Butagumi

Great tonkatsu. Foreigner friendly. I mean honestly it’s a great tonkatsu place in a city of great tonkatsu places but still worth it for the atmosphere. Go across the street to the library bar after to get a cocktail.

Tonkatsu for the tonkatsu connoisseur. Dozens of cuts and varieties of pork on the menu, all cooked to perfection. Casual, small dining rooms with traditional Japanese ambience and service. We were lucky to get in without a reservation, but highly recommend making one before you go.

We got there early, 20mins before opening because we didn’t have reservation and there was a line that formed right behind us. Glad we got there early. We didn’t have any problems getting seated. This was the best Tonkatsu I’ve ever had! Lightly battered, meat was tender and juicy. The cherry tomatoes that came with the meat was also really good. Sweet burst of flavor when you bit into it.
But it was on the pricey side. Four orders of tonkatsu, one salad, and four sakes our bill came out to $ 200ish.
Overall it’s was a pretty good experience… Good food and good service. I was happy.

Butagumi Nishi-​Azabu serves very high quality Tonkatsu (deep fried pork cutlets) and I’d say they are No.1 in the Roppongi/​Nishi-​Azabu area, considering the quality of the meat and the pricing. Their pork is surprisingly juicy and tender and has a strong flavor that makes you realize how delicious Tonkatsu can be.
The building is unique. It’s got this very traditional taste (woody walls/​furniture, paper doors/​sliding doors, relatively low ceilings, etc.) and it’s very clean and organized. You can use this in a date-​like occasion as well and foreigners would very likely enjoy its atmosphere. And as mentioned above, their pork is superb (though it’s obviously pricier than ordinary Tonkatsu out there). It’s definitely worth a shot.

Everything has so much umami. And I took a very lovely nap afterwords.

This tonkatsu is seriously bananas. Everyone else has detailed how to get here and blah blah blah, so go read their reviews. I will just leave you with a serious caveat edax, I have had tonkatsu many times and in many places at legit Japanese restaurants in the US and nothing compares, not even close. Your tonkatsu life will be forever ruined. Your pork life may also be ruined. It may sound hyperbolic, but I have never tasted such delicious pig in my life. I know I can’t, but I seriously just want to eat here forever.

Hard to find in a residential neighborhood. Look for the crescent moon cutout above the entrance door.
We ordered the most expensive sirloin and tenderloin available for the day and both were superb. The sirloin was ridiculously juicy and fatty, and almost too oily to enjoy. On the other hand, I thought the tenderloin was lot more palatable for my tastes, though not nearly as rich and flavorful as the sirloin. The menchi katsu was outstanding, one of those that I’ll remember for a long time.
Sure, the tonkatsu was amazing, but I’m having a hard time justifying the cost (10,000 yen for two) especially since the restaurant ambiance was drag and uncomfortable IMO; it’s like eating in lunch in a shabby bedroom of a rundown guest house.
Service was meh. These guys weren’t into refilling water or checking up on non-​Japanese tourists.

top notch tonkatsu (remarkably «fluffy» /​«furry» breading — very light panko furry cust), great miso, cozy wooden interior in the 2^nd floor of an old building tucked away in a serene residential area, nice cutlery, nice people.

This was probably the highlight of all my meals in Japan. Several people had recommended it to me, and it was well-​warranted: I’ve been since recommending it to everyone else who is in Toyko or has a trip planned there. If you like good tonkatsu and want an experience and meal that you wouldn’t be able to get in the States, definitely put this on your list of restaurants to go to.
I don’t eat a ton of tonkatsu in the States (there are not a ton of great options) but this is hands-​down (and probably will always be) the best tonkatsu I’ve had in my life. This was also the last tonkatsu I had on my trip because I knew anything else would pale in comparison to this.
This place is tucked away in Roppongi, across from an awesome bar (called These — check it out if you have time after dinner), and you might almost miss this place walking by. It kinda just looks like someone’s house — look for a cut-​out moon on the front of the place. It’s also best to make reservations ahead of time because we showed up for dinner around 7:30 pm and were basically turned away because they didn’t have any tables. Luckily we lingered outside for a few minutes trying to figure out where to eat and they came back and told us they could seat us.
They have an entire page, front & back, of different kinds of cuts of pork /​different kind of regions the pork comes from. It almost made my head spin in circles trying to figure out what to order, but just pick a few different things and share. We got the smoked mozzarella to start out which was a bit on the oily/​greasy side for my taste. It was good, but tasted like gouda cheese to me and was reminiscent of cheese curds from the Midwest. Good, but save your stomach for the pork. The broccoli salad was a nice complement to all the carbs /​fatty foods I had been eating all week.
The pork was so good — not too much breading so you could really taste the freshness and quality of the pork, and not overly greasy. It was just perfect. I wanted to keep eating and eating more. It wasn’t the cheapest meal of the trip ($ 100 for 3 people, but well-​worth it). I ate at Maisen earlier in the trip, and this place blew it out of the water.
Definitely put this on your list of places to go to if you are in Toyko. I would come here every time I’m back in Tokyo. They also take credit cards, which is nice!

