I quickly stopped by at Kushi-katsu Tanaka for a post-drinks snack. It had been years since I last visited. I ordered red pickled ginger, pork with shiso leaf, conger eel, and octopus wiener. I didn't have much time, so that was all I ordered, but the katsu at Tanaka was light and delicious. It was crispy and disappeared in no time.

It had been a while since I had a drink with a friend, so we decided to meet at Uehara for a drink. I suddenly felt like going to Kushikatsu Tanaka, a place I hadn't been to in a while. Surprisingly, the controversial chef's restaurant that has been a hot topic lately happened to be right next door. Let's check it out! We met at 7:00 pm, and I went in first. I was shocked. It was almost full. In the back, there was a group of moms having a mommy friends gathering with their kids. The kids were running around the restaurant, making a lot of noise. If you order by 6:00 pm on weekdays, you can enjoy the "Super Happy Hour" with Jim Beam highball and classic lemon sour for only 99 yen per glass. It seems like they cater to the kids, offering soft serve ice cream and soft drinks for those under 19. The kids even get to play rock-paper-scissors with the staff for freebies. Plus, the entire place is non-smoking, which is great for moms. I sat at the counter next to an older gentleman who scooted over to make room for me. Let's start with the drinks: - Hoppy Black (450 yen) - Appetizer (280 yen) - Dried horse mackerel (580 yen) The Hoppy had half a glass of shochu, which was nice. The appetizer was cabbage. The dried horse mackerel was a local specialty from Kawachi. It was smoked horse meat served with grated garlic and ginger. It had very little fat and was perfect for slowly enjoying with a drink. My friend arrived, and we ordered some food and more drinks: - Onion slices (390 yen) - Asparagus (280 yen x2) - Pickled ginger (160 yen x2) - Chicken thigh curry (160 yen x2) - Quail eggs (160 yen x2) - Clams (130 yen x2) - Onion (100 yen x2) - Lotus root (100 yen x2) - Fish cake (160 yen x2) - Yam (160 yen) - Ham cutlet (160 yen) - Pork (170 yen) - Beef (250 yen x2) - Premium beer (490 yen x2) - Jim Beam highball (399 yen each) The skewers were decently fried with fine breadcrumbs, but they were better in Osaka. They only had a very spicy sauce available, which wasn't to my liking. The pickled ginger was quite spicy. The asparagus and chicken thigh curry were the highlights for me. They have a popular drinking game where you can get free drinks, half off, or a mega-sized glass depending on the outcome. We tried it and got half off! It was a bit too noisy to relax and enjoy our drinks, but I would like to visit Tanaka again. The total cost for one person was a little over 3,300 yen. I might also check out the other controversial candle maker's shop next time.

On a Friday early evening, I was looking for a place to have a drink and ended up wandering from Yoyogi-Koen Station to Yoyogi-Uehara. I found a chain restaurant called Kushikatsu Tanaka for the first time. They had a happy hour deal where highballs and chu-hi were only 199 yen. I ordered a seasonal 5-piece kushikatsu set, macaroni salad, beef kushikatsu, asparagus wrapped in pork, and saiboshi. The kushikatsu allowed me to taste the flavors of the vegetables and meat, making it delicious. However, the saiboshi, a horse sashimi dish, was too salty and I couldn't taste the true flavor of the horse meat. With some drinks, the total bill came to 2,985 yen. It was a good restaurant experience.

I opted for the all-you-can-drink option, but I think the all-you-can-eat option might have been a better deal. The deep-fried skewers were delicious! The side dishes like potato salad were also tasty. They had a great variety of drinks and they were served quickly. It was a bit noisy, but if you don't mind that, it's totally fine!

I visited the restaurant casually after work on a regular day. It was around 7:00 pm and the restaurant was almost full. Until 6:00 pm, lemon sour was only 99 yen, and there were great deals on children's menus, so there were many families with lots of kids. The atmosphere calmed down as families left and the place became less crowded. We started with a beer and ordered a mixed tempura platter. We also ordered individual skewer dishes we wanted. Cabbage was served as a complimentary appetizer. The hormone stir-fry was sold out, so we ordered what we thought was pork stir-fry, but it turned out to be cheese wrapped in egg called "chipei yaki"! It's reasonably priced and a good place to casually drop by.

You may know about Kushikatsu Tanaka. It's not a shop in Osaka, but the quality of their kushikatsu is decent. There are plenty of bad kushikatsu places in Osaka, so I think the quality here is on the better side. They offer a drink pass and have games like Chinchirorin, so it's fun and cheap to drink there. I go there often. They also let you grill your own takoyaki, and the seasoning is delicious. I've always liked kushikatsu with onions and potatoes.

Around 18:00, two of us visited the restaurant. There were many families with children and the place was crowded. Since there were seats available at the counter, we decided to go in. With the Tanaka card, drinks were only 199 yen. It happened to be the last day of the 100 yen kushikatsu special, so it was quite busy. We heard about the 100 yen deal and ended up ordering more than usual. A popular thing at Tanaka's is the game of Chinchirorin, where you roll two dice and if it's even, you pay half price, if it's odd, you pay double, and if it's a double, it's free. We tried a few times, but ended up getting full with the mega jugs at double the price.

