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Katsu curry is a popular Japanese dish of curry rice topped with a breaded cutlet.
As a Japanese person who has eaten curry since childhood, I will introduce seven styles of katsu curry that I have actually eaten in Tokyo.
Last updated: 2026-09-13
What Does Curry Mean to Japanese People?
Curry rice is one of Japan’s most familiar everyday meals.
Many Japanese people grow up eating curry at home and at school. The meat, vegetables, level of spiciness, and even the secret ingredients vary from family to family.
I have always liked curry, and I have also enjoyed making my own by changing the spices and ingredients.
There is no single correct version of Japanese curry. Every family and every restaurant can have its own.
Why Did Curry Spread So Widely in Japan?
Curry arrived in Japan as a Western-style dish during the Meiji era and gradually changed to suit the rice Japanese people ate every day.
It eventually spread beyond Western-style restaurants into homes and school meals.
Soba restaurants also adapted curry to their own cooking, combining it with Japanese dashi to create dishes such as curry nanban.
Japanese curry spread not by keeping one fixed form, but by adapting to different kinds of Japanese food culture.
Then Curry Met Katsu
Tonkatsu also developed in Japan from a Western-style cutlet.
As curry rice and cutlets both became popular, the two eventually came together as katsu curry.
One of the best-known stories about the birth of modern katsu curry comes from Ginza Swiss in Tokyo. In 1948, Shigeru Chiba, a professional baseball player for the Yomiuri Giants, is said to have asked the restaurant to put a cutlet on his curry rice.
For Japanese people, curry is an everyday meal, while tonkatsu feels a little more special.
Put a crispy cutlet on everyday curry, and it becomes a small feast.
And just as curry adapted to many parts of Japanese food culture, katsu curry also became different from one restaurant to another.
Here are seven broad styles based on katsu curry I have actually eaten in Tokyo.
1. Yoshoku Restaurant Style — Close to the Roots
Photo: Koiwaken (Shin-Koiwa)
Let’s start with yoshoku, Japanese Western-style restaurants.
Both curry and cutlets developed as part of Japan’s yoshoku culture. Ginza Swiss, famous for its katsu curry origin story, is also a yoshoku restaurant.
At this type of restaurant, you can find a classic combination of rich curry and a breaded cutlet.
2. Tonkatsu Specialist Style — The Cutlet Is the Star
Photo: Tonkatsu Aoki no Curry-ya Ippei-koppe (Akihabara)
Some tonkatsu specialists also serve katsu curry.
Here, the cutlet is the star.
Because these restaurants focus on the pork, the cut, the breading, and the frying technique, try eating a few pieces of katsu on their own with salt or tonkatsu sauce as well as with the curry.
You can enjoy both katsu curry and the quality of the tonkatsu itself.
3. Soba Restaurant Style — Curry with Japanese Dashi
Photo: Masanoya (Togoshi-Ginza) - Using premium Sangen-ton pork.
In Japan, you can also find curry at soba restaurants.
Some soba restaurants use Japanese dashi, such as bonito-based stock, in their curry.
Instead of the flavor of a meat-based broth, you can taste the aroma and umami of Japanese dashi.
When curry enters a soba restaurant, it takes on the character of the soba shop.
This is a good example of how Japanese curry has adapted to different food cultures.
4. Machi-Chuka Style — Curry at a Neighborhood Chinese Restaurant
Photo: Toryanse (Togoshi) - Locals usually go here for Ramen.
Machi-chuka are old-fashioned neighborhood Chinese restaurants in Japan.
Ramen, fried rice, and gyoza may be the main attractions, but some also serve curry.
Depending on the restaurant, stock used for ramen, such as chicken-based broth, may also be used to give the curry its own character.
Just as a soba restaurant can make curry with Japanese dashi, a machi-chuka restaurant can have its own style of curry.
Finding katsu curry in a neighborhood restaurant where local people normally come for ramen is part of what makes Japanese curry culture so interesting.
5. National Chain Style — Look at the Toppings in Japan
Photo: Hand-made Katsu Curry with Soft-boiled Egg and Natto.
CoCo Ichibanya is a Japanese curry chain that has also expanded overseas.
That may make it one of the most familiar restaurants in this article for international visitors.
One of its defining features is customization: you can choose the amount of rice, the spice level, and from a wide range of toppings.
If you visit a CoCo Ichibanya in Japan, take a look at the toppings and try a combination that feels a little more Japanese.
6. Regional Style — Kanazawa Curry
Photo: Go Go Curry (Shimbashi)
As curry spread across Japan, regional styles also developed.
One of the best-known examples is Kanazawa curry.
It typically combines a thick, dark curry with a cutlet and shredded cabbage, with sauce poured over the katsu.
Kanazawa curry comes from Kanazawa, but you can also eat it in Tokyo.
A dish arrives in a region and develops its own local style. That is another part of the fun of Japanese curry.