We were looking around for a tonkatsu place and one was closed on the main street and several were too far from our reach. We somehow managed to stumble onto this one on the off-​chance that they’d be open well-​after lunchtime and before dinner. It’s hidden like others have mentioned, but once you see it and the word «Pork», you know that you’re at the right place.
Super quiet place and we were seated upstairs with shoes off. The restroom was downstairs and apart from the actual building itself and it was sweltering.
They welcomed us with a cold dish of refreshing smoked tomatoes, which was surprisingly delicious. We got some pickled items that were alright to tide us over till our crispy thick pork cutlets arrived.
When it finally did, we were silent. It was that good. I got a cheaper offering than my friends did (they went all out and paid about $ 60 or so for their cutlet and Butagumi DOES run out of cutlets for the day) but I still enjoyed mine. Loved the thick cut and the nice ratio of fat, crispiness and meat. I preferred it with a bit of Himalayan Pink Salt and their perfect tonkatsu sauce. Whereas the tonkatsu sauce I have back home covers the pork, this heightens the flavor of the cutlet so perfectly. Japanese food culture is so amazing like that.
One of my favorite meals in Tokyo– we also went to another tonkatsu place during my trip and it was good as well but you really get what you pay for here. It’s the quality of the meat and the service that comes along with it.
The not so cool thing that happened was they charged my friends double for their tonkatsu (mine was simply charged once) but thankfully my vigilant buddy caught it and they were able to rectify the issue. That last bit was weird but otherwise, a cool place overall.

Where do I even begin? And what can I even say? It was one of the best meals on this trip, and best in my life. Walking from the Roppongi station wasn’t difficult, but you can always take a cab here. We spotted the crescent moon window and knew we had arrived. Moments later, we were seated at the table right in front of the window. Meant to be. Also I should mention I made a reservation for a Tuesday night, but it was very dead when we were there so not sure if it was needed.
Onto the food. We tried two of the cutlets, a lighter one and a richer one. Both were freaking insane. No way to describe how good they were and how a pork cutlet could even BE this good. The crust is incredibly light and flaky I don’t know how they do it. The pork melts in your mouth. Each bite was better than the next. Also loved everything that came with your dinner, all the little sauces and dips, salts, miso soup, ginger cabbage salad, sesame seeds, and especially loved our little tomato appetizer. Best tomatoes of our lives, no joke.
See writing these Japan reviews are making me very depressed. There’s just nothing like this in LA. Crying again.

decent tonkatsu place… not too oily and the pork is of good quality. the crust is very crispy and thin
much better than maisen or saboten

Not easy to find. If you take a cab, most driver takes to the side of the building, by GPS. The sign is not easy to spot. Look for a half-​moon light if you come at night. From Ginza to the restaurant was 12,000 Yen (about $ 100), not cheap.
What I remembered and liked the most was the Okinawan Buta (琉香豚) cutlet (about $ 30)/ thick cut). It was juicier than other Tonkatsu. Try fist with nothing on. Then, add salt. and lastly strong flavored but not too sweet Tonkatsu sauce. The pickled cherry tomato (Umeboshi flavor) came out as an amuse-​bouche at the beginning of the meal that was delicious. Introducing acidity before heavy-​side dish was a clever and kind gesture.
For me, their cutlets were heavier (oilier) than Maisen but I’d like to try Roppongi Hills location that is connected to Roppongi subway station. Maybe they execute better.

I had the best tonkatsu I’ve had in years at Butagumi. Dinner here was among my top 3 meals in Tokyo, out of a multi-​month stay.
The menu is a bit complicated here, with the availability of dozens of options differing by day. There is an English menu available, and different types of pork are helpfully labeled with general terms such as «flavorful,» «taste rich,» «taste light,» and «juicy.» My friends and I ordered from different categories and found that the labels were generally accurate. My choice from the «taste rich» section was delightfully soft and fatty inside, while my boyfriend’s choice from the «flavorful» section was drier and firmer.
The smoked mozzarella appetizer was delicious too.
The only thing I didn’t like were the baby clams in the miso soup. They didn’t taste flavorful or fresh.
Service was good. The atmosphere was cozy.

