Kaffee Imperial Tonkatsu House

This restaurant is no longer there. Did they close down or move?

Great stop for a quick sit-​down lunch. Nicely decorated, great lighting.
Our waitress was helpful. The menu didnt inspire me as much as I would have. I was expecting a Japanese/​Korean fusion as it said on the door.
But instead it was a Japanese/​Korean menu. No fusion!
Although the lunch bentos are well worth the wait and the price was reasonable. The rice was perfect, not too mushy and not to undercooked. Get the tonkatsu, they also have a nice tonkatsu serving bowl/​wooden spoon that is an eye catcher!
It is well worth finding parking and eating here!

I’ve been working across the street for about 3 years and finally tried it out. After my meal, I was disappointed in myself for waiting that long. A friend and I came here around 1130am on a Friday. I was skeptical at first since we were the only ones there besides the workers. I came here intending to use a Tippr voucher I was sitting on for a couple of months. However when I asked the waitress if it was ok, she explained that it was from a previous owner but was sincerely apologetic about it. No problem. We just had to scale back what we planned to order.
I had the tonkatsu and my friend had the katsu combo. One slight complaint is that the waitress took a while to take our orders after handing us the menus. Soon after taking our orders she came back with seaweed, mac salad and some sort of pickled veggies. My fiend got his order first. We were both wowed by the portions. The combo consisted of a serving each of tonkatsu and chicken katsu as well as one piece of shrimp katsu for $ 13.75. It came with a generous serving of rice and salad. My friend was really hungry and cleaned out his plate. It could feed two people though. My tonkatsu came with two servings for $ 10.50. The breading was just the right thickness. Just enough to give it a crunch and wasn’t oily at all. The pork was really tender and juicy. Probably one of the best tonkatsu I had, if not the best. The sides that were given prior to the meal were ok. The dressing on the salad was like a sweeter version of thousand island. The waitress regularly came back to refill our water.
When we were about to pay, I think it was the owner who came to apologize again for the coupon. She was really helpful in giving me the contact information for my refund. As we were heading out, the crowd started to fill up the place. I’d definitely come back again to try the other katsu and sushi. They have some eye catching lunch specials also. The place was very clean. They had a lcd tv at the bar area and a projector shooting on the wall. Was kinda funny though that the tv had Kill Bill (which I love) on while the projector had QVC.

Kaffee Imperial is a few doors down from Ah Lang (aka the Angry Korean Lady) and never in a million years would you ever think that such amazing tonkatsu dwelled in its walls. When I walked into Kaffee Imperial I was a bit taken aback. It’s like Gordon Gecko opened a small restaurant and is hiding out from the IRS. It’s a very tiny place with black furniture and it’s run by Gigi, a very nice Korean lady who also happens to sell real estate. She took over the restaurant and is working on learning how to promote and run her little shop. My BF had met a friend of Gigi’s at a dinner party and that’s what prompted us to visit this hidden gem.
Orgasmic tonkatsu… that’s the only way I can express how freaking good the tonkatsu is at Kaffee Imperial. I don’t even like fried foods but this tonkatsu I would certainly come back for because it’s fried crispy perfection! The pork is blanketed in panko and it’s amazing how light the crust comes out. It doesn’t make you feel like you’re eating a heart attack at all. We ordered the curry tonkatsu and it’s a huge serving of food, more than enough for two people. Please keep in mind that you’re not coming here for the atmosphere but strictly for the bomb diggity Tonkatsu! If you accept that from the beginning you’ll leave happy.
Gigi just put in a huge projector and plays sports on the wall. I’m not sure how I feel about this but I’m sure the office guys in the surrounding area probably really enjoy it. I personally think that she should do karaōke. Never enough karaōke in this world for me. Then I can sing and eat amazing tonkatsu. Life just doesn’t get any better than that!

I ran into this place while looking for places to eat. I went a little before lunch time like 11am or so. There was some street parking which was good. The place inside is real nice, sort of looks like an old lounge or bar. Nice décor and a projection tv on the wall and a flat screen.
We both got the tonkatsu which came with miso soup some seaweed salad and potato salad. The katsu was soft and the portion size was pretty good. It wasn’t over oily and the tasted good. The katsu sauce they also use was good and tasted a little like the bulldog sauce. As the lunch crowd started to come in it started to get busier and I was glad I came early. The only drawback was that there was only one server working so we had to constantly flag her down to get stuff like the check, a take out box, water, etc. She basically takes your order, drops your food and that’s it.
Overall it was good and the katsu was really the reason I went there, and the reason I would go back.

Kaffee Imperial is located accross Kapiolani Yanagi Sushi, a few doors ewa of the Republican Headquarters. It’s a small restaurant with about 10 tables. Entrees include an edamame appetizer, miso soup, & soft serve vanilla ice cream cone for dessert. See my pictures for images of the lunch bento box special & butterfish plate. Recommended.

