Katsu is a japanese curry restaurant in Merchant City, Glasgow. Rated 4.6 stars from 625 Google reviews. Known for katsu and curry execution and authentic atmosphere and service. Best for solo lunch and quick dinner. Price range: £10–20.
Rankings updated
Katsu
Across 554 rated reviews, 91% gave four or five stars.
| Rating | 4.6★ |
| Reviews | 625 |
| 1-star share | 4.7% |
| Best for | Lunch |
In Their Own Words
Review highlights surfaced by Google — shown in English, with the original beneath
“Lovely japanese atmosphere, perfect service and delicious food for a good price.”
“Such a cute place, great food, lovely staff, superb choice of music.”
“We ordered Tofu Katsu Curry with rice and Sweet potato Katsu Curry with rice.”
655 reviews across two platforms
Better value than the Merchant City average
Around £15 a head, below the £25 typical for Merchant City at the same 4.6★ rating as the area. Based on the 15 Merchant City venues we hold Google pricing for.
Quick Verdict
Compact Japanese curry specialist delivering authentic katsu and satisfying sauces at fair prices, with warm service and a lively counter-style room.
Book if you want authentic Japanese katsu and curry in an intimate counter setting without the tourist markup.
About Katsu
Lunch or dinner at Katsu feels less like a Glasgow restaurant and more like a counter stop in Tokyo — compact, purposeful and completely absorbed in what it does. The high-top counter seating keeps things intimate, and there is an upstairs for when the ground floor fills, which it does. The chicken thigh katsu and duck katsu curry are the dishes people keep coming back for, and the pork gyoza and tofu katsu sando have their own loyal following too. Miso soup comes with the meal. Staff are warm in a way that reads as genuine rather than rehearsed, and the kitchen moves quickly enough to make this a real option when time is short.
In the last 90 days, Katsu has drawn 22 substantial written reviews (50+ characters of genuine feedback) — a measure of how actively its reviewers have been writing lately.
What Stands Out
Katsu and curry execution
Reviewers consistently praise the fried katsu crust, generous portions, and deeply satisfying curry sauces; chicken thigh, duck, beef, tofu and eel varieties all mentioned in recent reviews.
Authentic atmosphere and service
Multiple recent reviews note the space feels like 'a real Japanese shop in Japan' and 'lunch in Tokyo'; staff described as warm, welcoming, and hard-working.
Value for money
Reviewers at £10–20 price point highlight generous portions and fair pricing; takeaway described as quick with short wait times.
Practical Information
Opening Hours
Contact
Frequently Asked Questions about Katsu
Katsu in Merchant City, Glasgow, is built for solo dining—counter seating puts you within view of the open kitchen, and reviewers specifically praise it as ideal for a quick, authentic meal alone. Staff are welcoming and the pace is fast.
Katsu's katsu curry is the draw, with reviewers singling out the chicken thigh katsu, duck katsu, and beef katsu for their delicate crust and generous portions. Miso soup arrives free with every meal.
Katsu has limited counter seating on the ground floor, but an upstairs section accommodates larger groups—check with the restaurant when booking. Counter tables are high-chair style, best suited to pairs or solo diners.
Katsu handles takeaway quickly, with reviewers noting short wait times despite the Merchant City location. Ordering online is available, though orders are started upon arrival rather than in advance.
Katsu offers tofu katsu curry and a tofu katsu sando, both praised by reviewers for their taste and quality. The kitchen accommodates dietary requests with care.
Katsu's menu sits at £10–20 per head, with reviewers consistently highlighting generous portions and fair value. A katsu curry with rice and miso soup is a complete meal at the lower end of that range.
Also in Merchant City
View allSee the full Merchant City ranking
How We Rank Venues
Rankings are recalculated monthly from live Google Business Profile data. Our Hot Score weighs review velocity (new text reviews), baseline rating, and Google Business Profile completeness. No editorial picks, no paid placements — just what the data says this month.
The written profile on this page is generated from real Google reviews and reviewed monthly. Quotes are verbatim and belong to the people who wrote them — not to us.
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