Tonkatsu Minato — Restaurant in Osaka

We dropped by Tonkatsu Minato as we are looking for dinner options around Dotonbori area. It’s a pork cutlet restaurant run by Shunsaiten Tsushima, a two-star Michelin restaurant, which explains its popularity. I read that there’s usually a queue during lunch time, but there was no queue when we were there in the late evening.

The restaurant only has counter seats in an L-shape, so you’ll be able to watch the chefs prepare your tonkatsu in front of you. For those that are not well-versed in Japanese, there’s also English menu. A waiting time of ~20 - 30mins is also required, as the tonkatsu are cooked at low temperature.

The pork cutlets are served in set meals which on top of the tonkatsu, comprises of cabbage, delicious pork soup and rice. The pork soup and rice is available for refill (The pork soup is extremely tasty). As the restaurant focuses on delivering high-quality pork to customers, the menu might change regularly depending on the availability of the different cuts for the day.

A few reasons why we think is so amazing about both the set meals and Katsudon.

First, both set meal cutlet and Katsudon is lightly battered - this makes the cutlets not greasy at all, and in fact, tastes refreshing! We have tried tonkatsu in many other places before but it makes us a bit nauseous after eating because it’s very greasy after fried. We feel great after eating tonkatsu here.

Second, the meat looks soft and tender. But it’s packed with flavours the moment you bite into it - the more you chew it, the greater the flavour. No pictures could actually capture the aroma of the Katsudon, so it’s best to try it out yourself.

There are four homemade sauces that you can add to your tonkatsu, but we recommend to consume the pork without dipping into any sauces to taste the authentic flavours of the high-quality meat.

Though Tonkatsu Minato serves the best tonkatsu we have eaten so far in Japan, it is at a slightly higher price point. That being said, one shouldn’t be discouraged by price and we highly recommend everyone...

In Dec 2024, I was traveling in Japan and one of the things I wanted to do, was to find the best tonkatsu. I had more than 10 tonkatsu in this trip and I ranked them. Some of them were big names and very popular. I must commend Tonkatsu Minato for tying first place in my opinion with tonkatsu Aoyama. There are not many seats inside so do come earlier. You will be able to see the chefs cook for you. They were meticulous. What I really enjoy about the tonkatsu which is different from others, is the cut of the meat which was generous and juicy. The seasoning was very good too. There are 4-5 different sauces to choose from and that made the experience even better. It was plated well and definitely mattered to me. When I come back to osaka, I will definitely be coming back....

Hands down the best meal I’ve had in Osaka! This is the best pork I’ve ever had in my life. We came on a rainy day so we only waited about 10-15 min to be seated. We ordered the set menu, it takes about 20 minutes to be served and it’s well worth it! They deep fry the pork, finish it in the oven and rest the pork. When you eat this pork, it’s so tender you feel like you’re eating wagyu beef. Such an amazing experience and wouldn’t be surprised if they receive a Michelin star...