Katsusen

Rating: Very good
Meal: Dinner for 3
Price: 6120 yen
Payment: Credit cards accepted
Dishes: 3 tonkatsu teishoku
English Menu: Yes
Smoking: No

My aunt came to visit us recently and on her way out via Haneda we took her to a tonkatsu restaurant there as she hadn't yet had any.  I was surprised to see I had never reviewed this particular tonkatsu restaurant (Katsusen) before, so I took a few quick photos, but forgot to get the outside sign.

The quality of the katsu itself was quite high, and I enjoyed the red miso soup, a bit of a rarity in these parts.  I was a bit surprised to find when I looked the place up that it is owned by the Wako group, which runs a chain of very decent tonkatsu restaurants you can find everywhere.

Asakusa Gyuukatsu

Rating: Very good
Meal: Dinner for 2
Price: 3000 yen
Payment: Cash only
Dishes: Two gyuukatsu teishoku
English Menu: Yes
Smoking: No

My wife and I were near Asakusa station on Sunday evening, an unusual thing for us.  We were looking for something interesting for dinner, but everything was closing, so it was more difficult than we had thought.  Luckily we remembered walking past a gyuukatsu (beef katsu) restaurant on the way there, so we made our way back and tried it out.

We got a seat and looked at the menu, which turned out to be very simple.  You could get a beef katsu teishoku with either one or two katsu.  The rest of it consisted of mentaiko (spicy cod roe), ground mountain yam (slimiest stuff in the universe), some rice, pickles, sauces, and a red miso soup.  We got two of the regular and proceed to read about how to eat this meal.

They deep fry the breaded beef, but only to rare doneness.  It is up to you to finish it.  In front of each person is a small squatty container with a small paraffin candle inside.  A flat stone is placed on top, which heats up nicely.  You take a slice of meat and put it on until it's done to your preference, then you eat it.  Kind of fun!

Oh, the best bit was the wasabi.  Usually wasabi is actually a green-dyed horseradish, but occasionally you get the real thing.  It's quite rare, because it's so expensive, and it goes bad so quickly.  But the chunky looking blob of green on our plates looked like the real thing, and this was confirmed as soon as we tasted it.  Such a fresh, green taste that explodes with fire and quickly retreats.  It's like nothing else, and it tasted so good with the beef.

A real fun treat to try something new after all this time here...

Katsuan

Rating: OK
Meal: Lunch for 2
Price: 1770 yen
Payment: Cash only
Dishes: Rosukatsu and menchi teishoku, Katsudon teishoku
English Menu: Yes (kind of)
Smoking: No

Menu

Instructions for the tablet

Katsuan is a new tonkatsu restaurant that looks like a well established chain.  The key difference here is that it has a parking lot along 16 that is very accessible, making it a much easier drop in affair than, say, a mom and pop shop, or even Wako's (which is usually tied to Aeon malls).  And it's cheap and fast.

Rosukatsu + Menchi

The menu is interesting in that you use an ipad like device to enter in the numbers from the Japanese menu (which is nicely illustrated).  The device then shows you the item in English along with the options.  You add your orders to the shopping cart and then send in your order, which is brought to your table along with the bill.  So even though the menu itself isn't in English, there is a way to find out what it is you are ordering.

Katsudon

My wife had her favorite:  katsudon (egg, onions and katsu on rice), while I went for the rosukatso and menchi special.  We both upgraded to the clam miso soup as well.  Unlike Wako's, you have to order as much up front as you want to eat (size of rice, amount of shredded cabbage, etc...) as there are no free refills.  The tonkatsu itself were tasty enough, if a bit greasy, and the menchi was pretty much what you'd expect.  The clam miso was good, though not as good as Wako's.  Overall it was just a notch down in quality from what you'd expect at Wako's, which I rate as a Very Good, so I'm giving this place a high Ok.  As my wife said, if this is what passes for Japanese fast food, we'll take it!  That, along with the parking lot and very cheap price, make this place a pretty good bet if you are in a car looking for a quick and tasty meal.

Imakatsu

Rating: Excellent
Meal:  Lunch for 2
Price:  3160 yen
Payment:  Credit cards accepted
Dishes: Special tonkatsu, oyster fry (3 pieces)
English Menu: Yes

Smoking: No

Imakatsu was recommended by a friend at work who said it's the best tonkatsu he's ever had in Japan.  That's high praise considering how much tonkatsu is available here.  So far our favorite has been Hiro Katsu right where we live in Yokosuka.  Imakatsu is in Roppongi (and some other spots I believe) and we decided to eat lunch there the day after the night we spent there.

