Loved it! The food lived up to the hype. The rice (3 options: white, seasoned or 16 grain) amazing! The miso soup (2 options white or red/2 types clam & tofu or tofu & green onions). The tonkatsu was soft and moist on the inside and crispy crunchy on the outside.Make reservations!! Seating is by reservations only.Parking under the building, elevator access to 2nd floor, wheelchair accessible, bathrooms on same level with code access that were clean and spacious.
The only thing not Japanese is the waiter’s service attitude to my pickup order….But the taste is 6 star so I have to put 5 star here.Words are not enough to describe. Pics can tell.It is a shame they don’t do takeaway for sizzling pot. But tender pork loin and pork loin bentos are already great.Check out their toast slices for Sando sandwich and their plate saying Japanese rice being served. This place brings authentic taste.FYI: parking downstairs would need you to have reservation of the restaurant first. We were told it was reservation only but I saw people waiting outside seemingly for walk-in when I picked up my takeaway.
The aged Pork made the Katsu so moist and tender. The seasoned rice with octopus was heavenly. This place is better than the Katsu place in Tokyo (forgot the name) which was packed. Highly recommend, worth the wait. We were lucky to get reservations for 4 in such short notice, thanks to the concierge @ Ritz Carlton.
We had reservations on a Friday at 6:30 pm. Reservations are highly recommended. When we arrived, there was a sign indicating they are fully booked, but it looks like take out is available too. They seat the entire restaurant at the same time. When you order, you pick a katsu combo, rice (3 choices - white, seasoned, & something called 16 grains), and miso soup (red/white miso & clams/tofu). I had the pork tenderloin and oyster katsu with red miso soup & clams. The katsu was AMAZING. The pork was incredibly tender and the breading was so crunchy. My favorite was actually the oyster katsu though. If I were to go back, I would just order that. The katsu is served with cabbage which comes with 2 sauces and you can refill the cabbage and rice while you are eating. My dining companions had the pork/shrimp combo and sizzling miso combo. They both really enjoyed their food. I would highly recommend eating at Tonkatsu Tamafuji!
While planning my trip to Oahu, my friend told me that this place is highly recommended, but unfortunately, all reservations were booked out throughout the duration of my vacation. However, we decided to get takeout because I just wanted some tonkatsu one night. The location was like a 20 minute walk from Waikiki, so it was manageable. Thinking that food would be ready in 30 minutes, we ordered while walking there. Boy were we wrong! It actually took an hour for our order to be ready!The wait was totally worth it though. The way they pack their takeout boxes is so cute and practical. At first, I thought they didn't provide chopsticks, but I was surprised that it was taped to the inside of the takeout box instead. Their clam miso soup was so good; there was a decent amount of clams in there too. The tonkatsu was amazinggg! It was so crispy, light and airy. I also liked that you got to choose different flavors of rice (so many places often just offer white rice).Wish I could've dined in at Tamafuji to get a true experience, but take out was still delicious.
Great food that is akin to enjoying great TONKATSU in Japan itself. Service is gracious, food is super delicious and the seating is comfortable. Getting a reservation is a pain but if you can score one, definitely visit.
delicious, crispy panko breading, tender moist flavorful pork...scrumptious!
The tonkatsu was crunchy and excellent.Recommend getting the aged pork loin without any sauce on it - the sauce will make the pork soggy almost instantly.The cheese version is a good way to get the crunch without the sogginess.The chicken and shrimp were also excellent. Recommend the yuzu dressing on the cabbage as well.
Food and service are great!
Tonkatsu Tamafuji is probably the best tonkatsu I've eaten in the US. The breading was seasoned just right and it was so crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. The process of making our own sauces was very cool as well and definitely added to the experience. 10/10 highly recommend!