While the Kansai and Hiroshima regions are best known for tasty okonomiyaki, Tokyo also has plenty of excellent okonomiyaki restaurants. One such place, “Konamon” in Setagaya Ward, stands tall above the rest.
Please note that this restaurant recently moved to Kannai (near Yokohama). But they’ve maintained everything that made them great at their original location. As such, the article below has been left alone (focus on the original location).
Konamon serves tasty okonomiyaki in a surreal setting. The restaurant itself is like a giant tree house, fashioned in the wooden style you’ll find at soba restaurants in Northern Japan. Beautiful greenery surrounds Konamon too.
There’s a net to catch those who are full and fall from the 2nd floor
Konamon is big – 194 seats…you’ll get the best view from the 2nd floor though
For those who don’t know, okonomiyaki is Japanese soul food as its best. They’re Japanese pancakes. The word “okonomiyaki” literally means “as you like”. You get to choose what goes into the pancakes. Ingredients like pork, green onions, and seafood are common.
Konamon has all your typical okonomiyaki fare. Below, starting left and going clockwise: Assorted bowl with shiso, cheese “darake” (means covered in), and kurobuta (black pig pork) with shrimp and squid.
At Konamon you fry your pancakes at the table, but that’s the whole fun of it.
I think the reason Americans embrace okonomiyaki is because of the sauce – a sweet BBQ-like sauce goes on after the frying. You can also add seaweed flakes, bonito flakes, and mayo as you like.
On their dessert menu was a unique dish…various potatoes (including the purple type) and cheese topped off with maple syrup after fried on the grill.
Next door is another tree house serving pancakes. Pancakes…
If you don’t mind visiting the Southern burbs of Tokyo, Konamon makes for an unrivaled oknomiyaki experience.
Below is info on their newer Kannai (Yokohama) Location:
Train Station: Kannai (Keihin-Tohoku, Yokohama Lines)