とんかつ

Tonkatsu in Japan

Breaded pork cutlet, the most satisfying ¥1,500 lunch in Japan.

Tonkatsu is a thick pork cutlet breaded in panko and fried, served with shredded cabbage, miso soup and rice, usually with free refills of both cabbage and rice. The top Tabelog shops use named-breed pork and fry at low temperature so the cutlet is pink inside and the crust shatters. It is filling, cheap by Japanese standards, and one of the easiest meals to order without any Japanese.

Find tonkatsu near me

Best cities for tonkatsu

Best tonkatsu in Tokyo

Ueno is where tonkatsu was born and still where Tokyo's oldest and most-reviewed shops are. Takadanobaba and Meguro have the newer wave using named-breed pork fried at low temperature.

Ueno · Takadanobaba · Meguro · Nihonbashi

Best tonkatsu in Nagoya

Miso katsu, a pork cutlet drenched in sweet, dark haccho-miso sauce, is Nagoya's version of tonkatsu and the most famous chain's original shop is near Yaba-cho in Sakae. Tabelog also rates the small independent katsu shops around Osu and Nagoya Station highly..

Sakae · Osu · Nagoya Station

Tonkatsu guides from the blog

Guides

Cheap Eats in Yokohama: 8 Top-Rated Spots by Tabelog

Cheap eats in Yokohama, picked by Tabelog rating: iekei ramen, Chinatown beef brisket rice, tonkatsu, curry and ¥200 yakitori, mostly under ¥3,000.

MochiRamen & noodles, TabeDog

How to order tonkatsu

Choose rosu (loin, fattier) or hire (fillet, lean) and a size. Grind the sesame seeds in your mortar, add the thick tonkatsu sauce, and dip. Ask for refills of cabbage (kyabetsu okawari) and rice. Miso katsu is the Nagoya version with a sweet red-miso sauce.

Menus are short and the choice is loin or fillet; many shops have plastic food models in the window you can point at.

What tonkatsu costs

Lunch: ¥1,200 to ¥2,200
Dinner: ¥1,800 to ¥4,000
Reservations: Almost all tonkatsu shops are walk-in only. Queue before opening for the famous ones.

Tabelog score guide

Tonkatsu shops above 3.5 are destination level, with brand pork and an hour-long lunch queue. 3.3 and above is a reliably excellent lunch.

Tonkatsu FAQ

How do I order tonkatsu in Japan?

How much does tonkatsu cost in Japan?

Lunch: ¥1,200 to ¥2,200. Dinner: ¥1,800 to ¥4,000.

What is a good Tabelog score for tonkatsu?

Tonkatsu shops above 3.5 are destination level, with brand pork and an hour-long lunch queue. 3.3 and above is a reliably excellent lunch.

Do I need a reservation?

Almost all tonkatsu shops are walk-in only. Queue before opening for the famous ones.

Which city in Japan is best for tonkatsu?

Tokyo, Nagoya each have a dedicated page. Tokyo: Ueno is where tonkatsu was born and still where Tokyo's oldest and most-reviewed shops are.

Every tonkatsu shop in Japan, rated.

Open TabeDog, pick tonkatsu, and see Tabelog's top-rated shops around you with hours, prices and payment methods in English.

Find tonkatsu on the map