[Tokyo] Best Tonkatsu at Narikura 成蔵!

Rating: ❤❤❤❤❤

Narikura 成蔵 is rated as #1 for tonkatsu in Tokyo on Tabelog so that's where I decided to get my tonkatsu fix on this trip! It is highly popular among tourists and locals alike so expect a long queue at any time of day. The best time to go line up would probably be before the shop opens at 11am for lunch and 5:30pm for dinner, but since we had a big lunch at Cuisine[s] Michel Troisgros earlier in the day, we couldn't go right when it opened and ended up arriving at 7:30pm where we waited for about an hour. While we were waiting in line, we got to study the menu and placed our orders before we entered the restaurant.

The menu was all in Japanese (sorry no English menu) which comprised of 3 different sizes for the two basic tonkatsu cuts - sirloin (ロース) and fillet (ヒレ). For sirloin, you can get your pork in 130g, 190g and the 3cm thick cut 250g and for the fillet, you can get it in 100g, 135g "Chatonbriand" and 200g "Chatonbriand". There were two different types of pork we can choose from for the day we visited - Kirifuri-Kogen (霧降高原豚) and Yuki-Muro Jukusei (雪室熟成豚) which is an aged pork - and we ended up getting one of each to try. 

There were counter seats and tables inside the restaurant and we got seated at one of the tables where a range of sauces and condiments were available. The decor was definitely simple and no-frills but it didn't matter since we were here just for the food anyways. 

This was the Kirifuri-Kogen thick cut 250g sirloin (¥‎2920) and not only was the pork really tender and juicy, the panko (bread crumb) was super light and fluffy! I've never had panko like this before and I was definitely impressed as it didn't taste oily or heavy at all (not even when we got to the final last pieces).

The Yuki-Muro Jukusei 100g fillet (¥‎2060) tasted even better with softer textures and more delicate flavors! Each teishoku (set meal) comes with rice, miso soup, potato salad, cabbage and pickles which were all delicious to eat with our tonkatsu. 

Verdict - was it worth the 1 hour wait? Yes I think so as this was the best tonkatsu I've ever had and a must-try if you love tonkastu!

Narikura 成蔵

1-32-11 Takadanobaba Shinjuku Tokyo 

東京都 新宿区 高田馬場 1-32-11 小澤ビル地下１F

Tel: +81-3-6380-3823

http://tabelog.com/en/tokyo/A1305/A130503/13114695/





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