Options for Pork or Beef Katsu in Tokyo
 

For many years we've been eating at Tonki near Meguro Sta. but after returning for the first time last year since the virus, we discovered the former manager and the elderly man who was always slicing the cutlets had retired. So while the food was still pretty good, it wasn't really the same - slices were a little thicker, so a little chewier, etc.

Now we may try again, but perhaps there is something better, maybe more unique or off-the-beaten-path we should try instead, but something other than Maisen. I noticed more wagyu beef katsu options including Gyukatsu Motomura, are there any other suggestions?

Maisen's daddy - Isen in Ueno
https://www.isen-honten.jp/history

I'm a huge tonkatsu fan. I also religiously visited the Tonki location in Meguro circa 2005-2012. But, in my opinion, the vibe of the place was maybe a bit more special than the food itself. Here are some of my other favorites (where the food might be a step up from Tonki - YMMV).

Hasegawa - https://maps.app.goo.gl/jm3VTKdF2GNkY92Z6
To me, this is the perfect tonkatsu experience - no frills place, great pork, shredded cabbage, spicy mustard, miso, rice, tonkatsu sauce. All the elements come together in perfect harmony. I often make a special trip to the neighborhood to eat there.

Ichikatsu - https://maps.app.goo.gl/K5ULTW1qKFxN1ygb6
Same hood as Hasegawa (Ryogoku) and not quite as good, but still well worth a visit.

Marugo - https://maps.app.goo.gl/yWj2YqyosdyR24Vs9
Great spot in Akihabara - often has a long line, though.

Katsukami - https://maps.app.goo.gl/HLSLL9TU1TXzhnWY8
Fancier restaurant in Ginza serving a set course. Really great pork. Reservation required.

Musashiya - https://maps.app.goo.gl/JGTV5dgvz2C9gmNS9
Solid no frills tonkatsu in Shimbashi

Masamune - https://maps.app.goo.gl/bnUfK8MbFzmQukv2A
My fav tonkatsu in the Akasaka neighborhood

Almost forgot, Katsuyoshi in Ningyocho is really great. In my top 5 for sure. Walk-ins are accepted, but booking ahead is not a bad idea.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/eXE3MuYaJxEEjN5y5

Trust me: https://www.mistore.jp.e.az.hp.trans...rant/wako.html

Hasegawa or Isen look like good options, especially with a broader menu than Tonki - including croquettes and omelets. I guess Tonki was more of a "tradition" for us, and a chance to see the senior staff at work - the elderly man who fried and sliced the pork cutlets was probably the "Jiro" of the tonkatsu world, every cutlet sliced precisely and exactly, every time, and for all the years we visited there - but with both of them gone, it lost a little of the urgency for us. Time to try something new.

If you want to go way off the beaten path (not Tokyo), my pick is Fukuya in Kagoshima.

One of my favourites is Katsukura, it is a Kyoto origin, but they have shop in Takashimaya Times Square in Shinjuku. Maybe more location in Tokyo, I don't know.

Thanks for that, I'll try it on my next trip to Kagoshima. :tu: Wished you had posted one week earlier, last week one in our party wanted tonkatsu and the hotel's suggestion was mediocre.