where jess ate

Since we were staying in Shinjuku during our Tokyo trip, we figured that a visit to this well-known tonkatsu restaurant was a must.

The tiny restaurant is located a few steps away from Takadanobaba Station in Shinjuku. As you approach the restaurant, you’ll spot the long line from afar. If there’s no line, you better double check that they are open that day. We learned our lesson the hard way as they aren’t open on Sundays and had to make our way back over here another day.

They are open for lunch from 11am to 2pm and reopen at 5:30pm for dinner. We arrived here 45 minutes before they opened for dinner and we were first in line. But within minutes, a huge line had formed behind us.

The restaurant itself is located in a tiny, cramped basement space. It’s dark without windows and has an open kitchen down one side of the restaurant with counter seating.

Unfortunately, they don’t have English menus here nor do the servers speak much English. I had to pull up some pictures on my phone to show them what we wanted to order. Narikura specializes in tonkatsu which is essentially breaded and deep fried pork. They serve several variations of them, offering them in different combos.

First up was the 3cm Filet Tonkatsu which consists of three thick filets. I’m not always a big fan of pork, especially in tonkatsu form, since it can be dreadfully dry and chewy. This certainly wasn’t the case here. I lived the flakey golden panko breading which tasted so light and airy without being the least bit greasy.

The inside of the meat was slightly pink and was wonderfully tender and juicy. At Narikura, they deep fry their pork at a low temperature (low and slow!) to ensure each piece retains its juiciness.

The tonkatsu came with shredded cabbage, a scoop of potato salad, seaweed, miso soup and a bowl of white rice. It was a pretty ridiculous amount of food! I don’t recall the exact amount this cost but I believe it was in the $25-$30CAD range. Considering that tonkatsu in Toronto is typically a cheap meal for under $10, Narikura’s version was the most I had ever paid for Tonkatsu… but also the best.

Mike ordered a different version of the tonkatsu (which also rang in around the $25-$30CAD range). It was equally enormous and the thick piece of deep fried meat came pre-sliced. It was still slightly pink in the middle and was ridiculously moist.

Honestly, I don’t think you can go wrong at Narikura. While the prices may seem steep for what’s traditionally known as a cheap budget-friendly meal, there’s always a line out the door for a reason. Hands down, the best tonkatsu we’ve ever had!

At a glance:

• Famous for their tonkatsu (breaded and deep fried pork)
• Located near Takadanobaba Station in Shinjuku
• Always has a line out the door; arrived 45mins before they opened for dinner and was first in line but minutes later a large line had formed
• Open for lunch 11am to 2pm; reopens for dinner at 5:30pm
• No English menu; servers speak minimal English
• The best tonkatsu we’ve ever had

Ratings (out of 5):

• Food: 4 stars
• Service: 2 stars
• Atmosphere: 1 star