Tonpachitei: Ueno's MICHELIN Tonkatsu Restaurant

Ueno is a district in Taito Ward known for its zoo, museums, and lush natural parks. Located close to central Tokyo, it's also famous for its drinking establishments under the railway tracks.

With the Shinkansen bullet train station nearby, it serves as an excellent base for tourism and is frequently visited alongside Asakusa.

Among Tokyo's districts, Ueno is popular for its "shitamachi" (downtown) retro atmosphere. The Ueno Zoological Gardens, Japan's oldest zoo famous for its pandas, and Ameyoko shopping street, where visitors can experience Japanese culture, are bustling daily with both tourists and locals.

The area is home to numerous Japanese-style izakayas and restaurants serving filling Japanese meals. Among these, tonkatsu (breaded pork cutlet) restaurants are particularly popular with both locals and tourists.

Today, we're featuring Tonpachitei Ueno, one of Ueno's "Big Three" restaurants and a MICHELIN-listed tonkatsu establishment.

Tonpachitei: A Long-established Tonkatsu Restaurant in Ueno Hirokoji Selected for Bib Gourmand in 2024

History of Tonkatsu

Tonkatsu is a Japanese dish with Western roots. It was adapted from the French dish "veal cutlet" to suit Japanese tastes.

A cutlet traditionally involves coating meat with dry breadcrumbs and pan-frying it with butter.

To create tonkatsu, Japanese chefs modified the recipe by using pork instead of beef and deep-frying rather than pan-frying the meat.

As a result, tonkatsu has become both a beloved home-cooked meal and a popular dining-out option in Japan.

What is Bib Gourmand?

Source: MICHELIN

Bib Gourmand is a designation given to restaurants that offer "exceptional value for money."

While there aren't strict rules for Bib Gourmand selection, there are three common criteria:

• Simple cooking methods accessible to everyone
• Dishes that inspire home cooking
• Reasonable pricing

While less well-known than Michelin stars, many Bib Gourmand restaurants have long been cherished by locals and tourists alike.

The Secret Behind Tompachiei Ueno's Popularity! A Detailed Explanation of Their "3 Special Commitments"

Domestically-sourced Pork with Melt-in-your-mouth Sweetness

Source: Tabelog

At Tompachiei Ueno, their tonkatsu fills your mouth with the sweet richness of domestic pork fat. There are two special techniques they use to bring out this sweetness.

The first is deep-frying at a low temperature. By frying slowly at a low temperature, the residual heat cooks the meat to its core. The thoroughly cooked meat becomes tender and turns a light pink color, similar to cherry blossoms.

The second is their meat preparation method. To ensure even cooking and flavor absorption, they carefully pound the meat and make fine cuts in the sinewy parts.

This extra effort makes the meat tender and locks in the delicious fatty flavors.

The Signature Light and Crispy Breading

Source: Tabelog

Tompachiei Ueno's tonkatsu is also popular for its crispy breading. Creating this perfect crispiness is actually quite challenging.
If the frying temperature is too low, the coating won't become crispy, but if it's too high, the breading will burn before the meat inside is fully cooked.

At Tompachiei Ueno, they prioritize the "resting time" after frying to achieve the perfect crispiness.
After frying for about 10 minutes at a low temperature, they let the cutlet rest for 2 minutes to drain excess oil.
This waiting period ensures the crispy texture by properly draining the oil.

Additionally, they spray a fine mist of water on the breadcrumbs before use.
This slight moisture in the breadcrumbs helps create the signature crispy texture.

Seasonal Vegetables Pickled in Their Traditional Nukadoko

Source: Tabelog

Nukazuke (rice bran pickles) is a staple side dish in Japanese cuisine.
It's a fermented food made by pickling seasonal vegetables in nukadoko (a pickling bed made from rice bran, water, and salt), which creates unique flavors and textures.

At Tompachiei Ueno, they make these pickles using their traditional nukadoko, inherited from the previous generation.

They offer a wide variety of seasonal pickled vegetables, from the classic cucumber to seasonal offerings like carrots, turnips, and burdock root.

Most importantly, these seasonal vegetables pickled in their historically-rich nukadoko offer a gentle sweetness and subtle tanginess that refreshes your palate after enjoying their fried dishes.

3 Must-Try Menu Recommendations at Tompachiei Ueno

Most Popular "Pork Loin Cutlet Set Meal"

Source: Tabelog

The pork loin cutlet set meal at Tompachiei Ueno is a satisfying combination that includes rice, pork loin cutlet, shredded cabbage, rice bran pickles, and pork miso soup.

The restaurant provides various condiments for your tonkatsu, including rock salt, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, and soy sauce.

If you're trying tonkatsu for the first time, we recommend starting with the traditional sauce and mustard combination. This is the typical way Japanese families enjoy tonkatsu, giving you an authentic Japanese dining experience.

For your second visit or if you're interested in trying something different, we recommend using rock salt. It brings out the natural sweetness of the meat, creating an irresistibly aromatic flavor that keeps you coming back for more.

