Okonomiyaki restaurants in London may be few and far between (alas) but that means you get to appreciate the good ones all the more.
London’s Japanese restaurant okonomiyaki offerings can be scarce but this is one of the most delicious dishes we’ve ever tasted, making the search for the best okonomiyaki in London (away from Japan) all the more precious.
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From Japanese pancakes on London’s Southbank to the outer reaches of Brixton or Leyton, here is our guide to the tastiest and best okonomiyaki restaurants in London with photos.
Please note this London okonomiyaki restaurants guide originally appeared on our other site – cktravels.com in October 2022. This is an updated version for 2024.
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What are Okonomiyaki pancakes?
Pancake perfection! If you haven’t tried an okonomiyaki pancake yet (seriously, why not?!) okonomiyaki is a savoury Japanese pancake normally made from a wheat batter flour.
The pancake mix has the other ingredients added – usually cabbage, various meats (often pork) or seafood, aonori (seaweed flakes), Japanese mayo and sauce, katsuobushi (dried fish flakes / bonito) and pickled ginger. Delicious!
Originally created in Japan with various regions creating their own versions, okonomiyaki is cooked on a teppan (hot dish) and tasty as. Having tried various versions in Japan including in the spiritual home of okonomiyaki (Osaka), we cannot get enough of this pancake perfection.
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Japanese okonomiyaki restaurants in London
1. OKAN Brixton Village
Our first ever London okonomiyaki restaurant experience, ‘Okan’ is billed as a little bit of Osaka in London – and yes, it lives up to the description.
Situated in the heart of bohemian Brixton Village, Okan Brixton is a joyful Japanese restaurant with a big heart and limited pancake and noodle menu (and all the better for it).
We’ve been to Okan Brixton probably half a dozen times over the years as the okonomiyaki is divine and the restaurant is the perfect place to people-watch in Brixton Village. There are a few tables inside (we told you it was small) or one on the terrace outside.
The staff at Okan Brixton are always friendly and it seems there is a real neighbourhood spirit within Brixton Village itself, especially during the weekends. We’ve often been in here when locals have popped in to buy sake to take home or grab takeaway and talk about their plans for the day.
The three main dishes at Okan Brixton are okonomiyaki (various fillings such as pork, squid, chicken or a mixture – generally around £10 to £12), yaki soba noodles and spicy udon pots.
They also have a £13.95 Okan special – king prawn, kimchi, corn and squid okonomiyaki – Londoners are in for a treat.
Okan Brixton Village is located a short 5 minute stroll from Brixton underground station and 2 minutes walk from Brixton train station.
Address: Unit 39, Brixton Village, Coldharbour Lane, London SW9 8PS
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2. Abeno, Bloomsbury
Established over 30 years ago in London, Abeno is a family run restaurant that was a pioneer on the London okonomiyaki restaurant scene.
It’s Japanese pancakes in London are pedigree and Abeno was the first Michelin-listed okonomiyaki restaurant in the world! It is also one of the only okonomiyaki restaurants in London where the dishes are prepared right in front of you at your own table.
The set up inside Abeno Okonomiyaki in beautiful Bloomsbury is cosy with just a handful of seats. Every table has Teppan hot-plates (don’t touch them – hot as)! centered in the middle, and the decor is low key with some Japanese paintings and calligraphy on the wall.
Abeno’s okonomiyaki menu in central London is massive with a wide variety of authentic Kansai-style Okonomiyaki that wouldn’t seem out of place in Osaka. They also have a Japanese language menu at Abeno.
There are around 20 different options with prices starting at £16.50, and for £4.50 extra you can add noodles to it to make it Hiroshima style. The beef special costs between £33 and £38! Abeno London prices correct as of May 2024.
Other delights on the Abeno London Japanese menu include a range of yaki-soba dishes and a range of starters, side dishes, sake and desserts.
Once you have placed your order, a member of staff will show you the ingredients for each dish in a bowl and will then whip them all together. Afterwards the pancake mix is poured onto the hot teppan plate before covering it with a metal dome to cook.
