Katsudon, perhaps one of the most popular local Japanese comfort foods. One of my comfort foods too.
So it’s a strange feeling to see it going through a social media craze with multiple new restaurants creating their own renditions of the dish – with long lines to boot. But of all the social media food trends of late, elevated Katsudon is one of the few I can get behind.
You may ask, why do I rarely have Katsudon and why have I taken so long to write about the best Katsudon? On paper, Katsudon should be my favourite dish ever. After all, I love Tonkatsu and I love the cosmic oneness of Tendon when rice, sweet soy and batter combine.
Video credit – IG harapeko_kc
It’s a good question because Katsudon was my default comfort Japanese meal as a kid. That perhaps was a double edge sword though, as like with my other comfort foods (baked pork chop rice, fish and chips), my mind has now idealised some unobtainable version of the dish. One with slightly pink Tokyo X pork, white soft panko and a sweet soy tare sauce that straddles that addictive sweet savoury balance.
Unfortunately cooking physics dictates that this version of Katsudon may remain forever unobtainable. In order for the Tonkatsu to withstand and absorb the sauce it needs to be fried harder than ideal for a regular Tonkatsu. This results in a darker panko crust and leaves the meat drier than a regular Tonkatsu.
The social media craze means chefs are putting their own unique spin on Katsudon to try to combat the cooking paradox that is Katsudon. As a result, there are multiple styles of Katsudon, making your best Katsudon a very personal choice.
Here’s how to choose your favourite Katsudon.
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Table of Contents
How to choose your Best Katsudon Restaurant
The Best Katsudon Restaurant in Tokyo and Japan
Tonkatsu Marushichi (とんかつ丸七 深川不動店) – The Meaty Katsudon
Nihombashi Kakigaracho Sakuri (日本橋蛎殻町 さくり) – The Modernised Traditional Katsudon
Zuichou (瑞兆) – The OG Instagrammer Katsudon
Katsudon Wa Hito O Shiawaseni Suru (#カツ丼は人を幸せにする 日本橋本店) – The Robust Katsudon
Tonkatsu Banbu (とんかつ ばんぶー) – The Elegant Katsudon
Suzushin (鈴新) – The Traditional Katsudon
How to choose your Best Katsudon Restaurant
Best Katsudon in Tokyo and Japan Decision Helper
As mentioned earlier, there are multiple different styles of Katsudon, which means your personal best Katusdon will largely depend on the style that you like the most. This Katsudon Decision Helper is an extremely simplified summary of the Katsudon scene in Japan, but is still a useful guide to help you choose the best Katsudon restaurant for you and your own preferences.
For me, I would want Katsudon Wa Hito O Shiawaseni Suru’s Tokyo X Pork, cooked Marushichi style, with Banbu’s panko, Sakuri’s egg and Marushichi’s sweet soy tare.
For more detail on each of the Katsudon restaurants, see the table below.
Katsudon Summary Table
Best Katsudon in Tokyo and Japan Detail
The Katsudon Restaurant in Tokyo and Japan
Note the number of good Katsudon I have will continually grow. To keep this guide reasonable in length, only noteworthy ones will get a write up. To follow the latest on my Katsudon journey, please follow my Instagram.
Tonkatsu Marushichi (とんかつ丸七 深川不動店) – The Meaty Katsudon
Marushichi is known as the meaty Katsudon because it has (and is famous for) the thickest pork cutlet in all of Japan. It’s also the Katsudon that kicked off the Katsudon craze – if you’ve seen a video clip of a thick Katsudon, there’s a high chance that it was Marushichi.
They follow the Zuichou method of serving Katsudon where the Tonkatsu is placed on top of a scrambled egg. Their signature is that they cook (presumably in a sous-vide or similar) their pork at a low temperature for an entire day. This allows them to get a perfectly even cook on their pork, which is particularly important for their thick cut Katsudon, and tenderises the meat.
There are downsides to this though as the pork gains an unnatural slightly soft cured texture which can be off putting for some. However, the egg is excellent and their sweet soy tare is the best of all Katsudon restaurants, which makes Marushichi a must try for any Katsudon lover.
Side note – I’d be actually be perfectly satisfied if they served just the egg and tare sauce on rice.
For a full menu breakdown, head to Tokyo Gourmet’s excellent post.
If you enjoyed Tonkatsu Marushichi, you may also like –
- Zuichou (瑞兆)
- Katsudon Wa Hito O Shiawaseni Suru (#カツ丼は人を幸せにする 日本橋本店)
Nihombashi Kakigaracho Sakuri (日本橋蛎殻町 さくり) – The Modernised Traditional Katsudon
Sakuri is the known as the Modernised Traditional Katsudon because it is the Katsudon that most closely tastes like a traditional Katsudon done well. The main factor for this is that unlike the modern Katsudon where the egg is simply scrambled in a pan with sweet soy tare poured over the top, at Sakuri the egg is cooked traditionally in a sweet soy tare dashi. This keeps the egg looser and almost sauce like, faithful to the traditional Katsudon.
What Sakuri does uniquely however is that they add a higher ratio of egg so the egg sauce is thicker, and they don’t cook the Tonkatsu in the sauce itself – they simply pour sauce over the Tonkatsu. For me, this is ideal as they strike a balance between the traditional “too soggy” approach and the modern “lack of cohesiveness” approach.
