I have a confession to make: Fried chicken is the achilles heel of my vegetarian soul. I have attempted many times, without any success to be vegetarian all thanks to Katsuhama and their Chicken Katsu. No one will ever understand my unsolicited fried chicken cravings and how they began. Even as I’m writing, I am gnawing at my jaw just thinking about it. I can’t explain but there’s something so satisfying looking at a chicken that is grilled, roasted or fried to perfection. So much so, I have a picture above my work desk of two pieces of lemon chicken grilled perfectly on top of a  Bareburger crop salad. Oh yea, I already wrote a review about that. Yea, I know, I’m weird. BUT IT’S SO GOOD. Cwap, I lost track. What was I talking about again? OH YEA. Katsuhama.

Katsuhama is the meal of Karate champions. After a day of long training, my dojo mates and I will head to Katsuhama to devour countless grams of Chicken Katsu and wash it down with pitchers of Sapporo. Just so you know, Katsuhama takes breaded chicken to another level. If you’re not familiar with Japanese fried chicken, do me a favor and acquaint yourself. You’ll be in for a real treat. I’m not sure if they use panko or if they create a breadcrumb mixture of their own but their fried chicken is moist, flakey, crispy, and tender. Every meal comes with a side of sesame seeds (for grinding) cabbage and miso soup.

They recently changed and upgraded their menu. The dishes are the same except all katsu meals now come with a “Gozen” option. “Gozen” katsu meals still come with sesame seeds and cabbage but now come with a side of pork miso soup and potato salad. The pork miso soup is an awesome new menu addition. The broth is enhanced with tender root vegetables that go along nicely with the pork. Honestly, if they served a larger size, it could be a hearty meal of its own, but for now it’s a great appetizer.

One major thing I love about Katsuhama is that no matter how much I eat there, I never feel overwhelmingly full and the food gets digested easily throughout the day. If you’re in the Rockefeller Center area and you’re looking for a traditional and authentic Chicken Katsu, Katsuhama will not disappoint.

Katsuhama- ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
11 E 47th St
New York, NY 10017
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