Tonkatsu Yutaka

Asakusa is no stranger to lines of crowds forming outside its worldwide-famous restaurants, but Tonkatsu Yutaka, despite achieving cult status among pork and fried food lovers, remains quietly humble and frankly inconspicuous. The store is tucked away in one of the back alleys of Asakusa, housed in a traditional building with tiled roofs. Inside, rooms are divided by partitions made from washi paper. Diners fold their feet to sit on cushions placed on the raised tatami-floored dining space. Unlike the bustling establishments on the main street, Tonkatsu Yutaka seems content to remain unchanged, preserving its atmosphere as it was when it first opened 70 years ago. This refusal to change has worked perfectly, as the restaurant continues to serve some of the most consistently delicious tonkatsu in town. Known for using domestic pork, the cutlets are coated with breadcrumbs made in-house from domestic wheat. Fried in high-quality cottonseed oil to golden perfection, they achieve a balance that’s crispy but never greasy, tender and naturally sweet from the pork’s inherent flavor. Tonkatsu Yutaka offers meal sets featuring different cuts of pork: the rosu, a fattier option with rich, indulgent flavors, and the hire, a lean fillet prized for its clean, refined taste. Both are served with rice and crisp cabbage to balance the richness. Beyond pork, the restaurant shines with its devilishly delicious seafood cutlet teishoku sets, which include crispy crab croquettes, fried scallops and plump oysters. For those looking to explore beyond yoshoku (Japanese-Western cuisine), the a la carte menu offers options such as yakitori and buttery monkfish liver, inviting diners to experience a broader spectrum of Japanese flavors in one sitting.