Three To Try: Craving Katsu? These Three New Spots Are Dedicated to the Dish

It seems Melbourne is in the midst of (another) katsu craze. there’s no shortage of great places for katsu sandos, and Ton and Co and its sibling Katsuretsu Co still make some of the best katsu don around, new venues dedicated to the Japanese favourite have been popping up around Melbourne lately. If you’re craving katsu, these three new spots are worth a visit.

Atsu, Carlton

Former Kisume head chef Reki Reinantha opened Atsu in the former Leonie Upstairs space off Lincoln Square last month.

Wagyu katsu, chicken katsu, Otway pork tonkatsu and a changing veggie option are served over rice as part of donburi bowls. Each protein is brined and dried before hitting the fryer, with the crumb tweaked depending on the cut.

In the evenings, you’ll also find skewers known as kushikatsu. The popular Osakan street snack typically sees meat, vegetables and cheese skewered, coated in panko and fried. But here, Reinantha reimagines them. Atsu’s kushikatsu includes tsukune (chicken meatballs) with shiso, Wagyu topped with fresh wasabi, and a menchi katsu (deep-fried meat patty) Scotch egg. Don’t hesitate to order a few. “Kushikatsu in Japan is usually more about quantity,” Reinantha says.

Katsumo, Glen Huntly

Chef Jaejun Kim opened Katsumo at the end of August. He says the secret to great tonkatsu is the cut of meat. “There’s nothing special about how we prepare our katsu, but we use premium pork loin which comes from the section closer to the shoulder, giving it more marbling and richer flavour,” he says. “Whenever I go to another tonkatsu restaurant myself, I always order one of these cuts and, ideally, a cold beer.”

Katsumo keeps things simple: menu options are pork katsu, premium pork, and chicken katsu. They’re served with cabbage salad, pickles and sauces; or over rice with miso soup.

“Katsu is humble, warming and comforting – it reminds me of similar meals I had when I was a kid,” he says. “I hope that when people visit Katsumo, they experience the same feeling.”

Katsu Duo, Albert Park

Brothers Jinsoo (Stevie) and Sunghoon (Marco) Kim opened Katsu Duo in September as a pop-up to test out some recipes. The Albert Park spot serves classic tonkatsu dishes, aged pork katsu and a Katsu Duo special: cheese katsu. Three cheesees – mozzarella, cheddar and provolone – are wrapped inside minced pork before the whole thing is crumbed and fried, with the cheese adding a creamy texture and flavour to the meat.

Katsu dishes are served alongside crumbed and deep-fried prawns, and all sauces are prepared in-house. The Kim brothers have both worked in hospitality their entire adult lives, and the idea behind Katsu Duo is to trial a more elevated version of katsu – something you might find at an upmarket restaurant in Japan, as opposed to the classic comfort dish. Stevie says he expects the dish will only get more popular in the city.

“We want Australians to experience premium katsu, the kind that has long been loved in Japan and Korea, while also introducing a fresh take on katsu culture here in Melbourne,” Stevie says.

“We feel like there are still only a small amount of places doing [premium katsu in Melbourne] authentically and doing it well, so we’re hoping to be at the front end of that,” he adds.

The brothers plan to keep the pop-up open until early next year. From there, they plan to launch a permanent venue in 2026.

Additional reporting by Claire Adey.