Kushikatsu Tanaka's kushikatsu bento is a repeat order for me. I got the Osaka Enjoyment Bento (with kushikatsu beef, kushikatsu pork, Osaka's famous pickled ginger, onion, and classic kushikatsu) for 850 yen, the Seafood Bento (2 shrimp, smelt, scallop, and various seafood skewers) for 980 yen, and the Dried Radish Kimchi for 370 yen from the deli. Kushikatsu Tanaka has started offering takeout options, and they are really putting in the effort. I was a bit skeptical about getting kushikatsu for takeout, but it turned out great. While the crispy texture may not be the same, the flavor of the batter is still delicious. It has that unique Tanaka flavor that remains tasty even after some time. The generous amount of sauce that comes with it is a plus. The pickled ginger kushikatsu is definitely my favorite! It's always so delicious. The seafood skewers are also really good. I would definitely order from them again.

Mysterious Gourmet Expedition in Yoyogi-Uehara. Tonight, we had kushikatsu in Yoyogi-Uehara. I visited Kushikatsu Tanaka after a long time. The place was about half full. There was a group with children, creating a heartwarming atmosphere. I sat at the counter and ordered a draft beer (399 yen), macaroni salad (290 yen), and a set of five kushikatsu skewers (640 yen). The appetizer was cabbage. The set included skewers of onion, lotus root, pork belly, beef, and shrimp. Of course, double dipping in the sauce was strictly forbidden! (laughs) I had another draft beer and spent about 2000 yen in a relaxed hour of drinking. It was just right for a casual drink.

After deciding to go for some kushikatsu during the day after New Year, we headed to a nearby kushikatsu restaurant only to find it unexpectedly closed. On our way back to the station, we stumbled upon Kushikatsu Tanaka and reluctantly decided to give it a try. Even though it was already 2 p.m., more than half of the seats were occupied. We ordered a lemon sour and the classic kushikatsu items. The kushikatsu that arrived was beautifully fried and served in generous portions. The beef, pork, and vegetable skewers were all delicious! Even the eggplant, which can be tricky to fry, had just the right amount of moisture and was juicy. I remember visiting this place in Ebisu five years ago and thinking I would never go back due to the quality at that time, but it seems they have made significant efforts in improving over the years. I was impressed and it looks like I'll be coming back more often now.

Tonight I had a takeout from Kushikatsu Tanaka, they offer bento boxes as well. They have a seafood bento (2 shrimp, kisu fish, clams) for 980 yen and a feast bento (beef kushikatsu, pork kushikatsu, lotus root, wiener sausage, potato) for 1200 yen. You can also just order kushikatsu on its own, but the prices are similar so I went with the bento. It comes in a nice case with plenty of sauce on the side. It's not freshly fried so it's not as crispy, but the thin breading has good flavor. The kushikatsu is delicious, just like Tanaka's! I remember the rule of no double dipping, but if you're dining alone, you can dip as much as you want. I enjoyed it a lot. Tanaka has been getting a lot of media attention lately, so it might be crowded. I'd like to go back again sometime.

I visited the popular kushikatsu (deep-fried skewers) restaurant Tanaka for the first time. They were having a 10th-anniversary fair where you could choose any kushikatsu for 100 yen or draft beer for 199 yen, so I chose the 100 yen kushikatsu. Even without the fair, their kushikatsu menu is reasonably priced at 100-200 yen, and they taste pretty good. Unlike other restaurant chains, Tanaka focuses on setting up their stores in residential areas instead of targeting busy train stations. I think their strategy of differentiation is excellent.

Happy Hour was until 6 pm on weekdays, and alcohol was only 99 yen!

I love Kushikatsu Tanaka! My favorites are the meat skewers, cheese, mochi, and pickled vegetables! And don't forget the meat dipping sauce! It's the taste of Osaka that you can enjoy in the Kanto region. Located in Yoyogi-Uehara, it's a stylish and popular chain restaurant with many families as regular customers. It's loved by everyone!

I went with a friend and it was quite crowded even though it was early on a Sunday. We mainly focused on drinks, so we only had some kushikatsu as snacks. The taste of the kushikatsu was as expected. They had a promotion where you could get free highballs or upgrade to a bigger size with Chinchirorin, so we ended up drinking quite a few (lol). The kushikatsu itself was cheap, so even after drinking a lot, it only came to a little over 10,000 yen for the two of us. I was intrigued by the kids cooking takoyaki in the back (lol) so I'll try ordering takoyaki next time.

I used it last night! The staff were cheerful, the atmosphere of the store was bright, and it was comfortable to stay in! The kushikatsu was delicious too. I will use it again!

It's convenient when going with young, drinking, and noisy members! They serve mega-sized Chinchirorin highballs non-stop!