The best tonkatsu in Japan (Tonkatsu Aoki)
- Fon Shibuya Papaya
- Dec 23, 2016
- 4 min read
Tonkatsu (とんかつ) or deep fried pork cutlet covered with bread crumbs has become one of the well known Japanese foods. It originated in the 19th Century in Tokyo Japan where it was developed from 'Katsuretsu' (cutlet which was beef) and combined with the influences of the west, which included the usage of pork and deep frying techniques. From just a beef cutlet it became what is know today as the "Tonkatsu"("ton" - basically means "pork", "katsu" - means "cutlet" ). Today, Tonkatsu has become a part of the Japanese cuisine despite its western taste/features.
Following Sushi and Ramen - Tonkatsu can be easily found in chain restaurants around Japan and all over the world.
Today, I would like to introduce to you the best Tonkatsu place in Tokyo ! Of course this is my
personal opinion, but after living in Japan in total for 13 years - I've never tasted Tonkatsu like this before ! Seriously, I felt enlightened and questioned myself about what I was eating for the past 13 years ... OK I may have exaggerated a bit, but it was THAT good.
Tonkatsu Aoki (とんかつ 檍) (Japanese) is a small local Tonkatsu shop located in Kamata. The shop is fairly small and can fit approximately 10 people...therefore there is a long line ( be prepared to wait approximately 30-40mins) . Is it worth the wait ? YES it was for me.
This place is known for it's juicy, thick pork cutlets, perfectly deep fried outer layer crumb.
It comes with sliced cabbage salad, rice, and pork and veggies miso soup (pic below). Many of the Tonkatsu chain shops serve different parts of the pork mostly the tenderloin and the loin, slices that regular in size. However at Aoki you can enjoy THICKER, BIGGER, and juicier bites of variety of parts of the pork. Season it with Tonkatsu sauce or their special salts from around the world (left pic : salts from Pakistan and Kiribati Islands ).
As this is a fairly local shop the menu is in Japanese. Let me explain it to you :
MENU (above picture) from right to left :
- Loin katsu lunch set @1,000 yen (weekdays lunchtime only)
(Rosukatsu lunch set)
- Premium loin katsu set @ 1,500 yen ***
(Jyo-rosu katsu teishoku)
- Special premium loin katsu set @ 2,000 yen
(Toku-jyo-rosu katsu set)
- Spencer roll katsu set @ 2,800 yen ***
(Rib-rosu katsu teishoku)
- Boston butt / shoulder loin @ 1,800 yen
(Kata-rosu katsu set)
- Tenderloin katsu set @ 1,500 yen
(Tenderloin katsu set)
- Premium tenderloin katsu set @ 2,000 yen
(Toku-jyo- tenderloin katsu set)
There's a couple of options to choose from and I'm sure you will be a bit overwhelmed. I would probably suggest the Premium loin katsu set (上ロースかつ定食) as a standard set, but if you really want to have something super special go for the most expensive Spencer roll katsu set (リブロースかつ定食). Ok, I'm not sure if I translated Rib-rosu correctly in English , but it's suppose to be a super special part of the loin and very rare to get - so why not spoil yourself for once and enjoy the mouth watering experience - GO FOR IT ! I DID and I totally enjoyed it ❤︎
Other than that, try to be there before 11:00am (for lunch) or 17:00 (for dinner) ...as the line will be pretty long after that. ALSO for the Kamata branch - be aware that there is a katsu curry shop beforehand (same owner) and there is a line for that one. Make sure you line up for the Aoki Tonkatsu shop (usually the outer line) or else you may be wasting your time lining up for something else.
Since Kamata is a bit out of the city, they have just opened (January 2016) a new branch in Hamamatsucho called Tonkatsu Daimon Aoki which is closer to the city center so it may be more convenient for you to try out. It is said that they did not PR this second branch so it was fairly easy to get a seat then ... but I'm not sure about now. If you get to go there let me know how it is !
Further details of the shop as below ! Enjoy !
From your favorite papaya in Shibuya,
Original Kamata branch :
Hours: Lunch 11:00 - 14:00 , Dinner 17:00 - 21:00 (closed on Sundays and Mondays)
(Make sure to get there early as the wait may take 30-40mins)
Reservations: No reservations taken. please go line up earliest as possible ! English menu: Nope. It's totally local so please refer to the menu translated above
Price: as per above menu excluding VAT
Dress code : Casual
Address: 5-43-7 Kamata Ota Tokyo Royal Heights Kamata 102
東京都 大田区 蒲田 5-43-7 ロイヤルハイツ蒲田１０２
Transportation :
- JR Keihin Tohoku line -> Kamata station -> Exit from east exit -> walk 4 minutes
ＪＲ京浜東北線「蒲田」駅東口より徒歩４分
Facebook: @tonkatsuaoki
Hamamatsucho branch :
Hours:Lunch 11:00 - 15:00 , Dinner 17:00 - 20:00 (closed on Sundays and Mondays) (Make sure to get there early as the wait may take 30-40mins)
Reservations: No reservations taken. please go line up earliest as possible ! English menu: Nope. It's totally local so please refer to the menu translated above
Price: prices may slightly vary from the Kamata branch
Dress code : Casual
Address: KM Building 1F, 1-11-12, Hamamatsucho, Minato-ku, Tokyo, 105-0013
東京都 港区 浜松町 1-11-12 KMビル 1F
Transportation :
- JR Yamanote line or Keihintohoku line -> Hamamatsucho station -> 7 minutes walk from there
- Subway Toei Oedo line - > Daimon station -> 5 minutes walk from there
JR山手線、京浜東北線「浜松町」駅より徒歩７分
都営大江戸線「大門」駅より徒歩5分
Facebook: @tonkatsuaoki
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