かつ Mǐn Zhì Mù Diàn - 志木市

Located in a residential area where you can hear the light sizzling sound of oil from the front of the restaurant, this tonkatsu shop surprised me with not only take-out options, but also a few counter seats and a small tatami area in the back. As I was with my child, we were seated in the tatami area. We ordered the pork cutlet set (regular) and the mixed fry set. Both were delicious, but the minced cutlet in the mixed fry set was exceptional. The rice was surprisingly tasty as well, with a good texture and separation of grains. The total bill for both sets came to 1300 yen! While the coating on the cutlets was not the crispy golden color of a high-end restaurant, it had a comforting and familiar taste that blended seamlessly into everyday life.

This restaurant is run by a couple. The food is delicious, plentiful, and surprisingly affordable. There seem to be many students maybe because it's close to a school? We went early so there were only a few customers, which made for a calm atmosphere. It's a small, independently owned restaurant and we were very satisfied.

I had been curious about this tonkatsu restaurant for a while. When I went around 19:30, there were two other customers who seemed to be locals. This time, I bought takeout. Two pieces of pork loin, two pieces of pork fillet, and a cream croquette cost only 1,040 yen. When you consider the oil, batter, and clean-up afterwards...what a surprising price. The 100 yen for the croquette was really a great deal! It was delicious. I think the pork loin could be a bit thicker...next time, I'll ask for one that's around 450 yen.