Sang loin katsu two ways with silbi kimchi: Hets Jeonpo, Busan

Tucked at the far end of the Jeonpo café street, this place has stylish lighting and a modern, cozy vibe, built mostly around bar-table seating — perfect for focusing quietly on your food, a date with some mood, or even eating solo.

Where is Hets Jeonpo Branch and how do you get there?

Hets Jeonpo Branch is easy to get to — it's on the 2nd floor of the Gyeongmu Building right on Jeonpo-daero, near Jeonpo Station on Busan Subway Line 2. There's a bus stop right out front, so the place is really easy to spot.

Visiting Hets Jeonpo Branch at 5pm on a weekday: any wait?

There can be a wait on weekends or during peak hours, so they've set up waiting areas both inside and outside. Checking CatchTable ahead of time before you go is a good idea. I went just past 5pm on a weekday and got seated right away, no wait at all.

Walking in, there's a separate spot on the left for hanging up your coat, and aprons were ready too.

Who gets a free side at Hets Jeonpo Branch?

Hets apparently offers a perk for police officers, national merit recipients, soldiers, firefighters, high school seniors taking exams, and pregnant guests.

• Choose one of: meat curry, 2pcs boneless karaage, or a drink (including oolong tea)
• *Related ID (like a public official ID) may be requested for confirmation.

Why order two "limited quantity" sang loin katsu?

Honestly, looking at the menu gave me decision paralysis. I'd only had a small salad for lunch so I was starving. Still, gotta choose carefully! Order finally placed!!!!!! As soon as we ordered, they brought out rice, miso soup, kkakdugi, and tonkatsu sauce first. For anyone thinking the portions look too small!!!! refills are available too.

Now it's time for today's main event. After going back and forth forever, I noticed "limited quantity" written at the top of the menu — in red, no less!!!!! Like I was hypnotized, I ordered both, and it turned out both were cut with the gabrisal (a tender pork cut) attached (sang loin katsu). Delicious + delicious = even more delicious, so let's dig in even more happily.

How does the Jeju black pork sang loin katsu taste?

It's a katsu made with Jeju black pork (Tamna black pork / Nanchuk pork) gabrisal, said to carry a deep meaty flavor with a hint of smokiness. One bite in and I let out a wow!!!! The deep richness unique to black pork was insane, and the fat-to-lean ratio was perfect — the more I chewed, the better it got. Thanks to the gabrisal cut, the texture wasn't dry at all, incredibly tender, which made it even better.

How to eat the katsu: pink salt, truffle oil and sauce

There's a guide with 5 different ways to eat the katsu — I'd recommend trying whichever suits your taste. For me, dipping it in the pink salt next to the katsu (method 3) was the tastiest.

Ask for silbi kimchi (thin-sliced spicy kimchi)

I ate it piled on top of the tonkatsu, and also mixed into rice with soup topped with silbi kimchi — it's got a nice subtle spiciness, perfect for right when the katsu starts feeling a bit heavy. The kkakdugi at Hets is completely delicious too.

YBD sang loin katsu: the "Hermès" of cured pork?

This katsu uses YBD (Yorkshire + Berkshire + Duroc) gabrisal, giving it meaty flavor and a soft richness. The YBD breed, apparently the "Hermès of processed meat"??? Being a proper sang loin katsu, the gabrisal cut means it truly melts in your mouth. This is the textbook definition of crispy outside, tender inside. So so so delicious.

I love pepper, so I shook it on generously (maybe a bit too much, honestly) and devoured every bite with wasabi, mustard, salt, tonkatsu sauce, and truffle oil. I'm not usually a fan of truffle oil, but a light drizzle turned out to be surprisingly good.

Bar tables and eating solo at Hets Jeonpo Branch

Great music, great atmosphere, bar-table seating — as an extreme introvert, I was completely won over by this place.

To finish it off, of course, cola!!! When I ordered a cola, they brought along a cup of ice too. The person at the next table came alone and had it with draft beer — it looked so good and so cool... I usually find eating solo hard, but I feel like it would actually work here. Next time I'm definitely doing solo dining with a draft beer.

The interior has that trendy bar vibe going on these days, so it's great for solo dining and also perfect for a date where you sit side by side and chat. The open kitchen lets you see straight into the kitchen, and it was so clean that it made things even better — plus there's the fun of watching the chefs cook right in front of you, and seeing how careful they are about hygiene earned my approval before I even took a bite haha.

Is Hets Jeonpo Branch worth a trip in Busan?

Why I'd recommend Hets (HETZ) Jeonpo Branch

• A hip, clean space (open kitchen + bar table)
• Insanely juicy and tender, crispy outside/tender inside
• The relaxed vibe unique to the Jeonpo café street
• Convenient location and easy access

Great taste, great atmosphere, and friendly service on top of it all~ If you're looking for a Jeonpo date spot or a can't-fail lunch option, I'd recommend saving Hets (HETZ). Let's go heal ourselves with some crispy-outside, tender-inside goodness~!!