President Chibo Kita

Okonomiyaki is first and foremost a street food, so the whole brand promise of Chibo might sound like an oxymoron. The President Chibo series of restaurants aims to elevate the humble Kansai culinary staple beyond its common perception. Gone is the typical atmosphere of the noisy, raucous Osaka izakaya; President Chibo’s interiors instead call to mind a high-end teppanyaki restaurant: plush, luxurious and calming, . True enough, alongside okonomiyaki offerings, the restaurant also offers things that would typically be associated with teppanyaki cuisine, such as kuroge wagyu steak and abalone, grilled live on the teppan for maximum freshness. Though these ingredients may be some of the most luxurious available on the market, Chibo is an okonomiyaki restaurant at its core. Every course meal ends with okonomiyaki, which uses natural spring water from Kagoshima Prefecture, pesticide-free cabbage, as well as Chibo’s own homemade okonomiyaki sauce, mayonnaise and hand-ground flour. Californian wines from the famed Kenzo Estate are also available, for those looking for wines with their meal. Having more in common with a teppanyaki restaurant than an okonomiyaki restaurant, guests give up the opportunity to cook their own food themselves, in favor of sitting back and relishing the performative nature of the grilling experience: the flash of flames on the grill, the sizzle of cooking meat and seafood, and the expert skill of the chefs as their knives flash. Just five minutes on foot from Kitashinchi Station, President Chibo’s Kita store is supremely accessible, with five separate counters to accommodate various party sizes. Alternatively, for special occasions and business meetings, guests can opt for a private room instead.