Tonkatsu Manger

I visited Manger, a tonkatsu restaurant that is extremely well known in Osaka. The system starts at 8:30 a.m., when you write your name down, and about ten minutes before your turn, the restaurant calls you. If you don’t arrive immediately after that call, your spot is canceled, which can be a bit stressful and confusing, especially for first-time visitors. In reality, many people are already lining up before 8:30, which shows just how popular the place is. There are cafés near Yao Station, so spending the waiting time there with a drink or a book is probably the most practical option. As for the food, the hire (tenderloin) cut was genuinely good, with nice tenderness and proper cooking. On the other hand, the loin cut felt quite ordinary—honestly, like a standard tonkatsu you could find elsewhere. The foie gras tonkatsu was delicious and memorable, and the pickles and red miso soup served alongside were also very good. That said, given how high my expectations were before visiting, the overall experience felt a bit underwhelming. What bothered me most was the service. Staff members who were not the master were chatting casually right in front of customers, saying things like “I’m starving,” and some seats had not been properly cleaned. Considering this is a very popular restaurant and not a cheap one, I strongly feel that staff training and basic service standards need improvement. When evaluating the experience as a whole—not just the food—the gap between the reputation and reality was hard to ignore.

Totally worth it! The pork cutlet was super crispy on the outside and juicy inside — just perfect. They started giving out queue numbers at 8:30 a.m., and I lined up at 8. I was already 21st in line, which made me wonder what time the first person showed up! I got a slot at 12:40, but honestly, it was so worth the wait. The staff were super nice and really helpful too, which made the whole experience even better. If you love good tonkatsu, you’ve gotta try this place!

Having heard so much about this Tonkatsu restaurant, it was a dream come true to visit it today (on a Saturday) with my family. Reached the restaurant at about 720am and was number 7 in queue. At 830am, we were prompted to write our names & the no. of people dining. It wasn’t an issue making a reservation without a Japanese mobile number. Although the staff spoke very basic English, it was good enough to make the reservation. I was told to come back at about 11.30am. Ordering was smooth and we were ushered in close to 12pm when the first group of diners had finished their food. We ordered a mix of every type of pork that was available. Tokyo-X was easily the best of the bunch. To keep it simple - it was soooooooo good! Not sure when I will be returning to Osaka again. I hope I will be able to return again one day. P.S. another diner (foreigner) feedback that he felt unwelcome by the staff. I didn’t feel any of that though. In fact, the staff took a paper to write down the English word when I had difficulty understanding what she was saying.

Definitely one of the top tonkatsu shops in Japan. The quality:price ratio is through the roof here versus other highly ranked, more centrally located tonkatsu shops. I went for an early dinner and there was no wait. Very different experience than those going at 8:30am to sign up for a lunch time slot. I had to try the foie gras katsu and as rich as it sounds, ate much lighter then expected - a testament to the chef’s skills.

Need to arrive very early to ensure first round of meal at 11:00, as there are only a few seats in the restaurant. By observation, each round of customers finished and left within an hour. Ordered a mixed plate of fried pork. In my photo, top: golden boar pork; bottom: deluxe filet. Best tonkatsu in Kansai.