Tonkatsu Aoki Kamata Head Shop

Of the popular restaurants that were once known as the “Four Heavenly Kings of Tonkatsu” in Kamata, it seems that only Tonkatsu Aoki has become famous by leaps and bounds. As of September 2024, there were more than 10 brand-name “Tonkatsu Aoki” restaurants. In addition, there is also “Ippekoppe”, a restaurant specializing in curry with pork cutlets… It would not be an exaggeration to say that this restaurant has surpassed Kamata and is now supporting the tonkatsu industry in Tokyo as a whole.I have always hated the Kamata Head Shop of Tonkatsu Aoki, and when I saw an opportunity to visit the restaurant, it was temporarily closed, or when I thought I just barely made it before closing time, it was after last orders… I forget how many times I tried like this, but the other day I finally made it into the restaurant. It’s been a few years since I first tried to visit “Tonkatsu Aoki Kamata Head Shop”, and let me tell you what kind of restaurant it was…

Using brand name pork “Hayashi SPF” before it became famous…Tonkatsu Aoki Kamata Head Shop is a restaurant like this…

The history of “Tonkatsu Aoki Kamata Head Shop” is surprisingly short. The founder is from Kagoshima Prefecture, and the name of the restaurant, “Aoki,” comes from the name of the place where he was born. I had always thought it was unusual to read “檍” as “Aoki,” but when I looked it up on the Internet, I found that there was indeed a place called “Aoki,” and that was the name of the restaurant. The name of the sister restaurant “Ippekoppe” is also Kagoshima dialect, and it made a lot of sense to me.

But then I thought, “Then, the meat they use is also Kagoshima black pork?” But actually, it is not so. Tonkatsu Aoki has been using a brand name pork called Hayashi SPF from Chiba Prefecture since its opening. Nowadays, this brand name pork is used in tonkatsu restaurants all over Japan (some of the tonkatsu specialty restaurants introduced in this blog, such as Katsudon Takatsu in Akita and Karasemitei in the north of Nijo Castle in Kyoto, also claim to use Hayashi SPF…), but this restaurant has been using Hayashi SPF since before it became as famous as it is now. Well, the reason why Tonkatsu Aoki uses Hayashi SPF is because Tonkatsu Maruichi, another famous restaurant in Kamata, was using it… Anyway, there is no doubt that this restaurant is a pioneer in the use of Hayashi SPF.

A little strict on the etiquette of waiting… What are the rules on how long the line is and how to stand in line at Tonkatsu Aoki Kamata Head Shop?

I arrived at Tonkatsu Aoki Kamata Head Shop at around 10:15 on a Sunday morning. At this point, there were no customers ahead of me, and I was able to get pole position. I was waiting for the store to open, and it seemed that customers gradually started to gather around 10:30. People started to gather at Ippekoppe next door as well, and by the time the store opened at 11:00 a.m., there were about 10 people in line at both Tonkatsu Aoki and Ippekoppe.

One thing to note is that the line for Tonkatsu Aoki is not at the storefront, but at a lamppost on the other side of the road. If you stand in line in front of the restaurant, you will be warned by the waiter who comes out from inside. Also, be aware that they are very strict about waiting for a representative, and if you are caught, you will not be able to have your tonkatsu made in the worst case.

By the way, the store space of Tonkatsu Aoki Kamata Head Shop is quite cozy, and there are 10 L-shaped counter seats in a slightly distorted shape inside a store about the size of a small ramen shop. It would be just the right size if it were combined with the Ippekoppe next door…. Due to this, the counter space available for one person is also quite limited. To be honest, there is no denying that it is quite cramped.

At first, I was aiming for Hayashi SPF, but the waiter at Tonkatsu Aoki Kamata Head Shop recommended the Okinawa Agu Pork Extra Quality Roast Set Meal.

