It’s Always Okonomiyaki Season: The Six Best Okonomiyaki and Teppanyaki Restaurants
It’s Always Okonomiyaki Season: The Six Best Okonomiyaki and Teppanyaki Restaurants
While being a favorite during the cold season, okonomiyaki and other fried and grilled goodness from the teppan is a favorite for many people – young as well as old - throughout the entire year. To saturate those cravings, we’ve handpicked the very best teppanyaki restaurants in Tokyo, Kansai, and Kyushu. From well-established local gems to restaurants serving the authentic Tokyo tastes, these spots are must-visits for teppanyaki lovers!
1. Enjoy the Authentic Taste of Hiroshima – in Tokyo!
The first restaurant on our list is one that lets you taste the authentic way of enjoying okonomiyaki, Hiroshima-style. The difference between Kansai and Hiroshima okonomiyaki is not just in the ingredients but also in how it is prepared. While the Kansai version mixes everything together in one bowl and fries the entire thing on a teppan, much like an omelet, the Hiroshima okonomiyaki comes in layers. The foundation is a thin pancake on which crispy yakisoba noodles, cabbage, an egg, and the desired ingredients are stacked on top of each other.
Kurahashi does its very best to let hungry Tokyoites taste Hiroshima okonomiyaki in the most authentic way possible, ordering a good part of the ingredients directly from the dish’s hometown – even the teppan itself!
Kurahashi
F・I Bldg. B1F, 1-26-5 Takadanobaba, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo-to 169-0075
2. Creative and Delicious: A Unique Okonomiyaki Shop from Kyoto
Kyochabana, a well-established okonomiyaki restaurant from Japan’s old capital, Kyoto, has made its way to Tokyo’s Shinjuku, offering a creative gourmet menu all about teppanyaki and okonomiyaki.
The restaurant is particularly well-known for the generous portions of fresh vegetables integrated in its dishes, as well as the amazing fluffiness of its okonomiyaki. Concerning teppanyaki dishes, our special recommendation are the “dark avocado yakisoba” (yakisoba is the Japanese take on chow mein) which is only one of the many creative and highly addictive menu items. Make sure to stop by and experience an entirely new twist on classic dishes!
Kyochabana
https://gurunavi.com/en/ge70200/rst/
3. Nostalgic Tastes That’ll Bring a Smile to Your Face
Located in a charming residential area, this restaurant immediately evokes the spirit of cozy, traditional homes in Kansai, promising passersby an authentic and nostalgic okonomiyaki experience. Serving a unique fusion between Hiroshima and Kansai okonomiyaki, the shop boasts many a repeater, people who just can’t get enough of the delicious dish. Be sure to also try the other grilled specialties on the menu!
Okonomiyaki Takahashi
4-7-16 Higashinaniwacho, Amagasaki-shi, Hyogo-ken 660-0892
4. Barbecued Delights in a Place of Legends
We believe to have found Ryugu Castle, the mysterious undersea castle from Japanese folklore – and it’s in Hyogo Prefecture, not too far away from Koshi Park. While it might not be the actual residence of the dragon god of the ocean, it is a very famous yakiniku (Korean-style barbecue) restaurant that is often visited by celebrities, such as famous baseball players.
The most famous menu item of Mirakuen is the calbi, or marinated spareribs, still on the bone. The sheer sight of an entire plate filled with delicious, marinated meat will make your mouth water – the parts closest to the bone are the most delicious! Another recommendation is the juicy, spicy offal dishes that will melt in your mouth. Step inside the place of legends and myths and try the amazing meat specialties for yourself!
Mirakuen
https://gurunavi.com/en/kbvf500/rst/
5. For All Yakisoba Fans in Tokyo: Hita Yakisoba from Oita Prefecture
Did you know that recently, one particular regional delicacy from Oita Prefecture has gained a whole lot of attention from gourmets? As opposed to regular yakisoba which are stir-fried in a pan, Hita yakisoba are grilled on the iron plate of a teppan, making the noodles particularly dark and crispy. And because we know that not each and every one of you can hop to Oita just like that, we’re introducing two restaurants from Hita, the birthplace of the noodles, as well as two restaurants from Tokyo – there’s really no excuse left not to try this yakisoba highlight!
Sofuren
416-1 Wakamiyamachi, Hita-shi, Oita-ken 877-0000
Mikuma Hanten
1-15-21 Kuma, Hita-shi, Oita-ken 877-0044
Apetaito
7-12-8 Takashimadaira, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo-to 174-0000
Yakisoba Kabukichi
Dai-21 Tokyo Bldg. 1F, 1-14-6 Kabukicho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo-to 160-0021
6. Is This Really for One Person?! Huge Yakisoba Servings in Kyoto
The last spot on our list is actually three spots: they are all in Kyoto and are particularly famous for their huge yakisoba servings. While the general image of Kyoto’s food culture is a very traditional one, the city does call a lot of hearty, down-to-earth restaurants its own that are very popular among locals and tourists alike.
There’s hardly anything more satisfying than a massive plate of yakisoba with a mountain of cabbage next to it – to celebrate this yakisoba feast, one of our recommended stores is even named “Janbo”, the Japanese conversion of “jumbo”. Can you master the mountain?
Daitora
112-3 Koizumicho, Gojo Samegaidori, Kyoto-shi, Kyoto-fu 600-8480
Fukui
7-Chome Gojo Mibu-Dori Higashi-Iru, Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto-shi, Kyoto-fu 600-0000
Janbo
35-16 Tojin, Minamimachi, Kita-ku, Kyoto-shi, Kyoto-fu 603-0000
