Wako Donkatsu Los Angeles - Buy Reservations

Location/Experience: 9/10Was able to find metered street parking in front ($1/hour), but I think there was also an underground parking lot for the plaza Wako Donkasu is in. We kept walking past the store on accident, but it's in the alcove-like area that goes in on the main floor of the plaza (the floor with the most other restaurants). Taste: 10/10I ordered the fish cutlet ($17.95), which came with rice, miso soup, pickled radishes, pickled jalapenos, and a mountain of salad. The fish cutlet was absolutely delicious, the breading was perfectly crispy and the fish was flaky. My friend ordered the Pork Cutlet Udon-combo ($19.95), which I think is an even better deal if you are really hungry or just want leftovers. It comes with everything that came with my meal and a whole bowl of udon! The udon bowl is pretty large and maybe has 2/3rds of the noodles that you would expect in a regular order. And don't forget to grind the sesame seeds before the waiter returns with the tonkatsu sauce (this happened to us)!! Value: 10/10 The prices seem high, but they give you SO MUCH food. It is easily enough for 2 meals, especially if you order the udon-combo.

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This was our first time here. Some tables were already filled when we went in, and we were self seated.My husband ordersed the regular pork katsu set. His set came with rice, miso soup, cabbage salad, and a couple of types of pickles. I had the pork katsu and soba combo set. My set had the same things except it did not come with rice or miso soup. Instead it was replaced with chilled soba noodles a cup of tsuyu sauce and toppings to dip with the noodles.We both really enjoyed our sets, but my husband wished he got the combo now as the soba seemed to complement the katsu a lot.Overall:Katsu was fried nicely, not greasy and good crunch.Sides complemented the katsu well.Our 2 sets were very filling and definitely money's worth.Service was quick and easy.Remember to validate your parking ticket if you parked in the parking garage below. We spent about and hour there and ended up not needing to pay for parking still!

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Wako's donkasu is the paragon of Japanese donkasu (or breaded pork cutlet). Whenever I'm in a hankering for some good donkasu, I always look to Wako to help me out. I find that often donkasu breading can either be a bit too dense with crispier exteriors or a bit soggy if the outer shell is conservatively breaded. However, Wako manages to strike that perfect juicy-crispy balance with each cutlet, so it's no wonder why they've been beloved by Los Angelenos for decades. If you and another person have decent appetites, I suggest ordering a combination meal to share! It'll be more than enough food, trust me. The combination comes with salad, a thick slab of donkasu, a potato croquette, and a tempura-esque shrimp along with a hefty portion of either soba or udon. I've tried all of their noodle options, and the COLD soba is the most impressive! On a separate note, the service is always attentive, and the ambiance is casual. The bathroom isn't super clean, but such is the standard in LA. P.S. what's especially unique about this place is that they hand you a mortar and pestle to grind the sesame seeds to your liking prior to adding the donkasu sauce to mix in. I'd imagine kids having a fun time with that instead of twiddling their thumbs before the food arrives.

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Though I didn't go to Wako Donkasu specifically for this reason, it doesn't hurt that Jonathan Gold went here many years ago and wrote a fantastic review. It's a fun read: <a href="/redir?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.laweekly.com%2Fjonathan-gold-reviews-wako-donkasu%2F&s=bccbd24c73d40ac977593207e61d5573f031c7b3e38c0bec1401dd9c0938c314" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">laweekly.com/jonathan-go…</a>The portions here are HUGE. Blimey! There was no way I could finish my dish at the restaurant. I brought my leftovers home and it made two additional meals. Goodness gracious, so much food and I'm not mad at it because it was just delicious.You may be familiar with tonkatsu, but whatchu know about the Korean version? It's made fun with a mortar and pestle to grind up a bit of sesame to go with your sauce. And of course you'll get some kimchi. I had the pork and the cheese cutlet so I got a good go at a couple of options. Crispy on the outside, soft and juicy on the inside in all the right ways. Or with the cheese, soft and stretchy in all the right ways! I can't even pick which between them I liked better because they were both so darn good. Loved it! Service was very attentive and on top of everything for us, as well. There's no way I won't be back. I'm all about this.Be sure to check in on Yelp for a free pop!