It's located down a back alley surrounded by very seedy places, but it is quite nice inside.  We were waiting outside for it to open along with some gentlemen who struck up a conversation with us.  Turns out one of them is a butcher who specializes in importing American meat, and Imakatsu is a customer of his.

They are welcoming of foreigners and had an English menu.  I went for the slightly more expensive "special" tonkatsu lunch, and my wife opted for the 3 piece kaki (oyster) fry.  My tonkatsu was, frankly, incredible, the thickest slab of deep fried pork I've ever eaten, super fatty and done to perfection, nothing tough about it.  My wife's oysters were a disappointment with one being overdone and the others having less flavor than usual, which is odd as this is the season for good oysters.  However, on the strength of my dish, I'm still giving it an Excellent rating.

Was it better than Hiro Katsu?  Hard to tell, since the cut of meat had so much to do with it.  I have to say I think we prefer Hiro Katsu though, due to the better flavor of the batter, the wonderful little bites of deep fried vegetables and fruit, and the tonkatsu sauce is superior in my opinion.  Oh and his soup is better and it's all for 1000 yen.  Ok, so Hiro Katsu still wins, but Imakatsu was definitely an amazing experience!

Katsuya

Rating: OK
Meal: Lunch
Price: 1090 yen
Payment: Cash only
Dishes: Katsudon and tonjiru
English Menu: Yes
Smoking: No

A friend of mine at work wanted to show me a new tonkatsu restaurant he had found.  It's a bit of a drive from work, but we made the trip in an hour barely.

Katsuya is a chain of tonkatsu restaurants that my wife and I had eaten at once long ago closer to Yokota.  We remarked that it was a good thing this chain didn't exist closer to home as it's very convenient, usually has parking lots, and is quite cheap.  We noticed this branch open up at some point, but since we don't live down near Kurihama anymore we haven't had a chance to eat there again.

It was quite decent, and I would probably give it a Very Good were there not such great competition.  I would say it goes  Hirokatsu, then Wako, then Katsuya, then 7-11.  However their tonjiru (pork soup) was absolutely delicious and I was glad I got an extra large bowl of the stuff.  This place is always a welcome sight when I'm in my car around lunch time.

Yanasehonten

Rating: Very good
Meal: Dinner
Price: 880 yen
Payment: Cash only
Dishes: Katsudon
English Menu: Yes
Smoking: No

Yanasehonten is down one of the tiny alley ways near Yokosuka Chuo station.  I didn't even know it was a tonkatsu (and other fried stuff) restaurant and thought I was getting into a more generalized Japanese restaurant, but turns out they are allow about deep frying things (yum).

There was a little picture above the bar seating area of Junichiro Koizumi (former Japanese Prime Minister) standing with the staff.  So I guess this place may be kinda famous?  I don't know, but I opted for the katsudon (with egg on) and it was quite tasty (and cheap!).  I'd definitely come back for another meal here some time.

Maisen

Rating: Very good
Meal: Lunch for 2
Price: 2370 yen
Payment: Credit cards accepted
Dishes:Katsudon, mixed set
English Menu: Yes
Smoking:  No

Maisen is a very famous tonkatsu restaurant in Tokyo.  This Maisen is not that Maisen.  My wife and I had to take our car into the LTO (Land Transportation Office?) for registration renewal and found ourselves out by IKEA in Yokohama.  Nearby there is a Lalaport mall that my wife had heard housed an excellent tonkotsu restaurant called Maisen.  We decided to eat lunch there and proceeded to try and track this place down.  Oddly, it isn't actually it's own restaurant.  There is an interesting food court area at this mall with several high-end restaurants providing different food options for reasonable prices.

There is a row of registers where you can peruse a combined menu, order and pay.  Then they give you a little beeper and you go find a table.  When your beeper beeps, you go to the counter for your particular restaurant and retrieve your meal.  Quite an odd setup, even by Japanese standards, but it works.  I guess this place gets pretty popular some times.  It was a Monday though, and before lunch time proper, so it was empty for us.

Anyway, we ordered from the Maisen menu, wishing to try this legendary tonkotsu.  I got a katsudon, which is tonkatsu with egg and onions on top of rice.  My wife got a mixed set consisting of panko battered and fried vegetables, a small piece of tonkotsu, and a crab cream croquette.  It was all actually quite good, though there are probably better dishes available on the menu.

Kind of a cool spot.  I'd like to come back and try some of the other restaurants some day.

