Two-person tonkatsu set with cheese katsu and udon in Myeonmok, Seoul

The day I was meeting my friend who lives in Seongsu! We kept going back and forth on where to meet in the middle, but this time we leaned a bit more toward her side and decided to have dinner in Myeonmok-dong. While searching what to eat, I found Katsu Monster Myeonmok! Tonkatsu is pretty much a can't-fail choice for both of us, so we headed over without much thought haha.

What's on the menu at Katsu Monster Myeonmok?

There's a menu posted outside the store too, so I could browse before even going in — and the tonkatsu lineup turned out to be more varied than I expected. Besides loin katsu and fillet katsu, there's cheese katsu, premium loin katsu, mixed katsu, and even noodle dishes like udon or cold soba, so it looked like a solid spot for anyone hunting a hearty tonkatsu lunch in Myeonmok-dong.

Bar seating that works for solo diners too

Once you step inside, the seating is arranged bar-style. It's not a huge space, but the layout makes eating alone feel totally low-pressure! Honestly, the menu itself is built for enjoying just one tonkatsu on your own, so it seemed like a good option if you're looking for a solo dining spot in Myeonmok-dong.

You order through the tablet at each seat. As the blogger Ayo, I'm the type who photographs a menu the second I see one, so I kept swiping and snapping photos of every menu screen haha.

The two-person set for ₩29,900

What we ordered was the two-person set — 2 tonkatsu + 1 large noodle dish — for ₩29,900. It looked like the perfect setup for two people. You each pick your own tonkatsu and share a large noodle dish on top, which is especially nice if plain tonkatsu alone feels a bit boring to you!

The table came set with tonkatsu sauce, salt, and wasabi. Tonkatsu is already tasty with just the sauce, but dipping into salt or wasabi partway through cuts the richness and keeps you going till the last bite, right?

And finally, our spread arrived! One side had the basic tonkatsu, the other cheese katsu. And for the large noodle dish, we went with udon! Each of us got our own rice too, so it turned out way more filling than expected. Looking at the two-person set at first I thought, "this should be just about right for two of us?" but once it arrived, it was a genuinely hearty spread.

Basic tonkatsu

Starting with the basic tonkatsu! The breading wasn't overly thick, and the meat inside was pretty substantial. Crispy on the outside, not dry inside — the kind of tonkatsu that keeps you reaching for more without any fuss. I tend to prefer tonkatsu where you can really feel the thickness of the meat rather than just a mountain of breading, so this one worked well for me.

Cheese katsu

And of course, the visual star was the cheese katsu. The moment you cut into it, the cheese comes pouring out — how could you not take a photo of that? The cheese is packed in generously. It's not just a thin single slice; the cheese fills the space between the meat properly, so with every bite you get both meat and cheese hitting at once. Highly recommend if you're a cheese person! That said, cheese katsu can get a bit heavy if you eat it nonstop, so ordering one basic tonkatsu and one cheese katsu to split, like we did, worked out well.

Udon as our large noodle dish

We also took bites of the udon along the way. It's a warm udon loaded with tempura crumbs and fried tofu. You know that feeling when a spoonful of hot broth resets your palate mid-tonkatsu? Exactly that, haha. The noodles were pretty generous too, which explains why the set literally calls it the "large noodle dish." Two tonkatsu, two bowls of rice, plus udon — we were seriously stuffed.

How to eat cheese katsu without getting tired of it

My secret, as someone who loves cheese katsu, to never get sick of it: wasabi! Put a small dab of wasabi on a piece of tonkatsu and honestly you could eat it endlessly. It cuts down the greasy feel quite a bit. Rotate between sauce, salt, and wasabi and even the same tonkatsu keeps tasting different, haha.

And in the end, we cleaned everything up. At first we were like, "can we actually finish all this?" And yes. We could. We ate very, very well. Chatting away with my friend, before we knew it, the plates were practically empty.

So, how was tonkatsu for lunch in Myeonmok-dong?

And here's the view of the storefront that caught my eye. It really must've been made with sweat and care, because it genuinely tasted great. Overall, with the wide variety of tonkatsu options and reasonably priced set menus, it's a place worth trying if you're around Myeonmok-dong looking for tonkatsu at lunch. If you're visiting with someone, I'd especially recommend the two-person set with basic tonkatsu + cheese katsu + udon like we did! It's more fun sharing a bit of everything than sticking to just one dish.

Thanks to my friend from Seongsu, I ended up in a neighborhood I don't usually visit and discovered yet another good tonkatsu spot near Myeonmok Station. Next time I'd like to try fillet katsu or premium loin katsu instead of the loin katsu :)

📍 Katsu Monster Myeonmok