There’s one dish that starts calling my name the moment the weather warms up: a bowl of cold buckwheat soba with shaved ice floating on top.
So this time I made my way to Bonyeoubonjeong (본여우&본정), right next to the Nam-gu District Office in Ulsan.
If you like tonkatsu or soba around here, you’ve probably heard the name. The place has held a Blue Ribbon listing for eight years running. I dropped by after running some errands nearby, a little past the lunch rush.
The practical details first
The thing I always forget is the hours and the closing day, so let me get those out of the way.
- Name: Bonyeoubonjeong (본여우&본정), main branch — tonkatsu and udon
- Address: 5 Wangsaeng-ro 120beon-gil, Nam-gu, Ulsan
- Phone: 052-268-1164
- Hours: 11:30 – 20:00 (break 15:30 – 17:00)
- Closed: every Sunday
- Instagram: @bonjeong_fox
Mind the afternoon break. If you’re planning a late lunch, double-check the time. I once showed up around 3:40 and had to turn right back around.
📍 View Bonyeoubonjeong (본여우&본정) on Google Maps →
The hours are posted right by the door too — 11:30 in the morning until 8 at night.
Parking takes a little planning
Parking here is a bit of a puzzle. There’s room for maybe one car right out front, and you’d have to be lucky to grab it. I just parked at the district office lot. It’s paid, but only about 1,000 won an hour, so no real complaint.
There’s also the Culture Park public lot nearby, which gives you the first hour free — handy if you’re in and out quickly. The walk from the district office to the restaurant is about three minutes.
You can usually park along the marked lines around the district office as well, so if you’re driving, keep those three options in mind.
Inside the place
It’s not a big space. Maybe ten tables for four, plus a more enclosed room-style area in the back. On my way to the restroom I spotted those back seats and asked a staff member if I could move there. It felt a touch calmer than the front.
Being an old spot, the walls are covered with celebrity autographs and old newspaper clippings. The restrooms are separated by gender and inside the restaurant, which was convenient.
A quick heads-up for visitors from abroad: like almost everywhere in Korea, you can pay with an internationally accepted credit card without any worry. And there’s no tipping culture here — you don’t need to leave a tip, and honestly it might just confuse the staff if you try.
The menu
The first time through, the menu might feel like a lot. Tonkatsu comes in three styles: bonjeong tonkatsu (본정돈까스, with cheese), yeou tonkatsu (여우돈까스, with sweet potato and cheese), and a plain loin cutlet. For noodles there’s cold soba, warm soba, and udon.
I’d go for a set. You get a tonkatsu plus a soba or udon, which is perfect for a first visit when you can’t decide.
For reference, a regular cold soba (냉소바) is 12,500 won and the large is 14,500. Both the yeou and bonjeong tonkatsu run 12,500 won. Sets land somewhere between 16,500 and 17,500.
No English menu here, and the staff don’t really speak English — but it’s an easy place to order. Just point at what you want on the menu and hold up a finger or two for how many. That’s all it takes.
The tonkatsu came out first
There’s no plain tonkatsu here, oddly enough. It’s split into the cheese-filled bonjeong, the sweet-potato-and-cheese yeou, and the loin cutlet.
The bonjeong tonkatsu (본정돈까스) arrived first. This one comes with a demi-glace-style sauce poured over the top. Fresh out of the fryer, the cheese stretched in soft strings and the inside stayed juicy.
The yeou tonkatsu (여우돈까스) is the opposite — the sauce comes on the side. Inside it’s packed with sweet potato mousse and cheese. Sweet and savory, but never too much, so I didn’t get tired of it even at the end.
The breading is fried so crisp it almost looks hard, but one bite in and the inside is tender. No pork funk at all. A sign on the wall says they use domestic rice and pork.
I liked that the sauce came separately — it meant the cutlet stayed crunchy down to the last bite.
Every tonkatsu comes with a cabbage salad and a single fried dumpling on the side. The dressing tastes like a sesame sauce with a fruity sweetness and a hint of mustard — kind of unusual, in a good way.
The pickled radish deserves a mention
One thing that surprised me here was the danmuji (단무지), the pickled radish. It comes out in a thick whole piece — I genuinely thought it was pineapple at first. It tastes house-made, not the store-bought kind. Pleasantly tangy and crunchy, and it works with both the tonkatsu and the soba. The kkakdugi (깍두기, cubed radish kimchi) was lightly sweet and good too, so I asked for a refill.
The rice portion is on the small side, but refills are free. It felt a little light for me, so I asked for more and they brought it at no charge.
Udon and soba
The yeou udon (여우우동) comes loaded with fried tofu, scallions, and seaweed flakes. The broth is clean and light — nice when you want something warm.
But in summer, it’s cold soba all the way. Shaved ice floats in the chilled broth, and the buckwheat noodles are springy. Grated radish, scallions, seaweed, and wasabi come on the side so you can mix to taste.
The broth isn’t too sweet — slightly salty with a savory depth. It stays crisp and clean right to the end.
The noodles aren’t mushy or undercooked — just right, with that springy chew intact.
One small tip: if you stir in all the wasabi at once, it gets pretty hot. And a note for visitors not used to Korean spice levels — wasabi heat builds fast, so go slow and add a little at a time.
The regular size soba is smaller than you might expect. If you want a hearty bowl, order the large from the start.
My honest take
It’s not wildly bold or fancy. But somehow it’s the kind of flavor that keeps coming back to mind. “Addictive” is the word that fits.
Expect a wait at lunch — it’s pretty much the norm. If you show up around noon you’ll likely be in line, so I’d aim for the tail end of lunch or a little earlier in the day, like I did.
If you live around Nam-gu in Ulsan, or you’re passing through and a craving for tonkatsu and soba hits, this is a solid, satisfying meal.
Getting there
It’s right next to the Nam-gu District Office — about a three-minute walk from there. For parking, use the district office lot or the Culture Park public lot as I noted above.