Okonomiyaki restaurants in Hiroshima | My recommendations by location and purpose

If you come to Hiroshima for business or pleasure, you probably want to eat Hiroshima okonomiyaki.
Yes, I do! Please eat it and go home… It’s delicious! (*^o^*)

I think okonomiyaki can be called the soul food of Hiroshima people. It is such a food loved by the locals that there are many restaurants, and many people have their own recommendations.

I know it is presumptuous of me to be so presumptuous, but as someone who was born, raised, and lives in Hiroshima, I would like to introduce some of my “personal favorite” stores in Hiroshima City that I recommend. I will choose them based on my personal taste, so if you are a local, please do not complain (sweat).

Please note that the data of the stores is as of June 2023, but the information changes in various ways, so please forgive me if there are any differences. If you find any mistakes, please let us know and we will correct them as soon as possible.

First of all, I would like to recommend two restaurants that I personally would like to recommend.

Two stores I would personally recommend

Yagenbori Hachimasa

There are so many delicious okonomiyaki restaurants in Hiroshima, and one of my favorite is Yakkenbori Yasho.

It has been a famous restaurant for a long time. About 30 years ago, when I moved out of Tokyo and started living here, one of my senior workers brought me here because it was “delicious. I have been a fan ever since.

It used to be known as a regular place for entertainment promoters to take celebrities invited to Hiroshima, and the walls of the restaurant were covered with autographs of singers and TV personalities. The owner’s uncle was a celebrity who often appeared on TV.

The owner’s uncle was a celebrity who often appeared on TV. I still go there from time to time, and the food is still delicious. (The store has been completely cleaned up, although it is a pity that the sign on the wall is gone.)

The location of this restaurant is a bit unusual: it is located in Yagenbori, one of the biggest drinking areas in Hiroshima, near the so-called “men’s area”, so it may be a bit difficult for women to visit. But of course, families and women alone come here.

The restaurant opens at 4:00 p.m., but it gets very crowded, especially on weekends, so it is best to get there before 4:00 p.m. and wait in line.
Aside from okonomiyaki, the teppan-yaki is also delicious, and I recommend the “bara-meat” which is simply seasoned with salt and pepper.

Electric Light

I think it was five or six years ago when I first went to the Hatsukaichi branch here. I went there with the members of the dance circle I was attending at the time.

I am sorry to say that I had never heard of Denko Ishikka before, and since most of the staff at the restaurant were young, I did not have high expectations. I think it is a relatively new restaurant in Hiroshima, but I think I can recommend it.

Recently, there was an exchange game between the Hiroshima Carp and the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters, a professional baseball team. I saw on a live broadcast that an electric light was created at the Kitahiroshima Escondido Field. As a Hiroshima resident, I felt a little happy to know that people in faraway Hokkaido are enjoying the taste of this place.

The okonomiyaki I had was an orthodox okonomiyaki, but as was shown in the live broadcast at ESCON Field, there are some with fluffy eggs and quite different shapes.
The website also describes it as “the new wave of okonomiyaki”, which is in a way the opposite of Hachimasa, but I would recommend it.

If you want to eat in the city center

The city center, Chuo-dori and Hatchobori area is a very enjoyable place with large commercial facilities and specialty stores. If you also want to eat okonomiyaki in this area, I recommend these three restaurants.

Shintenchi Michiko

Micchan started as a food stall in 1953. Now it is located on Chuo-dori. Perhaps it is because it appears in tourist guidebooks, but it is very popular and there is usually always a line of people waiting in line.
Depending on the time of day, you may have to be prepared to wait 5 to 10 people in line. However, the turnover is good, so you can get in if you wait a little.

The teppan counter is one of the longest in Hiroshima. The taste is orthodox and delicious. The mayonnaise, which is available for free in other places, is charged, but I can safely recommend this place as well.

Original Henkutsu-ya

It is a long-established business founded in 1947. It is a little fluffier than others. It is close to department stores and the main street, so you can drop by on your way to shopping, and it is open until late at night, so many people come here to finish up after drinking. It is crowded, but there are many seats, so you don’t have to wait too long.

Mitchan Sohonten Hatchobori Branch

I have heard that although it is the same “Micchan”, it is a completely different restaurant from the above-mentioned Shintenchi Micchan (although they seem to be distantly related…). (There seems to be a distant relation between them…).

This restaurant also has a history of half a century. The food is delicious in an orthodox way, and there is a wide variety of toppings and other items available. I used to live in the direction of this restaurant, so I used to go there relatively often.

The owner of this restaurant is the principal of the Hiroshima Okonomiyaki School, and he is the person who spread Hiroshima okonomiyaki all over Japan.

Since the restaurant is somewhat far from department stores and shopping streets such as Hondori and Kinza-gai, and since there are many seats, you can eat without waiting relatively long.

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If you want to explore an establishment with a collection of okonomiyaki restaurants

There are three places in Hiroshima where many okonomiyaki restaurants are gathered together in what could be called an okonomiyaki theme park. There are three places in Hiroshima where many okonomiyaki restaurants are gathered, which could be called an okonomiyaki theme park. It is fun to visit such places!

