KatsuCo Toowong

Went to the infamous Katsuco Toowong branch for the first time.

We ordered various dishes to share and experience what the buzz was about.

Tomahawk Katsu $34
It’s a 350g pork rib eye that comes served with rice, sesame seed, sauce, salad, miso soup, pickles, wasabi and salt. This menu took the longest to serve but was well worth the wait! Ultimate succulent meat cooked to perfection. The batter and the outer crunch was spot on and it wasn’t overly done or cooked. The tomahawk was the most tender katsu of all the dishes we tried. Comes with a small bowl of truffle oil. For those who are truffle fans, I recommend trying a small dip together with the katsu sauce provided, the infused truffle oil aroma works well with the base sauce.

Cheese Katsu $29
Mozzarella cheese in pork loin served with the same set as above. Meat also tender and easy to bit into. Generous amount of cheese compared to the actual meat, however great combination of the two. Once again the batter and crunch was spot on.

Tonkatsu $29
Served with the same set items. I would say this would be the most original Katsu version on the menu. Once again greatly cooked, not overly done, perfect amount of small meat juice is apparent with every bite into the meat.

We added the Chicken thigh katsu (120g) at $11 and this too was tender and cooked to perfection!

Also tried the Carbonara Udon ($22) which comes infused with truffle oil. Great scent and aromatic overall. First time trying carbonara with udon noodles. Has a new twist and texture to the overall dish. Would have preferred the udon noodles to be less cooked and it felt it was over done.

Restaurant was consistent with patrons and by the time we left was a small line up of customers. Great mix of various ethnic background patrons. Overall clean and tidy fitout with nothing too much.

Heard that all their meats are dry-eyed, and soon to open another shop soon. Check out their website for further details on all their locations.

Highly recommend to anyone looking for great katsu.

Superb katsus. Best in Brisbane from what I've tried. It's a popular place so I recommend coming early or making a booking.

On my first visit I had a chicken katsu set ($29) which comes with 180g chicken thigh fillet, and the common katsu set elements of rice, cabbage salad, katsu sauce, miso soup, pink salt, pickled vegetable & wasabi.

The boy had a kids tontaktsu set ($14) which comes with half a piece of tonkatsu (pork loin), potato, salad, rice, and miso soup. Note that the kids menu is listed on a kids activity sheet so you probably won't see this unless you have kids at your table. Even then I didn't think to look there but thankfully other adults at the table noticed and let me know.

On my second visit wifey and I got both pork options:
* Tomahawk katsu, $34 - fried breaded 350g pork rib eye, truffle olive oil
* Tonkatsu set, $29 - fried breaded 200g pork loin

The katsus here are pricier than some of the competition but they're also very good so it's the place to go if you want a premium product. I also like having two salad dressings to choose from, and usually alternate between the two; there's Japanese soy (kiwi, apple, soy, onion) and black sesame (mayo, black sesame, cider), both go great with the heap of cabbage salad in the set.

Oh and the cabbage salad comes topped with a flower which adds a bit of colour and point of difference. Edible flowers are a bit fancy for my usual food intake but I gave it a go since it was there...

As for the two pork offerings I do think the extra $5 for the tomahawk is worth it if you're in the mood for a premium Japanese katsu experience. I'm glad I tried it to know how good it is. I wouldn't necessarily get it every single time, but it'll definitely feature on the rotation of dishes I order for future visits.

Great Donkatsu ever in Brisbane!
Cheese katsu was normal but you should try Tomahawk katsu was really tender and juicy. It seemed a bit pricy (menu said grams but I guess it is from the bone) but worth it.

The restautant was clean but table was closed each other. Staff was friendly and helpful.

We can't wait to try the other food!

Went here on a recommendation from a friend. Had the Tomahawk and the Cheese Katsu. The food is so good, and the service is great. Will come back

Delicious tonkatsu set, good portion size. The pork is quite lean, not as fatty as I thought, but still very tender and juicy. Crumb is thin and light, very crispy and not oily at all. Also liked all the accoutrements that come with the set.

Just want to point out that although this is a Japanese restaurant, it’s run by Korean.

Katsuco Toowong is absolutely amazing! The food is impeccable and the staff are extremely friendly and professional. We have visited 5 times since opening and all dishes have been delicious. Special mention to Leo for always welcoming us and being such a friendly waiter. Highly recommend!

The matcha latte was super rich and the cheese katsu was very lovely, oozing with cheese. Definitely recommend KatsuCo as an amazing lunch option!

Great quality as always, fresh and scrumptious. Beautiful presentation. Had visited Katsco a few times till-date but their newest location at Toowong does breakfast and lovely staff. Brought my family for dinner and my kids enjoyed the kids meal! Highly recommend to visit for a satisfying feed :)

everything was so delicious.
Cheese katsu is the one of the best one in here.

If you like truffle oil, I highly recommend the tomahawk with truffle oil. Or you can add oil itself. I usually add other kinds of katus I didn't order. Today I added curry sauce. It was a pretty generous portion and good flavour.

+ I cannot miss talking about their coffee. It was awesome too. 😊😊

Idk what to say other than they serve really good katsu. I like the original one and the cheese one. The staff here are also so nice and friendly, seriously good vibes. It gets packed fast though so sometimes when you're having dinner you can overhear what other people are talking about lol

I don’t usually order pork for Katsu because I always had the impression it was dry only from experiences of other places, but this is a must try. Super tender for the Tomahawk.

