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Go! Go! Curry! - Authentic Kanazawa-Style Japanese Curry in Four Manhattan Locations


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For those who don't know, Kanazawa style curry is a distinct style of Japanese curry, named for the city in Ishikawa prefecture. It is defined by its rich brown sauce, so thick you can eat it with a fork. Kanazawa style curry is often served in Japanese school cafeterias, where the students lap up the flavorful roux and crispy pork katsu with religious fervor.

Its defining characteristics are:

  • Thick and gooey sauce, made with things like caramel
  • Shredded cabbage served on the side
  • Served in a stainless steel bowl
  • Eaten with a fork or spork
  • Pork cutlet placed on top of curry, tonkatsu sauce on top of cutlet
  • Sauce covers the entirety of the white rice below, so that it cannot be seen

Go! Go! Curry! is a Japanese chain specializing in the Kanazawa style and they have three locations in NYC. I love this curry in the same way a heroin addict loves shooting up. The only difference is heroin addiction can be cured. It carries a hint of spice but is mostly sweet and savory. Each bite has a rich and creamy flavor that, to the dish's biggest fans, are like little doses cocaine straight into the central nervous system. The rice is perfectly sticky, the breading of the katsu has a crunch that can be heard from across the world. I am a Japanese curry addict and everywhere I travel, there are two things I immediately look up: Where can I get a good NY slice and where can I get some Japanese curry? For the latter, Go! Go! Curry! is my only option and I wish there was a store every two feet across the entire globe. Other Japanese curry houses in America serve up painful imitations. Watery. Flavorless. Katsu whose breading is soggy. Cold, brown sludge.

Inside, the store walls are covered with newspaper articles and scrawled messages from Kanazawa natives. But the first thing you notice are the posters of Hideki "Godzilla" Matsui. "Go Go" in Japanese means 55, which is the number that Matsui wore when he played for the Yomiuri Giants. He later signed on with the NY Yankees. Used to be that, before he retired, on any day Matsui hit a homerun, the restaurant would shave 55 cents off the price of the menu items for that day. On the 5th, 15th, and 25th of every month, they give you a coupon for a free topping.

Speaking of, the menu has one thing: Curry. You specify how big a bowl you want and which toppings you want. You can order a plate of curry sauce over straight rice but you'd be laughed at. At the very least, you want a slice of katsu. Chicken or pork, it's your choice. But get the pork. However, if you want to be pegged as someone who really knows their stuff, ask for cheese. They apply it generously over the sauce and it melts into it. This might sound gross to you. You would be wrong. Try it and realize just how wrong.

You can be in and out of the place for under 10 bucks and it's worth every penny. I know my Japanese curry. This is the best you're going to find in the entire country.

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