Now, let me introduce the Okinawa Agu Pork Extra Quality Roast Set Meal that I ordered at Tonkatsu Aoki Kamata Head Shopthis time. I was planning to order Hayashi SPF pork cutlet, but the waitress recommended it to me, and I easily switched to the super rare Okinawan pork. I thought to myself, “I’ve had Hayashi SPF before at Ippekoppe, so I guess it’s OK!” I am not sure if this quick change of choice is a strength or a weakness…

Thanks to the fact that they had taken my order before opening time, the tonkatsu was brought to my doorstep in less than 5 minutes after I entered the restaurant. This tonkatsu contains 230 grams of Agu pork. With rice and pork miso soup included in the price, which is 2,700 yen including tax (note: refills are extra), you could say it is a very reasonable price, don’t you think?

The batter of this pork cutlet is fried to a golden brown, but the pork inside is pink like this. The contrast between the thick batter’s crispy texture and the tenderness of the rare meat inside is quite interesting. The taste of the Agu pork is very sweet…and the fat itself is juicy because it is so smooth. With this meat, no matter how much you eat, you probably won’t get sick to your stomach at all.

Tonkatsu Aoki Kamata Head Shop offers a wide variety of seasonings to season the tonkatsu. They have a sweet fruity tonkatsu sauce, soy sauce, spicy paste, and three kinds of salt… They seem to put particular emphasis on salt, and on this day, in addition to pure white salt without labeling, there was a lineup of Himalayan pink salt and Namak rock salt, also from the Himalayas.

The saltiness of the dishes was in order from weakest to strongest: pure white salt < pink salt < namak salt. Namak salt, in particular, has a sulfuric flavor in addition to a salty taste, making it an interesting combination for tonkatsu. For me personally, the namak salt was the most addictive. Well, I guess some people don’t like the sulfur flavor…

Like this, I finished the Okinawa Agu Pork Extra Quality Loin Set Meal at the Tonkatsu Aoki Kamata Head Shop in about 10 minutes. The meat and the way it was fried were as good as you would expect from the “Four Heavenly Kings of Kamata’s tonkatsu”. It is especially nice to be able to compare the different flavors of the pork cutlets with different natural salts. It is worth a visit for tonkatsu lovers, of course, but also for salt fanatics who are looking for their own favorite taste….

Examples of other menu items at Tonkatsu Aoki Kamata Head Shop (prices include tax)

• Rib eye cutlet set meal: 3,000 yen
• Special loin cutlet set meal: 2000 yen
• Special fin cutlet set meal: 2,000 yen
• Top loin cutlet set meal: 1,600 yen
• Top loin katsu set meal: 1,600 yen
• Shoulder loin cutlet set meal: 1,600 yen
• Mixed katsu set meal (weekday lunchtime only): 1,600 yen

Note: Tonkatsu Aoki Kamata Head Shop also serves take-out.

At Ginza Tonkatsu Aoki, premium quality pork meat called “Special Selected Hayashi SPF” is said to be available… Tonkatsu Aoki Kamata Head Shop is a 4-minute walk from the nearest station, Kamata Station on the JR Keihin-Tohoku Line.

Tonkatsu Aoki has more than 10 branches and franchise stores around Tokyo, including Asakusabashi and Daimon stores, and among them, Ginza Tonkatsu Aoki seems to serve high-grade pork meat called “Tokusen Hayashi SPF” which is a special type of Hayashi SPF. I have eaten tonkatsu at many different restaurants, but I don’t remember a tonkatsu restaurant that uses the higher grade version of Hayashi SPF with “Tokusen” at the beginning. It’s a restaurant in Ginza, and of course the price is higher, but it’s nice that it’s the only one of the Tonkatsu Aoki brand restaurants where you can make reservations in advance… Maybe next time I come to Tokyo, I’ll go to Ginza to try that “Tokusen Hayashi SPF”…

Here are the details of the restaurant…

It takes 10 minutes on foot from Keikyu Kamata Station on the Keihin Kyuko Line.