Yabaton Yabacho Honten

The original Yabaton, opened in 1947 just east of Osu, where the Nagoya-style miso katsu was invented. The dish is a thick pork cutlet served in a deep brown hatcho-miso sauce that's heavier and sweeter than the tonkatsu sauce used in Tokyo, and the Yabacho honten still uses the original recipe. The dining room is plainer than the chain's department-store branches, with cafeteria-style seating and a self-serve barley tea station. Lunch sets run 1,200 to 1,800 yen and include rice, miso soup, and a side of tsukemono. Lines form between 11:30 and 1:30 on weekends; come at 11 sharp or after 2 PM to walk in.