Food travel guide TasteAtlas gathers real recipes and reviews from critics and research and ranks Japanese cuisine in second place out of 100 global foods, with the top spot owned by Italian cuisine. Introducing foreign tourists to Japanese food has been a norm for the locals.
Just take tonkatsu, for instance. This Japanese dish, which consists of a breaded and deep-fried pork cutlet, is the country’s version of the pork fillet. It is the basis of other recipes, such as the katsudon. Osaka has some of the best-tasting tonkatsu in the world, and you’ll get to know where to eat the tastiest tonkatsu in this port city.
1. Gyukatsu Motomura Namba
This tonkatsu restaurant in Osaka is on the list of Tripadvisor restaurants. The most common tonkatsu is pork, but its specialty is beef. It’s grilled medium-rare on stone, carefully coated with breadcrumbs, and served with equally tasty wasabi soy sauce and rock salt. Customers said the beef is so soft it can melt in your mouth even before you start chewing it.
Price: From 1,000 yen
Hours: 11 AM-10 PM
Contact: +81 50-1722-0646
Address: B1F Sugata Building, 3-3-1 Namba, Chuo, Osaka 542-0076, Osaka Prefecture, Japan
2. Takuya
Several restaurants in Japan have intimate seating or sitting by the counter – imagine yourself finding your spot on a bar, but you’re ordering food this time – such as Takuya. Located in a backstreet of tiny bars and other restaurants, their tonkatsu is a certified standout, very tender and juicy, and you’d want to eat here more than once on your Osaka trip.
Price: From 5,000 yen
Hours: 6-11:30 PM (closed Sundays)
Contact: +81 50-5539-7009
Address: 2 Chome-5-37 Sonezaki, Kita Ward, Osaka 530-0057, Japan
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3. Tonkatsu Manger
Tonkatsu Manger isn’t afraid to be in the spotlight. It’s very popular that there are long lines before you get seated. Opened in 1996, this restaurant has a menu screaming, “Tonkatsuuu!” They categorize the tonkatsu on their menu as “standard” and “eccentric.” Eat here to find out. They also offer Aji and Iberian pork.
Price: From 1,000 yen
Hours: 11 AM-2 PM and 5-8 PM
Contact: +81 72-996-0175
Address: 2 Chome-3-22 Yokoen, Yao, Osaka 581-0086, Japan
4. Epais
It sounds like a Latin American term, but Epais in the Kita-Shinchi district is 100 percent Japanese. However, this is a restaurant that doesn’t have a commanding presence. It’s actually hard to locate it unless you have a helpful map app with you. But, when you reach this place, you’ll get rewarded with some of the finest tonkatsu in the city.
Price: From 2,000 yen
Hours: 11 AM-3:30 PM and 6-8 PM (closed on Sundays)
Contact: +81 50-5487-9410
Address: 3F New Hana Building, 1 Chome-9-3 Sonezaki Shinchi, Kita Ward, Osaka 530-0002, Japan
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5. Tazumura Daimaru Umeda
What a mouthful name, eh? Visiting Tazumura Daimaru Umeda is very convenient because it’s located inside a department store. They specialize in cooking and serving the kurobuta pig or the Berkshire pig. This type of pork ensures juice and quality meat for your tonkatsu, better than the pork from regular farm-raised hogs.
Price: From 1,000 yen
Hours: 11 AM-11 PM
Contact: +81 6-4796-2180
Address: 14F Restaurant Area, 3 Chome-1-1 Umeda, Kita Ward, Osaka 530-0001, Japan
6. Tonkatsu Daiki
This restaurant will never intimidate first-timers for tonkatsu as everything is affordable here, and the ambiance is homey. They serve gorgeous deep-fried pork cutlets at prices that won’t hurt your budget. There’s something for everyone.
Price: From 2,000 yen
Hours: 11 AM-2:15 PM and 5:30-9:15 PM (closed on Thursdays and Sundays)
Contact: +81 6-7181-7895
Address: 1 Chome-6-2 Higashishinsaibashi, Chuo Ward, Osaka 542-0083, Japan
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7. Tonkatsu KYK Hankyu Sanbangai
Also offering dishes at reasonable prices, Tonkatsu KYK Hankyu Sanbangai makes it perfect, from the frying oil to what’s on your dish. You can choose from various tonkatsu, such as the Okinawa tonkatsu and Kagoshima (black pork) tonkatsu. Customers here love the dish for its juiciness and tenderness of its pork’s texture. Two frying oils are combined: soybean and vegetable oil.
Price: From 1,000 yen
Hours: 11 AM-10:30 PM
Contact: +81 6-6372-5580
Address: B2 Gourmet Museum, 1 Chome-1-3 Shibata, Kita Ward, Osaka 530-0012, Japan
8. Katsukura Umeda Chayamachi
Last on this list is a tonkatsu restaurant that exceeds your expectations. Aside from the great-tasting pork, the sauce is homemade—like eating in your grandma’s house. In addition to tonkatsu, they also serve crab croquettes and chicken cutlets—perfect variety! Their official website is available in Japanese, English, and Chinese.
Price: From 2,000 yen
Hours: 11 AM-10 PM
Contact: +81 6-6486-3751
Address: B1 Applause Town, 19-19 Chaya-machi, Kita Ward, Osaka 530-0013, Japan
What are you waiting for? Let’s eat tonkatsu in Osaka!
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