Lunch at Kyomachibori Nakamura- Tonkatsu Omakase in Osaka

Tonkatsu is one of my favorite Japanese food, and it’s one of the harder ones to get a good one of outside of Japan. I tried Tonkatsu Narikura in the past, and it opened up the world of tonkatsu omakase for me. Back then, I thought of tonkatsu as a casual food, but few places serve it in omakase concept which fascinates me.

In Osaka, I came across Kyomachibori Nakamura which was awarded Michelin Bib Gourmand. It’s also one of the highest rated tonkatsu restaurant in Osaka according to Tabelog. The tonkatsu style will be similar to Narikura which utilizes low-temperature cooking to keep the meat inside very juicy and panko crumbs crunchy before they melt in the mouth.

Kyomachibori Nakamura- Reservation

You can book a reservation at TableCheck. There’s both lunch and dinner which are priced at 6600 yen and 9900 yen respectively. Reservation can be a bit challenging as it seems to open up slots around 2 weeks in advance. Absolutely keep checking TableCheck to increase your chances to book a spot.

If you are only interested in tonkatsu (pork), then lunch menu will be suffice. Dinner seems to include more appetizers, seafood katsu, katsu sando, and dessert in addition. Though after experiencing the lunch course, I was quite full without any add-ons so I wasn’t sure if I’d be handle the dinner portions. It’s something to think about between choosing lunch or dinner.

Keep in mind that the restaurant does not accept credit cards at all, so bring cash with you! Bring more than the course price as the drinks and add-ons are charged on top of the course price.

Kyomachibori Nakamura- Location

The restaurant is located near Utsubo Park. The closest metro station is Higobashi of Yotsubashi Line (near Conrad Osaka).

Kyomachibori Nakamura Tonkatsu Omakase

Once I got seated by the staff, the pork cuts of the day are displayed right in front of me along with the signage that explain what they are and where they come from.

The interior of this restaurant is elegant for a casual eating experience!

The sauces and toppings like pickles, soy sauce, tonkatsu sauce, mustard, and salt are already placed to enhance the flavors. The chefs will give you recommendations on what to pair with depending on the cut.

For the drinks, I got a homemade grape soda that was nice.

First serving is the baby leaf salad with truffle dressing.

After that, the first two pieces came. Two Berkshire 50 fillet from Yamagata Prefecture. Very juicy!

Then, the rice came. The rice was very tender and complimented the tonkatsu pieces very well! You can order one refill for free, but after that is 200 yen extra per order. Of course, I got a refill!

Next is the shoulder loin of Iwanaka Pork from Iwate Prefecture. Tender piece with very light panko crumbs!

Next is the shintama, a rare cut located by the inner thigh. Zei pork from Miyagi Prefecture.

Then, the final pieces are the loins. First is the Fuji red pig from Shizuoka Prefecture. Hmmm the fat!

Then, amatoro pork from Aichi Prefecture. Very succulent and just melts in the mouth!

For the final dish, I chose the katsudon. You can either choose this or the menchi (minced meat) katsu curry. It was very delicious with the runny egg. I looked at the menchi katsu curry that looks just as appetizing with the cheff drizzling hot curry on top of the menchi katsu placed on rice. I’ll have to try that one on the next visit!

I was very full after eating all of this, though you can feel free to order more if you still have the stomach space for more. Add-ons range between ~300-800 yen per piece. Though preparation can take 20 minutes extra for them because of the low-temperature cooking technique used.

I’d happily return to this place! Outside of the great food, the atmosphere was very nice as well with classy interior and relaxed vibe. It’s one of the least tense omakase experience I’ve had especially when I’m used to be the only foreigner in these type of places.