I use to go to this place at least once every week for lunch. Like many reviewers, this place ‘use to’ have the BEST katsu, but then things started to change gradually. The originally owners left and the katsu quality went downhill.
Before I use to recommend this place to all of my friends because I can confidently say that it’s awesome but now, I’m afraid I cannot. The katsu here are just okay, but well… still better than any katsu around the area. In addition, they are cutting back on many things, like serving mac salad instead of their original mash potato and a smaller serving of meat.
Taste:
Katsu is the thing to order here. My favorite was the Chicken Katsu. Stuff like Donburi I do not recommend at all! Tempura Udon, well, you get 2 fried shrimp and udon. They began serving sushi awhile back and it use to be great, but now it’s just ‘ok’. For dessert, it’s hit or miss. Usually my azuki-​bean ice cream came ok, pretty good ice cream, but another time it came w/​freezer burns; i did not finish it.
I’ve literally watched their prices go up in quarter increments as much as 4 times a year, but I understand; times are hard, but with the quality going down and the price going up, well you decide if you should go.
Service:
So-​so. Typically only one waiter/​waitress for the whole restaurant. Your food comes out fairly quickly, if it’s not busy.
Ambiance:
Okay atmosphere. Somewhat peaceful area. At one time, it was bad; small bugs were flying around, but I guess they took care of it.
Tip/​Recommendations:
I’m very disappointed in this place as I use to be a recurring, happy customer, but now I skip this place. Maybe in 3 months I’ll come back and try it again, with hopes that they have improved, but I’m not holding my breath.
But if you do come here, I recommend their lunch special, which is in the ‘sushi’ menu. It comes with 2 types of sushi, salad, and unagi (you can ask to get chicken katsu instead). Otherwise, you can’t go wrong w/​the regular Chicken Katsu entrée.

This place has changed from a few months. Seems like new owners since the menu is completely different. Gone are different types of katsus and instead it’s a mix of Korean food and sushi.
The wife and I got the happy hour (before 7:30) sea snail and tonkatsu combo (which includes 2 bottles of any kine beer for $ 20. Also got the sashimi for $ 13. Decent quantity of food but taste was only alright. Probably won’t come back again.

This place is on the bottom floor of the Imperial Plaza building. They specialize in katsu but also do donburi and other Korean dishes. It’s owned by some Korean folks so the Japanese food ain’t too authentic.
I usually go here for lunch since its close by. The service is generally good but it can get slow when they’re busy. I try to go a little earlier or later then the lunch rush just to avoid the crowds. I’ve eaten here several times and the items below are my recommendations:
Salmon plate (my usual dish), tonkatsu (try any of the katsu’s except the croquette… for some reason I just don’t like that one) and any of the donburi’s
They serve miso soup with most of their dishes and usually you get a small side broccoli salad. They have daily lunch specials for $ 6.99…not bad. The prices are fair for the portions and they have a decent happy hour. Not exactly the liveliest place to have a drink but it’s super cheap and close to work. If you’re in town for a meeting or happen to be getting a blue or yellow card from Liquor Commission then I recommend stopping by for lunch. I bet you’ll be pleasantly surprised…
Final Verdict: Try it out!

A-​ok. That sums Caffe Imperial up pretty well. Man, they used to make THE BEST chicken katsu I’ve ever had. but more recently, under new ownership I think, its been hit or miss. Still a delicious lunch spot, but not the best anymore. Even still, if you’re in the area, can’t really go wrong with the food here.

SEE KAFFE IMPERIAL FOR MORE REVIEWS…
I never liked katsu because I hate how places bread their meat with the skin.
Café Imperial is the opposite — i don’t know what they do — but they have the finest katsu. Tonkatsu/​Chicken Katsu/​Fish Katsu/​Cheese Katsu etc.
The tonkatsu is cooked to perfection — browned and crispy, melt in your mouth, lean meat — it is a hidden gem. The katsu sauce is perfect and the potato salad and shredded salad tops it off nicely.
If you like Katsu — you gotta go to Café Imperial. Tough to find — it is under the covering of the 1^st floor on the corner of Cooke and Kapiolani.

This tonkatsu joint is a must for any katsu lover. Besides the great taste, everything here is reasonably priced.
The only other place that I would recommend for tonkatsu is Ginza Bairin in Waikiki.

I’ve been a patron for many years, and have seen this place change hands at least twice.
I’m not complainig, but it’s still good! Whenever I crave katsu, I head straight here. The prices are reasonable, the portions are sufficient, and it’s quaint.
The interior is tiny, and from the outside you wouldn’t know that they’re in there.
For lunch today, we ordered the chicken katsu curry and the hamburger katsu, but she got my order wrong and I got hamburger steak instead. It was still good, but the edges were a little tough.
If you’re looking for reasonable priced and good katsu, I’d recommend Kaffe imperial.