"Pork Tenderloin Cutlet Set Meal" - Savor the Refined Sweetness of Pork

Source: Tabelog

The pork tenderloin cutlet set meal is lighter than the loin cutlet, offering a tender meat texture. The low-temperature cooking method results in a beautiful golden-brown coating and pink meat cross-section that stimulates your appetite.

When you bite into it, the breading is perfectly crispy, and the pork's natural fat provides an elegant sweetness without being overwhelming.

The rice, cutlet, pickles, and miso soup - every item on this menu is homemade, making it a lunch filled with care and attention.

While it reminds you of home-cooked meals, it's far from ordinary - a testament to the skills of Tompachiei Ueno's Bib Gourmand-awarded chefs!

"Bite-sized Cutlet Set Meal" - Perfect for Female Diners

Source: Tabelog

The bite-sized cutlet set meal contains slightly less meat than the loin or tenderloin sets, with the cutlet pre-cut into convenient bite-sized pieces. This portion size is particularly appealing to female diners.

For this dish, the meat is cut into bite-sized pieces before being breaded and quickly deep-fried at high temperature. The crispy coating doesn't feel greasy, allowing you to fully enjoy the meat's texture and refined sweetness.

The meat used is the same tender, lean pork as in the tenderloin cutlet, ensuring a light and tender eating experience.

Two Other Must-Visit Tonkatsu Restaurants Known as "Ueno's Big Three"

Ponta Honke (Tonkatsu Restaurant)

Source: Tabelog

Ponta Honke has been famous for its unchanged katsu recipe since its establishment in 1905.

Located just 3 minutes' walk from Okachimachi Station, the restaurant is popular among foreign tourists as they offer menus in English and Chinese.

Ponta Honke's cutlet is prepared by removing all fat from the pork and frying it slowly at low temperature before finishing at high temperature. This method ensures that all the meat's umami is sealed in, resulting in a delicious cutlet.

With no excess fat, the cutlet is light and easy to eat while maintaining the deep, distinctive pork flavor!

【Store Information】
Address: 3-23-3 Ueno, Taito-ku, Tokyo
Business Hours: Lunch 11:00-14:00 (Last order 13:45)
                Dinner 16:30-20:20 (Last order 19:45)
                (Sundays and holidays 16:00-20:20)
Closed: Mondays, Summer holidays
Phone: 050-5492-8353
Official Website: https://g608200.gorp.jp/?_gl=1*1sv9nov*_gcl_au*NzIyOTk4NjEuMTcyODM3OTkwNQ..*_ga*MTEyOTI1MTU1My4xNzI4Mzc5OTA1*_ga_L9BHK8C28C*MTcyODM4NjYzNS4yLjEuMTcyODM4NzY5NC4zMy4wLjA.

Ponchi-ken, Ponta's Predecessor, Was the First to Serve Tonkatsu in Japan

Source: Tabelog

Ponchi-ken, opened in 2012 by a Western cuisine chef, is a restaurant specializing in tonkatsu and pork shabu-shabu.

This restaurant, inspired by Ponta's cutlets, is considered the birthplace of tonkatsu in Japan.

The pork, tender and juicy like roast pork, offered a truly exceptional taste befitting its status as the original tonkatsu restaurant.

Among the optional condiments, they uniquely offer yuzu kosho. The citrusy and spicy flavors of yuzu kosho perfectly complement the sweet fat of the pork, making it absolutely delicious.

【Store Information】
Address: Ogi Building 1F, 2-8 Kanda-Ogawamachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
Business Hours: Lunch 11:15-14:30 (Last order 13:30)
                Dinner 17:30-21:00 (Last order 20:30)
Closed: Wednesdays and Sundays
Phone: 03-3293-2110
Official Website: https://www.ponchiken.jp/

Isen Main Store

Source: Official website

Isen is a tonkatsu restaurant famous for its tender pork cutlets that are so soft you can cut them with chopsticks.

Their recommended dish is the Rosu-katsu Set Meal (pork loin cutlet). The succulent and tender meat combined with the crispy breading creates an exquisite taste experience. Unlike typical fried foods, it doesn't feel greasy, and each bite brings a more impressive depth of flavor.

My recommendation is to order the pork miso soup along with your set meal. This miso soup, made with pork and vegetables, perfectly complements the tonkatsu.

Please enjoy this quintessentially Japanese set meal that will warm your body and soul.

【Store Information】
Address: 3-40-3 Yushima, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo
Hours: 11:30-20:10 (Last order 19:45)
Closed: Wednesdays
Phone: 03-3834-2901
Official Website: https://www.isen-honten.jp/

Isen Main Store is The Birthplace of "Katsu-Sando"

Source: Official website

Another must-try item at Isen is their "Katsu-Sando" (pork cutlet sandwich).

Katsu-Sando, which consists of breaded pork cutlet with sauce between slices of bread, was first created here at Isen.

This dish was originally designed for geishas working around the Tompachiei Ueno area, who needed something they could eat easily without smearing their makeup.

The tender pork fillet cutlet with mild sauce between fluffy bread slices is delicious even when cold. It's so good you'll find yourself devouring it in no time!

You can get it for takeout, making it perfect for a casual meal during your stroll through Ueno Park. Why not make it your companion for a picnic?