Crispy on the outside, juicy in the middle, sliced into strips built for chopsticks or a heavy pour of sauce. Katsu is everywhere on Oʻahu, and every family here has a go-to.
We grew up on two kinds. Tonkatsu is the Japanese pork cutlet, fried to order and served with real ceremony. Chicken katsu is the plate lunch version, quick and ono after work or the beach.
This guide covers both, plus katsu curry for saucy days. You get addresses, hours, what to order, and a few tips so the first bite lands right.
We are a Hawaiʻi family who eats a lot of katsu, from date-night pork sets to Saturday plate lunches with the keiki. These are the spots we come back to.
Related: Best Japanese Food on Oʻahu, Best Ramen on Oʻahu, and Best Loco Moco on Oʻahu.
A quick word on katsu and tonkatsu
Katsu is short for katsuretsu, the Japanese spin on a Western cutlet. Meat gets dredged, coated in panko, and fried until the crust cracks.
Tonkatsu means pork. Chicken katsu means chicken. Both come sliced, and both come with a tangy brown sauce.
That sauce splits into two styles. Japanese spots use a thick, Worcestershire-style tonkatsu sauce. Local counters pour a smoother, gravy-like katsu sauce we could sip by the cup.
Lay the cutlet over curry and rice and you get katsu curry. Set it on rice with egg and dashi and you get katsudon. One crispy cutlet, a few happy endings.
How katsu became local
Katsu came over with Japanese immigrants who worked the sugar and pineapple plantations from the late 1800s on. Their home cooking became a backbone of local food.
Okazuya, the Japanese deli counter, spread across the islands. They sold katsu, cone sushi, and musubi by the piece for lunch pails, and many of today’s spots trace straight back to those shops.
Chicken katsu then slid onto the plate lunch, right next to teriyaki and kalbi. Now it is as local as it gets, even though the technique started an ocean away.
Tonkatsu: the Japanese pork cutlet
These are the sit-down spots, the ones where the pork gets fried to order and the rice keeps coming. Save room and bring your patience for the wait.
Tonkatsu Tamafuji (Kapahulu)
Tamafuji wears the katsu crown on Oʻahu right now, and the line out front tells you so. Honolulu Magazine called it a new katsu king, and we agree.
The pork comes thick, breaded in fine panko, and fried so the center stays pink-juicy and tender. Order the loin (rosu) for richness or the fillet (hire) for a leaner bite.
Every set comes with rice, shredded cabbage, miso soup, and pickles, and the rice and cabbage are refillable. Grind the sesame, stir in the sauce, and go to town.
The shop moved into a bigger space in 2026, so the wait eased up a touch. Go right at open or late, or call ahead for takeout.
📍 449 Kapahulu Ave #203, Honolulu, HI 96815. Mon and Wed-Fri 4-9:30 p.m., Sat-Sun 11 a.m.-2 p.m. and 5-9:30 p.m., closed Tue. Call (808) 922-1212 or see tamafuji-us.com.
Ginza Bairin (Waikīkī)
Ginza Bairin traces back to a 1927 Tokyo tonkatsu house, and the Beach Walk shop was its first outside Asia. It feels like a proper Tokyo katsu room dropped into Waikīkī.
The star is Kurobuta (Berkshire) pork, coated in a light, low-sugar panko and fried clean. The Kurobuta loin katsu is capped near 20 orders a day, so ask early.
You mix your own sauce here too, grinding sesame in a little bowl before adding the house blend. It makes a nice sit-down dinner when you are already in Waikīkī.
📍 255 Beach Walk, Honolulu, HI 96815. Lunch 11 a.m.-3 p.m. and dinner 4-9:30 p.m., with later hours some nights. Menu at ginzabairinhawaii.com.
Chicken katsu: the plate lunch we grew up on
This is the everyday katsu, the one that comes with two scoops rice and a scoop of mac. These spots are quick, budget-friendly, and open when you need them.
