Tonkatsu Tamafuji (Oahu)

Tonkatsu Tamafuji is one of my favorite katsu restaurants on Oahu! From the seasonal rice to oyster katsu and sesame seeds (that you grind at the table), everything here is ono! Reservations are hard but we have a secret tip to make it easy. Below are my favorite things to order and all the details you need to know.

Behold, the oyster katsu!!

When you say katsu, most people think pork katsu. But my favorite kind of katsu is oyster katsu. And the oyster katsu at Tonkatsu Tamafuji is soooo good. I love it!

Pre-pandemic, it was easy to get a reservation at Tonkatsu Tamafuji. It was always busy and popular but you could often get a spot by walking in or reserving a week in advance.

But something happened during the pandemic, and now it's pretty much impossible to get a reservation here. Some people said it's because of reservation scalpers (gross). Other people said it's because it's super popular with tourists / visitors (makes sense).

Either way, you can still eat here (see my tip below) but it takes a little more planning. And it is worth planning!

Katsu in Hawaii

We have lots of great Japanese restaurants in Hawaii. And because of that, lots of great katsu.

We grew up eating katsu curry from CoCo Ichibanya which is still around and thriving with multiple locations on Oahu.

And now we have restaurants that are devoted to katsu like Nana Ai Katsu in Kaimuki and Ginza Bairin Tonkatsu in Waikiki.

You can find katsu everywhere here. From the grab-and-go refrigerated sections of 7-Eleven Hawaii to Zippy's and popular Japanese restaurants like Restaurant Aki and Izakaya Uosan and takeout bento spots like Sachi Sweets, katsu is a very popular dish in Hawaii. There is even great vegan katsu.

Location

Tonkatsu Tamafuji is located on Kapahulu Avenue in Honolulu. It's just a short walk from Waikiki and Diamond Head area.

Kapahulu Avenue is a pretty tasty stretch. On this one street you'll find everything from Leonard's Bakery for malasadas, Chinese bbq skewers at Honolulu Skewer House, amazing poke bowls from Ono Seafood (it's definitely one of the top poke spots in town), and a second location of Waiola Shave Ice.

There's also sushi at Ginza Onodera, great Indian at New Kamana Kitchen (originally located downtown, they recently opened a second location here), and coffee from Better Daze. So many good eats on Kapahulu Avenue!

What To Order

Pictured above is the full menu! Nice to have it all on one page, yeah?

First you decide which katsu set you want. Every set comes with rice, miso soup, shredded cabbage, and pickles.

I always order the 5 piece oyster katsu set.

I used to order the 3 piece oyster + 2 piece pork tenderloin set because I felt like I should eat some regular (aka pork) katsu at a katsu restaurant.

But one day I decided that what I should like to eat doesn't matter. What matters is what I actually like.

And from that day on, I ordered the 5 piece oyster katsu set.

Next, decide if you want any sides or specials. They usually include an insert with the regular menu that showcases all the specials.

They had a minced pork katsu ball on the day of our visit. Man that looked tasty! We had our stomachs set on a different side dish (the shrimp katsu) so we passed on it. I'll order pork ball next time if it's available and update this post.

Then you can select a type of rice and miso soup. All of this is included in the katsu set so it doesn't cost anything extra. There are so many options!

Miso Soup:

• Red miso soup with clams and onions.
• Red miso soup with tofu and seaweed.
• White miso soup with clams and onions.
• White miso soup with tofu and seaweed.

Rice (all the rice is from our go-to rice shop, The Rice Factory):

• Nanatsuboshi rice - This is the type of rice we usually buy at The Rice Factory, it's one of their most popular types.
• Seasoned mixed rice.
• Shiso seaweed rice - Similar to this!

Once you've place your order along with rice and miso soup selection, take a look at all the items on the table!

There's a trio of housemade pickles: cucumber, cabbage, and ume.

There are also two types of katsu sauce: regular and sweet. Try them both!

While you're waiting the food to come out, they'll bring each diner a suribachi (a Japanese mortar) with roasted sesame seeds inside.

Use the surikogi (the pestle) to hand grind the sesame seeds. Mmm I love this!

Then ladle a little katsu sauce on top (you pick, regular or sweet!)

This will be your katsu dipping sauce.

And now the katsu starts coming out!!

We shared an order of shrimp katsu. Beautiful and delicious. Super delicious. It comes with a housemade tartar sauce ^_^

This is the Jyukusei (aged) pork loin katsu set. It is one of their most popular menu items. You can select from 6.4 ounces, 8.5 ounces, or 10.6 ounces.

Pictured above is the 6.4 ounce katsu. It comes with a lemon wedge, hot mustard, and shredded cabbage.

Shredded cabbage is not to be underestimated! They have two types of cabbage dressing on the side (I like the sesame-based one). The cabbage is super refreshing and helps cut the richness of the katsu.

You can have as much cabbage as you want. The servers bring by a giant bowl and do refills throughout the meal.

This is the "ume mizore" pork tenderloin katsu set. This katsu comes with a side of grated daikon radish and ume.

Our server introduced two ways of incorporating daikon and ume into the dish:

• Mix daikon and ume into the sauce. Dip the katsu into the sauce.
• Place a dab of both the daikon and ume on top of the katsu and eat it directly.

Both ways were good! I think I like the placing the daikon and ume on top of the katsu. That way you can taste the flavors more clearly.

At last, my oyster katsu!! Fresh oysters. Five pieces. Glorious!

It comes with lemon and hot mustard and housemade tartar sauce (same sauce that comes with the shrimp katsu).

You can use the regular katsu dipping sauce but it's almost too flavorful for the oyster. Which is why the tartar sauce makes a better pairing.

Their oysters are plump and juicy. The kastu breading is both substantial and delicate at the same time. Never greasy. Super fresh.

When To Go

If you can get reservations, take any time/date you can get ^_^

If not, you should walk-in and take your chances. I have tips below on how to make a walk-in visit worthwhile.

They are closed Tuesday, but open for dinner all other nights of the week. They are open for lunch on Saturday and Sunday.

Insider Tips

Takeout
They offer takeout bentos! It's not nearly the same as a dine-in experience, but if you really want to try the katsu and don't want to deal with the hassle of getting a reservation or attempting a walk-in, they try a takeout bento. I took a photo of the takeout menu when we went (pictured above).

Parking
Parking is available downstairs. There is a parking attendant. The restaurant validates for the first hour. I think we paid an additional $2 when we went. There is also lots of neighborhood parking and metered street parking nearby.

Seasonal Rice
There are three rice options. One of them is called "seasoned mixed rice" which changes with the season. People don't always know this! One visit it was unagi rice. Another time scallops and sweet corn rice. I always order the seasoned rice for my first bowl. And then shiso and seaweed rice for my second bowl. They are both delicious!

Walk-In
The best time to walk-in is for weekend lunch! Dinner is always so busy but weekend lunches seem almost calm in comparison. Arrive 15 minutes before opening and you can likely get table with a just a short wait.

Tonkatsu Tamafuji: Info

• Website: tamafuji-us.com
• Instagram: @tamafuji.honolulu
• Address: Second Floor, 449 Kapahulu Ave, Honolulu, HI 96815
• Prices: Lunch or dinner (same menu for both) for 2 people without drinks was about $40/person on my visits.