Heki

Heki is a compact tonkatsu restaurant in the residential streets just above Mangwon Market, and it is the place Seoul food lovers mention first when Mangwon-dong comes up. Cutlets are fried to order and arrive as a set with rice and soup. The hire katsu (tenderloin) is the one to try: it is cooked only until the center turns a soft blush pink, so it stays juicy and tender, and you are encouraged to taste it several ways, with salt, with wasabi, with the house sauce, or with a drop of truffle oil. Sirloin, chicken (tori) and assorted sets are also on the menu, and in summer a cold lemon udon makes a light add-on. The room is small, with a handful of tables and a few counter seats, and the kitchen works at its own careful pace, which is part of why queues build. The chef's appearance on Netflix's Culinary Class Wars sent the wait even higher. Pair a meal here with a walk through Mangwon Market a minute away, and you have an easy half-day in one of Seoul's most local-feeling neighborhoods.