7. Hybrid Style — Curry Katsudon
Photo: Fuji Soba (Oimachi) - Curry Katsudon
Finally, here is an even freer interpretation.
Fuji Soba serves a dish called curry katsudon.
It is not simply katsu curry. It combines curry with katsudon on the same plate.
Curry met katsu to become katsu curry, and here it is combined again with another Japanese dish.
Japanese curry is still creating new ways to be enjoyed.
Tokyo or Trip?
🟢 Great-in-Tokyo — Great experience you can enjoy in Tokyo.
By now, I hope you can see that “katsu curry” does not mean just one style of dish.
The seven styles in this article are simply my broad way of grouping the katsu curry I have actually eaten in Tokyo.
Across Japan, restaurants in all kinds of genres make katsu curry in their own way.
So when you come across katsu curry while traveling in Japan, enjoy the version that particular restaurant has created.
There is no single correct katsu curry.
That is part of the fun of Japanese curry.
FAQ
What is katsu curry?
Katsu curry is Japanese curry rice served with a breaded and fried cutlet.
Pork katsu is the most common, but chicken and other types of cutlet can also be used.
What is the difference between tonkatsu and katsu curry?
When you order tonkatsu, the pork cutlet is usually served with shredded cabbage, rice, miso soup, and other sides, allowing you to enjoy the cutlet itself.
Katsu curry combines the cutlet with Japanese curry rice.
What is the difference between katsudon and katsu curry?
Katsudon usually consists of a pork cutlet simmered with onion in a sweet-savory dashi-based sauce, finished with egg, and served over rice.
Katsu curry combines a cutlet with curry and rice instead.
Was katsu curry invented in Ginza, Tokyo?
One of the best-known origin stories says that modern katsu curry was created at Ginza Swiss in 1948 after Yomiuri Giants baseball player Shigeru Chiba asked for a cutlet to be placed on his curry rice.
However, restaurants such as Oroji in Shinjuku had already served dishes combining curry and cutlets. For that reason, there are several views on the exact origin of katsu curry.
Does katsu curry always use pork?
No. Pork is the standard choice in Japan, but katsu curry can also be made with chicken, beef, fish, or other breaded cutlets.
Why are there so many styles of katsu curry in Japan?
Japanese curry itself spread by adapting to many different parts of Japanese food culture.
Depending on the restaurant or region, the stock, curry flavor, cutlet, toppings, and way it is served can all be different.
What kind of katsu curry should I try in Tokyo?
If it is your first katsu curry, I recommend starting at a yoshoku restaurant.
Both curry rice and cutlets developed as part of Japan’s yoshoku culture, and Ginza Swiss—the restaurant associated with the best-known modern katsu curry origin story—is also a yoshoku restaurant. It is a good place to start with a classic style close to the dish’s roots.
If you simply want an easy and familiar introduction, a national chain such as CoCo Ichibanya is also a good choice.
And if you enjoy katsu curry, try it again at different restaurants. Every restaurant can offer a new encounter with katsu curry.
Similar Dishes
If you're fascinated by how Japanese curry and cutlet cultures evolve into unique local variations, explore these distinct katsu and yoshoku specialties from Tokyo to Nagasaki.
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🥩 Beef Katsu Curry in Oimachi
Try another side of katsu curry with a crispy beef cutlet instead of the usual pork.
👉 Beef Cutlet Curry at Yoshoku Bulldog: Old-School Tokyo Yoshoku in Oimachi -
🐟 Tuna Katsu Curry in Tsukiji
See what happens when Japan’s seafood culture meets katsu curry, with tuna replacing the usual meat cutlet.
👉 Maguro Cutlet Curry in Tsukiji — Tokyo’s Market-Born Fusion Dish -
🍽️ Turkish Rice in Nagasaki
Discover a Nagasaki specialty that brings several yoshoku favorites together on one plate.
👉 Turkish Rice at Tsuru-chan, Nagasaki — Retro Café with Spoonable Milkshake
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About "Taste of Japan"
Hello, I'm Yuta.
Born in landlocked Yamanashi and having lived in the gourmet city of Sendai for 10 years, I now call Togoshi-Ginza home. My frequent business trips across Japan allow me to constantly explore the diversity of regional flavors.
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This street is Tokyo’s longest shopping street (about 1.3 km), but it holds a special history. It was the very first street in Japan to adopt the "Ginza" name—a tradition that later spread across the country—after receiving bricks from the famous Ginza district following the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake.
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I am not a culinary expert. However, as a Japanese local who knows both the convenience of Tokyo and the origins of regional food, I want to share the "atmosphere" and "personal feelings" that you won't find in standard guidebooks.
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Visiting every region of Japan in a single trip is nearly impossible. Some food experiences are worth the travel to the source, while others offer a fully satisfying experience right here in Tokyo.
This blog is a guide to help you make that choice. Based in Togoshi-Ginza, I share my honest experiences and "my personal answer" to help you maximize your culinary journey in Japan.
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