B.C. restaurant chain famed for its katsu is debuting in Toronto next month

A Vancouver-based chain that's a local staple for its Japanese cuisine is finally about to open its first Toronto location.

It's been said before that you haven't truly lived until you've tasted a perfect pork katsu. Okay, maybe we're the ones saying it, but the sentiment remains true. As true as it needs to be, anyway.

There's something about the  Japanese dish, invented as an interpretation of French cuisine in the late 19th century, that hits the spot every time. A cutlet of some sort, usually chicken or pork (but veal, beef and tofu make appearances, too), is coated in panko, deep fried and served over rice, typically paired with a thick katsu sauce.

It's crunchy, it's juicy, and yet somehow, you never walk away feeling like you need to take a nap that lasts until next week.

On the other side of the country, in Vancouver, few restaurants are as well-known for their katsu as Saku, a chain that currently boasts five locations across B.C., serving up katsu, katsu and more katsu.

Its menu does feature a small selection of other Japanese dishes, like udon and curry, but let’s face it: we're all here for the katsu, anyway.

Among its signature dishes are an extensive selection of pork katsu, with two different cuts of meat available, with or without Japanese curry, and, perhaps its best-known dish, cheese katsu, which features mozzarella wrapped in thinly sliced pork loin for a cheese pull that puts those viral Chili's mozzarella sticks to shame.

Since 2018, the chain has been on a seemingly unstoppable expansion path, but it's always been limited to B.C. Until now, that is.

This August, Saku is set to open its first-ever Toronto location in the heart of downtown, just steps away from Sankofa Square at 22 Edward St. They'll be in good company, too, directly next door to T&T Supermarket's downtown location at 26 Edward St.

While the exact opening date for Saku Toronto has yet to be announced, the chain has confirmed to Dished Toronto that it’s "coming soon,' and, in an Instagram post, it promises that the location will be opening "no later than early August."

In any event, the wait won't be much longer before Toronto gets a taste of what Saku is all about, and we couldn't be more excited.