Seoul Hot Pot offers a classic tonkatsu meal in the form of our tonkatsu combo box. Observing this, some people may wonder, “What is a Japanese dish doing on the menu of a Bellevue Korean restaurant?” In truth, this breaded pork cutlet is a popular favorite throughout Korea. Though the first tonkatsu was created in Japan, its actual roots take it much further away than that.

In Japan, tonkatsu is known as a type of yohshoku. This word describes a dish that has been inspired by western cuisine. It was invented in a certain Tokyo restaurant that was known for preparing yohshoku. Patrons of this restaurant apparently immersed themselves in the experience, taking up a fork and knife for the first time to partake of this strange, fried pork. Over time, the tonkatsu became recognized by the world as a distinctly Japanese taste.