Recent Reviews
The Teishokuya! Highly recommended if you're craving fried food. The restaurant is on the second floor, so it's best to decide what you want to order before you go up the stairs. You order as soon as you enter, so if you wait until you get upstairs, you might end up holding up people behind you. The interior has both counter and table seating, but it's basically shared seating and they seat you as soon as you arrive. There's usually a line, but the turnover is fast because the food comes out quickly after you're seated. I ordered the Loin Cutlet (Upper) Set for ¥1,300. They only accept cash. It's great that the rice and pork soup are refillable! Almost everyone was getting seconds. There's a good selection of condiments on the table, including salt, sweet sauce, spicy sauce, and sweet chili sauce. I ate the cabbage with sweet chili sauce and it was gone in a flash! There are probably better tonkatsu places out there if you're looking for the best, but this place has a great balance of speed, affordability, and deliciousness. Highly recommended for lunch or dinner.
Even though it's a tonkatsu (pork cutlet) restaurant, I don't always order tonkatsu. This time, I had the chicken cutlet, which cost 1,100 yen. It was probably thigh meat, and while it was quite lean, it was juicy and delicious. The crispy texture of the breading matched perfectly. The breading itself was really good. There's a line down the stairs, but the turnover is pretty fast. It doesn't feel like a place to relax, but it used to be even more hectic. The daikon radish in the tonjiru (pork and vegetable soup) is really delicious, and I love the sweet chili dressing for the cabbage. The only thing is that the rice portions are quite large, and I always think I should ask for a smaller portion when I order, but I always forget. It might not always be freshly fried, but I enjoy the restaurant's fast service and friendly staff. The ease of ordering refills is simply amazing.
I arrived around 9 pm and was able to snag a seat just in time. I ended up sharing a table with someone who was already there. Since it was my first time, I wanted to try both the loin and the fillet, or maybe a cutlet with something else, but those options weren't on the menu (lol). I ended up getting the premium loin cutlet set (¥1,300). What still amazes me is that after ordering outside, my food came out in exactly 5 minutes. I checked the time in the photo, and it's accurate. How do they manage to fry such thick cutlets so quickly? I have no idea... They have sweet, spicy, and salt sauces. I alternated between the three, which helped prevent me from getting bored (happy). The meat was a little tough for a premium loin, though. The pork soup and rice are refillable. I got another bowl of soup, but the rice portion was already quite generous. It was also firm and delicious. The pork soup was also very good. The staff was incredibly attentive, which is a far cry from the tonkatsu hundred best restaurants in Kabukicho I went to recently. It would be disrespectful to even compare them. I'll definitely be lining up to eat here again. I was completely satisfied. Thank you for the meal.
Arriving at Shinjuku Station in the evening, I pondered what to eat for an early dinner. Ultimately, I decided to try this restaurant, which I occasionally visit for lunch. The evening opening is at 5 pm. Arriving a bit early, there were about six people waiting, including some inbound tourists. During my previous lunch visits, there weren't this many people waiting, so I was relieved to find that I would likely be able to enter during the first round. As scheduled, the staff lit up the sign outside and we went upstairs to the restaurant. We were seated at a table by the window. This might have been a one-time occurrence, but it wasn't as crowded as I expected. I ordered the "Roast Pork Cutlet Set" (¥1,200) and my wife ordered the "Fillet Cutlet Set" (¥1,400). The roast pork cutlet set was perhaps a bit overcooked, but the flavor was still delicious as always. Considering the price, the portion size was good. I'll definitely come back again! (20240920)
Although they don't have a lunch menu, I decided to try it out after being recommended. It seems to be popular with locals, and there was a line, but I was lucky to get a seat quickly because of the time of day. It seems like they usually have shared seating. The pork cutlet set was delicious. The meat was tender and very flavorful. There was a bit of gristle, but it wasn't a big deal. The center of the cutlet was hollow, so I wondered if they folded the meat to create that shape or if it was a secret technique to ensure even cooking. They had sweet, spicy, and sweet chili sauces. All of them went well with the pork cutlet, so I recommend trying them all. Rice and pork soup were free refills. It seemed like they served smaller rice bowls for women.