After a few nifty pancake twists and turns, the okonomiyaki toppings are then added and the dish is ready to eat!
We also ordered the most delicious side dish of yaki-gyoza, containing prawns and broccoli. These were fried on the teppan plate at your table and then part steamed in a metal dome, which made the gyozas super juicy inside.
We really enjoyed our experience at Abeno and thought the staff were knowledgeable and loved how they explained the cooking process as they did it tableside.
Although not our personal best okonomiyaki in London, we still enjoyed it. The prices are also much higher than other places on our list but that could just be because the restaurant is located in an expensive area of central London.
Abeno is located just a few minutes walk away from the British Museum and the nearest tube stations are Holborn and Tottenham Court Road. Reservations are highly recommended and you can book online on their website (a £10 deposit is taken).
Address: 47 Museum Street, London WC1A 1LY
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3. OKAN South Bank
Another day, another Okan Okonomiyaki restaurant. Tucked away in the inner recesses of London’s iconic County Hall (which now has TWO okonomiyaki restaurants) in the shadow of the London Eye, OKAN is a world away from the tourist hustle and bustle of nearby South Bank and Waterloo.
With only a dozen or so seats and some counter seating, this is possibly the smallest restaurant along London’s Southbank – OKAN in central London almost has a basement kind of feel but in a blinged way, like you really are in Japan. Bookings in advance are HIGHLY RECOMMENDED given seating is so limited.
On our last visit to OKAN’s okonomiyaki restaurant in central London, we were lucky enough to grab a spot right in front of the chef’s griddle so we got to watch (and smell!) all the teppan cooking close up (various okonomiyaki and oodles of noodles sizzling on the hot griddle).
As with Okan Brixton, Okan South Bank is reasonably priced with most okonomiyaki dishes around the £10 mark and a pint of Asahi just over £5.
There are over 10 different okonomiyaki combinations on the menu and you can add additional toppings for a little extra change. As well as okonomiyaki they also serve small Japanese tapas dishes, curries, donburi, yaki soba, hot pots and teppan yaki.
Okan South Bank is located a 5 minute walk from Waterloo overground and underground station(s).
Address: County Hall, Belvedere Road, London SE1 7PB
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4. Sho Foo Doh at Pretty Decent Beer Co, Leytonstone/Forest Gate
Oh so good okonomiyaki every Thursday to Sunday (correct as of May 2024).
We first discovered this lush London okonomiyaki restaurant during a trip to Fillybrooks in Leytonstone – since then, Sho Foo Doh have done numerous London okonomiyaki pancake pop ups at various bars, breweries and taprooms.
Currently in 2024, they have a semi-permanent pop-up at Pretty Decent Brewing Co in Leytonstone / Forest Gate (and don’t get this confused with the new Pretty Decent Brewing taproom in Blackhorse Road near Walthamstow).
Sho Foo Doh’s latest London okonomiyaki outpost is a quirky Japanese street food brand residency at Pretty Decent Beer Co Brewery, and serves up a fantastic menu every Thursday to Sunday.
Choose from a variety of small plates, plus their main signature dish – the Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki.
What makes the Hiroshima style different from normal okonomiyaki is a thinner pancake and the addition of egg noodles. Nom nom!
The dishes are all prepared bySho Foo Doh’s Japanese chef Fumio Tanga, who has created a menu inspired by Japan’s izakaya bars and was taught how to cook okonomiyaki by the master at Henkutsuya in his home city of Hiroshima in the 90s.
We absolutely loved the Sho Foo Doh seafood okonomiyaki which came with two large juicy prawns on top and a generous amount of toppings. Prices are on the slightly higher side at around £14 per okonomiyaki.
We recommend you order a Sho Foo Doh okonomiyaki with an ice cold craft beer – it all tastes ‘Pretty Decent’!
Address: 340 Sheridan Road, London E7 9EF
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5. Yaki Ya Grill Japan at Bang Bang Oriental food hall, Colindale
If you are looking for some okonomiyaki action in North London, Bang Bang Oriental in Colindale is London’s largest Asian food court and street food epicurean experience.
