Tonkatsu Tamafuji, One of Honolulu’s Hardest-to-Get Reservations, Plans to Expand
Same address, different floor: The tonkatsu specialist widely regarded as Honolulu’s best is moving into a much bigger space.
Photo: Laura La Monaca
Most people yearning for a seat at Tonkatsu Tamafuji on Kapahulu Avenue have to wait three months to get a reservation. Sometimes, if you’re lucky and willing to wait, you can get one of the tables set aside for walk-ins.
Well, those waits may soon be over—or at least shorter. Koichi Shimada, a chef at the popular katsu restaurant, says it will move downstairs to a street-level space that is about twice its current size. While Shimada could not name the business whose spot Tamafuji is taking, chances are it’s the now-closed Growler USA. The move will allow for a layout similar to other Tamafuji restaurants in Japan—a large, open kitchen surrounded by an L- or U-shaped dining counter, so you can watch the action while you eat. The rest of the space will have traditional tables for other diners.
The expansion should make it easier to get a reservation (we hope), and more tables will be allocated for walk-ins.
Photo: Melissa Chang
Tonkatsu Tamafuji is a chain of 14 restaurants known for cold-aging its pork cutlets for 18 days before frying them in large copper pots instead of conventional fryers. The chain is based in Hokkaido, Japan, where it was founded in Sapporo in the 1950s. The Kapahulu location opened in 2017 and is regarded by many as the best tonkatsu in Honolulu.
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The target date for the move is sometime in April. According to Shimada, Tamafuji will close its current location around the end of March. The hope is that moving equipment and furniture will take about two weeks, but don’t hold them to it—you know how it is in Hawai‘i!
449 Kapahulu Ave., Kapahulu, (808) 922-1212, @tamafuji.honolulu
Melissa Chang is a longtime contributor to Frolic Hawai‘i. @melissa808
