Ginza Katsukami — Restaurant in Tokyo

Visit Dates: October 2023; April 11th, 2024; September 30th, 2024

Ginza Katsukami was the first truly high end Tonkatsu specialty restaurant I ever visited. Since then, I've had the pleasure of visiting them 2 additional times for a total of three times. There are two main things that make Ginza Katsukami special. One being the "omakase" style where you're given one piece at a time to ensure every bite is freshly fired. The second being the variety of cuts you're given, some of which I've never seen anywhere else. Although expensive, if you love Tonkatsu - you definitely won't be disappointed with visiting here!

The Food: The Tonkatsu here is clearly high quality. The meat is delicious with a plenty of natural pork flavor coming out. They use a medium panko size and a thinner batter which gives a satisfying crunch while allowing the meat to really shine. The cook on everything given to us was perfect which maximized the tenderness and juiciness of each piece. What makes Ginza Katsukami truly unique is the variety of cuts they serve. During my dinner course, I had tenderloin, loin, rump, menchi, cheek, rib roast, crab, and katsu curry. While they provide the classics, some of these cuts aren't typically offered (cheek, rump). Personally, the rump, rib roast, and crab croquette were what really stood out as the best pieces. The chefs will recommend which toppings to use with every cut - which is another nice touch as it gives you a view into the intended way to enjoy each piece. While the course includes appetizers and pallate cleaners throughout, the dessert here really stands out if you choose to get it. The kakigori is the best I've ever had - with the cream they use being delicious and encompassing throughout, and the flavoring tasting very fresh and natural.

The Experience: Ginza Katsukami does a great job making their small location into something elegant. The furniture, utensils, and plates are all beautiful and high quality. There is one table, with the rest of the seating being counter seats surrounding the kitchen. I always enjoy this setup as it allows you to both watch the chef's in action as well as converse with them if the opportunity allows. The service is impeccable, with the servers being very attentive and paying attention to when you need refills or have a plate to be taken away.

Overall: Ginza Katsukami remains one of my favorite Tonkatsu restaurants. Although expensive, the opportunity to eat high quality rare cuts makes this restaurant worth the price and securing the...

We had dinner at Ginza Katsukami on a Friday night at 8 pm. It's located on the 5th floor of the Miyako Building (accessible by stairs and elevator). Make reservations. They were fully booked the night we went. It's a small restaurant with about 9 seats at the counter and a table that seats 4. We had the brand pork course (9900 yen). When you are seated, they ask you what cutlet of choice you want - the night we dined, pork cheek and uni were the specials. There are other options such as corned beef, squid, corn, white asparagus, abalone, and expensive beef. We happened to be seated at the counter right in front of the chef so we got to watch him prepare everyone's food. The entire restaurant was essentially eating the same course at the same time so everything is cooked together. Then he prepares each course for each group and brings it over with instructions on how to eat it. We are tourists so he gave us our instructions in English (it seemed like most servers spoke English as well). Aside from picking which cutlet you want, you also get a choice of rice dish as the final course such as katsu-curry, katsu don (egg rice bowl & tonkatsu), sauce katsu-don, etc. (6 options total) and you select your shave ice flavor for dessert (strawberry, mango, black tea, coffee, matcha, seasonal (melon when we visited)). This meal was SO delicious. I loved trying different cuts of pork and enjoyed each piece. It was very fun to see how the chef wanted you to taste each cut - plain, salt, tonkatsu sauce, lemon juice, wasabi. It all complemented the pork so well. We chose curry and katsu don (egg rice with tonkatsu) for the rice dishes and loved it. The katsu don was so delicious - the egg was creamy and slightly sweet. And finally, the kakigori (shave ice) was the perfect way to end the meal. We had mango and strawberry and both flavors tasted very authentic and fresh. If you like to katsu or want to experience it, I would absolutely recommend coming to Ginza Katsukami. They are accommodating to non-Japaness speakers and the food...

We recently visited ginza katsukami for dinner, a place that has built a solid reputation for its tonkatsu and overall dining experience. While the food was decent and the chef was friendly, my experience was marred by what I can only describe as some of the worst service I’ve encountered at a high-end restaurant.

The two service staff members were curt to us throughout the entire dinner and rushed us through our meal from the moment we sat down. They even snatched away our cutleries at times while we were still eating without giving us a chance to finish. Their tone was dismissive and cold throughout the meal, and it quickly became clear that they weren’t interested in making us feel comfortable or welcome.

What stood out most was the microaggressive behavior and passive-aggressive attitude towards us. When we asked questions about the menu, we were met with dismissive shrugs and condescending looks. It was as if they were annoyed that we were even asking, which left us feeling unwelcome and uncomfortable.

For a restaurant of this caliber, the lack of basic hospitality was shocking. The food, while decent, didn't make up for the appalling service, and it certainly didn’t meet the expectations set by the restaurant’s reputation. It’s hard to enjoy your meal when you feel like you’re being rushed out of the door or treated like a nuisance.

While the chef's friendliness was a small positive, the overall experience was extremely underwhelming, and we definitely won’t...