Saboten

Rating: OK
Meal:  Lunch for 3
Price: 3750 yen
Payment: Credit cards accepted
Dishes: Hirekatsudon, rosukatsudon, vegetable katsudon
English Menu: Yes
Smoking: No

I'm back in Japan!  Yay!  We went to church today and lunch after church, which today was a new place in the Toyosu Mall serving tonkatsu (breaded fried pork) dishes.  Our favorite chain is Wako Tonkatsu, but this chain is different and we had never had it before.

They had English menus, which is handy sometimes.  My wife and I love the katsudon, which usually comes with the sweet egg and onion mix along with the deep fried pork.  So we got two kinds, hire and rosu (lean and fatty).  Our son hates anything fried, so we promised to remove the offending fried pork and let him just have the egg mixture on rice, along with some shredded cabbage for veg.  We then ordered a mix of vegetables deep fried and on rice as our third dish for some variety.

Thinly shredded cabbage is apparently a requirement at these establishments, and they had plenty.  It was nicer than Wako's though, very green and lightly crispy.  I think it had more flavor (for cabbage).  The miso soup has *nothing* on Wako's though, which remains our absolute favorite clam miso soup ever (would go there just for the soup).  The little tsukemono (pickled things) were excellent at this place though, as they were pickled with yuzu, a japanese lemon/lime thing.

The main dishes were pretty good, but not great.  Compared with Wako's rosukatsu nabe dish, not at the same level, which leaves it at an overall Ok.

Houjou

Rating: Very good
Meal:  Dinner
Price:   1500 yen
Payment:  Cash only
Dishes:  Stamina Tonkatsu Teishoku (cheesy garlic filled deep fried pork cutlet)
English Menu: Yes
Smoking: Yes

Houjou is right next to Chuo train station, across the street from the excellent sushi-go-round place.  They do tonkatsu primarily, and while not quit as elevated as Katsuhiro, it is still pretty darn good.  Their claim to fame is that they've got "special" versions of the venerable tonkatsu, including the item I ordered:  the Stamina katsu.  This means the inner pork has been sliced and sandwiched in there is garlicky cheese (or cheesy garlic, not sure which).  All of this has then been breaded with panko and deep fried golden brown, then sliced and put on a plate with the usual shredded cabbage, a bowl of rice and miso soup.  Their clam miso is not as good as Wako's, but it's decent.

I have to say, it was delicious.  And someday I'm going to try what look like deep fried sushi rolls, though really there is meat in there too.  Some day...

Mmmm...cheesy goodness

Katsuhiro

Rating: Excellent
Meal:  Lunch for 2
Price:  2,000 yen
Payment:  Cash only
Dishes:Tonkatsu Teishoku
English Menu: No

Smoking: Yes

Update 10/23/2017

It's been several months now, but it appears that Katsuhiro is closed and not re-opening.  We all new this time would come, and I'm desperately hoping I'm wrong, but one of the best places to eat in Yokosuka appears to be no more.

*******************************

Original Review:

No English, but you'll like whatever you point at

 Katsuhiro is a tonkatsu restaurant located between the Main and Womble gates of the base on road 16.  My first memory of this place was soon after arriving, we were walking back from our first dinner off base (Ringer Hut) and we walked by this little hole in the wall with a wooden sign above it.  There were 3 or 4 people standing outside taking pictures of it after having finished their dinner.  One of them exclaimed:  "Oh?  Was that your first time?"

There are lots of tonkatsu places around town which are pretty good, some not so good.  But for the pure manifestation of tonkatsu (pounded, breaded, deep fried pork), nothing beats Katsuhiro.  There is only the one chef, and he's obviously been doing this a long time.  He has it down to a very precise, but slow, science.  


Slowness and slight discomfort are the only two downsides to this place.  You had better plan for at least an hour and possibly more if you get behind the queue.  The most number of parallel dishes I've seen prepared is 4.  We arrived today behind two others and were worried we'd be there longer than usual, but luckily we got in as he was getting the others ready, so there were four dishes done at the same time.  Any more than that would probably have to wait until he was done before getting to order.  I thought he opened at 12pm prompt, but apparently he let these other two in early.  He didn't even have his pole with green noren out yet.  The other issue is comfort...there is only bar seating, with a narrow strip of tatami for your bum, and nothing to lean against.  I have to squirm about periodically to keep comfortable, but at least there's a place for your feet to go under.  One other thing is that smoking is permitted, and it's so small that if even one person decides to smoke, you'll be subjected to it as well.  In the 5 or 6 times I've eaten there, I've only had it happen twice.

