Where Maisen democratizes tonkatsu, Butagumi elevates it to obsession. This Nishi-Azabu restaurant offers a menu organized by pork breed — you choose your pig before your cut, selecting from a rotating roster of heritage breeds sourced from farms across Japan and abroad. Kurobuta from Kagoshima, Duroc from Iwate, Iberico from Spain, Tokyo X from metropolitan farms — each with different fat content, texture, and flavor, explained by staff with a seriousness other restaurants reserve for wine. The frying is impeccable, the setting more refined than the typical tonkatsu-ya, and comparing two breeds side by side, fried identically, reveals nuances you did not know existed in a breaded pork cutlet.
Location
Roppongi, Tokyo
Insider Intel
Ask which breeds are available today and order the one the staff recommend most enthusiastically — they eat this every day and know which lot is at its peak. The Kagoshima kurobuta rosu (loin) is the baseline of excellence. If Tokyo X is available, order it for the local comparison. The two-breed comparison set, if offered, is the most educational option. Grind the sesame seeds, mix with house sauce, and apply generously. The cabbage is shredded hourly and dressed with the house dressing.
Dinner from 6pm for the widest breed selection — the most popular options sell out by 8pm. Weekday dinner is calmer than weekends. Lunch is available and more affordable but the breed selection is sometimes narrower. Reservations recommended for dinner.
Nishi-Azabu, between Roppongi and Hiroo — a 10-minute walk from Roppongi Station or a short taxi. The restaurant seats approximately 30 in a space more refined than the typical tonkatsu counter. Expect 2,500-5,000 yen per person depending on the breed selected. Credit cards accepted. English menu available with breed descriptions. The staff take the pork seriously and their recommendations are trustworthy — this is shokunin dedication applied to the craft of selecting and frying a single ingredient.