Katsuyama

We found this restaurant online and loved it right away on our first visit! It was pretty busy that night and we waited about 30 minutes, but it was totally worth it. The food was amazing—each dish had its own unique flavor and you could really taste the quality. We’ll definitely come back next time we’re in Palm Desert. Big thanks to the super friendly owner for signing our son’s drawing ❤️

Crunchy, perfect katsu, soothing ramen, and delicious rolls are the specialties at Katsuyama. Located in a Palm Desert shopping center, this casual Japanese-Korean eatery always delights. Service is attentive, and the restaurant is comfortable and family friendly. They serve wine, beer, soft drinks and tea. No reservations but the line goes quickly.

Great atmosphere and kind service! But the edamame looked like steamed edamame tossed in sriracha, they could do better than that. The miso pork soup was served way too hot, needed way less pork, and was way too heavy, the chicken bulgogi was served way too hot, had way too much chicken, and was under seasoned/marinated. The chicken was also overcooked and dry. I guess try the katsu here, but at least as of writing this, it is a gamble! The ‘owner’ isn’t listening to many reviews over the years, and many of the their responses I saw here were generated by AI.

Tried the tempura shrimp ramen which the broth was felt to be under flavored. The tonkatsu was thick and juicy, would recommend this for sure. However I would like to see a set meal with curry+tonkatsu. As of now you need to order them separately.

First time coming here while enjoying a weekend with friends and family here in the Desert. Great food and great ambience. Thank for accommodating our big party and sorry for our loud kids on this past Friday night.

I really wanted to love this place, but when I pay $70 for a meal, I want to be wowed by at least one thing. Everything was bland. Presentation was nice, and server was very nice, and selections are atypical and interesting and reminded me of things I have seen in Tokyo. If they can just figure out how to make the food taste good they will do much better.

this place is a hidden gem! my wife and i went for the first time last night and we will be back. my crunch roll was large and delicious and her ramen was perfectly spicy. our beers were extra cold -- can't beat that! can't wait to try the katsu and bulgogi. our server was so sweet and the ambiance is very clean and modern but still warm and cozy. a great option for casual dining in the desert when you have people in your group who want sushi, ramen, and katsu. there's something on the menu for everyone