Home Restaurant

About

Nostalgic retro-style Western diner in Yeouido serving old-school tonkatsu and hamburger steak paired uniquely with crunchy chonggak kimchi.

Tucked into the basement of the Jeongwon Building near the National Assembly in Yeongdeungpo, Home Restaurant operates like an unbothered relic from the 1990s. Beyond its swinging double doors lies a quintessential Korean-style Western eatery (*gyeong-yang-sik*), outfitted with wooden floors, plush black leather booths, partition screens, and window blinds. Operating continuously from morning until late at night without an afternoon break, it transforms from a bustling weekday salaryman cafeteria into a relaxed retro hof pouring drinks over tavern snacks after dark. The dining ritual starts promptly with a classic pale-yellow cream soup dusted with parsley and a broad, flat plate of white rice flanked by neatly aligned cutlery. First-timers invariably gravitate toward the Home Jung-sik, an expansive sampler loaded with thin-crust pork tonkatsu, fish cutlet, and a handcrafted hamburg steak made with domestic beef. Every element carries old-school fidelity: the thin-breaded cutlets arrive generously smothered in velvety brown sauce rather than served dry with dipping bowls, leaving only the crisp edges uncovered. The hamburg steak comes as two thick, tender patties blanketed in demi-glace with chunks of mushroom and onion. Plates are dressed simply with shredded cabbage, baked beans, yellow pickled radish, and raw cheongyang peppers with ssamjang. The defining counterpoint to all the rich gravy, however, is the house radish kimchi (*chonggak-kimchi*), sometimes joined by freshly seasoned geotjeori. Pungent, crunchy, and sharp, the radishes cut cleanly through the fried coating and buttery sauces—a pairing regulars consider so addictive that extra refills of kimchi and rice are routinely requested. While lunchtime queues spill out into the basement corridor before noon, line movement is remarkably brisk thanks to staff taking orders while guests wait outside. The kitchen deposits piping-hot plates at the table almost instantly upon seating, keeping Yeongdeungpo office workers coming back for this dependable, deeply familiar comfort food.