Anyone know anywhere in Taipei that serves okonomiyaki (aka, somewhat erroneously, “Japanese pizza”)? There seem to be plenty of Japanese places about, but none of the ones I’ve checked seem to serve this particular dish.
I’ve eaten at one, but it was over a year ago. It’s the thing that’s kind of all mixed up in a big bowl and cooked at (on) your table? Don’t know if it’s still there, but these are the best directions I can muster:
Go to the Sogo second store (the one on Dunhua, south of Zhongxiao - there’s an MRT exit almost right there). You want the laneway that the north edge of the Sogo building is on. Walk west down it and it’s on your right. It has (had) a small signboard outside and newspaper clippings describing the stuff - it’s their main specialty, and all the tabletops have built-in grills for cooking it, although I think they sell other stuff as well.
I didn’t actually care for it too much, but that’s the only place I’ve ever eaten it, and we really didn’t know what sort of sauces you were meant to add, etc., so it was a bit random. We just spotted it out walking, and it was something I’d always wanted to try.
I’ll check that out… it sounds like you might be talking about teppanyaki rather than okonomiyaki, but it’s still a shot. Thanks.
Nope, I definitely know the difference, and it’s the pancake/pizza thingy - because I like teppanyaki. Hope it’s still there 
Ah, sweet then. Definitely looking at it then. Didn’t know they cooked okonomiyaki at the table - mostly 'cause I’ve never actually eaten it in a restaurant before. Thanks for the heads-up.
There is a quite new restaurant that specialiced in okonomiyaki. i don’t have the address, sorry, but i’ll try to explain.
across the street from the welcome, rose record on zhongxiao e. rd. there is this little open space. at the end of it turn right into the alley. the restaurant is about the 3d or 4th on the right side of the alley. it was oishiiiiiiii
What section of Zhongxiao?
Somewhere between Fuxing and Dunhua I guess, or was it between Dunhua and Guangfu? Sorry, 路痴… 
Close enough 
In the tung hua night market, i think there was a booth that sold that. It’s closer to the Keelung road side. It’s a small booth with two stools and on the left if you are going into the night market from keelung road.
Tetsuo, are you really in dire need for an okonomiyaki fix? The sad truth is I have yet to find a real place to satisfy my O craving short of a weekend jaunt to Kansai.
There are actually TWO restaurants in the alleyway mentioned above that serves okonomiyaki but neither are very good. One is called Monjuyaki (if I recall) and the other is Getsu…something. If you stand on the corner of Zhongxiao and Da-An next to Bistro 98, walk south on Da-An and turn left at the first alley, the first restaurant Monju is on the left side – over priced and overrated but lots of young people like to go. Further down is Getsu…this one has a bit older crowd but their selection is limited. Neither had my favourite – negi.
In Shilin night market, there are 2 stalls that serves better tasting Os. Good Luck in your quest and keep us posted.
Okonomiyaki!!! My god…haven’t heard that word (well, actually READ) in a while. I’m suddenly jones’n for it. I imagine if there isn’t a good place in Taipei, then I’m flat out of luck here in Kaohsiung… BUT, if anyone knows of a place down here, please let me know. I remember back in the day when my ex japanese gf used to make it for me all the time. Damn, the stuff I’d take for granted.
Also, if you ever get the chance to try it, really really REALLY try to get the Hiroshima style (famous in Japan) if you get a choice. Osaka style is fine, but Hiroshima style really tastes so much better. I can remember the days back in Hiroshima…sitting in a hot little Okonomiyaki ‘bar’…eating straight off the grill, with an ice cold Kirin 1L. collapses
I think I still remember how to make some. Good thing is, a recipe can probably be found on the internet and you could make some at home. I think Osaka style should be relatively easy. And I believe all the ingredients are readily accessible here.
okonomiyakiiiiiiiii…
oZzo
I saw TWO okonomiyaki places in the first an alley parallel to Zhongxiao, between the southwest corner of Zhongxiao & Dunhua and Daan St.
Kaohsiung?
You’re in luck!
There’s an okonomoyaki shop (Osaka style) on Zhonghua road. Sure, there are lots of “okonomoyaki” stalls around the place but they’re about as good as the takoyaki stalls (shit).
The one on Zhonghua road actually tastes like real okonomiyaki, they use all proper ingredients etc. You can make it yourself or have them make it for you. There’s a lot of different flavours to choose from too. I want to eat cheese and mochi right now. You can also get yakisoba and other stuff too.
Anyway, I don’t have an address at the moment (I’ll get one later if you need it) but anyhoo here’re my directions:
You’re standing outside Isetan Department Store on Wufu 3rd Road. Turn right and go to Zhonghua road (it’s right there at the big traffic circle). Don’t cross any streets, just turn the corner and keep heading up Zhonghua road and looking into the shop windows until you see it. You’ll have to walk for about 5 minutes if my memory serves me correctly until you find it. Good luck. I’ll post proper directions later.
