Ever since I tried the fried beef cutlet at Gyuukatsu Motomura in Asakusa Palace Yabu-saka, no other beef cutlet restaurant, including other branches of Gyuukatsu Motomura, has been able to beat it. During my stay at Book And Bed Tokyo, which is located diagonally across from Sensoji Temple in Asakusa, I passed by this “Asakusa Gyuukatsu” every day on my way home and saw long lines of people waiting to try it, whether it was during lunch, dinner, or late-night hours. Curious about whether Asakusa Gyuukatsu was really that delicious, I decided to try it out during lunchtime one day.
Must Read: 9 Best Things to Do in Asakusa to Help You Capture 100 Years of Tokyo within a Day
How to Get to Asakusa Gyukatsu?
- Address: B1F, Raikomonjou Village Building, 2-17-10 Raikomon, Taito-ku, Tokyo
- Phone: +81 338421800
- Business Hours: Mon-Fri 11:00~23:00 (L.O. 22:30), Sat 11:00~22:00 (L.O. 21:30), Sun & Holidays 11:00~21:00 (L.O. 20:30)
- Transportation: 2-minute walk from Exit 1 of Tokyo Metro Ginza Line “Asakusa Station” or 2-minute walk from Exit 4 of Toei Asakusa Line “Asakusa Station”
- Notes: Cash payment only, no reservations accepted
Asakusa Gyukatsu – Dining Environment for Fried Beef Cutlet
Because Piao’er lives next to Asakusa Gyukatsu, she took advantage of the location and arrived at around 10:40 in the morning to queue up. The first group of customers were seated on the first floor before the restaurant opened at 11:00. Piao’er was the first in the second group to enter and was seated in the basement. She ordered her food at around 11:10 and was seated shortly after. However, if you don’t come during opening hours or in the middle of the night, it’s normal to wait for about an hour and a half for your meal!
▼ Asakusa Gyukatsu The dining space is located on the basement floor, with limited seating and narrow stairs that can be difficult for elderly people with limited mobility.
Introduction to Asakusa Beef Cutlet Meal
Similar to Gyukatsu Motomura, Asakusa Gyukatsu only has one dish, which is the fried beef cutlet rice set (Gyukatsu Mabiki Tororo Set). The beef cutlet comes in different sizes of 100g/130g/260g, and the set with added yam paste costs an extra 100 yen.
When queuing outdoors, the grandma who takes orders, assigns seats, serves food, and checks out will use simple English to help customers order. The meal will be served within about 2 minutes after seating.
It is recommended for girls to order the “牛かつ麦飯とろろセット 130g (1,400 yen)” as the portion size is just right. The set includes rice, side dishes, miso soup, potato salad, shredded cabbage, dipping sauce, and iced barley tea. If the main dish is not enough, you can add an extra fried beef cutlet.
Niukatsu Mugi Meshi Tororo Set 130g Meal Review
- The potato salad and pickled vegetables were not evaluated as we do not like them. The shredded cabbage was actually quite subpar, at the level of lettuce in a cheap all-you-can-eat Japanese fast food restaurant, cut into large chunks and very hard and dry without much juice.
- The included barley tea had a very light taste and did not have the carefully selected tea quality that a Japanese fried pork cutlet restaurant would have.
- The barley rice was decent and you can get a free refill. If you don’t like yam, we strongly recommend against impulsively pouring the Asakusa beef cutlet’s yam paste onto the rice, as their yam paste is very sticky and rich, which may not be well-received by those who are not fond of yam.
- The miso soup was okay, but slightly salty.
Now, let’s move on to the highlight of the dish – the fried beef steak! The way to eat fried beef steak is to put the steak with crispy outer layer on the grill and roast it. Depending on your preferred level of doneness, it only takes about 6-7 seconds to take the sizzling fried beef steak off the grill and enjoy it. For those with sensitive stomachs, it is recommended to cook the steak until it is less red before eating, otherwise it may still cause diarrhea…
During the frying process, there will be smoke and oil fumes. If you don’t like your clothes to be stained with oil fumes, you can consider it yourself.
The fried beef cutlet can be eaten plain without dipping sauce, or with salt or soy sauce. Beef has a fatty and chewy texture, and the fried batter is not very crispy. Although it still meets the crispy outside and tender inside texture of a fried beef cutlet, it is completely inferior compared to the beef grade of Gyukatsu Motomura. Gyukatsu Motomura is really delicious, with beef that is too tender and batter that is incredibly crispy. However, if you compare it to the fried beef cutlet restaurants introduced in Taiwan, Asakusa Gyukatsu is the clear winner, at least the beef is still tender even though it lacks elasticity.
Overall, Asakusa Gyukatsu is a decent fried beef cutlet restaurant. The beef quality is not very good, and it is soft but lacks elasticity and has some tendons. The fried coating is not crispy enough to be perfect. If you really want to queue up for a fried beef cutlet restaurant in Tokyo, my first choice is still Gyukatsu Motomura, which has that amazing level of deliciousness. However, if your itinerary only includes Asakusa, Ueno, Shinjuku, and you haven’t tried fried beef cutlet before and want to experience it, Asakusa Gyukatsu is still worth considering as it is a decent and not difficult to eat cuisine.
- If your budget allows, this is the best restaurant in Asakusa: Asakusa Imahan | A century-old sukiyaki restaurant with delicious Chinese cuisine that won’t break the bank
- Recommended for delicious food in Nakamise-dori: Asakusa Nakamise-dori shopping street food and must-buy souvenirs
One-day Tour of Attractions around Asakusa
【Morning】Visit Sensoji Temple, Shop at Nakamise Shopping Street → 【Afternoon】Stroll in Ueno Park, Shop at Ameyoko → 【Evening】Walk along Sumida River Park → Enjoy the Night View from Skytree Tembo Deck → Shop at Tokyo Solamachi
The itinerary in Asakusa is often combined with a one-day trip to Ueno and Tokyo Skytree, which are very close by. The above is the recommended itinerary route that I suggest, which is smoother to walk. You can also refer to Tokyo Asakusa one-day trip itinerary route arrangement for detailed transportation connections and fun attractions.
- Ueno: Ueno & Okachimachi Complete Guide: Sightseeing Guide near Ueno Station
- Ameyoko: Ameyoko Complete Guide: Food, Cosmetics, and Shopping
- Asakusa: [Tokyo Asakusa Attractions] Sensoji Temple – Recommended Walking Route
- Skytree: [Tokyo Skytree Guide] Attractions, Night Views, Transportation, and Shopping Malls
- Origin of Japanese Lucky Cat: Imado Shrine: The Love Shrine Most Popular Among Japanese Women
Ultimate Tokyo Food Guide: 20 Best Japanese Foods to Try in Tokyo