Spicy king donkatsu with mushroom sauce and cold soba in Gwangsan
In short
Jinsim King Donkatsu Pyeongdong Branch is a large pork cutlet restaurant near Pyeongdong Station in Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju. Visiting on a Wednesday at 12:30pm for lunch, the writer spent ₩22,300 on spicy king donkatsu, cold soba, and orange juice, and loved the combo of the spicy sauce loaded with whole mushrooms and the cold, sweetish buckwheat broth. With a huge parking lot and no break time, it's a solid lunch pick in Pyeongdong.
Good to know
- Location
- 1F-102, 11-13 Pyeongdong-ro 800beon-gil, Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju, South Korea (Okdong), 858m from Pyeongdong Station Exit 3
- Hours
- Daily 10:00-21:00, last order 20:30, no break time
- Parking
- Large lot, roadside parking also available
- Order
- Spicy king donkatsu ₩11,400, cold soba ₩8,900, Tomsy Juicy Orange ₩2,000 / Total ₩22,300
- Basic donkatsu
- ₩10,900
- Self-serve bar
- Unlimited rice, pickled radish, vegetables, broth, soup, kimchi
- Seating
- Baby chairs available
- Takeout
- Separate self-packing station
as written by the visitor on Sep 7, 2026
A donkatsu brand with a huge parking lot, a big dining room, and a friendly owner — Jinsim King Donkatsu
Does everyone know Jinsim King Donkatsu? So many branches have been popping up in Gwangju lately. A brand I already loved opened one in Pyeongdong, so I quickly stopped by during lunch. Jinsim King Donkatsu is known for its impressive old-school style king cutlet — let's get right into the review!
Location and hours of Jinsim King Donkatsu Pyeongdong Branch
Jinsim King Donkatsu Pyeongdong Branch is at 1F-102, 11-13 Pyeongdong-ro 800beon-gil, Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju, South Korea (Okdong). It's 858m from Exit 3 of Pyeongdong Station. Since it's near the industrial complex, a lot of office workers stop by. This whole area actually has quite a few good restaurants!
Hours are daily 10:00-21:00, last order at 20:30, with no break time. So you can go even at an awkward hour. I went around 12:30pm on a Wednesday, and the parking lot was almost full.
The parking lot is genuinely huge, and there's plenty of roadside parking too. If you're driving, having such a big lot already feels like half the battle won!
Exterior and interior atmosphere
The building is a brown single-story structure with full glass walls. There's artificial turf by the entrance, and they say they cook as if feeding their own family.
Once you step inside, it's just spacious. The ceiling has densely packed lighting, and the floor is herringbone-pattern tile. The chairs are wood, there are framed menu photos, and on the other side there's a full glass window with a landscaped flower bed. Really bright and clean.
There are baby chairs too, and a Korean pork certification mark and a FOURFREE mark are posted above the kitchen. Lots of office worker tables at lunchtime!
Menu lineup and prices
The menu is divided into main dishes, noodles, rice dishes, sides, and add-ons. The basic donkatsu is ₩10,900, and given the size, it's great value! Most of the noodle dishes are under ₩10,000.
I'd recommend ordering a donkatsu and a noodle dish together to share! This place is also known for its kalguksu (knife-cut noodle soup) near Pyeongdong Station haha.
What's at the self-serve bar?
Rice, pickled radish, vegetables, broth, soup, and kimchi are all unlimited refills.
There are scissors and tongs, so use them to cut your donkatsu. Wrap some vegetables in a basket and grab some ssamjang (dipping sauce) and soup too!
Wait, you wrap donkatsu in lettuce?
I was skeptical at first too, but it was better than I expected lol.
The sign says leftover food isn't reused, so just take as much as you'll actually eat.
What I ordered: spicy king donkatsu and cold soba
I ordered spicy king donkatsu, cold soba, and an orange juice. Total ₩22,300. Cold soba was ₩8,900, Tomsy Juicy Orange was ₩2,000, and spicy king donkatsu was ₩11,400.
Spicy king donkatsu ₩11,400
The donkatsu is genuinely huge lol. It could be tough for light eaters. The breading is made with wet breadcrumbs so it's crispy, and the sauce is a spicy brown sauce with whole mushrooms in it. Adding mushrooms really improved the texture.
I can't even handle buldak (spicy chicken), but the spicy donkatsu here is just mildly spicy.
Along with the donkatsu, it comes with cabbage salad with ketchup mayo, rice, corn kernels, and green chili peppers.
Cold soba ₩8,900
Served in a stainless steel bowl with plenty of broth. The buckwheat noodles are topped with dried seaweed flakes, green onion, cheongyang chili, and grated radish.
The broth was cold and sweetish, and the combo with the donkatsu was amazing haha.
What I want to try next time
The cheese waterfall donkatsu had good reviews, so I'm planning to try it on my next visit! They say cheese pours out when you cut into it haha.
What about takeout?
Probably because the portions are so big, there's a separate self-packing station. Just bring a container and pack it yourself!
Overall verdict
- ✅ Overwhelming portion size
- ✅ Mushrooms in the sauce are great
- ✅ Wrap combo at the self-serve bar is great
- ✅ Huge parking lot
- ✅ No break time
If you're looking for a good lunch spot in Pyeongdong, come try Jinsim King Donkatsu! There are so many menu items that it's probably best to go with a group and order a bunch to share. Let me know in the comments if you have any questions! That's it for me. Thanks for the meal haha.
Where it is
1F-102, 11-13 Pyeongdong-ro 800beon-gil, Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju, South Korea전남광주통합특별시 광산구 평동로800번길 11-13 1층 102호
