Katsukura Shijo Higashinotoin — Restaurant in Kyoto

Wow. This place was phenomenal!! I would rate this place 6 out of 5 if I could!

We had a hankering for Tonkatsu and were drawn to the pictures on their menu.

We arrived on a Monday evening without a reservation (two adults and two teenagers) and our timing was just off enough where we had to wait for a table. Waiting area was nice, and I got to sit right beside the A/C unit which was heaven for me after a hot July day. While we were waiting we were given menus and our orders were taken even before we had our table.

That tactic certainly paid off as we had a very minimal wait for the food once seated as the chefs were already able to start on our meal while we were in the waiting area.

The pork tonkatsu was perfect. The meat cooked ideally so that it was still moist and the breading crisp and crunchy. Best tonkatsu I have ever had!

The act of grinding our own sesame seeds and adding our choice of sauce (original or spicy) helped us customize and feel like a small part of the delicious creation.

The croquettes and side dishes of rice, miso soup and cabbage (with yuzu salad dressing) were all very good as well.

Staff were amazing and the restaurant looked and felt...

Great experience, good food, filling meal, good value.

I ordered the tenderloin katsu. The meat was moist and tender - very well prepared. The breading was crispy, light (as far as breading goes) and not oily. I'm normally not a fan of breaded or fried foods, but this still gets a thumbs up from me!

While waiting for your katsu, you're given a mortar and pestle to grind up your own sesame seeds. You can then mix your sesame seed powder with various sauces at the table to prepare dipping sauces for your meal. There are English and Japanese descriptions of all of the sauces. I found this activity quite fun, and a great way to pass the time while waiting for your meal.

You're also given unlimited refills on cabbage, rice, and miso soup. If you're very hungry, this is a great place to eat. I really appreciated the cabbage since I've been traveling and missing out on fresh veggies.

My tip? It might be heretical, but mix the pickled vegetables and the sauce for the cabbage in with your rice. Holy cow was that...

Overpriced for such poor quality food. We walked into the restaurant seeing the average score on Google maps as 4.4. Walked out of the restaurant with a total disappointment for the food.

2/5 for the food quality. The pork tenderloin cutlets were supposed to be more juicy and fatty as compared to the loin cutlets. However, their tenderloin is pretty dry and not juicy. It's definitely below average food quality for tonkatsu standard in Japan. For a restaurant that is specialized in pork cutlet, we think it has not meet the standard yet.

2/5 for the value for money. Their price is comparable with the pork cutlets sold at Tonkinchi and Maisen. However, the quality of food is way below that of the both. The price you pay for is definitely not worth your money. It cost us around 4400 yen for two persons.

2/5 for the service. The service crews were not very attentive imo. It takes awhile to get their attention.

Overall, we believe that the relatively low food quality and standard don't justify the money...