For first-time visitors of Hiroshima okonomiyaki restaurant! 8 things I want you to know

People who come to Hiroshima from other prefectures for business or pleasure often say, “I really want to eat okonomiyaki! One of the most popular dishes among visitors from other prefectures who come to Hiroshima for business or pleasure is okonomiyaki.

Born and raised in Hiroshima City, Hiroshima okonomiyaki is “soul food” for me. It is really delicious!
I would like to encourage everyone to try it.

In this article, I have compiled eight things that I think you should know about Hiroshima okonomiyaki for those of you who are going to visit a Hiroshima okonomiyaki restaurant for the first time.

It may seem strange to be so formal about okonomiyaki, which is a food for the common people, but I think you will enjoy eating it more if you know a few things about it, including what you may be asked at the restaurant and a little bit about etiquette.

Please feel free to read on.

1. Teppan or table?

The photo above shows an okonomiyaki restaurant called “Icchan” at “Ekie Dining” in Ekie, Hiroshima Station.

You can see the teppan on the far left, where the chef is grilling, and some tables in the front.

Okonomiyaki restaurants vary, but if the restaurant has both counter seats and table seats like this one, you will be asked “Teppan or table? I think.

If you want to eat piping hot food until the end, or if you want to see how the food is being made right in front of you, or if you want to talk with the person grilling the food, we recommend that you choose “teppan”.

If you want to eat alone and calmly, or if you want to talk a lot with the people you go with, “at a table” is recommended.

Of course, you may be asked to go to the teppan (counter seats) because the tables are full, or conversely, you may be asked to go to one of the tables because the teppan is full. In that case, please follow the restaurant’s instructions.

2. Would you like soba or udon?

Hiroshima okonomiyaki (so-called “Hiroshima-style”) basically contains either soba or udon. The price is the same for both, and you can decide according to your preference.

By the way, the overwhelming majority of people order soba. This may be because soba is more easily blended with the okonomiyaki sauce.

But of course, udon is also delicious! It’s up to you!

If you want to skip the soba and udon, there are many restaurants with names like “Tonpeiyaki” that have neither soba nor udon on the menu. Ask them.

.

3. Toppings are optional. The basics are “soba (udon), meat, and egg.

In the previous section, we talked about “soba or udon”. The basics of Hiroshima okonomiyaki are “soba (or udon), meat (pork), and tama (egg)”. It is simple and delicious!

I think many people call this “soba-niku-tama” for short.

Well, many people ask for that as the basic, and of course many people ask for additional toppings of their choice.

Toppings vary from restaurant to restaurant, but the most common toppings are: negi (green onion), ikaten (tempura fish), raw squid, raw shrimp, mochi (rice cake), oysters, etc. I am sure there are many other toppings as well. I am sure there are many more.

Many restaurants offer a “XX Special” menu that includes several of these toppings (e.g., squid tempura, raw squid tempura, raw shrimp, mochi, oysters, etc.).
(For example, “ika-ten” (squid tempura), “nama-ika” (raw squid), “nama-shrimp” (raw shrimp), “mochi” (rice cake), etc., for 1,300 yen.

Specials are certainly luxurious and fun. But if this is your first time to try Hiroshima okonomiyaki, I personally recommend you to try the simple “soba (udon), meat, and egg” first.

I think you will enjoy the basic taste of Hiroshima okonomiyaki.

4. Do you eat with a spatula or chopsticks?

If you are seated at a teppan, the waiter will ask you , “Do you want to eat on the teppan or on a plate ? Do you want it on a plate? If you are seated at a teppan, the waiter will ask you, “Do you want to eat on the teppan? Eating on a teppan = eating with a spatula, and eating on a plate = eating with chopsticks.

The choice is whether to eat okonomiyaki with a metal spatula or with normal chopsticks and a plate. The spatula looks like this illustration.

If you use a spatula and eat straight from the griddle, the okonomiyaki will stay hot and you can cut it into whatever size you like. Many locals use spatulas.

