Ron R.
Yelp
According to their website, this restaurant got its start in 1961 in the city of Kanazawa, Japan. The concept of chef Yoshikazu Tanaka was "to serve his own unique spin" on Japanese curry. Having eaten curry in several places in both central and northern Japan, and at numerous traditional style curry places in the US, it is true that Tanaka's curry is "unique." Whether that "unique" is good or bad, depends on your taste. Having eaten here, I now know I prefer traditional Japanese curry.
Not realizing this history and expecting traditional Japanese curry when we went to the restaurant, for my taste, and despite the fact that his chain seems to be doing really well in Japan, I really did not care for Tanaka's concoction. The curry tasted like Salisbury steak gravy from a frozen TV dinner. The flavor of the chicken Katsu curry and the veggie curry was a little different--don't know if they use different recipes or if the side compliments change the flavor. The chicken katsu was very good, crisp on the outside, but moist on inside, and a decent portion. The veggies were fresh and of a good variety and portion. The overall value was just ok, but given the area, COVID, and inflation, probably not that bad.
The place is "self-serve" in that you either order on your phone or use the touch screen in the store. They just call your name and you pick up your tray from the counter. You bus your own table by putting your tray on a cafeteria style opening in the wall for them to take and wash. The restroom was clean and the dining area adequate. The "self-serve" style was good not only for a post-COVID world, but also because through the limited interaction with the staff given their set up and observing how they treated others as well as us, the impression given was that their staff is rude if not racist and consequently should limit their interaction with customers if they cannot improve their attitude.
Overall, given the poor attitude of the staff and that the curry is the main thing you are going for here, we would be unlikely to go back. However, if you have never tried their unique curry recipe, then it is worth a try.