Excellent presentation, taste factor 11/10.

Everything was so delicious! Can’t fault anything 😍 Didn’t have a high expectation on salmon, but it was surprisingly fresh.

I haven’t had real Tonkatsu since I moved to Australia, and it’s really hard to find here. But this place is incredible and nicely well authentic tonkatsu. A bit pricey and a bit waiting time but it’s worth the wait at all costs! The quantity and quality is nice as well! Wondering if you could have one like this in Sydney too?

They are really kind and made me smile. 😀
The food is amazing and looking delicious 😋.
Here, it sells coffee too, I wanted to try matcha latte, but I needed a cup of coffee, so I drank it. Later, I'll try it definitely! I love it here and I recommend it here!

Overview
Katsuco is a new Japanese restaurant on the ground floor of the Jephson Hotel on the corner of Jephson St and Sherwood Rd in Toowong.

Food
Being just my wife and I we stuck to a fairly simple ordering protocol of one drink each and one main meal each. I chose chicken katsu and my wife chose salmon donburi. The presentation of these dishes was outstanding. Both meals were brought out on wooden trays with stylish white, black and grey crockery. Each tray contained, in addition to the meat, a generous portion of cabbage salad, rice, miso soup, sauces and a selection of little condiments like wasabi sauce, crushed almonds and pink salt. And it wasn’t just the presentation that impressed. Both meals were fresh and tasty, and prepared with love, care and attention to detail. My chicken was melt-in-your-mouth tender, finely sliced and coated in a crispy batter. The fluffy rice and crunchy cabbage made the perfect accompaniments and what better way to flavour the meat than with that uber spicy, tangy wasabi sauce. My wife’s salmon was cooked to perfection. It was tender and succulent and topped with sprigs of parsley.

Service
All the staff are neatly turned out in neat white uniforms and these guys know exactly what they’re about. They’re knowledgeable about the various dishes and were able to give us sound advice as to what to choose. Our orders were promptly taken and meals came out quickly with no delay. It was a pleasure to enjoy such smart, efficient and friendly service from these lovely ladies.

Atmosphere
The vibe here is super cool, relaxed and laid back. The place has been tastefully decorated in clean, bright and modern colours with grey tiled floors. The lighting is strong and the chairs are comfy. It’s great for a warm summer's night, but has yet to be tested in winter, when I imagine it could get a bit chilly. On the night we dined, the place was pretty busy even though it was midweek, which gave it a fun, lively and energetic atmosphere.

Cost
Compared to some other Asian places in this area, this place is at the higher end of the price range. For two drinks and two main meals we paid a hefty 70 pesos, but I guess that’s also a sad reflection of the hyperinflation that’s destroying this country, thanks to the profligacy of successive governments and weak monetary policy, but that’s another story. On a pos note, these guys will give you a 5% discount for paying cash.

Toilets
To access the toilets, you need to exit the restaurant at the front and enter the lobby of the Jephson Hotel. But it sounds worse than it is and it’s actually quite easy, as a sliding door leads directly from the restaurant to the lobby so you don’t need to leave the building. The toilets themselves are clean and well provisioned with ample male and female cubicles.

Parking
There’s easy street parking further up Sherwood Road towards Miskin Street or in nearby Maryvale Street. The area is also well served by public transport with buses and a train station in the nearby Toowong Village Shopping Centre.

Summary
It’s great to see a restaurant finally succeeding in the spot at the Jephson Hotel where the two previous ones failed. And it’s not hard to see why. These guys serve up delicate and tasty Japanese food in a relaxed, casual and cool atmosphere that’s perfect for spring or summer dining. Service is outstanding. Add to that easy street parking and clean, well maintained toilets, and you have all the ingredients for a fun, hassle-free night out with friends or family. Despite prices being on the higher side of the equation, I’m sure we’ll be back.

Memo
Bring cash to take advantage of the 5% cash discount.

Amazing food! Chicken Curry Don was fantastic and so was the Takoyaki, edamame was delicious and if you are a kid you get a drawing you can do. Fantastic service.

The katsu is very crunchy and nice. Serve of udon was pretty small but tasted ok. Coffees are really good.

this is an exceptional place!
staff were friendly and attentive since the first contact.
there was a line at the door, and some wait time before we got a table, but it was definitely worth it!
tomahawk pork chop was on another level- loved the extra crispy skin and melt in your mouth meat inside!
salad and karage chicken bits were nice, but make sure to remember that you came to visit this place for katsu katsu...
will be back for more!

This has to be one of my favourite restaurant to come! Not only the coffee was amazing, we had to come back for dinner to try out their renowned pork katsu!
It was such a vibrant and welcoming atmosphere which would be a great place to visit with friends and family. All the staff provided excellent service and we were greeted with a smile as soon as we walked into the restaurant! Stacey who we were greeted with were very accomodating and made sure everything was good :)
Highly recommend if you would like to experience high quality food and service!

The staff is very nice!
We tried two of the vegan options in the menu. The seaweed salad tasted great, much bigger than we expected !
Also ordered the eggplant don. The staff put mayonnaise on it even though the menu says its vegan. After asking to the staff, they helped us to fix the problem immediately which is very impressive !