Delicious pork sirloin tonkatsu at Tonki @ Meguro, Tokyo

Tonki is a famous restaurant serving tonkatsu located in Meguro area. This area is particularly famous for its sakura river view. Located around 3 minutes walk from the JR Meguro station, Tonki serve the popular cutlets of breaded, deep fried pork. The restaurant looks simple from outside but once you slide open the wooden doors, duck under the short noren curtain and step inside, you will realize that this restaurant will give you different experience of dining. You will be amazed kitchen area located in a large hall with only one horseshoe single long counter running three sides with no tables. The kitchen area are open and spacious. When you dine here, not only you have good pork sirloin tonkatsu but you also feel the environment of how the way people dined back in 1939 when Tonki was founded. The place is run like a factory production line. I know this place is going to get crowded so I arrived early at around 5.30pm. I get a seat as soon I entered the restaurant. By the time reached 6.00pm, people already start queuing at the back.

The choice in Tonki is simple. You choose either rohsu-katsu teishoku (fatty pork) or hire-katsu teishoku (lean pork) which is their most popular dishes. I choose the fatty pork version as I like the pork to be tender and moist. What makes the tonkatsu here different from other restaurant is they use whole piece of pork sirloin then double dipped in egg mixture before dipping in bread crumb coating and covered by another layer of egg mixture.

Taste:9/10(Delicious. The meat here were tender and moist. I am surprised of very little oiliness on the pork and on the bread crumb coating. The meat is whole piece of pork sirloin and firm with slight layer of fat. The original pork taste were maintained although the meat were fried. The soup provided is delicious as well. The Japanese are very well thought in their diet. Since having a whole piece of meat is considered a lot, the meal compliment with free refill of shredded cabbage to make up the lack of vegetable in the diet).
Price:5/10(Near expensive. The price of the tonkatsu here is actually higher compared to other normal restaurant in Tokyo which usually cost around 1200 Yen to 1400 Yen. Tonki set charge at 1900 Yen. The set includes free refill of shredded cabbage, rice and miso soup. However, the meat that they use are of better quality as they use the whole single piece of uniform meat sirloin for frying. You still can taste the real meat texture. Other restaurants are mostly from chopped meat).


Arrived at Tonki at around 5.30pm. The restaurant already almost full.



This uncle is so old and yet still frying and cutting fried pork.


My tonkatsu are ready. The waiting time was almost 15 minutes. The appearance does looks good.

The meal set comes with delicious pork soup, rice, shredded cabbage and pickles.

Although this soup looks fattening, but it taste great.

See, whole solid piece of pork. Other shop maybe cheaper but mostly use chopped meat. Its a matter of personal preference whether you like solid meat or chopped/minced meat.

You can put some chili powder if you like to have spicy taste on your tonkatsu.


Restaurant with purple noren curtain. Recognize this picture so that you are able to spot the restaurant.

If you cannot find the restaurant, remember this pachinko shop. If you walking from JR Meguro station, turn left when you see this pachinko shop. Walk around 1 minute from this pachinko shop and you will see Tonki.

GPS/Coordinate: 35.633626, 139.714205
Address: 1-1-2 Shimomeguro, Meguro 153-0064, Tokyo Prefecture
Phone: +81 3-3491-9928
Public transport: Meguro station via JR or Hibiya line on Tokyo Metro.