Okonomiyaki Kiji is the place everyone in Tokyo is talking about these days. It’s a branch of a popular okonomiyaki shop in Osaka, so the taste is no different from the original, and it isn’t expensive either. The only shame is that it’s so popular there’s always a long line.
I head to Tokyo Station with a friend who’d just finished shopping in Akihabara, to eat some real okonomiyaki. Honestly it’s not that far on foot, but with the heat lately -_-; it’s better to travel indoors as much as possible.
The sign
It’s right next to Tsurutontan. The line was really long, and it stayed long the whole time until we’d finished eating and came out. We waited a bit over an hour ourselves. The problem with this place is its low turnover. Even when the line isn’t that long, you end up waiting longer than you’d expect. It’s probably best to come and wait before the 5 p.m. opening. Well… it hasn’t been open long, so part of it is the crowds rushing in; give it a while and the wait should get better.
Grilling away.
It comes out already cooked. If you grill it yourself, you can’t guarantee the shape or the taste, so I think it’s much better to have a pro cook it and bring it out. ^_^
A chef who looks like he just came up from Osaka
Somehow he looks like a guy with real skill. He was speaking in the genuine Osaka dialect.
A glass of draft beer
When okonomiyaki is the drinking snack, you can’t not order a drink.
Mix okonomiyaki
It may look ordinary, but it tastes great. It’s packed with ingredients and grilled just right. It’s number one of all the okonomiyaki I’ve had. I especially like that it doesn’t come covered in katsuobushi and mayonnaise.
Served onto a plate
You take a little at a time from the griddle and eat it.
Toritama
An okonomiyaki with an impressive pile of chicken on top. It looks great, but the mix one tasted better.
They run about 800 to 1,000 yen each, which is very reasonable for a famous place. Getting the real Osaka taste without going to Osaka is great too. But for waiting over an hour, it wasn’t really worth the trouble. If the wait were under 20 minutes or so, I think it’d be worth another visit.