Also if you want to eat other decent Japanese food:
Ajinomondo on 12th floor Isetan serves the usual curry, katsudon, karaage, salmon, somen, tempura etc. etc. It’s proper Japanese flavour. Far from amazing, but it’s the closest thing to real normal Japanese flavour I’ve found.
There’s a yakiniku shop across the street and down one of the smaller streets from Isetan. The boss really likes yakiniku, so she decided to open her own shop. It’s good, not amazing. Definately the best place I’ve been to in Kaohsiung. I’m pretty good at directions, aren’t I?
Also a ramen shop called Jingdu (Kyoto) at the opposite end of Zhonghua rd. from the okonomiyaki shop. It’s at the next big traffic circle after the one near Isetan. It would take about 15 minutes to walk there from Isetan (I went there today and had miso ramen - and it was GOOD, tonkotsu is good too, shoyu is not so good). They also have other stuff on the menu. You’ll also pass another ramen place on the way there called “zhenzhenzhen”, which is owned by a Japanese guy, which is quite good too, but he’s in Japan at the moment and won’t be back for a couple of months - shop’s still open though. I like their shoyu ramen. I wouldn’t say it’s really Japanese flavour, but it’s good.
There’s also a really good sushi place near DaTong Department store (Japanese chef). It’s a bitch to find. 
There’s a sukiyaki/ shabushabu all you can eat place near Sogo. I forget the name. It’s named after some warlord or something. There’s samurai armour in the front windows. It’s like 300NT for all you can eat. Service is good, they happily bring you more and more meat and veggies.
If you want to eat katsudon go to “Hiro-chan” near Xinjuezhang (It’s on the same street as Sugakiya Ramen).
I’ll work on proper addresses for all of these places and make a proper thread with other restaurants too. It may have taken me half a year to do it, but I found some good Japanese food in Kaohsiung.
HATSUHO
Address: 112 Nanjing E Rd, Sec 1, Taipei 台北市南京東路一段112號
Telephone: (02) 2522-1251, 2563-4628Open: 11:30am to 2:30 pm and 5:30 pm to 11pm
Average meal: NT$500 - NT$600 per person
Details: photo menu in Japanese and Chinese. Credit cards not accepted
One of the favorite places for Japanese businessmen visiting Taipei is a cozy place on the southern perimeter of the Combat Zone called Hatsuho.
The proprietress of Hatsuho is Tsai Bai-hui (蔡百惠), who, 16 years ago this week, decided that she liked Japanese food so much that she wanted to open a restaurant. So, although she didn’t know very much about Japanese cooking at the time – and knew even less about the language – Tsai opened up her first location in a lane off Nanjing East Road. She chose the name “Hatsuho” (roughly translated, “fresh wheat”) because she thought it “had a nice ring to it.”
This place has decent okonomiyaki. I tried it right after I got back from Japan.
Staff was pleasant. Place is often busy
I like the food, although it was a bit expensive.
No Japanese Green Tea, though, because the owner says the customers prefer Oolong tea.
Warning: okonomiyaki comes covered with fish flakes.
Owner says these are “traditional” although I never had them in Japan.
Second warning: Make sure your waiter/waitress understands your order completely. If there is a mistake, it will be your fault and you’ll be expected to pay for food you didn’t eat:
Either that, or the management will take it out of the server’s wages 
Still, worth a try if you want okonomiyaki.
Now if those other posters could just give us a real address for those restaurants somewhere in the Chunghsiao TunHua area
[quote=“tetsuo500”]Kaohsiung?
If you want to eat katsudon go to “Hiro-chan” near Xinjuezhang (It’s on the same street as Sugakiya Ramen).[/quote]
Anybody know more specifically where this place is? Or somewhere else in the Kaohsiung area a person can find katsudon? Love me some katsudon.
I have been to this one on occasion and found it enjoyable and reasonable,
taipeitimes.com/News/feat/ar … 2003426141
Just up the lane from Luna behind the Far Eastern Hotel.
Would you ex-Japan types say that the okonomiyaki stall at Roahe NM was pretty decent? I have always thought it was.
Why not make it at home? It is such an easy thing to do… I never had okonomiyaki in a restaurant outside of Japan, because once I saw how they make it, it was a straight line… all you need is to go to some good supermarket and buy the sauce…
Hey Grandfeller! As tetsuo500 said (all those years ago) the floor of restaurants near the top of the Wufu 3rd Rd Kaohsiung Isetan Dept Store would have katsudon - as I would imagine plenty of other Japanese restaurants inside departments stores would too (some of them belong to chain restaurants in Japan). The best thing, of course, with these types of restaurants, is you can just point at the wax models in the shop window without having to go through the menu. They may not taste exactly like in Japan, but katsudon should be OK (as long as they don’t scrimp and make the pork steak too thin).
Did you get to find some good katsudon in Kaohsiung?
[quote=“grandfeller”][quote=“tetsuo500”]Kaohsiung?
If you want to eat katsudon go to “Hiro-chan” near Xinjuezhang (It’s on the same street as Sugakiya Ramen).[/quote]
Anybody know more specifically where this place is? Or somewhere else in the Kaohsiung area a person can find katsudon? Love me some katsudon.[/quote]