Douglas Shin
We recently visited Lucky Pig, a Japanese-style tonkatsu restaurant, and it turned out to be a really good find. It’s been a while since we’ve had this kind of meal, and we left with a strong impression — definitely a place we’d love to visit again.
We ordered three dishes: Curry hire katsu, Omurice, and Don katsu don.
The hire katsu was thick, juicy, and tender — perfectly cooked to bring out the natural flavor of the pork.
The omurice had an incredibly soft egg layer, though the rice inside felt a bit firmer than expected, which was slightly disappointing.
Among the three dishes, the Don katsu don stood out the most — the combination of crispy pork cutlet with the savory sauce on top was absolutely delicious and well-balanced. Overall, I’d give this restaurant a solid 5 stars.
One more highlight worth mentioning is the katsu balls — they had a unique, trendy flavor that reminded me of the new-style tonkatsu you’d find in Korea these days. If you’re ever in the area, I highly recommend stopping by and giving this place a try.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
… moreXylo DenBoer
Great date spot, sure to impress! The katsu has a rich flavor and superior texture, melt in your mouth with a layer of crunch. The Matcha Yuzu Ade was so good my partner and I started making our own at home. Kind staff as well, we sat at the booth and it was fun watching the kitchen. I live far away from this place but otherwise would be a regular.
… moreAndy Leung
Most authentic katsu don in Whittier area. They have generous portion and worth every penny. The Ton Katsu meal and Ebi are a must-try; unlike other restaurants, their ebi is big and not just panko powder all over.
… moreJay Antonio Lee
I love the food here, and very rich, juicy, tasty, and with great textures. It’s not cheap here, but worth the money in my opinion. The whole atmosphere and interior designs are well-thought out, too.
They can definitely improve customer services. Other than that, it is a perfect place for donkatsu, katsudon, udon, and other Korean-Japanese fusion foods.
… moreJim Hung
We had the omelette rice with Hite Katsu and regular Katsu Done. The staff was very nice to help us customize our omelette rice as we dont want the meat ball but the Hite Katsu with it. It turns out to be a great choice as the omelette rice, egg is fluffy and fried rice inside is well stirred while the Hite Katsu is also well fried that inside still tender and juicy which is quite impressive. However, the regular Katsu Don is a disaster, they put too much water so the bottom of the rice is soaking in water that is more like a watery rice. Also, the regular Katsu Pork don’t really have any meat in there but just the fat and the breading so we end up left most of the Katsu meat untouched. However, we will still come back for their Hite Katsu, probably try their curry next time and hopefully, they can improve their Katsu Don quality on our next visit. Super thank you for the nice and kind staff who served us today.
… moreJimmy Su
My friends and I came here on a Sunday afternoon and decided to order family style so we could try a little bit of everything.
We started with the katsu ball, which was basically a meatball rolled in crispy panko. It came with a homemade tomato sauce that was absolutely delicious and honestly one of my favorite bites of the day. We also got the Ebi (shrimp) katsu, which was light, fluffy, and perfectly cooked.
For mains, we ordered the katsu don, the butta kimchi bibim udon, and added an extra onsen egg for the udon (not realizing it already came with one). The tteok-boki was unique, the fish cake that came with it was fried strips instead of simmered in the sauce. The udon was rich, flavorful, and had a nice kick from the kimchi. The katsu don was our least favorite, not because of the flavor or meat, which were both solid, but because the rice ended up a bit too soggy from being over sauced.
For drinks, we all tried the matcha yuzuade. It is matcha with yuzu and sprite, and it was so refreshing, sweet, citrusy, and a perfect balance with the food.
Parking was ample with a free lot shared with other businesses, which made it really convenient. The ambiance had a cute mom and pop feel with touches of modern décor, making it comfortable but still stylish. Service was exceptional, attentive, friendly, and made us feel very well taken care of the whole time.
Overall, we really enjoyed our meal here. Some dishes stood out more than others, but the flavors were bold and unique. I would definitely come back to try more of their menu.
… moreDaryl Yokochi
The food was excellent. The pork loin was cooked perfectly. Was moist, tender and very delicious. I like the way the sauce was presented and you can slice it up to your taste with the hot yellow mustard and/or chili relish they put in the side.
The proprietor takes really good care of his customers. He is attentive and very kind. My sister loves this place and goes at least one a week since they opened
Week days in the evenings are not crowded, but weekends there is usually a line, the food is that good.
… moreSimchelin Guide
The Katsu was really good and tender. Cooked just right so that the meat was not undercooked, but it was also very tender. The service was awesome. The sauce on the salad was amazing and unique. The sauce for the meat was really flavorful as well. I highly recommend a place to anyone who is looking for some amazing katsu!
… moreAnita Lam
Lucky Pig in Whittier is an absolute gem! They offer a delicious variety of Japanese comfort food that I can’t stop thinking about. I tried the omurice, and it was fluffy, savory, and perfectly paired with their tomato-based sauce. The ball katsu is a must-try if you’re in the mood for a fun twist on traditional pork cutlet. The portion sizes were generous, and everything was full of flavor.
… moreAllen Green
Solid spot for Japanese-Korean food in Whittier. The menu is small but focused which I like. We got the Cheese Katsu meal, Omurice, and Egg Sando. The Katsu was cooked well, not too greasy, very flavorful. The Omurice was my fave, fluffy and the sauce was really good. Another highlight was the Yuzu Panna Cotta we got for dessert. It was citrusy, not too sweet, great texture, we really enjoyed it. Their Matcha Yuzu-ade was refreshing as well. Good service and a relaxed atmosphere. We will be coming back to try some things we weren’t able to fit in this time around.
… more