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With Kimukatsu a shade of its glorious past, we were fortunate to stumble across this katsu place. Unlike Kimukatsu, this place is Korean in origin and there are slight differences in the sauce and the katsu, but we quite enjoyed our experience here.The sauce is essentially the main reason for katsu and, here, it is what we expected though perhaps on the sweeter side of things, with the main component being a Japanese based worchestershire sauce. Of the katsus that we tried, my wife and I preferred the cheese katsu which is pork tonkatsu stuffed with melted cheese, stuffed being the operative word here. They are not shy about putting in an inordinate amount of cheese. Our son liked the regular katsu which was fine as well, but once you've had the decadent cheese katsu, it is hard to go back to regular ole' plain Jane tonkatsu. The breading is with panko, as expected. The crispiness suffered as we did take out. It certainly would have been better fresh but it was still quite good despite our arduous journey home.The katsus were served with rice and thinly sliced cabbage. Let's talk about this rice. They really did a great job cooking the rice, glistening with a great chew. It was obvious that they took some effort in making this rice. It is close to what you might get in Japan where there is a reverence for rice and how it is cooked. Rice is often the centerpiece of a meal with the other items providing more of a supportive but much more flavorful role. Previously, we had only been able to get this quality of rice at Kimukatsu when they were in better shape. I must admit that the last few times we went to Kimukatsu, before they finally shut down their Sawtelle location, the rice quality had suffered tremendously. The thinly sliced cabbage is standard fare for a tonkatsu restaurant and the dressing was fine but not the best dressing that you've had in these types of restaurants.All in all, with the exception that it is a bit of a drive to Koreatown, this has quickly become our favorite katsu restaurant. I can't wait to try the tonkatsu donburi and perhaps the curry next time.

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How did I not find this place sooner? This place was sooo good. They make the cheese cutlet by wrapping the meat with cheese and then deep frying it. It tasted amazing (was very hot temp wise careful)! The combo came with rice, miso soup, katsu dipping sauce, salad, and if you do a check in its free drinks as well. I paid around 30 dollars for a meal of 2 which is pretty darn cheap for the amount of food you get. There wasn't much of a wait and we were seated very fast. They did ask for a covid vaccination card and the staff was very friendly. Would recommend to a friend

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This is the place that lets you grind your own sesame seeds into paste before they top it with a sauce for your dipping pleasure. It's tangy and tart, like the happy child of barbecue sauce and ketchup. Distance cousin of salsa lizano. Yum. Two locations and this one is very conveniently located by the Boiling Crab and 85C plaza. Remember that the portions are gargantuan; the combo can easily feed two and frankly three at a stretch. Also trust the wisdom of the crowd and go with the chicken over the pork. Counter intuitive, I know. I like that the katsu is served on cooling rack to keep that crispy bottom

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Saw a post on Instagram and I had to come try it! I got the katsu and soba combo because I wanted both but the portion was so large I couldn't finish everything. The soba noodles were nice and firm and the dipping sauce was very light, almost too light. I added most of the wasabi inside to give it a little kick. The pork katsu was nice and crispy on the outside but the pork was slightly dry on the inside. The shrimp katsu and potato croquette were delicious and added a nice variety. For the sauce, you get a small bowl of sesame seeds that you grind yourself, and after you add the liquid sauce. The freshly ground sesame adds a nice nutty taste. I also really loved the shredded cabbage salad because the sauce was so full of flavor and garlicky.

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I ordered this as takeout and might have to give it another try as dine in. It is hugely popular and busy. The meal itself is very large, can probably be split into 3 meals. The cheese was a bit gooey and had already hardened when I came to pick it up so maybe I'll give it another try as dine in someday.

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One of my favorite places for tonkatsu! I love how they give you a bowl of sesame seeds mortar and pestle style to grind those seeds and add the sauce in. Gives it such a fresh nutty flavor. Tonkatsu is always cooked to perfection here!

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