gu, Seoul, and it's open daily from 10:30 to 21:00. Break time is 15:00–16:00, takeout and delivery are both available, but there's no parking.

Solo bar seats with tablet ordering — an interior that's easy for solo diners

As you can see in the photos above, the seats inside are solo bar-style seats. Each seat has its own tablet ordering device, so ordering is easy, and the chairs have storage built in for your belongings, so even though the seats are close together it never felt cramped. Since it's mostly solo seating, it looked totally fine for eating alone, and it seemed like a perfect spot for a Myeonmok-dong lunch tonkatsu craving.

Every seat had salad sauce, tonkatsu sauce, salt and wasabi, so you could refill right away whenever you ran low.

The menu — katsu sets, solo/two-person sets, and even curry and ramen

Katsu Monster Myeonmok, a tonkatsu spot near Myeonmok Station, has more than just katsu sets — it also has one-person and two-person sets bundled with noodle dishes, which is great for anyone who thinks katsu alone might feel a little lacking. Beyond katsu, there's also curry, ramen, cold soba and more, plus karaage and menchi katsu as side menu items.

Ordering the set for two: 30,900 won for loin katsu, fillet katsu and cold soba

We ordered the set for two, which lets you pick 2 katsu items plus 1 large noodle dish (with a small extra charge depending on the katsu or noodle type). We ordered loin katsu, fillet katsu and cold soba, and the total price was 30,900 won.

Loin katsu set (pork loin) — 12,000 won if ordered on its own. It comes with cabbage salad, rice, kimchi and a soup. Even as the rice that comes with the katsu set, the portion was pretty generous.

Fillet katsu set (pork tenderloin) is 14,000 won on its own, and the cold soba is 10,000 won on its own.

Cold soba for summer

Cold soba, which looks refreshing just to look at, feels like an essential summer dish. The cold soba at Katsu Monster Myeonmok paired its cool broth with chewy buckwheat noodles so well that every bite wiped away the heat. The instant you take a bite you feel cool right away! It had a clean, light flavor that anyone, any age, would like.

They also pour the cabbage salad generously with a sweet-and-tangy sauce.

The difference in taste between fillet katsu and loin katsu

I tried the fillet katsu first. I usually prefer tenderloin, so I ordered fillet katsu again today. The fillet katsu at Katsu Monster Myeonmok, a well-known spot near Seoil University, had a crispy coating on the outside, and the tenderloin inside was soft with that characteristic tender texture, going down smoothly without any dryness.

Next I tried the loin katsu. The loin katsu had just the right amount of fat running through it, giving it a really nice savory richness. The more you chewed, the more the juices came through, letting you fully taste that clean yet deep meaty flavor.

It was great dipped in wasabi, and just as good with a little tonkatsu sauce, letting the ingredient's own character come through either way.

Even though the cold soba comes as part of the set, it's a large noodle dish, so the portion is the same as ordering it on its own. Pairing the generous cold soba together with the katsu was a really good combination.

Overall thoughts

Katsu Monster Myeonmok, the tonkatsu spot near Myeonmok Station, delivered on both taste and quality, making for a satisfying meal. Next time, I'd like to order the curry or cheese katsu too and try out a few more flavors. It was a meal I enjoyed enough that I naturally found myself wanting to come back.

If I'm craving katsu again, I'll have to come back to Katsu Monster Myeonmok. 📍Location: 25 Sangbong-ro, 1st floor, Jungnang-gu, Seoul, South Korea