On our first night in Tokyo, we arrived pretty late in the evening and so we did as seasoned travellers do: ask for suggestions from a local. The guy from reception in our hostel was prepared and gave us a list of options to choose from. In Asakusa, there are actually a fair bit of yakatori places open until midnight along the main street, you can’t miss the plastic ‘tents’ on the streets that provide food and drinks to lots and lots of happy people.
But, while these izakaya where definitely a good option, we decided to go for a small okonomiyaki restaurant in one of the side-streets. It turned out to be open only until 10PM (we arrived at 9:30), but the chef was kind enough to let us in.
Okonomiyaki is a sort of savoury pancake made out of cabbage and pretty much anything you’d like to add to it, topped with mayonaise and a Japanese-style barbecue sauce. You prepare it yourself on a hot plate and it’s delicious
Here’s how we went:
Sometaro Okonomiyaki in Tokyo, Japan
The Entree
Like you’re stepping back in time to old Edo Tokyo
The Interior
As you can see in the first picture on top of this post, the restaurant has these low tables with a hot plate on it. You take your shoes off at the door (you even get a bag for them) and then you get your own little corner to dine. Quite the challenge for people with long legs, as Nick shows you here.
The Food
When the menu comes with cooking instructions, you know you’re up to something good. The chef seemed to have little faith in our cooking skills though, as he helped us through the whole process :)
Either way, the end result was two savoury pancake-like dishes that tasted very good!
If you’d like to try okonomiyaki in Tokyo, this cosy Asakusa restaurant is the perfect place to go! Staff is friendly, clearly used to tourists and they speak English (the menu is also in English). Remember to wear nice socks, as your shoes will have to go off and perhaps arrive a bit earlier than we did, so you can relax and enjoy your evening even more!
Name: 染太郎 お好み焼き (Sometaro Okonomiyaki)
Location:
Phone: N/A
Website: N/A
Order: Everything from the menu looked great, there are also vegetarian options
Disclaimer: Everything paid from our own pocket.
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