I have eaten tonkatsu in the US. But, I had never really had tonkatsu until I experienced it in Japan at a tonkatsu restaurant. Prior to traveling to Japan, I read several reviews raving about tonkatsu in Japan. I thought: okay, I have had tonkatsu. It is just breaded pork. Right? Until you have had tonkatsu at a Japanese restaurant in Japan that specializes in that dish, you have not experienced tonkatsu. And, yes, it is an experience because of how decadently rich and delicious it is.
Butagumi serves primarily tonkatsu. I heard that it was very good here. So, I made a special trip here while staying in Tokyo. The menu lists several choices of pork from various regions in Japan and from other parts of the world. And, you can choose from levels of leanness to levels of marbled fattiness. I chose a cut from Japan that had some marbling of fat giving it a very rich flavor yet not overwhelmingly so. When I took my first bite, I was blown away by the unctuous, rich and delicious flavor of the very high quality pork. It literally took me away. The pork was coated with a perfect, crisp and crunchy deep fried breading giving the outside of the pork a nice and crisp texture. The tonkatsu was heavenly. Nothing that I have had in the US before or after comes even close.
The pork was accompanied on the side by a thick, sweet and savory sauce that was delicious when added to the pork. The sauce was so good that I kept taking little tastes of it by itself. I need to note, however, that the pork could have stood on its own without the sauce. But, oh that sauce. Also, I was provided high quality salt and house made mustard.
Moreover, what was amazing were the little pickled vegetables offered as a side. They perfectly counterbalanced the richness of the pork. And, on their own were absolutely amazing and delicious. Some of them even had a slight smokey flavor. They provide you as much of them as you want which made me happy.
Moreover, they provide you a shredded cabbage salad accompanied by this incredibly delicious dressing of which I could not get enough. They also provide you with as much of the salad as you want.
The tonkatsu at Butagumi was one that I will never forget. I will return when I return to Tokyo.

Let me just start by saying that this is a great tonkatsu restaurant. It is in a residential neighborhood and you aren’t likely to stumble upon it unless you’re out looking for it but it’s worn the trip. My husband loves Japanese tonkatsu so we came here based on the reviews online. We arrived shortly before they opened at 6:30pm and there were already people waiting. The restaurant opened a little late and when asked if we had a reservation we said no, but they were still able to seat us quickly.
OK so someone here must really like ginger. It’s a flavor in almost everything to at least a little degree and when I ordered a goner ale I got a huge surprise. The soda treated like they’d just taken pure ginger and squeezed it until liquid came out! It fizzed and the bubbles went up my nose, burning my nasal cavity and sinuses as well as my mouth. THIS DRINK IS NOT FOR PEOPLE WHO CAN’T HANDLE SPICY! (My husband drank it just fine) ;P
So anyway we ordered some appetizers and we each selected a cut off pork of their ENGLISH MENU (!!). several staff spoke some English, which was very helpful. I ordered a fillet (light flavor) and my husband ordered a serloin. The chicken and potato appetizer was quite good, though came with black pepper on it. It was also pretty small, and did not ruin our appetites as I’d worried it might. My broccoli salad was steamed broccoli, artfully arranged on the plate and the accompanying carrot dressing treated mildly of ginger.
So, the tonkatsu. My husband put a little salt on his first bite and put it into his mouth, closing his eyes to enjoy the experience. Suddenly, his eyes went wide open like saucers. «Is it good?» I asked. He nodded enthusiastically. I put a little tonkatsu sauce on my pieces and they were very good too. His serloin was fatty and he said it tasted like butter. My filet was not fatty and was still pink in the center, which tends to worry me but this just tasted too good.
Miso soup (with clams!) was provided, along with white rice, pickled vegetables, tiny soy/​vinegar tomatoes, and shredded cabbage with ginger dressing. These things were unlimited, though we only asked for one extra rice because we had eaten quite a lot all ready.
Overall I would happily recommend this restaurant. It is a bit of a walk from Roppongi station/​Hills, but worth it for such an enjoyable experience.
Cost for two people, one lower price entrée and one mid-​price, two drinks, two appetizers and one desert: 8,250¥.

Ok, as the previous reviewer said, this is not easy to find. It is basically in an old home in a residential neighborhood. That said, it is worth going finding.
For me, it is hands down the best Tonkatsu place I have ever been to. I also had the deluxe cut and it was wonderfully fatty. I liked mine best with the salt. I didn’t care at all for the mustard. While I typically like tonkatsu sauce, it was not needed for the deluxe cut and in fact, took away from the awesome flavor of the tonkatsu (added too much sweetness)
I thought the service was very good. I will be back.
I ate there on a Saturday and it was a good thing we had reservations. There was a line when we left the restaurant.

A bit hard to find but our Über driver ran around the block to locate it for us.
Good selection of pork but some pieces might not be available when you arrive.
Had the Sizuoka Kin-​Ton-​Ou Deluxe cut (260g extra thick and fatty) which was good but having had a super good fillet tonkatsu at Maizen a week earlier this was more chewy and (of course) very rich in fat.
OK English speaking service but it can be a bit on the slow side.
Also, don’t miss the cocktail bar ‘These’ on the opposite side of the street for some nice Japanese style fruit cocktails after dinner.