Okonomiyaki Travel Guide

Literally translating to “grilled as you like it,” a hearty slab of okonomiyaki is delicious and comforting, one of Japan’s best soul foods in the form of a savory pancake. Sometimes called “Japanese pizza,” okonomiyaki is a versatile dish mixing ingredients of your choice, perfectly grilled on a teppanyaki hot plate. Originally developed from a crepe-style pancake eaten during the Edo period, okonomiyaki became a typical Kansai specialty before World War II. Made from a batter of flour and cabbage, this cheap and filling meal gained popularity throughout the post-war period, continuing Osaka’s legacy of flavorful street food that’s now eaten everywhere across Japan.

Hiroshima serves its own signature style of okonomiyaki using layered ingredients, best grilled with fresh local oysters. Sometimes packed with udon or soba noodles, jazz it up by adding premium wagyu beef, seafood pieces, or thinly-sliced pork; or try vegetarian okonomiyaki using mochi and cheese. Thickly painted with semi-sweet soy sauce and a squiggle of creamy mayonnaise (an element from Osaka introduced during the 1940s), top it off with dancing katsuobushi (bonito flakes) and a dusting of dried seaweed. Join an okonomiyaki cooking class and learn how to layer Hiroshima-yaki or try your hand at flipping it like a pro. For a unique meal in Japan, book an intimate teppanyaki dining experience or a street food crawl to enjoy Japan’s tastiest okonomiyaki, just how you like it.