Katsu Bar brings sandwiches, curry, tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes) and, of course, katsu to Santa Monica. This chain, which got its start in Cerritos, offers both Japanese and Korean dishes under one roof. The Santa Monica location seems to be primarily takeout and delivery, though there is a long bar area where one can eat and a couple of outside tables.

We got the curry plate with chicken katsu, which came with a small side salad and an even smaller macaroni salad and coleslaw. The chicken was still crispy and hot, when we returned home. The curry is a lot thinner than the typical thick Japanese curry. We had ordered the curry spicy, an extra 50 cent upcharge, but it was pretty mild. If you like spicy, you’re better off getting extra spicy, which costs 50 cents, as well.

The Original Katsu Sandwich came with coleslaw, pickles and a choice of sauce on a brioche bun. You can choose from pork, chicken, beef or mushroom katsu. Sauce options are berry katsu, spicy mayo, Baja chipotle and BBQ. I chose pork katsu and berry katsu sauce. The pork was nice and crispy, yet moist inside, but the berry katsu sauce was way too sweet. I would say choose any other sauce over this one. I wish that curry was an option for sauce, because that would be perfect! The sandwiches come with waffle fries, which I couldn’t resist dipping in the curry.

In addition to the traditional pork and chicken breaded cutlets, Katsu Bar has vegetarian options like cauliflower and mushroom. With Japanese-style sandwiches served on milk bread, noodles, yubu (fried tofu pockets) and kimchi mandu (dumplings), Katsu Bar has enough variety to keep you coming back for more!

Location – 3032 Wilshire Blvd, Santa Monica, CA 90403
Website – https://www.ilovekatsubar.com
Kid’s Menu – n/a
Vegetarian Friendly – Yes