Katsukatsu Tonton

At a tonkatsu restaurant, isn’t the best part of the service “unlimited refills of rice, miso soup, and cabbage”? Whether it’s because of the rise in high-end tonkatsu restaurants in recent years or simply due to inflation, I feel like more and more places are now charging for refills. In times like these, if you find a tonkatsu restaurant that offers unlimited free refills, it really gets your heart racing. So, I made sure to go without eating anything after waking up that morning and headed to a place called Katsukatsu Tonton along Kawaramachi-dori in Kyoto…

It offers the same sense of reassurance as a national chain… This is what Katsukatsu Tonton is like…

Katsukatsu Tonton is located east of the Kyoto Imperial Palace, just a short distance north of Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine Hospital. It’s in an area not frequented by many tourists and is set slightly away from the hospital’s main gate, giving it an ideal location—along a main street that’s reasonably lively without being too noisy. I arrived at Katsukatsu Tonton right at opening time, around 11:00 a.m. I was the first customer that day, so I was able to walk right in with zero wait time.

I heard the restaurant reopened after renovations in 2018, and it still has that clean, brand-new feel. I did a quick visual count and saw that there were 30 table seats inside. The seating area was quite spacious, giving the place a relaxed and airy vibe. It had a steady, reliable atmosphere reminiscent of a national chain, and the moment I walked in, I felt a sense of relief, thinking, “Even when my wallet’s a little light, I’ll be able to eat my fill here…”

The meat is incredibly tender… Katsukatsu Tonton’s standard menu item—the pork loin tonkatsu—so how did it actually taste?

Now, let me introduce the standard menu item I ordered that day at Katsukatsu Tonton: the pork loin tonkatsu. They offer three portion sizes—80g, 120g, and 160g—and the price for the 160g portion I ordered was 1,710 yen, tax included…

About 10 minutes after ordering, the 160g pork loin tonkatsu was brought to my table. Served alongside the golden-brown, crispy tonkatsu was a generous portion of barley rice in a traditional rice tub, and that reassuring feeling of being able to eat my fill welled up inside me once again.

Well then, let’s dig in… The tonkatsu batter has a coarse texture and a satisfying crunch. The pork inside is about 1 cm thick—just right—and made from lean, light-tasting meat with little fat. But what surprised me most was how tender the meat was. You can tell right away from the first bite that the meat was thoroughly tenderized during preparation. In that moment, I was reminded of the tonkatsu at “Tenobe Tonkatsu Sanpei,” renowned as the most tender in Kyoto. The immense care and attention to detail that went into preparing this tonkatsu really comes through.

While the selection of condiments to accompany this tonkatsu isn’t particularly extensive, the restaurant’s house-made tonkatsu sauce was one of the richest, thickest, and sweetest sauces I’ve ever encountered on my culinary adventures. So, while dipping too generously might leave you feeling a bit overwhelmed toward the end, mixing a bit of mustard into the sauce really cut through the richness and balanced the flavor nicely. And just like that, I finished the pork loin cutlet at Katsukatsu Tonton in about 10 minutes and left the restaurant. Between the meticulously prepared cutlet and the all-you-can-eat rice, miso soup, and cabbage, I was completely satisfied—both physically and emotionally.

Other Menu Items at Katsukatsu Tonton (Prices include tax)

• Pork Tenderloin Cutlet and Jumbo Shrimp Cutlet: 2,550 yen
• Jumbo Shrimp Donburi: 1,440 yen
• Pork Loin Cutlet and Minced Pork Cutlet: 1,610 yen
• Pork Cutlet Donburi: 1,440 yen
• Chicken Cutlet and Croquette: 1,100 yen

They also have an extensive takeout menu… Katsukatsu Tonton is a 7-minute walk from the nearest station, Demachiyanagi Station on the Keihan Electric Railway.

Katsukatsu Tonton also offers an extensive takeout menu…

Unfortunately, the rice bowl dishes aren’t available for takeout, but all set meal options are. If you order à la carte items without rice or miso soup, you’ll get 100 yen off the listed price. High-end tonkatsu is great, but takeout from a down-to-earth spot like this is convenient—and it’s always nice to have that option. If you get the chance, be sure to give it a try.

Now, here are the restaurant details…

P.S. If you are looking for a delicious pork cutlet in Kyoto, please stop by this article below…