Abeno Okonomi-Yaki, WC1A 1LY

  • (020) 7405 3211
  • 47 Museum Street (map of this place)
  • WC1A 1LY
  • 12am-10pm, seven days a week

The only okonomi-yaki restaurant in London. Apparently the food has been somewhat "westernised", but it's still pretty good and different from the usual run of noodle bars.

Food

The basic food is okonomi-yaki, a sort of batter-cake cooked at the table. This takes some time to prepare, so appetisers are also served. The portions aren't particularly large, but everything I've had there has been good, including several dishes I haven't seen served in other Japanese restaurants..

Japanese beer is available, as is a very limited selection of wine.

Expect to pay between �25 and �30 per person.

Busyness

Tends to be full for dinner - definitely worth making a reservation. Some people have found it gets crowded for lunch as well, but I think this varies.

Since the tables are four-person and each have a hotplate in the middle, it's not possible to push them together; a large party here will end up as several parties of four.

The staff are friendly, but sometimes get overworked (especially in the evening) and lose the plot slightly. On the other hand, since they are attempting to be traditionally Japanese, "failing to notice" their errors will get you excellent service.

Other reviews

SC Review: Went here 2005-01-23 for a quick lunch; bad idea, since though the place was mostly empty, service was pretty ponderous. Food was good (although I'm used to more cabbage in the okonomiyaki) and reasonably priced, even though the portions were a bit small. I'd probably go back again if I was in the area and had more time.


OS X co-ord: 530177     OS Y co-ord: 181527     (Latitude: 51.517163 Longitude: -0.123635)
Last edited 2005-01-24 23:50:58 (version 9; diff). List all versions.