Tonkatsu Tamafuji

Artisanal.... That's how I would describe this restaurant, The panko is freshly made, the pork is aged, the copper pots and in house oil blend used for frying come together to create a masterful tonkatsu experience. The accompanying rice, miso, sides and sauces brings the whole experience together. Reservations are recommended to be made in advance. Street parking. Casual. Good service. Please come and create your own experience.

this place is katsu heaven!! SOO GOOD!! you have to get a reservation here, the experience here was like no other! the food is fresh, you grind up your own sesame seeds and the staff is so attentive!!!the ambience is really chill inside and i love how you can see the chefs cooking and frying the katsu!i got their Jyukusei Pork Tender Loin Katsu Set and it blew me away!!! 6/5 LOL I don't have this in California so when I do come to Hawaii, this place is a must visit! make sure to get reservations in advance!!

One of my favorite restaurants in Oahu! I tried it for the first time in 2023 and went back again this year. The food was just as good as I remembered. The tonkatsu is super juicy and the panko makes it soo good. The oysters were also a stand out, but I can't see myself eating more than one so, I'm glad we shared that. While the food is great, unfortunately, they changed their seating system. You have to book really in advanced or be prepared to wait over 2 hours because they do seating in waves so even if a table finishes eating, I noticed they wait to seat the reservations. I was fortunate enough to only wait 45 mins the first time I went.

I have been to tonkatsu tamafuji one other time many years ago when they only had a walk in option with minimum 2-3 hour wait. Well this Wednesday, some friends remembered they had made reservations over 6 months ago for four and we got to bypass the line and res queue!We had the 7pm slot, and were seated around 7:20pm once all the 5pm reservations were cleared. Aside from our clothes smelling like fry oil upon the end of the meal, the ambiance and small cozy eatery feel was awesome. The tonkatsu plates are not cheap, but they do offer 3 different pork sizes, and the bottomless salad and rice make the largest (300g) loin a great deal--I took home half my meal and sides for lunch the next day!As always, the mortaring your own sesame seeds for katsu sauce is a great interactive activity. Prior to our meal, we were also served a variety of pickled vegetables, miso soup, and a diverse beer list. The tonkatsu itself was crispy, juicy and flavorful--allegedly because of their copper woks and oil--but you can be the judge.My understanding is you can make reservations now 2 months in advance, which will help to not misplaced them!! Or walk in and wait like the rest of the peasants lol.

Again this place does not disappoint! Amazing fluffy tonkatsu and all you can eat thin sliced cabbage so yummy for the tummy!!! We walked in and waited 45 minutes and they got us in. Just worth the wait. Saw a co-worker who said he made reservations 3 months ago.

A two hour wait worth waiting for...the oyster katsu was SO worth it. We arrived Monday night around 6pm, and didn't expect the wait to be 2 hours but there were lots of reservations & take-outs which extended our wait. Service was great but busy - free refills on rice and cabbage salad.The miso soup (choose out of 4 options), tonkatsu sauce and pickled sides were delicious to enjoy with the main meal - the oyster and pork loin combo was delicious! The tempura is fried to perfection, SO crispy and hot ..and the katsu sauce adds a sweet and sour tang! We were STUFFED , esp w the cabbage refills, but so satisfied!

So we were on our annual trip to Hawaii and decided we wanted to try a tonkatsu place that we had not been to. We had heard about Tamafuji for a while but had never made our way so we finally bit the bullet and showed up 45 minutes before open time (because of the lines we heard about). Parking can be done on the street and they also have a parking lot under the complex that offers discounted parking when you get a stamp at the restaurant.We made our way to the second floor and saw a sign in board where we were able to put down our names. We were not first on the list but it wasn't nearly as bad as i thought. The line certainly did pick up exponentially each 5- 10 minute increment so probably still a good idea to show up at least 30 minutes before open time if you want to be seated in the first batch.The service was friendly/efficient and the moment you step in you can smell the delicious katsu smell in those large copper pots. The menu is pretty vast and broken down by cuts of meat, seafood and even styles (cooked in dashi or having grated daikon on top). We ordered the tender loin 4 pc set and the pork loin katsu 240 g set. the joint provides Japanese pickles (delish) as a part of the meal and each set comes with rice and your choice of miso soup (we chose red). The Katsu is so fluffy and the batter so light while the meat being so tender. honestly insane. the rice is also crazy super quality rice and absolutely delicious with the red miso being deep in its flavors and contrasting well against the katsu. honestly words will not describe how delicious this place is. HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend this joint for anyone looking for proper katsu. skip Ginza bairin and come here to check it out. One item on a side note... whatever you wear will smell like katsu for the day :). not a big deal but just for those who are sensitive to smell!Check it out!

They sure are busy! And it's hard to snag a reservation. Should you still try? Yes! Eating in allows you to order oyster katsu and make your own fresh sesame seed sauce. So plan ahead, and I mean really ahead, and save your spot or else, it's a long line. Why the 4 star instead of the 5 stars this time? All the katsu bento we had was good, except the big jyukusei pork loin 1lb katsu. The katsu was dry and it was just so underwhelming. Compared to the other sizes of tonkatsu, this was the worst and I won't be getting this 1lb again. Will be back to try to snag a spot to eat in next time. Just wasn't feasible to do so this time since I had a party of 13.

Another amazing dinner at Tonkatso Tamafuji. we were lucky to score reservations for this day on the online reservation system. And , that is not an easy task. Those waiting for "walk up" were there for about 2 hours to get a table according to them. When we were seated, we got a hot towel for our hands and an introduction to the menu. Service was nice, unpretentious and very Japanese formal. The condiments were explained and served as well as the sesame seeds which you personally hand grind at the table. Side salad and rice (3 choices) were unlimited if you want more. The tonkatsu was excellent and this time I ordered the Sizzling Plate Miso Sauce Pork Loin Katsu Set. About 5 pieces of pork on a super hot sizzing platter. the taste was so wonderful and cooked perfectly. No need to add any sauce really, but there were two kinds of sauce to add to your liking. Again, service was great, and the place was super reminiscent of the traditional places that we have been in Japan so you feel like you have been transported if at least for a few hours. Highly recommend if you have the chance to score reservations.

Food is top notch. Quality service every time! Especially from Ethan who is always friendly, quick and accommodating!!