Zippy’s (islandwide)
Zippy’s is the answer when you just need katsu now. The panko crust is thin but crunchy, the chicken stays juicy, and it tastes the same at every location.
It comes with a bowl of that gravy-style katsu sauce, in a mini or a regular size. Many locations run late, which is clutch after a night out.
With more than 20 shops around Oʻahu, one is usually close. Find the nearest at zippys.com.
Rainbow Drive-In (Kapahulu)
Rainbow has been slinging plates on Kapahulu since 1961, and the chicken katsu is a classic. The crust holds its crunch even under a drizzle of tangy sauce.
Get it as a plate with rice and mac, or in a bowl over rice. It is walk-up counter service with a small parking lot out back.
📍 3308 Kanaina Ave, Honolulu, HI 96815. Plates run about $10-$16. Call (808) 737-0177 or see rainbowdrivein.com.
Masa & Joyce (Kāneʻohe)
Cross the Pali about 12 miles (19 km) from town and you hit Masa & Joyce, a Windward okazuya locals swear by. The chicken katsu is crisp, generous, and priced right.
While you are there, grab ahi or aku poke and a cup of oxtail soup. They open early and close by mid-afternoon, so this is a breakfast or lunch run.
📍 45-582 Kamehameha Hwy, Kāneʻohe, HI 96744. Mon and Wed-Sat 6 a.m.-2 p.m., Sun 7 a.m.-1 p.m., closed Tue. Call (808) 235-6129 or see masaandjoyce.com.
Jane’s Fountain (Liliha)
Jane’s has been a Liliha fixture for more than 70 years, an old-school fountain and diner where regulars know the counter crew. The chicken katsu comes hot, crunchy, and simple.
Pair it with a bowl of saimin for the full local diner combo. It is the kind of neighborhood room that reminds you how Honolulu used to eat.
📍 1719 Liliha St, Honolulu, HI 96817. Roughly 8 a.m.-7:45 p.m. on weekdays and 8 a.m.-2 p.m. on weekends, though hours can shift, so call ahead before you go.
Fukuya Delicatessen (Moʻiliʻili)
Fukuya has run its okazuya counter since 1939, and the chicken katsu is a grab-and-go staple. Point at the case, build a tray, and you are out the door in minutes.
Add cone sushi, nori chicken, and a SPAM musubi for a beach or hike picnic. Popular items sell out, so come in the morning or order ahead for a party tray.
📍 2710 S King St, Honolulu, HI 96826. Morning counter that closes by early afternoon; order ahead at fukuyadeli.com.
Sekiya’s Restaurant & Delicatessen (Kaimukī)
Sekiya’s has been around since 1935, with a takeout deli up front and a sit-down room in back by a little garden. The chicken katsu is a longtime regular order.
It is one of the few katsu stops open late, so keep it in your back pocket for dinner. A bowl of saimin on the side never hurts.
📍 2746 Kaimuki Ave, Honolulu, HI 96816. Open daily into the evening, later on Fri-Sat. Call (808) 732-1656 or see sekiyasrestaurant.com.
Katsu curry, for saucy days
Some days you want the cutlet swimming in Japanese curry, and that is its own kind of comfort. The crunch softens into the sauce for pure carb-loading bliss.
Curry House CoCo Ichibanya (McCully and around town)
This Japanese chain lets you build the plate: pick your protein, your spice level, and your portion. The chicken katsu curry and the pork cutlet curry are the two to know.
Spice runs from mild up through the hotter numbers, so keiki and heat-seekers both win. Portions scale up if you came hungry.
📍 1960 Kapiolani Blvd #104, Honolulu, HI 96826 in McCully, with another at 📍 4850 Kapolei Pkwy, Kapolei, HI 96707 and more around the island.
Chasing katsudon instead? Many of the Japanese spots above, Tamafuji included, will set the cutlet over rice with onions, egg, and dashi. It is the ultimate rainy-day bowl.
