It’s hard to believe that just a few weeks ago I was in Japan with my family. When Japan opened up its doors to tourists who were not on an organized tour we immediately made plans to go.

Our son lives in Japan and we haven’t seen him for over three years due to the pandemic.

One of the things I dreamed about before we left was eating Japanese okonomiyaki in Hiroshima. Okonomiyaki is considered one of Hiroshima’s “soul foods” because it evolved after the WWII bombing of Hiroshima during the reconstruction of the city.  Food was scarce after the end of the war.  Stands selling pancakes cooked in cast iron pans were set up in the streets serving simple crepes that were filled with basically whatever ingredients were available.  As food became more available the pancake progressed to contain more and better ingredients and became the okonomiyaki Hiroshima-style pancake we are familiar with today.

We were in Hiroshima in 2014 and I’ve been dreaming about this Japanese food okonomiyaki meal ever since. My first noodle pancake was a traditional pork okonomiyaki which was prepared and eaten at the counter of one of the teppan-style grills at the four-floor Okonomi Village(Okonomimura) located in the heart of Hiroshima.  This is a building where 25 different restaurants are dedicated to cooking Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki.  Each has its own twist on the okonomiyaki meal.

 Yes, ever since that Japanese noodle pancake treat, I’ve literally licked my lips when thinking of this delicious Hiroshima style very thin Japanese pancake layered with vegetables, egg, noodle, pork and drizzled, or in my case doused, with a special Japanese pancake sauce and Japanese mayonnaise.

A few weeks ago, we arrived in Hiroshima in the middle of the afternoon. We were only going to spend one night in Hiroshima on our way back to Tokyo. I had dreams of having my Japanese noodle pancake at the teppan counter and my dream was promptly fulfilled at a small restaurant just a block away from our hotel. With approximately 2000 Hiroshima okonomiyaki restaurants in the city, it wasn’t hard to find one nearby.

After sanitizing our hands at the entrance to the restaurant, we were promptly seated at the counter with each of us ordering our own magical pancake.  My daughter doesn’t eat meat and didn’t feel like a Japanese vegetable pancake, so she opted for a squid and shrimp okonomiyaki noodle pancake filled with all the typical vegetables. The other three of us went for the traditional Hiroshima-style pork belly okonomiyaki which also had shrimp and squid.

In addition, we had a large order of grilled oysters.  Our choice was to have it in the pancake or on the side.  We opted to have them on the side. They were large, plump and delicious.  The perfect accompaniment for our Japanese okonomiyaki.

The chef was a master at making these pancakes.  First, the cook ladled Japanese wheat flour okonomiyaki batter onto the teppan grill. The circle crepe-like pancakes were razor thin. Next, he grabbed some slivered cabbage, then the pancake was layered with sprouts, later came the shrimp, squid, and slices of pork. Eventually, an egg was cracked over it and cooked.  Yakisoba noodles were cooked separately on the teppan and then cradled onto one of the thin pancakes.  Every so often seasoning was added. The chef then waited for the okonomiyaki ingredients to cook down. At the appropriate moment with the confidence of a professional who performs the same procedure frequently, the cook skillfully flipped one of the okonomiyaki noodle pancakes on top of the other, added some green onions and nori, squirted some yummy Japanese pancake sauce on it and slid it on the grill toward us where we were patiently waiting.

Next, the cook heaped those grilled plump oysters along with some lemon into a basket for us all to share.  

The guys ordered Ashi beers while my daughter and I had a soft drink.

Those okonomiyaki and mayonnaise sauces kept sliding up and back down the counter as we couldn’t get enough of them to keep drizzling on our pancakes as we gobbled them up.

Oishi!  美味しい  Delicious!

Since my first Japanese okonomiyaki experience, I’ve eaten Okonomiyaki in Tokyo, Kyoto, Los Angeles and Ventura County as well. But I have never had one quite as tasty as the okonomiyaki pancakes we’ve enjoyed in Hiroshima.  (Full disclosure, I’ve never dined on one in Osaka, Hiroshima’s chief rival for who makes the best style okonomiyaki.)

If you are in Hiroshima and want to take a cooking lesson and learn from the pros how to make delicious okonomiyaki you can take a class offered by Otafuku, probably the best-known producer of okonomiyaki sauce, at their Okosta Okonomi Experience studio located next to Hiroshima station. You can also tour Otafuku’s Wood Egg Okonomiyaki Museum, learn about the history of okonomiyaki and Hiroshima culture and then tour their manufacturing plant where the Otafuku okonomiyaki sauce is produced and bottled. Reservations are required.  

FAQ’s

What does okonomiyaki mean?  The word "okonomiyaki" is derived from "okonomi" meaning "as you like" and "yaki" meaning "grilled. 

What is Okonomiyaki?  Okonomiyaki is a Japanese pancake made with wheat flour that is grilled on a teppan filled with vegetables (usually cabbage is the main vegetable), meat (usually pork but may be seafood or shellfish), egg, noodles and topped with a delicious Japanese pancake sauce and Japanese mayonnaise. 

What are the main types of okonomiyaki? There are two main types of okonomiyaki. Hiroshima style and Osaka style.  Sadly, I haven’t visited Osaka but I am hoping for the next visit so I will be able to compare the two styles. 

What are the main differences between Hiroshima-style and Osaka-style okonomiyaki?

Hiroshima-style Japanese pancakes tend to be very thin, crepe-like pancakes, taste sweeter than Osaka style, and use soba noodles. Thinly sliced cabbage and the ingredients are layered.  Osaka-style okonomiyaki is made with a thicker pancake, the cabbage is roughly cut, generally, there are no noodles and the ingredients tend to be mixed together rather than layered. Some people think the Osaka style has a more savory flavor.

What is the best way to eat Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki?  For me, the best way to enjoy okonomiyaki is by sitting at the long grill of a teppan counter or at a teppan table where the okonomiyaki is prepared for you by the chef and you can enjoy the show! Also, I like having the pancake continue to grill on the teppan and get a bit crisp while I cut smaller pieces off the pancake with the spatula and eat.

I’ve also enjoyed this okonomiyaki dish at a table where the pancake is delivered hot, but it isn’t quite the same. 

Can I get vegetarian okonomiyaki?  Absolutely!  Just ask the chef to leave out the meat or fish, or shellfish.

What else do people usually eat with okonomiyaki?  On this last trip the two times we ate okonomiyaki it seemed that nearly everyone in the restaurant enjoyed the dish with fabulous grilled oysters.

Is okonomiyaki expensive?  No, in fact, it is quite a reasonable dish and very filling as well.

Is it difficult to find an okonomiyaki restaurant in Hiroshima?  Not at all, there are about 2000 okonomiyaki restaurants in Hiroshima with 25 of them located in Okonomimura (Okonomi Village).

Can you make okonomiyaki at home?  Yes, I haven’t tried it yet.  There are many great recipes that you can find on the internet to make in a frying pan.  If you have a griddle or a large heavy baking sheet you might also be able to make one on your grill. The recipes I’ve read indicate it’s easier to make Osaka-style okonomiyaki since all the ingredients that go inside the Japanese pancake are mixed together and not layered like a Hiroshima-style pancake.  If you don’t have a Japanese market in your area, you can purchase many of the necessary ingredients on Amazon including okonomiyaki wheat flour, okonomiyaki sauce, nori flakes, Japanese-style mayonnaise and okonomiyaki spatulas for turning and cutting.