Ro's Recz

Address: 3 Chome-24-1 Ryōgoku, Sumida City, Tokyo 130-0026, Japan

Hasegawa is a restaurant that specializes in tonkatsu. The meat quality, and especially the panko breading, are better than almost any other place. The breading is both crispy and light, so it tastes super good without being too heavy and oily. They do not really have too many non-tonkatsu options though (I cannot remember if they had katsu curry), so make sure you are in a tonkatsu eating mood when you go.

When I went, they were sold out of their super premium tonkatsu meat (which is about $25 or so), so I could only get the 2nd highest one ($15-20 for lunch). Still, this meat was plenty good enough for me, and it is probably perfect if you do not want super fatty, marbled meat. Considering this is a one-Michelin star restaurant, the prices are extra reasonable.

I definitely think there will be a wait no matter what time you go at once this restaurant opens back up. I went on a random Thursday at about 1:30 PM, and I still had to wait for 15 minutes or so. The restaurant is not super big, but the line moves relatively quick. The signage of the restaurant can be hard to find, and it is easiest to find if you can read the Japanese kanji. Still, once you get close enough to the restaurant, you will be able to tell which one it is by the wait.

I really hope this restaurant reopens once Tokyo begins opening up. When it does, be sure to check it out on your next visit.

Tonkatsu Hasegawa Recommendation Rating: 4

1: Something worth checking out if you have time

2: Something that is a hit for some people, but not a must for everyone

3: Something worth prioritizing if interested

4: Something worth making time to check out

5: An absolute home run, worth going out of your way for