恵亭高島屋京都店
Hours: 11am to 9pm, every day
Budget: Around 2,000 yen per person
Smoking: No
Challenge Level: Easy
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Tonkatsu is a crispy, panko-breaded, deep fried pork cutlet, usually served with a sweet, dark sauce and raw, thinly sliced cabbage. It’s one of the most popular dishes in Japan and one of the easiest recommendations for visitors, as most people (if they can eat pork), even picky children, can enjoy it. No adventurous new flavors here, just deep-fried goodness.
Keitei is a traditional shop serving Tonkatsu at the 7th floor of department store Takashimaya, in the Shijo area, just a short walk from Gion.
It’s a perfect choice for those times you don’t want to overthink your next meal. Been walking all day, most places already closed for lunch and you’re getting really hungry? They can save your life. The atmosphere is relaxed but still refined, prices are a fantastic value and the food is delicious.
The menu here will be basically several variations of Tonkatsu, sometimes with limited seasonal options and other deep-fried main dishes, like Menchikatsu (deep-fried, breaded meatballs) or Ebi-Furai (deep-friend, breaded shrimp). All dishes come with accompanying sides of white rice, cabbage, Japanese pickles and soup.
Getting There
Keitei is located at the restaurant (7th) floor of the Takashimaya department store. The closest stations are Gion-Shijo on the Keihan Line, Karasuma on the Hankyu-Kyoto Line or Shijo on the Karasuma Subway Line. Several bus lines also stop close-by.
It’s a very popular district in Kyoto, so most people will eventually be going through the area.
It can get crowded during lunch times, so if you can, come for a later lunch to skip the wait.
How to Order
They have an English menu, so if you don’t get one handed to you when you enter, just ask. The menu should have pictures and descriptions of all items, so ordering won’t be a problem. Just point to the items to make sure your server understands and registers your order correctly.
If you need to call the server for extra orders, drinks or anything, just press the button on your table.
There are free refills for tsukemono (pickles), rice and cabbage, so if you want any, just say “tsukemono okawari kudasai” for pickles, “gohan okawari kudasai” for rice or “kyabetsu okawari kudasai” for cabbage. It will be fine even if you bungle the pronunciation, but if you feel self-conscious, you can just point to the bowl/plate of what you want another helping and say “okawari” (oh-kah-wah-ree) and they will get what you mean.
How to Pay
Just go to the cashier and they will close your bill. All major cards are accepted. There’s no gratuity added, and no tips. Remember, no tipping in Japan! Don’t insist.