Tabelog ratingTonshou (豚笑) elevates the humble pork cutlet into a full tasting experience. The meal is a ritual, beginning with cold rooibos tea and a large salad before the main event: thick cuts of premium, single-breed pork like TOKYO-X or LYB. Each piece is fried at a low temperature, resulting in a juicy interior and a light, crisp breading. The restaurant guides you through a tasting progression, providing three kinds of salt, olive oil, and a house sauce with sesame to bring out different facets of the meat's flavour.
Diners consistently praise the Gokusen Atsugiri Rosu (premium thick-cut loin) and the tender Hire (fillet). The generous set meals, which include a choice of rice, rich tonjiru pork soup, and pickles, are also a highlight. While the prices are higher than a typical tonkatsu shop, most find the cost justified by the quality of the ingredients and the precision of the cooking. The main criticisms are the long waits for walk-in guests and the fact that popular premium cuts can sell out early in the day.
Reviewers recently paid around ¥2,970 for the 200g Gokusen Atsugiri Rosu Teishoku and ¥4,600 for the Tonshou Special. A two-person Premium Set was seen for about ¥8,000. Expect to spend ¥2,000–¥3,000 for lunch and ¥3,000–¥4,000 for dinner, making it a worthy splurge for a memorable meal rather than a quick bite.
- Reservations: Reservations are strongly recommended for the first seating of the day (lunch at 11:00/11:30, dinner at 17:30/18:00 on weekdays or 17:00/17:30 on weekends). Later seatings are for walk-ins, but waits of an hour or more are common. Bookings for the following month open on the 20th via TableCheck.
- Getting there: The restaurant is a 4-minute drive or a long walk (1.1 km) from Higashifukuyama Station. A taxi or car is recommended.
- Payment: Visa, Master, JCB, and AMEX cards are accepted, as are transportation IC cards (like Suica), iD, QUICPay, and PayPay.
- Age restriction: Preschool-aged children are not permitted.
- Practicalities: You will need to take your shoes off at the entrance (lockers are provided). Staff have limited English, but are helpful. Parking for about 15 cars is available.
- Seating: There are 35 seats, including 4 at the counter and several sunken 'horigotatsu' tables. There are no private rooms.