Katsu Bar opened its sixth location May 1 in Santa Monica, bringing in loads of hungry customers eager to try the Japanese comfort food: katsu.

This week, my family and I took two trips to Katsu Bar and tried multiple dishes. While I’m no connoisseur of cuisine, food has my heart, and I hope this review will inspire you to explore new restaurants in your neighborhood and learn their stories.

Katsu Bar’s Operations Manager JP said katsu is the restaurant’s main dish, and they offer pork, chicken, beef and portobello mushroom options to welcome a wide range of customers.

My favorite aspect of the restaurant’s atmosphere is the mini-library, where books are on display for customers to grab while they eat. If customers want to keep a book, they can keep it and donate one to the mini-library for others to enjoy.

“Since I’ve only been in this neighborhood for two weeks, I noticed everybody’s so welcoming and nice, and so I wanted to give something back to the neighbors,” JP said. “My goal is to share with the neighbors and for my book collection to grow so everybody can come in and share books with other neighbors.”

After ordering, our food was served within 10 minutes by friendly employees. I tried four meals in total, and all of them had their own unique twist.

Black Garlic Udon with Katsu

This bowl is for garlic lovers. I ordered crispy chicken katsu in my bowl, and the broth was filled with garlic, which added immense flavor to the katsu and udon noodles.

Overall, this dish was full of flavor and incredibly appetizing, considering I am a garlic enthusiast and udon lover. My only critique is that the broth caused the crispiness and crunch of the katsu to slowly fade.

Original Katsu Sandwich with Waffle Fries

This tasty sandwich was made up of a soft bun containing katsu, coleslaw, pickles and a sweet and tangy berry sauce. I don’t typically enjoy sweet sauces, but it wasn’t overwhelming and balanced the saltiness of the pickles.

The katsu chicken had a perfect panko-to-chicken ratio; the panko added the perfect amount of crunch and texture to the sandwich. The coleslaw added freshness, and I’m a huge pickle fan, so the pickles were a hit for me.

The dish came with the best waffle fries I’ve ever tasted. The seasoned fries’ crunchy outside and soft inside delighted my tastebuds.

Curry Plate

For this dish, I ordered pork katsu with mild curry. The pork had a slight sweetness and was cooked to an excellent bite. The crispiness of the katsu combined with the warm curry and rice made the perfect melody.

If you’re like me and can tolerate a bit of spice, I recommend ordering the curry with a regular spice level to add extra flavor. This dish provided a variety of tastes from the warm sweetness of the curry to the pickled cabbage and creamy macaroni. The macaroni, side salad and pickled cabbage were complimentary to the curry and katsu. My favorite of the three sides was the light, creamy macaroni with just the right amount of tang.

Curry Udon with Katsu

This dish had curry, katsu and udon noodles, making it a filling dish. The curry’s flavor combined with crispy chicken katsu was delicious and kept me full long after dinner.

Dining at Katsu Bar was an amazing experience, from the delectable food to the welcoming employees and atmosphere. I tried a variety of dishes that left me in a food coma, and I mean that in the best way possible. Due to my memorable experiences with Katsu Bar, I have decided that I am a regular customer and will continue to enjoy their incredible cuisine.