Ponta Honke

A really cool place to try a traditional tonkatsu In Tokyo. With 4 generations from the same family, the tradition is being perpetuated. The taste of the tonkatsu is precise and light, with the side dishes and miso soup, on the bolder side. I can appreciate why many locals come to this place. A must try if you are in the area.

Usually you can trust the Michelin guide for good recommendations but we left disappointed here. The tonkatsu was pretty good but it wasn't anything extra special that warranted the very high price. It was somewhat underseasoned. The cabbage salad was a huge disappointment compared to other katsu restaurants we tried because their dressing was liquid like soy sauce with some sweet flavor, with no other options for dressing. Honestly we had a better katsu meal at coco ichibanya.

This restaurant was listed on Michelin guide as a Bib Gourmand. It was relatively easy to find and had a traditional vibe with an open kitchen. We waited about 10 minutes before being seated on the second floor. We ordered pork cutlet, fried prawn, fried anago (eel), with rice/picked vegetables/miso soup. The pork loin cutlet was delicious - very tender with a nice crisp. The fried anago was my favorite and well worth the money. The prawn was sold at the market price, a little over 4,000 yen - also worth getting. Between the two of us, we paid about 80 USD. Definitely worth trying out if you’re willing to splurge a little!

A cutlet restaurant with tradition atmosphere. They serve English menu and cutlet pork chop is alright. What amaze me is the cutlet squid, thick in size with very good texture , what a masterpiece! Waitress asked me politely and see if I need to have some more rice! (Note: restaurant close at 8pm)

Tonkatsu’s pork tenderloin is fairly tender and juicy, nicely done - but it could be better - the bread crumbs at the bottom of the tonkatsu is soaked by tenderloin’s vapor, some other places will try to avoid that by adding some space under... Their salad on the other side is just perfect. Overall, it’s a great restaurant worth trying.

What separates the tonkatsu here from other tonkatsu restaurant is that the natural sweetness and umami of pork are being maximized. It has 90% of protein and 10% of fats, but still kept moisture and tender, while other restaurant's uses fattier pork to achieve the same result. It certainly is pricier but you pay for the quality of the ingredient and skill of the chefs to cook it, and you will be a happy man in the end of the meal. P.S: Get there at least 20mins beforehand to avoid long lines!

The door of this place is closed even though it's open. You wouldn't find it unless you search for it. The first floor was so small, the taste is nice and the portion is large, but not worth the price. The chefs are seniors.

Excellent Tonkatsu place in Ueno. It costs nearly 3000 yen for one Tonkatsu but I never have finished eating Tonkatsu without any souse as the meat itself is so tasty. Enjoy the meal!

I've been in Tokyo for almost 10 days now and this has been one of my favorite restaurants. Both times I've dropped by right before they opened. There was a line of almost a dozen people but I got seated within 10 minutes. The first time I had the anago (eel). The outside was light and crunchy and the eel itself was perfect. The rice set has to be ordered separately, which is different than every other Tonkatsu place I've been to. However they allow refills of rice and miso soup. I came back a second time because I heard so many good things about the beef tongue that I had to try it. The meat was amazing. It was tender and pulled away easily. The beef tongue was tender and sauce was incredible. This time I was seated at the counter next to the kitchen, so it was nice to see the chefs works. Service was very friendly and attentive. I'll probably come here again to try the Tonkatsu.

I was literally lost in this part of Tokyo and someone I worked with in the past recognized me. Small world! I asked my friend to take me to a place he would recommend. This is how I ended up here. First, I loved the atmosphere of this place. Since yelp isn't popular in Japan this place hasn't been overrun by foreigners. I was fortunate to go with my friend. They specialize in katsu. I was in heaven. I ordered a special pork cutlet that he said I just try. You are also served red miso which was my first time having. What I loved the most about this place it felt very at home. So warm and friendly. It was obvious I was the only one speaking English but I was ok I got to practice my broken Japanese.