There is no english menu, which is fine, because the cook pretty much assumes you'll be wanting the same thing every other gaijin wants:  the Tonkatsu Teishoku.  If you want anything different, be very clear (and possibly speak up...he might be a little deaf).  But really, the tonkatsu is amazing.  The lunch special is a rosukatsu (fatty pork) tonkatsu for 1000 yen.  Very hard to beat, and it's amazing.  In addition to the usual slab of fried pork, you get deliciously battered bites of apple, carrot, and whatever else he has prepared that day.   There is a small cabbage salad with different greens on top, a little bit of pickled cabbage (very salty) and some other small slices of vegetables.  The miso soup is unique and quite delicious, using what I'm pretty sure is a pork broth base instead of dashi.  If you are obviously foreign (read:  white or black), you will probably get a smaller than normal serving of rice.  I chose to forgive this micro-racism the first time I invited someone who ended up not eating their entire bowl of rice.  I was mortified, but couldn't say anything.  Just ask for more if you eat it all and he'll serve it up.

When he serves you, don't do anything until he tells you to start.  He will grind up some sesame seeds, pour in some sauce, and pour salad dressing and sauce over the salad.  Then he'll motion that you can start eating.  A polite "itadakimasu" is in order ("I gratefully receive this food").   The sauce used looks like a typical tonkatsu sauce, which I don't usually like as it is very vinegary.  But there is something special about his sauce.  I don't know if he makes it himself or not, but it wouldn't surprise me.  It's tart without being sour somehow..

If you want to try something else, there's menchi katsu (minced meat deep fried), chicken katsu, steak don, oyster (kaki), and ebi (shrimp) fry.  All are typically accompanied by the same stuff I think, so whatever you get will be incredible I am sure.

Tonkatsu Wako

***Update 3/29/2019***
Daie/Aeon mall is now closed!!
********************Rating: Very good
Meal:  Lunch
Price:  1300 yen
Payment:  Credit Cards accepted
Dish:  Rosukatsu Nabe Gohan
English Menu: Yes
Smoking:  No

Another Daie mall place, Wako's (as we call it) is a chain restaurant that specializes in tonkatsu, or breaded fried stuff, usually pork, but also chicken, shrimp, and other things.  Their typical dishes consist of breaded fried stuff, plus a mound of cabbage, bowl of rice, and bowl of tiny clam miso soup.  But my favorite dish is the one I had today, the rosukatsu nabe gohan, which translates to fried fatty pork loin in an onion/egg sauce.  It also comes with lots of cabbage and the other things.

Lunch specials

If you aren't up for a big lunch (I skipped breakfast today, so I was hungry), the special menu has several cheaper options.  Even though it may not look like much, there's no excuse for leaving this place hungry as you get free refills (okawari) on the cabbage, rice and miso soup!  Each of these side dishes deserves a little time on it's own.

First, the rice is some of the best stuff I've had anywhere.  It is consistently one of the most perfect expressions of Japanese rice I have come across, and it fills its role as a palate cleanser well.  I never thought I'd get used to not putting soy sauce on my rice and eating it plain, but this stuff is excellent.  Not that you never come across nasty rice in Japan (I'm talking to you SRF Cafeteria!), but when you find the good stuff...you know it. 

English menu

Next the cabbage, which I'm not normally fond of, is very finely shredded and normally you are expected to apply some of the thick tangy apple vinaigrette on every table.  I am not fond of the dressing however, so I usually just wolf it down plain.  But with *this* dish (the rosukatsu nabe), I pile it on top of the steaming dish, let it wilt down and then eat it as a savory vegetable.  Yum.

 

More fake food!

The small clam miso soup at Wako's is the best version of the soup we've had anywhere in Japan.  Several places serve a clam broth miso soup, with varying sizes of clams.  Wako's uses tiny clams that are a bit tough to get the meat out of (though it's excellent chopstick dexterity practice), but for pure flavor, they win.  I'm sure there's a better clam miso soup out there, but we have yet to find it.

Rosukatsu Nabe Gohan

The rosukatsu dish itself is delicious.  It comes in a metal pot still bubbling with a small flame under it.  The onions have been cooked in the same delicious sauces that many different Japanese dishes use (soy sauce, mirin, sake, sugar, and vinegar).  Egg is mixed in just before they serve it, so it is still cooking as you start eating.  The rosukatsu (fatty pork loin, as opposed to hirekatsu - lean pork) is placed on top and some sauce poured over. This deliciousness is eaten with the rice, cabbage and miso soup as you like.  It's a pretty heavy meal, so I usually don't end up getting seconds on any of the side dishes.

My wife absolutely loves Wako's too, so I don't go here as often by myself.  But since I was ravenous I thought it was time...and I'm glad to get the review up.  There are a few other tonkatsu places in Yokosuka that I'll get to eventually, but this one is great for consistency and that incredible clam miso.