My mom and I used to frequent a tonkatsu place at McCully Shopping Center back in the day, but since they closed, we were at a loss as to where to go to satisfy our katsu cravings…
Then I stumbled upon Kaffee Imperial after getting my hair done at Salon Capello in the Imperial Plaza. OH! HEAVENS!
I usually just order the regular tonkatsu (pork cutlet), but today, I tried something new on the menu: Oroshi katsu. Crispy hot slices of pork cutlet that you eat with the tart ponzu-​drenched grated daikon… the breading is light, crispy, not greasy at all. The pork inside is super tender and juicy, and then the cold tang of the oroshi… ARGH! Flavor explosion!
My mom ordered the combination katsu, which was an impressive pile of shrimp, chicken, and pork katsu!
All meals served with rice, potato salad, shredded cabbage salad, miso soup, and edamame.
Free parking with validation!!!

Hard to believe that I’m the first to write a review. Fantastic place specializing in tonkatsu dishes. I ran over here from downtown for a quick lunch (validated parking available in their garage) with a co-​worker and loved the food. I wasn’t initially impressed since the lunch crowd was quite thin — however just after sitting down, my co-​worker noticed a number of friends from those already dining there. Upstairs is a condo building and its location is a bit out of reach for most downtown workers. Anyways, their menu had many many tokatsu dishes to choose from, I tried the standard version made with pork. delish! served with miso soup as an appetizer, the meal came with a salad and a heaping scoop of rice. excellent green tea service helped with the overall meal! I’ll be back!

This place is found on the bottom floor of the huge purplish building on Kapiolani, (you can’t see the actual restaurant from the street) The building is on the corner of Cooke & Kapiolani; near the Lexus dealership. Parking is in the back of the building so you’ll have to turn on to Cooke and take the next left turn.
1 star for parking which is simple enough so long you get validated.
2 star because the lady was super sweet to us. She was closing up at 9 and here we are showing up at 8:30 (we thought it closed at 10) She open the door and was like «come come inside please».
3 for the food…(it would have been higher but I got sick after the meal)
We got (pictured):
Oyaku Donburi
Pork Tonkatsu
Potato Croquette
I think the tonkatsu sauce spoon is adorable.
I have been their twice, first time was for take-​out during a photo shoot I did, I didn’t get to eat during the shoot (what was I thinking, modeling eating during photo shoot?) It was my reward AFTER the shoot, so I ate it cold. Second time, I got sick. Both times the food was enjoyable, but something weird always happens. I can never just «eat» the food property; how it should be consumed then «bodily processed».
Maybe I wasn’t meant to eat there.

I accidentally stumbled into this restaurant when I was walking from Downtown to Ward. Good katsu – not too oily or salty.

It’s been years since I’ve been back to Kaffe Imperial. For some reason it looks smaller than what I remember, but the katsu is still the same, delicious as ever!!! The katsu (pork) was prepared very nicely, fried golden brown and not oily. The breading was crisp and tasty, while the meat was succulent and flavorful, just as katsu should be.
We went on the weekend and there seemed to only have 2 people working, service was a little slow, but overall the food was simply delish!

My friend Dan turned me on to this place last year and I’ve gone back a dozen or so times since then. If you decide to venture off to this place I’ll tell you what you need to try for your first time.
Hamburger Katsu… that’s right baby. I know, I’ve never heard of such a thing until I saw it for myself.
Don’t judge me but I went back to this place for nearly a week eating that and I never do that. So, if that doesn’t say something about Kaffee Imperial Inc then I don’t what else to tell yah apart from me having to drag you down to the place myself, only if you’re buying of course!
But seriously, go try it out. For those of you who have been there guess what, they finally got rid of that bag @ss tv that used to sit in the back corner and replaced it with an lcd flat panel which is mounted above the bar area. I know huh? Silly but that really bugged the heck out of me watching the golfing channel on a crappy tv that was the size of a Honda Civic. Welp, enjoy and happy holidays!

Kaffee Imperial is known for their Katsu. They won Best Katsu in Honolulu Magazine. With good reason.
The menu is short, katsu and donburi are the only choices. For katsu, it ain’t cheap-​$ 9.45 for chicken katsu, but it comes with accompaniments. I ordered the chicken katsu. First to arrive was the «burn the roof of your mouth, twice, hot» miso soup. It was good.
A few minutes later the katsu arrived along with a heaping mound of shredded cabbage, two kinds of Japanese pickles, a scoop of mac salad and a bowl of rice. On the table already was a jug with dipper of katsu sauce. I first tasted the katsu bare. It was delicious. Moist and tender with the lightest crunchy coating on the outside. It was so moist I suspect they brine the chicken thighs. No globs of fat or grizzle in this katsu, just plump juicy meat. I had some seasoning in the coating too. Now for the katsu sauce. It was dark brown, like a cajun roux and syrupy. It too was very tasty. Together with the chicken I could understand why this place got it’s reputation. There were two piles of chicken and I ate them both. I’m not a huge fan of potato salad and this one did nothing to convert me to one. The rice was cooked just right. The picked things were a nice touch. This katsu was worth the $ 9.90 bill. I’ll be back, there’s a combination katsu and a hirekatsu (thick cut pork) on the menu. Oh and don’t be confused: the outside sign says Caf and the menu says Kaff.