First Look: Katsuya Brings Bento Boxes, Katsu and Sushi to the Loop

Teddy Lee spent dedicated two decades bringing St. Louis-area diners sushi, first at the original Wasabi downtown and eventually at other local spots. He was a dedicated craftsman, but he could not shake the feeling that he was meant to show diners a different side of his culinary skills — the one where his passion lies.

"My enthusiasm is in Japanese cuisine, but I didn't want to do just sushi and ramen," Lee says. "There are a lot of sushi and ramen restaurants around here, but no one is doing bento boxes and kastu, which is one of the most popular foods in Japan. I wanted people to know there is more to Japanese food than sushi and ramen."

Together with his brother-in-law, Jack Li, Lee is showcasing the range of Japanese cuisine at Katsuya (6301 Delmar Boulevard, University City; 314-296-3368), the fast-casual restaurant they opened on January 2. Located in the Delmar Loop in the former TNT Weiners storefront, Katsuya is a celebration of its namesake traditional-style Japanese cutlets, as well as Japanese and Korean side dishes and sushi, which are all served in bento boxes for a multifaceted experience.


Lee is serious about his katsu. Rather than using store-bought, dried and pre-ground panko, he sources his own milk bread from a local Korean bakery, then grinds it in a machine he imported from Japan. He insists the extra effort pays off in a superior experience.

"It makes such a difference," Lee says. "If you use dry panko from a supermarket, you get a little crunchiness, but you don't get any softness. It's like when you eat fried chicken — it's crispy, but it doesn't have the softness. This has both."

Katsuya, which means "katsu house" in Japanese, features a comprehensive selection of katsu, including pork, chicken, shrimp, tofu, cheese (a Korean-influenced selection, Lee notes) and menchi, which is a mixture of ground pork, chicken and onion formed into a patty. All are served in a bento box and come with rice, salad, pickled vegetables and a side dish, which changes daily. In addition to the daily side dish, guests can also add on other sides such as miso soup, egg rolls, gyoza, kimchi and takoyaki, a ball-shaped Japanese snack made with minced octopus.

Though Lee did not want to open a sushi-focused restaurant, he and Li decided it was important to take advantage of their extensive training in the craft and offer a selection of rolls. Highlights include the Katsuya Roll, which features tuna, salmon, crab, tempura shrimp, avocado and scallions, a spicy tuna roll and a fried Philly roll. Like the katsu, all are served in a bento box with ginger-dressed salad, seaweed salad, edamame and a daily side dish.


"It's a little bit of everything," Lee says of Katsuya's bento box format. "It's a very popular way of eating in Japan. And it's not expensive because we want to appeal to college kids and introduce this way of eating to as many people as possible."

This is not Lee's first foray into restaurant ownership. In 2015, he and a couple of business partners opened the Korean food truck, K-Bop, to great success and became a thriving presence in the city's mobile food scene. Though he loved the food and the experience of getting to know people throughout the city, he felt limited by the food truck format and is excited that Katsuya's full kitchen allows him the chance to really stretch as a chef. Still, he and Li are limiting the menu to katsu, sushi and sides because they want to focus on doing those things as well as possible.

And if the reception means anything, it's a bet that has paid off.

"Business has been great, but what really strikes me is that on Fridays or Saturdays, it's 80 or 90 percent Asian diners, and here we are in the Midwest," Lee says. "That means they find comfort in what we are doing and see this as authentic, which makes me very happy."

Katsuya is open Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. until 9 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. until 8 p.m. Scroll down for more photos of Katsuya.




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