Tonkatsu Enraku

※ Tonkatsu Enraku is a cash-only restaurant. Visitors are requested to ensure that they have sufficient cash on the day itself. ——— More than 70 years of tonkatsu excellence can’t be wrong. First established in 1950, Tonkatsu Enraku sources its Sangenton pork from Yamagata Prefecture and personally makes its panko breadcrumbs in-house. Guests are recommended to first try the pork with just rock salt first, savoring the natural flavor of the pork in as unadulterated a manner as possible. Next comes a generous serving of the house tonkatsu sauce — a sweet, thick dressing full of complex flavor that cuts straight through the fat. The stellar quality of its pork aside, Tonkatsu Enraku is also renowned for offering both lunch and dinner meals at very reasonable prices. Besides the star of the show — the tonkatsu — a typical set meal includes potato salad made with homemade mayonnaise, pork miso soup, pickled vegetables and rice. Counter and table dining options are available, with traditional tatami rooms on the second floor. Nonetheless, in spite of the variety of seating types, its inclusion in the Michelin Guide Tokyo has made it an even more popular lunch spot than before, so guests without reservations should expect to wait in line for the afternoon service, or visit instead during its quieter dinner hours. Michelin Guide: 2021 - Bib Gourmand