Iksan katsu restaurant with low-sugar buckwheat soba: Wonkwang Katsu

Today I'm sharing my review of Wonkwang Katsu Iksan Wonkwang University branch, a really famous pork cutlet restaurant near Wonkwang University in Iksan 😋

What kind of restaurant is Wonkwang Katsu in Iksan?

Wonkwang Katsu started in 2006 and, after going through the names 'Yamyam' and 'Yamcook,' arrived at its current name — a genuine 19-year-old restaurant! It even won the Minister of Food and Drug Safety award at the Jeonbuk Food Culture Festival, so my expectations were sky-high before I even ate a bite 🏆👍

Walking inside, the ceiling design with its hanok-style roof tile accent really stood out.

The vibe is classic yet clean and tidy, perfect for a date or a family meal out 🌿🍽️

The most special thing about this place is that they use Iksan's local specialty, Seodong yam, to cross-age the pork cutlets for 360 hours!

They say your stomach feels comfortable and digestion goes smoothly after eating it, so it felt like the perfect cutlet — health included 💡

Wonkwang Katsu menu and prices, and how kiosk ordering works

After sitting down, I ordered the signature menu item, the gyeongyang katsu (12,900 won), using the kiosk! Just reading the description — a steak-thick pork loin, a mild gyeongyang-style sauce made with pureed fruit, and a healthy Seodong yam cream sauce — I couldn't not order it 🥩

There's also the richly cheesy cheese katsu (13,900 won) and the low-sugar buckwheat cold soba (9,900 won) with no blood sugar worries, so you can pick according to your taste 🧀 The soba also seemed perfect for a hot day!

The self-bar: free cream soup, broth and toast refills

While waiting for the food, I grabbed some warm, smooth cream soup and broth from the self-bar 🥣

The savory cream soup warmed me up, and drinking the hot broth full of fried batter crumbs, scallions, and dried seaweed flakes really got my appetite going before the meal!

The toast was also unlimited refills...

Gyeongyang katsu, 12,900 won: crisp crust, juicy pork loin

Finally, the main dish, gyeongyang katsu, arrived! The look of it alone was amazing 😍 The big, thick cutlet drizzled with smooth yam cream sauce and gyeongyang-style sauce made my mouth water instantly!

The side of dinner rolls, salad, and rice made for a solid spread 🥐 The salad and bread combo was also a nice touch!

Taking a bite, I was amazed at how moist and tender the meat was! Whether it was the power of the 360-hour aging, the outside was crispy and the inside juicy — a textbook example of crispy-outside, juicy-inside. The subtle sweetness of the fruit sauce and the smooth balance of the yam cream sauce were perfect 👏

Wonkwang cheese katsu, 13,900 won: how far does the cheese stretch?

🧀 Premium cheese cascading like a waterfall! A cutlet restaurant just isn't complete without cheese katsu! I also tried the Wonkwang cheese katsu, made with the know-how of a restaurant that's stuck to pork cutlets since 2006 🤤

The 100% mozzarella cheese smoothly filling the crispy-fried cutlet was truly overwhelming! The moment I lifted it with my chopsticks, the cheese stretched on and on without breaking — I couldn't help but gasp 🧀✨

The outside is crispy like a cracker, and inside, the 360-hour-aged tender pork loin and the chewy, savory cheese wrap around your mouth — the flavor was outrageous!

The more you chew, the deeper and more savory the cheese flavor gets — a must-not-miss dish for any cheese lover 👍

Low-sugar buckwheat soba, 9,900 won: best with fresh wasabi

🍜 A refreshing summer health dish with no weight-gain worries! I also ordered the low-sugar buckwheat soba, which pairs perfectly with the crispy cutlet!

Unlike regular buckwheat soba, this one uses a 'low-sugar buckwheat noodle' with lowered blood sugar impact and much higher buckwheat content, so I could enjoy it light and tasty with no worries about dieting or blood sugar spikes 🌿

Following the owner's recommendation, I mixed in a little fresh wasabi to taste... and honestly, that was the winning move! 💡

The cool, savory tsuyu broth combined with the sharp, clean bite of the wasabi felt like it reset my palate completely.

Alternating between the savory cutlet and the cool, sharp soba meant there was never a dull moment — I cleaned my plate down to the very last bite 😋👍

Discounts and parking near Wonkwang Katsu

And here's some sweet perk info for anyone planning to visit 🎁

• One free drink per person if paying by cash or bank transfer
• A free crispy fried shrimp if you leave a Naver photo review
• A lucky roulette gift when you add the Kakao Talk Plus Friend

For parking, they say it's convenient to use Bugil Elementary School or Wonkwang University's internal parking lot 🚗 (available weekdays after 5pm, and from the morning on Sundays and holidays)

Wonkwang Katsu, with its carefully aged Seodong yam pork cutlets and friendly service, was perfect all around! Highly recommended as a must-visit restaurant near Wonkwang University in Iksan 💯❤️