I was searching for the best restaurants to eat in Hongdae and one name constantly popped out: Honkaz.
I was curious as to why so many people (both locals & tourists!) highly recommended this particular tonkatsu restaurant.
We didn’t manage to find it on our previous trip in 2021 and ended up at Ningyocho Sikdang instead, but in 2022 we finally managed to find the famed Honkaz!
This is not located on the main street near the subway station, but a little further in along an alley, which made it difficult to locate even with the help of Naver Maps.
What made it easier was the number of posters and promotional boards showing their TV features, plus crowds around the restaurant!
Honkaz food review
Honkaz actually offers more than just tonkatsus, or pork cutlets. However, they are most famous for their pork cutlets stuffed with cheese.
Hence, that was exactly what we ordered:
The cheese was really the greatest highlight of this dish! Not only was the portion highly generous, the cheese pull with the munch into the pork cutlet was also super satisfying.
To add on, the pork cutlet satisfied every criteria of being a good tonkatsu dish. It was crispy (but not greasy!) batter on the outside, chewy & juicy meat on the inside.
If you’re not a fan of cheese or are lactose intolerant, fret not!
The restaurant also offers options without the cheese, so you can enjoy the whole pork cutlet as it is. The tonkatsu itself is already very delicious – the cheese filling is just the cherry on top!
The other interesting bit about Honkaz is that they offer a variety of sauces to go with your pork cutlet. I remember there were some funky flavours (was it banana? I forgot), the usual tonkatsu sauce, and also pink salt.
It’s a little difficult to believe but just 4 slices of the cheese tonkatsu alone made me feel incredibly full & satiated.
The rice was a nice touch – I guess tonkatsu would not feel complete without rice? But I honestly couldn’t finish it, which was a bit of a pity since it was actually rather tasty as well.
Is Honkaz worth eating at?
Back around 2018 their cheese tonkatsu cost KRW9,000, which has since been adjusted to KRW11,000 (about USD11). The increased prices are reasonable, considering inflation + COVID business recovery. There was also close to no way I could get a meal like this in Singapore at this price, so I found this quite worth the money spent.
Personally I feel that the hype around this restaurant justified! The food is as good as advertised, and the prices are reasonable for the amount & quality served.
The only meh part is trying to locate the restaurant!
DIRECTIONS
Address: 36-6 Wausan-ro 21-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea
Opening Hours: 11.30am – 9pm daily
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