Tonkatsu Ichiban

We arrived in Kyoto late in the afternoon and wanted a quick dinner + our Airbnb was a few blocks down from this cute restaurant (it just popped up on google when I searched for food near us❤️). We had no idea it was mentioned in the Michelin guide, and there was no queue outside when we arrived! It’s a family run restaurant in a small space. They have an English menu which is super helpful; really nice people serving us delicious food! It’s not a huge menu in case you’re looking for a lot of variety. They’re clearly known for their Pork Tonkatsu but I had the Chicken instead and the meat was melt in your mouth delicious, and the batter so crunchy and fluffy! The pork was sensational also. So reasonably priced! Don’t expect a fancy joint; the restaurant is cozy and small but they clearly take so much pride in their food🥰. It’s so nice to come across this gem!

Pros: authentic Japanese handmade cuisine, pricing reasonable with options for very large portions, amazing miso soup with lots of flavor and meat inside, amazing potato salad, really good spaghetti, get main meat with multiple sides per set, wheelchair accessible and very accommodating, hot towels before eating, quick service and quick seating Negatives: tables and chairs are much shorter, if you are taller try to sit at the bar to help with this issue Summary of Visit: literally stopped in without reading any reviews. Absolutely worth coming - there are may tourist shops but this was so authentic I felt like a Japanese family invited me into their home for a meal. Everything we ordered tasted amazing. Six crisp yet flavorful tonkatsu and so many side veggies along the amazing miso! Really couldn’t say more! Just come!

It's the best Tonkatsu in the world I ever have had so far. The pork really juicy although it was not their special menu. I went there twice day in a row.

I cannot stress enough, this place is amazing. I'm going to keep this review short and sweet like their menu. You can choose between ~4-5 options and then drinks, just choose the size and then you're done. The pork does NOT look appetizing under the lights in my picture so just trust me. I've been studying and living in Kyoto and this is one of the only restaurants I GENUINELY recommend. It's crispy and delicious, the sauce was perfect, the pork was structured but soft enough to be easy to bite through while holding with chopsticks... it's amazing. HIGHLY recommend. Absolutely worth the money and then some, I ordered two xl plates because I just didn't get enough of the first.

Amazing experience. Staff was extremely kind and the food was incredible, with meat so soft it could send you to heaven. The ambience is nice and comfortable, almost making you feel like you are at home. Will go here in my next Japan trip !

Wonderful spot for a damn fine Tonkatsu! We weren’t sure if it tasted like a Michelin star but to be honest, who knows and what does that even mean?! The atmosphere in the restaurant is very relaxed and it looks like it hasn’t been renovated much since it’s opening in 1949, which we loved. The all female staff was friendly, however, we were told that the croquettes were sold out only to see that someone who ordered after us received one - weird. Overall we highly recommend coming here!

We arrived around 6pm the restaurant was full but there was no queue, a queue started to form shortly after. Speaking to people behind us in the queue they had been recommended the restaurant by friends who have been previously. We were welcomed openly and seated quickly when space became available. The service was quick and the food was amazing. If you're looking for good quality food in Kyoto I couldn't recommend this restaurant highly enough. They also have a Michelin star so this was the first Michelin star restaurant we have ever eaten at and it did not disappoint nor did it break the bank.

We came in an hour before closing (sorry!) but they still gladly accommodated us. Had the tonkatsu curry and chicken katsu don, everything tasted phenomenal. Wish I went back for more before I left the area! Very nice people there