1.Okonomimura

Okonomimura is the earliest okonomiyaki collective to be established. Its roots date back to the 1950s, when many yatai okonomiyaki stalls were built near “Chuo-dori” in the center of Hiroshima City. The area was later vacated and redeveloped as part of urban planning, and in 1965, the building took its current form.
A total of 23 stores are currently operating on the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th floors (as of June 2023).

Locals also go there, but it has become a kind of tourist attraction, and people from other prefectures are also very numerous.

2.Okonomi Republic Hiroshima Village

Although much younger than Okonomimura, there is a building with several stores called “Okonomi-Kyokoku Hiroshima-mura” two doors to the left of Okonomimura.
The first floor is a multi-story parking garage, and the entrance is rather confusing, but you can enter from the side of the garage.

As of February 2020, there are 3 stores on the 2nd floor and 3 on the 3rd floor, for a total of 6. 30 people or more can learn to cook okonomiyaki (90 minutes), so it would be interesting for a group of tourists.

3.Okonomi Monogatari Ekimae Hiroba

The two restaurants above are in the central Shintenchi area, but this one is across the street from Hiroshima Station. It takes about 3 minutes to get there, although there is a stoplight.

There are 15 shops in the building, and when you enter the floor, you will hear loud voices from all over the place saying “Welcome! When you enter the floor, you will hear loud voices from everywhere (laugh).
Opening hours vary from store to store. Most shops are open from 10:00 or 11:00 in the morning.

These collective buildings have different tastes in their stores. Although they are often very crowded, it may be safer to go to a crowded restaurant if you are a first-timer…I think.

If you want to eat near Hiroshima Station.

If you are staying near Hiroshima Station and do not have time to go out to the city center, or if you are returning from work or a trip and do not have much time, it is convenient to eat at or near the station building of Hiroshima Station.

Hiroshima Station North Exit EKIE Dining

In 2018, a space called ekie was built at the north exit of Hiroshima Station, and it has changed a lot.
There is a restaurant area called “ekie dining” on the first floor of that ekie, and four okonomiyaki restaurants are located there.

Reichan is probably the most famous restaurant here. It is said to have been listed in the Michelin Guide, which is probably why it is so crowded and there is a long waiting list. Reichan uses ketchup to fry the soba noodles, which makes them a little sweeter. The main restaurant is the same as the one I just mentioned.

Okonomi Monogatari Ekimae Hiroba

Okonomi Monogatari Ekimae Hiroba, mentioned in the previous section, is conveniently located near the station, as the building is just across the street from the south exit of Hiroshima Station.

There used to be a station building called ASSE at the south exit of JR Hiroshima Station, and there were several okonomiyaki restaurants there. As of June 2023, however, redevelopment of the south exit of the station is underway, and the station building is being rebuilt.

If you want to eat before or after a Hiroshima Carp game

The Hiroshima Carp, once a weak citizens’ baseball team, now has fans all over the country, and it is truly inspiring to see half of every stadium turn bright red. Mazda Stadium, the home of the Hiroshima Carp, is a 10-minute walk from the south exit of JR Hiroshima Station.

Across the JR line from the stadium is Marumen, an okonomiyaki restaurant. It is very convenient to go there before or after watching a game, as the cheers of the fans can be heard even in the restaurant during the game.

Marumen Main Store

Actually, I have known Marumen for a long time. When I was living in Shirashima-cho, Naka-ku, Marumen (Shirashima branch) was established in the town. I was surprised at how delicious it was!

The manager there was the son of Isono Seimen, the parent company of Marumen, and he went back to his parents’ home and opened a new store, which is the “Marumen Honten. By the way, the Shirashima branch is still here.

Isono Seimen is one of the leading noodle manufacturers in Hiroshima City, supplying okonomiyaki noodles to major okonomiyaki restaurants in Hiroshima City. The first floor is the noodle factory and the second floor is Marumen’s shop. This place is close to the Mazda Stadium, but we strongly recommend it for its taste as well!

At the end

Prices vary from restaurant to restaurant, but on average, the basic “soba (udon), meat, and egg” is about 800 to 850 yen. The “special” with various ingredients is about 1,000 to 1,200 yen. It is also standard to add toppings such as squid tempura, shrimp tempura, and green onions to the basic dish.

Some restaurants serve grilled oysters only in winter, and teppan-yaki chicken and beef are also delicious, so please enjoy them as well.

The information in this article is current as of June 2023. The information in this article is current as of June 2023, but the prices and other information may change in the future, and we will do our best to check the information.

Of course, what we have introduced here is only a small part of the list, and there are many other good okonomiyaki restaurants.
The restaurants recommended in the article are good, but it would also be interesting to pop into a good-looking place while walking around town.

If you come to Hiroshima, please try some okonomiyaki and go home! Thank you very much!

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For those of you who are visiting an okonomiyaki restaurant for the first time, we have written some miscellaneous information useful at the restaurant. Please take a look if you like.

Here is a list of articles related to Hiroshima on this blog. You can jump to each article from here, including sightseeing spots in Hiroshima, if you like.