Tonkatsu Marugo - Chiyoda City

I had planned to visit another tonkatsu restaurant - Narikura - on this trip as many had claimed it has the best tonkatsu - until I found out that it moved further outside Tokyo just a few days back. Thus I decided to pay a visit to Tonkatsu Marugo instead. Incidentally, this is also on the Michelin Bib Gourmand list. Queues already formed at 11ish (restaurant opens at 1130). Anyway, guests were quickly seated but I had to wait 10-15 min further as they were preparing to seat a party of 5 just in front of me (although when I went in, there were 3 empty counter seats). I guess they really respect the first come first served rule. I ordered the special rosu katsu with rice set. I've always wondered about the hire vs rosu argument - I always like a bit of fat and love the rosu cut. The majority seems to think that hire is better? Thus, the special hire costs 2100 yen and special rosu costs 1850 yen. Rice set with soup and appetiser costs an additional 450. When the food came, I thought it was a very good cut, it was nearly half lean meat and half slightly fatter cut. Together with the crunchy (but not hard) bread crumbs, the taste was certainly better than average tonkatsu. The tonkatsu sauce that you can help yourself to is good too and complements the meat really well (and I don't say this often as I feel that most of the sauces I've tasted are sourish and overpower the meat taste, which shouldn't be). I realised, to have the opportunity to sit in a good well-run establishment where the chefs prepare your food in front of you - and this is top grade food that you don't get everyday - really it's a privilege. Plus, the price is reasonable - I actually don't consider this expensive if you compare it to other chain outlets like Wako etc where they are almost the same prices (p.s. the original place I wanted to go to would cost double: now that's expensive and hopefully the taste is heavenly to justify the price). All in all, I would give this 4.5 stars... just does not hit the 5 for me. But it's a good place, worth the queue - come for the special hire or rosu, I hear even the prawns are good too (and huge, like bananas ?).

Delicious!!! The best Tonkatsu you will ever eat. Thick, juicy and amazing pork cutlet. There is a reason this place is in the Michelin Guide......... You leave wanting more. I can't wait to visit again.

Went at 7.30pm on a weekday evening but arrived to find that they had closed the queue for the night. Went back again the next day for lunch, there’s always a queue outside the shop but the queue is very much bearable. Ordered the special pork filet cutlet set (2100¥). The Panko is amazingly thin and light while the meat held up well on its own and was juicy with good texture. Also liked the little touch of serving green texture before and during the meal and then a cup of jasmine tea to end off the meal.

I tried both, ross and tenderloin?(ロース、ヒレ) and they had completely different texture and both were awesome!! The amount of food is just enough for adult men/women, it was such a great dining. My friends were vey pleased with the taste and quality of food. And the staffs are so nice too! I felt their kindness from their heart. Great restaurant

Portion size has really shrunk all around. Disappointing. Always been pricey but worth it cuz it was good & portions were large. "banana" shrimp -> 4 runts.

The pork is quite big and juicy. You can have a bite along with the vegetables and some drips of lemon. The miso soup is also thick. The color explains itself. Moreover, we also ordered the tongue, and it tasted very fresh without extra cooking. The original flavor is preserved pretty well! One drawback is that it will decline lining up just several minutes after each opening, and it takes more than an hour to wait if one starts lining up to late.

Come really! I got here 40 min after it opened and waited for 40min before getting a seat. Since this would be the only time I’d be here I ordered the tempura shrimp and the fatty pork. The waitress was surprised and asked me again if that’s what I wanted. I confirmed and when both plates showed up I could see why she questioned my order. Both plates are full meals. The shrimp were large and I started with those first. They were light, crispy and delicious! I think they were better than the tempura restaurant I went to last year. I would come back just for that. Next was the fatty pork and it was moist, tender and crispy. I’ve never had pork like that before. There were just the right amount of fat to go with it and it didn’t feel oily. I can see why they got a Michelin star. I saw the locals pour plum sauce over their pork but I didn’t want to get my tempura soggy so I poured in on the plate and used it as a dipping sauce. After finishing both dishes I walked away full, happy and satisfied.

My wife and I came back to Tokyo to try this as we missed it last year (was closed). Being from an Asian country with Japanese cuisine everywhere, we were skeptical of the rave reviews. We concluded that this Tonkatsu is indeed the best that we have eaten. The platinum pork cutlet is super tender and juicy and the miso soup was good. The chicken and the pork loin aren't too bad either but if it's your first visit, choose the platinum cut. The queue can be long. We reached at 11.40am and already there was a long queue.