Katsuya is a chain out of Toronto that specializes in Japanese Pork Cutlet. A lot of these katsu restaurants have been popping up all over Metro Vancouver. They have 5 locations in total, 4 in Toronto and then 1 in Coquitlam.
They have an extensive menu of katsu with different cuts of pork and a wide range of sauce combinations. We didn’t want to drive all the way to Downtown Vancouver for our go to spot, so we decided to check out Katsuya for lunch.
Interior
The space is quite large but at peak times, it’s pretty busy for lunch and dinner. We came right at 12pm and there were still a few spots left. By 12:40, the place had a little bit of a wait.
Kids
We were surprised they are very kid friendly. There are high chairs for kids and in the women’s washroom, there is a very nice changing table.
Pickles
You get some pickled spicy cabbage before the meal begins.
Miso Soup
The miso soup arrives before the meal too. It was decent miso soup, but nothing too interesting. It is unlimited, so if you want more, you need to flag a server down. When its busy, it might take a little while too.
Cheese Crabmeat Croquette
We started off by sharing the cheese crabmeat croquette which comes with a good amount of pieces and the size is quite large. Each croquette is stuffed with cheese and is dripping with sauce. It looks quite nice.
When it arrives at the table, it’s really crispy and piping hot. It was good but I was looking for a bit more cheese inside.
Carbonara Katsu
We got the carbonara katsu with pork tender. They drench the katsu with their special carbonara sauce made to order using fresh cream, shrimp, squid, bacon, and vegetables. It’s a different take on the classic katsu with curry.
The carbonara was ok, but was a bit odd to have so much seafood in the sauce. We would have preferred a good simple cheesy carbonara sauce without the seafood.
The katsu is large and filled us up so quickly that we could barely finish it. There is unlimited miso soup and cabbage on the side. The dish was good, but it is pricy.
Brick Cheese Katsu
The Brick Cheese Katsu is stuffed with premium brick mozzarella cheese which is wrapped inside with pork loin. There are only a limited quality available per day. When it comes out, the brick cheese is warm. It still has a cheesy pull to it when you bite into it, but it cools down quickly.
Final Thoughts
A lot of people will wonder, how does this compare to Saku in Vancouver. It’s different and Katsuya is a bit fusion and has fun with their sauce combinations. I find the quality of katsu at Saku is higher but portions to be a bit smaller. Katsuya is much superior than Daeji.
Also, even though the miso soup and cabbage is unlimited, you need to ask. They won’t take the initiative to ask you if you would like more.
If you don’t want to travel far for katsu, Katsuya is a good option in Coquitlam. There are still lots of items on the menu we didn’t try.
Address:
555 Clarke Rd #8, Coquitlam, BC
Website:
https://katsuya.ca/
