Kakushiaji Curry

D “Juanito” H

Edited a year ago

★★★★★

This is another Instagram trap, really. We saw the video on Instagram and decided to give it a try, despite some of the recent negative reviews. Indeed it is not easy to find good Katsu Curry in Chicagoland. At first we thought that it is a take out joint, but it turns out that it is a part of a digital take out, ghost kitchen style, but the photos from the shop made it look like there is a store front. We ordered Katsu Curry and Karaage Curry. Here are the pros and cons... Pros: The curry is actually pretty good, rich and flavorful, comparable to some of the chain curry joints in Japan like Coco and Hinoya (my favorite), definitely above average. There is a good amount of pork chop and fried chicken in each dish. The chicken was flavorful, fried to perfection. Cons: I agree with the other recent reviews, "where is the beef"? Where is the rest of the food? False advertisement for sure. I can't believe the owner responded to the other reviews stating "balance quality and portion control", please. Then you shouldn't charge what you charge, having no store front and cutting portions. We ordered the regular order and not the bento because we didn't care for the salad, but we got the bento anyway where the salad took over where the pork and curry were supposed to be. I really like the business concept. While the chicken was good, the pork was just ok for me, too lean and becomes a bit tough if you wait until you get home since the meat, especially deep fried meat, loses water when it is covered, so lean meat becomes tough meat. If you reheat, forget about it. I had better pork from the supermarket Katsu Curry Bento in Japan. Wait, is this why all these people are eating in their cars outside of the pick up point? Overall, if the pork has better lean and fat ratio, either better portion or lower cost would give the food offerings here better value matching, but I don't think this is happening so won't be back.

Joe Cochran

2 years ago

★★★★★

The thing that made my experience here a disappointment is that the food is actually really good. I've eaten an embarrassing amount of curry in Japan and Kakushiaji Curry is the only place I've found in the US that can compare in terms of flavor and balance. Unfortunately I can't give them more than 3 stars because what I got in my order did not live up to what was represented on the menu. The menu describes the katsu curry as "Homemade brisket curry + 1 pc of pork cutlet on top." I gotta give points for the generous size of the katsu, but the amount of curry was disappointing and there was only a single postage stamp sized piece of brisket in it along with two chunks of carrot. I've attached a screenshot comparing someone else's order from 3 months ago, the menu image today and what I actually got. I'd have been happy with either of those other two "versions." Again, the food is otherwise great - the side menchi was worth the money, and although the karaage was also somewhat smaller than shown on the menu, it was clearly made with good chicken and good intention. It's just a shame that the main thing - the curry - sets a really high bar and then misses it. No comment on service/atmosphere as it's a ghost kitchen with no seating (which is fine).