Dokjeong Station tonkatsu restaurant with no pork smell: HOKATSU

Today I went to HOKATSU, the Dangha-dong sebu-donkkaseu (softest tonkatsu in the world) spot. It's a true Dangha-dong local favorite, holding down the same corner of the Megabox building for over 10 years. My husband, a freshly minted Geomdan resident, now thinks of HOKATSU first whenever tonkatsu comes to mind — here's our review.

Where is HOKATSU and what are its hours?

• HOKATSU address: 788 Seogot-ro, 128-ho HOKATSU, Seo-gu, Incheon, South Korea
• Open 11:00 / Close 21:30
• Break time 15:30–17:00
• Closed Mondays

This Geomdan favorite got even cleaner and more comfortable after kitchen renovations. With plenty of large tables, it's great for a family meal out together, or you can grab a two-seater for a date.

Ordering the tenderloin katsu, three-cutlet platter and tonkotsu ramen at HOKATSU

HOKATSU's menu ranges from sets to à la carte, and it's grown even wider lately with the addition of gyukatsu (beef cutlet). The gyukatsu you grill yourself on a personal burner is delicious too, but we're really here for HOKATSU's signature fried tonkatsu. Since we'd made the trip, we figured we might as well order everything we wanted.

• Tonkotsu ramen
• Tenderloin katsu
• Three-cutlet platter

The natural honey yogurt served before the meal

After ordering on the table kiosk, they bring out a house-made natural honey yogurt as a starter. HOKATSU uses this yogurt to age its tonkatsu, and they give you a small taste of it before the meal starts. It's mildly sweet and clean-tasting — so good!

HOKATSU's tonkatsu is coated in breadcrumbs and fried fresh the moment you order. It takes about 15 minutes, but the time flies by while you're enjoying the yogurt. I went for the three-cutlet platter to try a variety, while my husband picked the soft tenderloin katsu.

Yogurt-aged pork cutlet with no pork smell, even for a pregnant diner

HOKATSU's hand-made tonkatsu is dry-aged with house-made yogurt. I'm pregnant, so I'm really sensitive to smells, and HOKATSU had absolutely zero pork odor. The combination of thick meat and crispy breading was fantastic — crunchy like Japanese-style tonkatsu but soft like old-school Korean-style tonkatsu, so it's a Geomdan favorite everyone can enjoy, no matter their age or preference.

A drop of perilla oil on the loin katsu

On the table you'll find salad sauce, tonkatsu sauce, Himalayan salt, and perilla oil. Adding these to your tonkatsu to taste makes it even better. In particular, the loin katsu with a drop of perilla oil is deeply flavorful and really delicious.

What is on HOKATSU's self-serve side dish bar?

The self-serve bar toward the back of the restaurant has pickles, jalapeños, salad, and baek-kimchi (white kimchi), which were great as sides with the tonkatsu.

What does HOKATSU's tonkotsu ramen taste like?

We ordered the tonkotsu ramen to share. My husband loves Japanese-style ramen, so we added it as a side — but I ended up eating more of it than him, haha.

It's been a while since I could handle a rich pork-bone broth, but HOKATSU's tonkotsu ramen wasn't greasy at all — it was clean and savory in a way that's totally addictive. A clean, mild tonkotsu ramen that fits Korean tastes perfectly rounded out a meal I really enjoyed. If you're looking for tonkatsu done right in Geomdan, stop by HOKATSU near Dokjeong Station!