Located in Garden Grove, CA, Ginkgo Katsu is a small restaurant that serves Japanese dishes. It is open from 11 AM to 9 PM daily, except for Sunday, when it closes at 8 PM. The owners run the place, and they are very welcoming and friendly.
Ginkgo Katsu is a casual and quiet restaurant. Since it is a small place, there aren’t many tables and seats available. If you come with a big group, it might be difficult to find a spot to sit, especially when other diners are there.
If you’ve ever been to Da Vien Coffee in Garden Grove, Ginkgo Katsu is only a few stores down. I found it by accident when I wanted to walk around the plaza to check out the local stores.
The tl;dr Review about Ginkgo Katsu
A small and quiet comfort food restaurant.
More details below if you continue scrolling.
Current deals (last updated Feb. 2025)
They’re currently advertising two weekday lunch specials at the moment with no listed end date. The lunch special is between 11 AM and 2 PM PST, Monday to Friday, excluding holidays.
During the lunch special, you can get a Chicken Katsu Cheese Burger with a can of soda for $10, or a plate of Katsu Curry Rice (chicken or pork) for $12.
I have tried the Chicken Katsu Cheese Burger special before. In terms of value, unless if you really want a can of soda with your order, it’s a deal you can miss out on. The dish itself is currently $8.75, so you’re essentially paying an extra $1.25 for a can of soda. The standard price of their soda is currently $2.
The Katsu Curry Rice dishes, on the other hand, seem to be more worth it during the lunch special. I haven’t been able to try it yet, mostly because I’m hardly around there for lunch. However, the standard price for the Pork Katsu Curry dish is $16, and the Chicken Katsu Curry dish is $15.75. So, if you’re already around the area and are craving a curry dish, you might as well take advantage of the $12 special.
Exploring (some of) the menu
While Ginkgo Katsu has a variety of different types of food items, their overall menu is not that big. Their menu includes katsu curry, donburi (a Japanese rice-bowl dish), bento boxes, burgers, noodles, and sushi rolls. However, there’s only one dish for burgers and noodles and a small variety of dishes for everything else. It’s fairly good overall if you’re in a group that wants variety and options.
Chicken Katsu Bento Box – $16.75
With 2 pieces of gyoza, takoyaki, and egg omelette, a small salad, a generous portion of katsu and rice, and a small chocolate animal-shaped dessert, the bento box is a very good deal.
The takoyaki pieces are really good (and really hot)! The gyoza, egg omelette, and salad are standard. The rice isn’t dry and isn’t too moist, so just right. The chicken katsu pieces from Ginkgo Katsu are my favorite. The chicken is soft and moist on the inside and the katsu has a nice crispy texture on the outside. To me, that’s considered good katsu.
The animal-shaped dessert in my bento has a generous amount of chocolate in it. Like, really generous. If you’re like me who needs dessert to finish a meal, I think it’s a nice addition to the bento. I don’t know if they sell them in different flavors, so I will have to ask the next time I stop by.
Overall, I think the bento is a really good value meal. For under $20, the variety and portion size makes it really worth your money.
Chicken Katsu Burger w/ Cheese – $8.75
Served with french fries, the chicken katsu burger is basically a cheeseburger with chicken katsu as the patty. It’s a simple burger, but for under $10, I think it’s worth trying.
There isn’t much to say about it. However, the chicken katsu used in the burger has the same taste and texture as the one in the chicken katsu bento. So you get that nice, crispy taste in every bite. The fries are nothing fancy, but if you’re into crispy fries, this one might be up your alley.
Final Thoughts
If you’re looking for a new Japanese food place around the Garden Grove area, I’d definitely recommend trying out Ginkgo Katsu. While the food might not be amazing or jaw-dropping, it is what I’d like to consider as “comfort food”.
If I ever come back to try out their other dishes, I will be updating this post with more food pictures, new dish reviews, and any price changes.
Happy Eating!
If you ever decide to try out Ginkgo Katsu, let me know your opinions. I’d love to hear it!
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