Busan tonkatsu restaurant with spacious seating: Hets Jeonpo

I’m a gukbap (rice soup) fanatic and a tonkatsu fanatic too,,, and I absolutely have to try Busan’s famous tonkatsu spots~~ before I can be satisfied. I finally made it to Hets in Jeonpo! Hets has two locations, in Gwangalli and Jeonpo, and this visit was to Hets Jeonpo Branch.

Hets Jeonpo Branch on the main road by Jeonpo Station

Hets Jeonpo is on the main road around Jeonpo Station.

The interior has that industrial metal vibe,, ⛓️⛓️ With high ceilings and lots of open space, it feels really roomy inside.

There was handy storage beneath the chairs, and the tables were nicely spaced apart too.

If only I hadn’t driven.. Beer with tonkatsu is the thing... Looks like they serve Kirin draft beer.. It must be soooo good....

Each table had pepper, salad dressing, truffle oil, and wasabi, and even the sauce containers were kept super clean.

Jeju black pork and YBD katsu menu

Hets Jeonpo is broadly split into two types: Jeju black pork and YBD. I guess it depends on the type of meat. Naturally, that means you have to try one of each...

• Jeju black pork assorted katsu ₩18,000
• YBD premium loin katsu ₩16,000
• Curry ₩3,000
• Soft drink ₩2,000

The back of the menu explains how to enjoy everything properly, and of course I read it closely because food should be eaten properly. The line that caught my eye was, “If you need Silbi kimchi, please feel free to ask a staff member.” Oh my goodness,, sounds delicious,,, I can’t handle spice, so I didn’t ask for any, but it would be great with tonkatsu, which can get just a liiittle rich as you eat! They also have a Naver review event, but we had already ordered plenty.. a lot, really... so we passed!

Trying the premium loin katsu and black pork assorted katsu

Cola ready,,, but the water was corn silk tea with ice floating in it, and wow, that water was seriously delicious haha.

Chunks of meat to admire while waiting.. My husband said, “I want to take all of those home.”

First came the rice, soup, side dishes, and curry! For reference, the rice, soup, and side dishes can all be refilled~~

What does the YBD premium loin katsu taste like?

YBD premium loin katsu, ₩16,000. This cut has pork neck attached, so you really get that meaty flavor!

The balance with the fat is just perfect!

Oh, and the salad dressing here is corn dressing, and it is seriously delicious!!!!!!! Definitely, definitely pour on lots of dressing~~

A cut like this, with a little fat mixed in, absolutely has to be eaten with wasabi! Loin katsu can get a little rich as you eat, but this never felt greasy or heavy and stayed delicious to the end.

The Jeju black pork assorted katsu I’d order again

Jeju black pork assorted katsu, ₩18,000. I’d order this again even if I came back... because.. the hire katsu was truly so good,,,

Can you see it.. Can you see that sheen.. Can you see the moisture and the juices... Above all, that hire katsu was so tender and delicious. You can just consider it the best thing I ate.... Hire katsu can be dry and disappointing if it’s fried wrong, but this was truly moist, clean-tasting, and tender.. If they had a hire katsu-only menu, I think I’d order that!

You know that a dab of salt + wasabi is the classic, right..?

I don’t usually drizzle this kind of thing on my food, but I was curious, so I tried the truffle oil! It worked far better than expected, and the truffle aroma paired so well with the richness of the tonkatsu that I drizzled it on two or three more times.

If things start to feel a little rich while eating, grind on some pepper and you can keep going.

But really.. is it okay for a ₩3,000 curry to have this much meat in it..?! If you have a big appetite, ordering one curry and having a bowl of rice with the tonkatsu plus another bowl with the curry would make for a very satisfying meal!