The cosmic oneness that is achieved with their Katsudon construction means Sakuri’s Katsudon punches above it’s weight, especially for the pork quality. The pork itself is thinner and fried hard, which would normally be an issue but because the fat is the sweetest of all the Katsudons and because the meat is thinner, you don’t notice the slight dryness of the meat as much you normally would.
Note for Katsudon enthusiasts – the Sakuri is just down the road to the Nihonbashi Kakigaracho branch of Katsudon Wa Hito O Shiawaseni Suru so I would recommend double stacking for a good comparison.
If you enjoyed Sakuri, you may also like –
- Suzushin (鈴新)
Zuichou (瑞兆) – The OG Instagrammer Katsudon
Zuichou is known as the OG Instagrammer Katsudon because while it may not have started the current Katsudon craze, in 2013 it was the first Katsudon restaurant to popularise serving the Tonkatsu on top of the egg. Previously, the Tonkatsu was always cooked with the egg or had the egg poured over the top but Zuichou reasoned that it made little sense to spend the effort to fry a Tonkatsu only for it to get soggy and thus began serving it above the egg.
Not only was it a unique way of constructing a Katsudon, but it also made for extremely aesthetic Katsudon photos to the point where it Zuichou’s blue and white bowl was iconic on social media.
There’s no real menu here, you’ll simply just tell them what size rice you want. There’s a “secret” option for double egg which I recommend for anyone with an above moderate appetite – just drop 100 yen in the box when sitting and ask for “tamago dabaru” when placing your order.
While personally I think it’s overrated (I think anyone who was “moved” by Zuichou simply hasn’t had any exposure to other Katsudon and Tonkatsu restaurants), a pilgrimage here is a must for any Katsudon enthusiast. After all without Zuichou, many of the new Katsudon restaurants in this article may not exist today.
If you enjoyed Zuichou, you may also like –
- Tonkatsu Marushichi (とんかつ丸七 深川不動店)
- Katsudon Wa Hito O Shiawaseni Suru (#カツ丼は人を幸せにする 日本橋本店)
Katsudon Wa Hito O Shiawaseni Suru (#カツ丼は人を幸せにする 日本橋本店) – The Robust Katsudon
Katsudon Wa Hito O Shiawaseni Suru’s confusingly long name translates to “Katsudon makes you happy”. It’s known as the Robust Katsudon because it is the most flavourful and richest Katsudon in this article. The batter is thicker, darker and crunchier, the eggs are richer and there is an option to upgrade to Tokyo X pork (one of my favourite pork breeds) for an even more flavoursome pork experience.
Inline with the “robust” theme, for those with larger appetites, you can also order extra katsu. Despite all this flavour, it is still one of the cheapest Katsudon in Tokyo.
Note for Katsudon enthusiasts – the Nihonbashi Kakigaracho branch is just down the road to Nihombashi Kakigaracho Sakuri so I would recommend double stacking for a good comparison.
If you enjoyed Katsudon Wa Hito O Shiawaseni Suru, you may also like –
- Tonkatsu Marushichi (とんかつ丸七 深川不動店)
- Zuichou (瑞兆)
Tonkatsu Banbu (とんかつ ばんぶー) – The Elegant Katsudon
Tonkatsu Banbu is known as the Elegant Katsudon because it has lightest overall Katsudon in this article both from a batter and sauce concentration perspective. Don’t let that deter you though because Banbu uses one of the highest quality pork fried skillfully at low temp resulting in the softest Katsudon in this article.
It follows the traditional construction so the Tonkatsu is cooked with the egg. However, Banbu separates out the pork and egg from the rice, giving you control on how saucy you want your rice to be. They use eggs from Funabashi Nara Poultry Farm in Chiba, where the antibiotic-free chickens are fed a diet of high-quality chemical-free corn, soybeans, and kelp with grass and enzymes.
If you’re not dining solo, I would recommend also getting the Special Rib Roast Tonkatsu as their regular Tonkatsu is in my top 5 favourite Tonkatsu in Japan and even better than their Katsudon.
If you enjoyed Banbu, you may also like –
- Suzushin (鈴新)
Suzushin (鈴新) – The Traditional Katsudon
Suzushin is known as the Traditional Katsudon simply because it’s the best traditional Katsudon in Tokyo – the nostalgic comfort food type. The vibe is also traditional as well, with the restaurant’s old school Japanese interior.
Suzushin is unique in that you can choose either the traditional Katsudon where the Tonkatsu is cooked with the egg or have the egg sauce poured over the top of the Tonkatsu (similar to Sakuri, but looser).
If you enjoyed Suzushin, you may also like –
- Nihombashi Kakigarachou Sakuri (日本橋蛎殻町 さくり)
- Tonkatsu Banbu (とんかつ ばんぶー)
Wishlist
- Katsudon Takatsu (かつ丼多勝) – Akita
- Tonkatsu Noguchi (とんかつ 乃ぐち) – Osaka
Let me know in the comments if you have any recommendations for Katsudon restaurants that you want me to hit up!
Conclusion
So there we have it, the Best Katsudon in Tokyo and Japan.
While I still haven’t found my forever Katsudon, the future is bright with the current Katsudon boom – there’s a style of Katsudon for almost everyone.
So fellow foodies, what’s your favourite Katsudon restaurant in the world?
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