Let me preface this by saying I've had katsu at Tonkatsu Tamafuji in Hawai'i so my palette is ruined forever (in a nice way). My husband and I had the pork and chicken katsu at Katsumura and they wete perfectly breaded and delicious. The portions were sizable and came with rice, macaroni salad, potato salad and salad/slaw. Service was also amazing and they were super friendly. I'd definitely go back!

This is a deliciously-amazing katsu restaurant located in a plaza in Artesia. It's a smallish interior so best to make reservations. I made reservations for lunch on a Friday (note: they're mainly a dinner restaurant and are only open for lunch Friday-Sunday). While the izakaya-style interior is inviting, it's not a place to sit and relax and chat with a friend for hours. They want to turn tables over fairly quickly as there is always a bunch of walk-ins waiting to get seated. My friend and I were promptly seated thanks to our reservation. I decided on their lunch bento. I chose pork katsu which came with rice, salad, macaroni salad, seaweed salad, gyoza, and takoyaki. Not being a fan of takoyaki they kindly offered to substitute more gyoza. I also got a can of Calpico to drink (they have water on the table too). The tonkatsu (pork katsu) was great quality, very tender and tasty with a perfect panko crust. They gave two small cutlets which satisfied my katsu craving. Their katsu sauce was excellent and I used every drop. Everything else that was part of my bento was very good. The gyoza was crispy on the outside with a soft filling and I really liked the four presented for my bento. Service was friendly and competent. They are quick to deliver your bill after your last bite but are never rude, just a friendly nudge to let you know there are lots of customers waiting to be seated.

How many times has this lot changed over the course of Cerritos bustling crowds? Too many times in fact, but enough to birth another prospering business surrounded by competition in all venues of cuisines. If you're a frequent for Cerritos/Artesia's crowded eateries and highly regarded dessert spots then it shouldn't come as a surprise when you find the parking lots and sidewalks packed with people. This goes especially for prime times of dinner hours. Given the volume however, you'll find a spot with enough patience on those times. Once seated, you'll find yourself in an oaky, Japanese inspired diner with open grills so the meat smells don't breach your clothes. Unique style of seating but well lit and decorated for those Instagram photos. ‍‍ The service is calming despite how loaded the place can be. Menus, easy to read and straight forward. Let alone your requests are always met with ease. Portion to price wise, it's well worth it but definitely don't expect to take anything home if this is your second meal of the day. Premium plates are something to think about though but with portion brings quality of foods too! Speaking of which? The quality dishes we had the privilege of trying; Don Katsu and Chicken Katsu. But wait, what is Don though, if it isn't Chicken?? It's pork. That's it. Don't let the name fool you. Continuing on, the fried panko crust on each of these dishes were crispy and I mean CRISPY to say the least. Both pork and chicken were not overcooked but certainly not undercooked so it still delivered that juicy and tender center once broken through the fried crust. It's important to say how well cooked and tasty the dishes were by stating it like this; you didn't need the katsu sauce for it to taste good. Rather the katsu sauce (not sure if house made or pre-produced) elevated the taste. Notable sides; freshly made Takoyaki that DID NOT skimp on the octopus cuddled inside and even the warm udon noodles that acted perfectly as a warm brothy reset for the tastebuds.

My family and I have been wanting to try this place for weeks. Last time we tried, they were so busy and we didn't have a reservation so we would've had to wait quite a while. This time around we reserved tables (through this wonderful Yelp page) and got a text confirmation. So easy! Being that it was our first time, we wanted to try a little bit of everything. Not pictured here are the calamari and shrimp tempura. We were so hungry we dove right into the appetizers before I remembered to bring out my phone. When we got our main dishes, I made sure to take a photo of each one. The fan favorites were the ribeye katsu and the pork with curry. I also highly recommend the calamari which was tempura battered--lighter and crispier than its American and Italian counterparts. Service here is great. Looking around at how the tables were arranged, I imagined we were really in Japan. The manager took the time to greet each table and ask how we heard about the restaurant. They apparently opened just months ago. He thanked us when he gave us our check and told us to come back soon. I love visiting restaurants that have a hospitable atmosphere.

My husband and I had gyukatsu in Japan and missed having it when we came back home, so we were so excited to see that Katsumura offers it! Between the two of us, we ordered a gyukatsu, a curry gyukatsu, and takoyaki. Coming into the meal, our expectations were that the meal would be good, but wouldn't be comparable to what we had in Japan, however, we were pleasantly surprised!! The takoyaki was honestly better than some spots I had in Japan--I loved how gooey they were and all the sauces on it complemented each other super well. The gyukatsu was also really good and comparable to what we had in Japan. The meat itself was good quality and I loved how it came out rare but you can cook it to your hearts desire on the hot plate. The gyukatsu also came with a variety of sides that were all delicious as well. Overall, I highly recommend the food here and am excited to try more on the menu. The store itself was really cute and cozy and gave me Japan vibes as well. The tables are a bit close together, which didn't bother me, but I can see it bothering some people. Service was friendly and our food came out quickly. We came on a Saturday night and didn't have to wait, however, I think the wait times were longer for bigger parties. The store is located in a large plaza with a parking lot, however, depending on what time you go, finding parking can be a pain because the plaza is pretty popular.

Katsumura was a great lunch choice with excellent service. The gyu-katsu + curry combo brought me right back to Japan. I can't think of a better place for katsu. My order had a generous portion of ribeye, rice, a few types of salad, a dollop of wasabi, and some side sauces. I liked being able to cook the ribeye to my own liking, and dipping it in the curry sauce. The takoyaki was top tier as well, a little more saucy/wet just like in Japan.