Based in a brand new, purpose-built dining hall, Bang Bang Oriental has around 20 different vendors and traders including several Japanese food stalls.
One of the most popular Japanese food stalls at Bang Bang Oriental is Yaki Ya Grill who as well as doing Japanese favourites like katsu curry, sushi, yakisoba noodles and ramen, also offer up okonomiyaki.
Alongside the standard okonomiyaki ‘flavours’ such as vegetable, chicken and (to a lesser extent, prawn), Yaki Ya! also cook up what we think is London’s only salmon okonomiyaki – all Yaki Ya! Okonomiyakis cost £12.49 or £12.99 for the salmon one. Prices correct as of May 2024.
Yaki Ya! Grill Japan can be found on the ground floor of Bang Bang Oriental food hall – it is a 10 minute walk from Colindale underground station and is open daily from noon until around 9.30pm.
Address: 399 Edgware Road, London NW9 0FH
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5. Tenshi, Islington
Tenshi is a fine family-run Japanese restaurant in Islington, famous for its homestyle Japanese cooking and sushi (plus offers okonomiyaki in the evening).
A basic vegetable okonomiyaki is priced at £12.45 , but you can add chicken, bacon, kimchi or cheese for an extra £2.50 each, or squid or prawns for £3 extra.
As well as okonomiyaki there are plenty of other delicious Japanese delights on its menu including a large range of donburi, noodles, sushi, tempura and katsu curry, plus an extensive list of sake and Japanese beer. Kanpai!
Tenshi Islington is located a 5 minute walk from Angel underground station and is open Tuesday-Sunday.
Address: 61 Upper Street, London N1 0NY
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7. Okan at Shōtengai Japanese Market, Kings Cross
Possibly the cheapest okonomiyaki in London (£6 upwards), the go-to okonomiyaki experts at Okan often have a pop up okonomiyaki stall at the Shotengai Japanese Market (part of Lower Street Stable Market), held one weekend a month at Coal Drops Yard in Kings Cross.
The Shōtengai Japanese Market at Coal Drops Yard usually takes place in the warmer months only, usually on the second weekend.
Inspired by Japan’s joyful Shōtengai (local market streets), this monthly market offers the best of Japanese food and homeware, along an alleyway chock full of permanent bars, restaurants and cafes.
If okonomiyaki is not ‘OK’ by you (Wait. What?!), you can also get your fill of Japanese curry at neighbouring (and permanent) restaurant Hiden Japanese Curry Lab.
Check the latest King’s Cross Shōtengai Japanese Market schedule here >
Address: Lower Stable Street, Kings Cross, London N1C 4LW
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8. Jeux Jeux Okonomiyaki Restaurant, London South Bank
So nice, they named it twice – probably. JEUX JEUX Okonomiyaki is the second such restaurant in London’s County Hall, joining existing Japanese OKAN.
The name Jeux Jeux apparently stems from the noise spatulas make when crafting the okonomiyaki pancake shape (and we guess a restaurant called ‘Splat’ isn’t so welcoming).
This is the sister branch of the popular Hannah Japanese restaurant next-door.
Jeux Jeux’s is London’s newest dedicated okonomiyaki (it opened in late 2023) and their Hiroshima style version of okonomiyaki with all the trimmings costs £20 per portion.
Address – JEUX JEUX Okonomiyaki Restaurant, 3 Belvedere Road, London SE1 7PB
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Our final London Okonomiyaki Restaurant
9. OkonomiHeads, Dalston
Head out to Haggerston for the new OkonomiHeads, opened in east London in mid 2023 from the brains behind SushiHeads.
Hackney is full of brilliant basement bars and restaurants and OkonomiHeads is no different – plain okonomiyaki at Okonomiheads start from £10.90 or you can upgrade to squid and prawn for £13.50. Prices correct as of May 2024.
Other delightful dishes include several types of onigiri (around £4 each) and yum yakisoba for £10 to £13.
For dessert, go for the mochi ice-cream or chestnut dorayaki – Doraemon would approve!
Address – OkonomiHeads, 230 Kingsland Road, Whitmore Estate, London E2 8AX
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