Aizu Sauce Katsudon A Crispy Cutlet Over Shredded Cabbage

In Aizuwakamatsu the katsudon of choice is not bound with egg but flavored with sauce. A freshly fried cutlet is dipped in a sweet and savory sauce and piled boldly over rice lined with shredded cabbage. Aizuwakamatsu is also known as one of the towns that claim to be the birthplace of pairing sauce katsudon with cabbage.

Highlights

The balance of sweet savory sauce soaking into the crisp coating, crunchy cabbage, and fluffy rice is superb. Many shops top the bowl with a cutlet so large the lid will not close, making for a striking presentation. Each shop passes down its own secret sauce, with individual character in sweetness, spice, and thickness. Besides shops that lay a freshly fried cutlet on top, some feature a simmered version in which the cutlet is stewed in sauce, so beloved that the sauce is even sold in stores.

Enjoying the Seasons

It is popular all year as the go to choice when you want a hearty meal. It suits lunch after sightseeing in the castle town of Aizu, paired well with the cherry blossoms of Tsurugajo or the autumn colors of Iimoriyama.

Access and Basic Information

Specialty shops gather around JR Aizuwakamatsu Station and the heart of the castle town. Many long established places guard traditional recipes, each with its own sweetness or spice. Portions are large, so arrive hungry.

Practical Travel Notes

• Where to eat: Specialty shops and diners around JR Aizuwakamatsu Station and the castle town center, many focused on lunch service
• Portions: Cutlets tend to be large, so arrive hungry. Some shops let you choose a mini size or number of cutlets
• Sauce styles: There is the freshly fried topped style and a simmered version, with the simmering sauce also sold in stores
• Nearby spots: Ideal for a food walk combined with Tsurugajo, Nanukamachi Street, and Iimoriyama

A Quick Tip

The Aizu way is to scoop up the cabbage and rice hidden beneath the cutlet together. Do not leave behind the sauce soaked rice.

Souvenir and Takeaway Tips

Aizu's sauce katsudon is a local rice bowl in which a pork cutlet, dipped in sauce rather than bound with egg, is served over cabbage and rice. It is meant to be eaten freshly made and is not suited to taking away, but the sauce and the thickness of the cutlet differ from shop to shop, so comparing them is part of the fun. Enjoy it fresh from the kitchen, with the sweet and savory sauce soaking into the crisp cutlet, at a diner in Aizu-Wakamatsu.

Practical Information for Your Visit

• Main area where it is served: Central Aizu-Wakamatsu City. In the restaurant search on Aizu-Wakamatsu Kanko Navi (the official tourism site run by the Aizu-Wakamatsu Tourism Bureau), "sauce katsudon" has its own category, with 11 establishments listed.
• Public facilities where you can try it: Honmaru Chaya inside Tsurugajo Castle (4-1 Otemachi, Aizu-Wakamatsu City / 0242-26-2139) is open 10:00-17:00 with irregular closing days, and serves sauce katsudon (180 g) for 1,300 yen. Tsurugajo Kaikan beside the castle (4-47 Otemachi, same city) is open 9:30-17:00 from April 11 to November 10 and 10:00-16:00 from November 11 to April 10, with wappa-meshi rice and sauce katsudon as its main dishes.
• Takeaway: At the farmers' restaurant "Kubell" at Michi-no-Eki Aizu Yugawa-Aizubange roadside station, the Aizu speciality sauce katsudon (1,050 yen) is available to take away.

Note: Opening hours and prices vary from establishment to establishment.

(Sources: Aizu-Wakamatsu Kanko Navi (Aizu-Wakamatsu Tourism Bureau) official website; Michi-no-Eki Aizu Yugawa-Aizubange official website)

Information Sources

This article is compiled from tourism information for Aizu-Wakamatsu City and Fukushima Prefecture and from information published by each establishment. Prices and menus vary by establishment and are subject to change, so please check each establishment's official information for details.

Sightseeing Checklist

• Budget guide: Affordable, at around 1,000 yen per bowl
• Where to eat it: Diners and Western-style restaurants in Aizu-Wakamatsu
• Recommended time of day: Both lunch and dinner. The portions are generous, so come hungry
• Avoiding the crowds: Popular restaurants get busy at lunchtime, so try shifting your visit outside peak hours
• Enjoy it together with: A stroll around Tsurugajo Castle and the Nanukamachi district, and Aizu local sake