Mapo Japanese cutlet restaurant: crisp katsu at Katsu Monster

As the cool autumn weather started, I suddenly really wanted to get outside! Yeonnam-dong has so many little streets that lift your mood just by walking around, so it’s perfect for a date, right? After wandering around for ages and wondering what to have for dinner, we eventually chose… fail-proof tonkatsu (Japanese pork cutlet), haha. So the place we headed to was Katsu Monster Yeonnam Main Branch (카츠몬스터 연남본점).

Katsu Monster Yeonnam Main Branch location and hours

Hours are 10:30–21:00, with a break from 15:30–16:30. It’s in a handy spot to stop by while strolling around Yeonnam-dong from Hongik University Station, so I think it would make a nice Yeonnam-dong date stop too :)

Checking the menu before going in

There was a menu board right out front, so we could check the menu before going in.

We looked at the menu and decided right away: cheese cutlet for ₩17,000 and loin cutlet for ₩14,000. We wanted to try both, so we ordered one of each. When there are two of you, ordering one each and sharing is the best way to eat tonkatsu, isn’t it?

A compact restaurant with bar seating

The interior wasn’t huge or anything. There were around five tables, along with bar seats.

That actually made it seem like a good place to come and eat alone, too.

A lot of places in Yeonnam-dong are mostly tables, which can make solo dining a little awkward, but this place has bar seating, so it looked nice for coming alone for tonkatsu too.

And every table had a tablet, which made ordering easy.

Thoughtful touches, from bag boxes to sauces

I also noticed thoughtful touches for customers all around the restaurant.

There were separate boxes to store your bag and a variety of sauces ready to use.

There was tonkatsu sauce, of course, plus other options to have alongside it according to your taste, which was nice.

And they even had hand fans, haha. They were also running a review event, so keep that in mind if you want to join. You could choose spicy curry, beer, or a soft drink, and we got Coke.

High chairs are available too!

Crisp and juicy loin cutlet

The loin cutlet came out first! It looked appetizing from the start, and the meat had this lovely sheen to it.

And the outer coating was seriously crispy. Isn’t that crisp breading exactly why we eat tonkatsu? Haha.

With one bite, the breading was crisp and the meat inside was tender. The outside was crunchy, but the pork wasn’t dry at all—it was juicy, so the combination was great!

Cheese cutlet packed with cheese

Then came the cheese cutlet I’d been looking forward to! I mean, what is this amount of cheese, haha…?

It was packed full of cheese inside, and it started flowing out as soon as I cut it. Meat plus cheese? Need I say more. It was so delicious.

Cheese can sometimes make a dish feel too rich, but the clean flavor of the pork and the nutty richness of the cheese came together so well that I kept reaching for more!

Warm soybean-paste soup that paired well with tonkatsu

The doenjangguk (soybean-paste soup) served with the tonkatsu was good too! Rather than an ordinary Korean-style doenjangguk, it felt more like Japanese tonjiru miso soup, and it had pork in it.

With the warm broth and pork in it, it was perfect to spoon up between bites of tonkatsu. When you’re eating something rich, having warm soup alongside it makes your stomach feel more comfortable somehow~

Having some broth now and then instead of eating only tonkatsu made for a really good combination.

Thoughtfulness that continued on the way out

And I spotted one more thing as we were leaving! There were single-use mouthwash packets and candies by the door.

It’s such a small thing, but it feels really nice as a customer. From the bag-storage boxes, sauces, and hand fans to the review event and the final mouthwash and candy… I got the sense that they really take thoughtful care of their customers overall, haha.

A tonkatsu meal after a Yeonnam-dong stroll

We went in after wondering what to have for dinner while walking around Yeonnam-dong with my husband on an autumn day, and as expected, tonkatsu never fails~

The restaurant is compact, but the bar seats make it good for solo dining, and the tablet at each table made ordering convenient. Above all, I liked how considerate they seemed throughout the place!

It’s worth stopping by when you want something delicious on a Yeonnam-dong date or when you’re looking for a good tonkatsu place around Hongdae. If you’re looking for a good place to eat in Yeonnam-dong, I recommend Katsu Monster Yeonnam Main Branch!