Katsu sauce, sides, and how to order
At the Japanese spots, grind the sesame seeds first, then stir the sauce into the paste. Some let you go with salt or a grated daikon ponzu instead, which eats lighter.
At plate lunch counters, the katsu sauce is that sweet-tangy brown gravy. Pour it on without guilt.
Squeeze the lemon if they give you one, then dab on the hot mustard, karashi, for a sharp kick. A little goes a long way.
For sides, expect miso soup, cabbage, and pickles with the Japanese sets, and mac salad with the local plates. Tamafuji refills the rice and cabbage, so pace yourself.
Traveling with keiki? Chicken katsu is the easy win, mild and crunchy, and most kids will clean the plate. Ask for the sauce on the side so they can dip.
When to go, parking, and the wait
The Kapahulu spots get slammed at peak meal times. Hit Tamafuji right at open or late in the evening, and give yourself a buffer for the line.
Kapahulu parking is tight. Rainbow has a small lot, and you will find metered and side-street spots near Tamafuji if you circle a bit.
In Waikīkī, Ginza Bairin sits by the Beach Walk garages, so park there and validate if you can. Dinner fills up, so an early seating helps.
The okazuya close early and sell out of favorites by late morning. Call Masa & Joyce or Fukuya before you drive out, and bring a little cash just in case.
Weekends and holidays draw the biggest crowds at the famous shops. A weekday lunch is the calmer move when your schedule allows.
Tonkatsu or chicken katsu: which to get
Want the full experience with fried-to-order pork, refillable rice, and a calm room? Go tonkatsu at Tamafuji or Ginza Bairin. Bring time and a little more money.
Want a fast, filling plate you can grab on the way to the beach? Go chicken katsu at Zippy’s, Rainbow, or your closest okazuya. Both camps deliver the crunch.
Making katsu at home
Katsu is one of the easier fried foods to pull off in your own kitchen. Pound the pork or chicken thin, season with salt and pepper, then run it through flour, egg, and panko.
Fry in oil around 340°F (170°C) until golden, then rest it a minute before slicing. Serve over rice with shredded cabbage and a squeeze of lemon.
For sauce, a bottle of Bull-Dog tonkatsu sauce does the trick, or mix ketchup, Worcestershire, oyster sauce, and a little sugar. It makes a fun weeknight cook with the keiki.
Katsu questions we hear a lot
What is katsu sauce made of?
Tonkatsu sauce is a thick, sweet-tangy blend built on Worcestershire, fruit, and spices, close to a fruity steak sauce. The local plate lunch katsu sauce is smoother and more gravy-like, often thinned with dashi.
Where is the best katsu near Waikīkī?
Ginza Bairin on Beach Walk is the easy walk-to pick for tonkatsu. For a quick chicken katsu plate, the Kapahulu spots like Rainbow are a short drive or a long stroll away.
Is chicken katsu the same as karaage?
No. Karaage is bite-size chicken marinated and fried in a light starch coating. Chicken katsu is a flat cutlet breaded in panko, then sliced into strips.
What is the best budget katsu on Oʻahu?
Zippy’s and the okazuya counters give you the most crunch for your dollar. A chicken katsu plate or a few pieces from the deli case will fill you up for about $10 to $12.
Do the tonkatsu spots take reservations?
Tamafuji runs mostly on a walk-in wait, so go early or call for takeout. Ginza Bairin takes some bookings through its site and OpenTable, which helps at dinner.
More from Wanderlustyle
Keep the plate lunch train going with Best Budget Eats on Oʻahu and Best Late Night Eats on Oʻahu.
Craving more local classics? Try Best SPAM Musubi on Oʻahu, Best Places to Eat in Waikīkī, and our Ultimate Hawaiʻi Food Guide for First-Time Visitors.
Next time the crispy craving hits, start with Tamafuji for the full pork house experience. Or grab a Zippy’s chicken katsu plate when you just need it fast and ono. Either way, bring your appetite and extra napkins.
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