Abeno

When eating okonomiyaki in Japan (including the home of okonomiyaki, Osaka), I used to ponder upon whether okonomiyaki would be popular in the UK. Well, it certainly seems to have caught on here.

I had no complaints about the quality of the okonomiyaki, and although the dish would never include chicken in Japan ( pork is the staple, but in London there are many who cannot eat pork, I imagine), it actually works quite well, for the omusoba as well.

Of course the price is preposterous for a dish so relatively simple (and cheap in Japan) and the large size did not appear so huge (but then I am a glutton). I would be happy to pay the price for the novelty of eating okonomiyaki in London, but it is a little steep for repeat visits.

The service is a little slow but quite thorough in the cooking of the okonomiyaki. The benches that open up so you can store bags and coats inside ( true Japanese-style!! ) really should be brought into more British eating establishments....!
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Oliver Gordon
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 3
Thursday, June 26, 2008

Lovely staff but can be slow.

They use really fresh ingredients. We had seafood 'omelette' and was impressed. The om soba (ie noodle wrapped in omelette) was less tasty.

Agree with other reports that it is pricey for what they are- but isnt that most of London restaurants?

Warning however that you will smell like you have worked in a kitchen for the whole day when you leave- bit stuffy inside too
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Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 7
Wednesday, May 21, 2008

More central location than the original Abeno (which is near the British Museum) makes this branch much more convenient. Good value and authentic Japanese food in the form of fried noodles and savory pancakes. Bentos too.
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Exotissima
Overall rating
Food 6 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 8
Tuesday, April 08, 2008

This is a different type of Japanese food as we usually know it in the West. In Japan, it is a cheaper and more filling option to the rather expensive and elegant sushi, sashimi and tempura. It is great to be able to taste it in the heart of London.

Fantastic! We have eaten okonomiyaki in Japan and experienced all styles of this Oriental tortilla. Abeno makes Osaka style okonomiyaki and it is absolutely excellent. A huge tortilla with cabbage, pickled ginger and egg mix to which you can add a choce of meat and vegetables. Service is very friendly and prompt and you can also try some other dishes as a starter as well as variations on the main theme. We loved the desserts, again, quintessentially Japanese!

To add to the experience, the food is cooked on a hot plate in front of you.
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Caterina
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Monday, April 07, 2008

A great experience for those who think japanese food is restricted to raw proteins and rice. We went there last night, we ordered the tofu and vegetable teppanyaki which was grilled on the hot plate in front of us expertly with umami flavour permeating the air aorund us. My partner had the Osaka-mix pancake which was mixed in front of us from raw ingredients and cooked. we also ordered small side dishes of chili prawns and kimchi which were unremarkable. Best to stick to the mains. The soba noodles wrapped in an omelette was really tasty looking and very large and enough to share between two.

Highly recommended for those who like to see everything prepared from scratch in a bespoke way infront of you.

Bill for 2 including drinks came to £33.
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BS
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Thursday, February 14, 2008

We went to Abeno Too (near Covent Garden) and it was excellent. The staff are very friendly and explain the ingredients etc as they cook it freshly in front of you. Very tasty and more than enough to go round. It gets very busy however so we even had to queue for a table at 6pm (on a Saturday night).
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Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 8
Sunday, November 11, 2007

My husband and I happened upon Abeno located on Museum Street as we were leaving the British Museum. This was our last dinner in London as we headed home the next day. I can readily say we were very happy with our choices of prawn okonomi-yaki, kimchi, rice and tempura shrimp. We found the staff very friendly and helpful. Each table has its own built-in hot plate, so the okonomi-yaki was cooked directly before us. Overall we enjoyed a very satisfying experience. Next time we travel to London we plan to return to Abeno!
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Laura
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Sunday, September 09, 2007

Read a couple of good reviews so went on Chinese new year last weekend. Was so good I went back this week and will make it a regular trip. Never had Okonomi-Yaki before but it’s a great way to have a variety of food that you’ll never get bored of. I had the London mix the first time and by ‘eck it was nice. Such strong flavours all over the place and really went well together. Tried some of my brother’s noodle dish and it was similarly good.

Second time round I stuffed myself with a Sapporo mix and was again very happy. Best thing though was when I had pancakes for dessert. Wondered if it was a one off as it was pancake day, but apparently they always do it, thank god! I’ve always hated American pancakes for some reason, but these things were amazing. Perfectly crisp on the outside and soft in the middle, they give you as much maple syrup as you can handle, different ice creams and a little pot of strawberry jam. I wanted to kiss them.

Although you can use this place as a cheap stop-off, it can ramp up if you have the whole shebang. £3.30 for a bottle of beer, great desserts etc mean you can pay £40 all in happily enough, so beware! Still, service is very good. Friendly and courteous, but perhaps not surprising as they actually are Japanese. They have these cute little benches that you store your jackets in then sit down, and a nice bar means you can food perve on everyone else’s meal.

You might have to wait a bit on the weekend, but came here on a tuesday and only had to wait a minute or two, but you can't book. Basically, go here, it’s great.
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Stephen H - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 9
Friday, February 23, 2007

Every everytime i'v gone it has been a great experience. I love that the food gets cooked in front of you. it different. the staff it friendly too. its a bit small, and when its busy you might have to wait sometime for assistance but other than that its really worth going!!
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Maria C
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 8
Wednesday, October 25, 2006

Actually went to Abeno Too which is on Gt Newport St, just by Leicester Square but same chain. I'd been to Japan recently and loved eating Okonomiyaki so took my parents there to introduce them to a bit of Japanese food. It was very good. Tasted exactly like the ones I'd had in Japan and I agree with other people's reviews that the tofu and avocado goyoza were delicious. Good meal, friendly staff, cost for Edemame, Starters, okonomiyaki, 2 noodle dishes and drinks for 3 people inc tip was about £70. The only downside was that it's a lot cheaper to eat okonomiyaki in Japan and the portions in Japan are a lot bigger.
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Jayne Chichester
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 5
Monday, August 21, 2006