However, it takes some getting used to using a spatula, and it can be difficult to get the okonomiyaki into the mouth or too hot.

Many locals also have difficulty using a spatula. When I want to eat comfortably, I sometimes ask to eat with plates (and chopsticks). If I use chopsticks, I can eat easily and comfortably (laughs).
I use either spatula or chopsticks depending on my mood at the time.

If you would like to take this opportunity to try using a spatula, that would be wonderful, but it is not rude to use a plate on an iron plate. Please do not hesitate to ask the waiter for a plate.

5. Basic Free Sauce and Mayonnaise

Basically, the restaurant should be able to finish your dish with the appropriate amount of sauce, which you don’t have to add. However, there are times when personal preference dictates that you may want a little more sauce.

For those who do, most restaurants have a large bottle of sauce on the table. Feel free to use this to your liking. Of course, it is free.

Mayonnaise is generally not added. It is usually placed on the table at every restaurant. I enjoy the basic flavor first, and then add a little more in the latter half of the meal to enjoy a different taste.

I enjoy the basic flavor first, and then add a little more in the second half to enjoy a different flavor. It is better to ask the shopkeeper.

6. Are famous stores expensive?

There is a rumor that famous restaurants written in guidebooks are expensive.

I have an image that okonomiyaki is a cheap food for common people. It used to be something that people could eat casually, even if they had a little on hand.

Although the price of ingredients and labor costs have gradually increased, I believe that even today, okonomiyaki is still relatively inexpensive at many restaurants.

In such a situation, I certainly feel that famous restaurants in Hiroshima Station or in the center of the city, or those catering to tourists, are a little expensive.

But even so, the basic “soba nikutama” (buckwheat noodle with meatballs) is usually 800 or 850 yen, and the slightly more expensive menu items are around 1,000 yen, so considering the cost of location, I think that is about right. The price is a little high, but it is not surprising.

(But be careful, if you add a lot of toppings, the price will be a surprise! (Laughs)

Also, “with oysters” is inevitably expensive. Oysters are a specialty of Hiroshima, and I would like you to try okonomiyaki with oysters, but I hesitate to recommend it because it is quite expensive (it depends on the restaurant, but I think it costs 1,300 yen or more).

7. Locals don’t call it “Hiroshima-yaki.

You often hear TV personalities say “Hiroshima-yaki” or“Hiroshima-style” on TV. However, that is not how the locals say it. It is often simply “okonomiyaki” or, in everyday conversation, “okonomi, ” which is a further contraction.

(Some okonomiyaki shops dare to say “Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki” to make it easier for tourists and people from other prefectures to understand. (Of course, that is fine, but locals do not say “Hiroshima-style” either.)

So when people say “Hiroshima-yaki” or “Hiroshima-style”, many locals feel quite uncomfortable (me too).

For Hiroshima people, okonomiyaki is truly their soul food, and I think many of them have a love for okonomiyaki (laugh) or pride in their okonomiyaki. Some people feel uncomfortable if you say “Hiroshima-yaki” there, so I would like you to say “okonomiyaki” as much as possible. (^_^;

8. Osaka vs. Hiroshima okonomiyaki showdown?

Needless to say, Osaka is also a major cultural area for okonomiyaki. It is meaningless to compare Osaka’s okonomiyaki and Hiroshima’s okonomiyaki, since they have different ingredients and cooking methods, but I think there have been TV and magazine articles on the topic of “Osaka’s okonomiyaki vs Hiroshima’s okonomiyaki.

I love Osaka okonomiyaki, and of course I love Hiroshima okonomiyaki! And of course, I have a lot of love for Hiroshima okonomiyaki. It is fine as long as the comparison is fun, but I don’t like it when people really fight and bad-mouth each other about what’s here and what’s there.

Both okonomiyaki are delicious, so I want to enjoy both!

---

I have written down eight things that I think will help you when you visit an okonomiyaki restaurant in Hiroshima. I hope you will find them useful.

---

This is just my personal opinion, but I have written about the okonomiyaki restaurants I recommend for different purposes, so please take a look if you like.

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