When people think of Kagoshima, the first thing that comes to mind is kuro-buta — black pork.
I usually prefer to eat it as shabu-shabu, but there’s another famous Japanese dish made from pork: tonkatsu.
If you search for restaurants while planning a trip to Kagoshima,
you’ll soon notice that the most common type of restaurant there is the one that serves both “kuro-buta shabu-shabu and tonkatsu.”
When I look for good places to eat in Japan,
I don’t really trust Google Maps ratings.
So where do I search instead?
I usually use Tabelog.
If I want to eat tonkatsu, I just look up all the tonkatsu restaurants in Kagoshima City and sort them by rating.
※ On a PC, you can’t search the location on the map.
When viewed on mobile, it shows the full map view with the location.
That’s how I found one of Kagoshima’s best tonkatsu restaurants — Roppakutei (かごしま黒豚六白亭), near Kagoshima-Chūō Station.
It serves both shabu-shabu and tonkatsu.
Its Tabelog rating is 3.52, ranking ninth among tonkatsu restaurants in the city.
If a restaurant scores above 3.5 on Tabelog, you can almost be sure you’ll need a reservation.
During mealtime, the line will probably be long.
I went there around 11 a.m. for lunch, and luckily, that’s exactly when it opens.
So I unintentionally did an “open run.”
Maybe because of that, or maybe because I was alone and there was one empty seat left, I got a counter seat right away without waiting.
I ordered a glass of Kyoho sour and a Kurobuta roast tonkatsu set.
The portion size here is big — the regular size is 180 grams, but you can also order small (120g) or large (240g).
I didn’t know how big 180 grams would feel, so I went with the regular, and it turned out to be a lot.
If you have a smaller appetite, 120g would be more than enough.
The great thing about sitting at the counter is that you can watch every step of your tonkatsu being made, right in front of you.
The chef cuts a chunk of pork, weighs it, tenderizes it, coats it with breadcrumbs, and drops it into a deep fryer.
A timer goes off — flip.
Another timer — done!
Freshly fried, the tonkatsu is plated with shredded cabbage and served.
Among all the tonkatsu restaurants I’ve visited in Kagoshima so far,
this one has the highest Tabelog rating.
I was full of anticipation before my first bite.
How would it taste?
I took a bite — and wow, it was hot.
Well, of course — it just came out of the oil seconds ago.
Trying to stay calm, I cooled it down by breathing in some air, then took another bite.
And then came a rush of flavor.
The rich, nutty fat of Kagoshima’s Kurobuta exploded in my mouth.
Kagoshima Kurobuta is a Berkshire-type black pig that has been selectively bred from the English Berkshire line, and it’s famous for its deep, savory fat.
That just-fried heat, the crispy breading that clings perfectly, the huge piece, and the bursting flavor of fat — all of it together made a powerful first impression.
At that moment, I thought, “This might be the best tonkatsu I’ve ever had.”
But as I kept eating, that impression started to fade.
The rough breadcrumbs began to scrape the inside of my mouth, and the constant wave of rich fat started to wear me down.
It felt like a tonkatsu that demanded energy to keep up with.
After finishing, my conclusion was: “Ah, this is a tonkatsu for young people.”
Big size, strong flavor, bold character — it’s the taste of youth.
I realized I now prefer something gentler and easier to eat.
And there’s a place that came to mind for that, which I’ll introduce next time.
Anyway, Roppakutei is absolutely delicious.
Its strength and boldness are its biggest charms.
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