Great service with the added entertainment of dishes being prepared at your table. Plus the food is really tasty. Portions are a little on the small side and quite pricey.
We booked a table here just before going to the theatre and everything we ordered was just FABULOUS. I will be the first to admit I don’t know the first thing about asian food but their speciality pancake was DIVINE and they cook everything freshly right in front of you on the hotplate. The waiters were also v. helpful with the menu and seem to know a lot about the ingredients. V. impressed!! Will be returning again for a ladies night soon!!
I often miss food from Osaka and Abeno has the amazing Osaka specialty: Okonomiyaki. You can chose your Okononiyaki topping. It is really good and similar to the quality in Osaka. If you fancy a change for your taste buds and a fun experience Abeno is the place to go. This location is cozy.
You might probably miss this small restaurant if you weren't particularly looking for it. But once you try it out, you might never forget the experience.
This was my first time trying out Okonomi-Yaki, and I absolutely loved it! We had the Tokyo-mix, suggested by the chef herself, which was made fresh on our tables. We also tried Chicken Yaki-soba which was really rich in flavour but light at the same time. And if you go anytime in the winters, don't forget to try the Winter Hot-cake - it's the most delicious piece of dessert I had in a long time! A complete and fulfilling meal :)
Okonomiyaki is good hearty food but with a quirkiness that is typically Japanese. Think omelette with various types of meat and/or fish and cabbage, topped with Japanese mayo and dried fish flakes and cooked teppanyaki style at your table.
The food here is good but don't expect a restaurant with a lot of character. Go with friends for an easy, satisfying meal.
Okonomiyaki lovers only. Good alternative to ordinary sushi bar or Japanese cusine. Okonomiyaki are similar to what you'd get in Japan, plus Abeno also offers a variety of udon style noodles.
Great okonomiyaki. This place has great okonomiyaki and if you are a fan of this Osaka style dish, come here and enjoy. Me and my wife love the place. But do make a reservation since the place is small and frequently visited by the Japanese community :)
Unique. This would be an amazing early date idea. The food is great and so is the atmosphere. The food is cooked in front of you and you can cook it if you have the skill.
Like an extra thick omelette, the batter is mixed at your table, cooked on a teppan and topped with Japanese mayo, okonomiyaki sauce (a thicker teriyaki sauce) and some katsuobushi (dried fish flakes).
The Food Connoisseur
+4.5
The tables has in built grills and you order your okonomiyaki and the waiter turns up with the raw ingredients before mixing it before your eyes. The okonomiyaki from abeno is very yummy compared to ones I tried at wasabi and street stalls it does cost a hefty £10-15 for one but it’s worth the price. Depending on the one you choose the okonomiyaki is garnished with bonito flakes, seaweed, and Japanese Mayo.
This is a really small, and busy restaurant. I arrived early and was able to beg my way in for a quick dinner, but reservations are highly recommended
Okonomiyaki is a Japanese savoury pancake popular across western Japan, and especially in Hiroshima and Osaka. Having tried this recently in Hiroshima I was curious as to whether it could be found in London, and found Abeno, a quiet café tucked away in Museum Street. This is owned by a lady from Osaka and her husband, and has been serving the dish in London since 1993 (the original location was in Colindale). - See more at: http://www.andyhayler.com/restaurant/abeno/17-06-2014#sthash.jvLKllbD.dpuf
I would say Abeno is an alternative Japanese restaurant, quite nice and good. I like the ambiance, which is very neat and organized. Also, prices are okay and you should expect to spend 40 £ for two people.
I tried their famous Okonomi-yaki which looks almost like an omelette to me, and you can fulfill with any ingredient you desire. This is what I loved about it, because I could personalize my own experience. I filled it up with onions, eggs, cabbage and some advised sauces. The mix was very tasty and yummy. Soft and savoury. I enjoyed it a lot. I suggest going and try this restaurant !!
Miho @ Wander To Wonder
+4
I knew of Abeno for a long time, a place that specialises in Okonomiyaki. I hadn't had it since New Year's Eve last year, so I was pretty excited when I had a girls dinner date there with M and S - I love when friends are adventurous eaters and are willing to try different things!
Okonomiyaki is a Japanese dish that is more commonly known as a semi-junk food. Made out of a basic batter of egg, cabbage and flour, it's kind of a savoury pancake - that you can stuff with whatever you like. Okonomi literally means "what you like", so you can really make it the way you want it.
At Abeno, they give you a wide selection of toppings, and they cook it right in front of you on the teppan. We chose to have a few pan-fried gyozas to share, and then followed up with the large sizes of the Osaka and Tokyo mix Okonomiyaki - one was with prawn, squid and pork, and the other with kimchi in place of the squid. The pork is cooked and then pan-friend on top of the pancake, all crispy and delicious.
They are topped with a special sauce, mayonnaise (Japanese mayonnaise - it's very different, far better in my opinion!), katsuobushi (fish flakes) and aonori (green seaweed flakes). They may look a little strange, but trust me, they are so good.
Abeno has two branches, one near Holborn with tables (the one we went to), and one by Leicester Square where you can dine on counter seats. If you are up for something a little different, Okonomiyaki is a crowd pleaser - I've never met anyone who doesn't like it, non-Japanese included! - and it's a fun experience, too.
And don't be shy on the sauce and mayo, it's "junk" food after all!
The Food Connoisseur
+4.5
I first heard about okonomiyaki from my friend Wendy curious I went on to google for a restaurant in London. At the time this was 2-3 years ago only abeno existed in London. My bestie Jeff told me his experience of the restaurants. I’ve been to the museum street branch twice and can happily say enjoyed the experience.
This place gets packed very easily on my second visited I waited 20 mins for seats. The tables have in built grills and you order your okonomiyaki and the waiter turns up with the raw ingredients before mixing it before your eyes. The okonomiyaki from abeno is very yummy compared to ones I tried at wasabi and street stalls it does cost a hefty £10-15 for one, but it’s worth the price. Depending on the one you choose the okonomiyaki is garnished with bonito flakes, seaweed, and Japanese Mayo.
I took a video of the cooking on my phone. Food drinks and service will set you back around £20 pp.
I went to Abeno recently as I had heard great things about their okonomiyaki, and I wasn't disappointed. Me and my friend ordered the special, and along with a few side dishes it made for a fantastically tasty and satisfying meal. Everything was perfectly cooked, and the meat was lean.
The service was attentive and friendly. The only criticism I had was that the restaurant environment looked a little tired and worn, and hence the atmosphere wasn't what it could be.
I will definitely be returning to try more of the menu.
Abeno is trying to compete with Benihana and there is no comparison. I went with a group of 8 for someone's belated birthday and I personally will never return. Abeno is very small and your hair and clothes will smell of fried oil when you leave this place. The staff are very pleasant but the menu is completely over priced for what you get. I spent £16 on their 'speciality dish' which was essentially an over priced small 1 egg tasteless omelette that had 3 'tiny' bits of chicken and I never found the asparagus. It was the most expensive omelette I have ever paid for and £3 for a can of lemonade that was flat!! If you have to eat here then know what you are ordering. Better still just Go to Benihana for a better experience with better food.
Went with my husband and two children - one of whom is the most fussy eaters ever - and we all loved it. Staff very welcoming, friendly and excellent at explaining the menu and choices. Food was delicious and reasonably priced. Lots of dishes for all of us to share. Would highly recommend
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Outstanding customer service. We had a very pleasurable experience with the staff working here. They explain every dish and the process of them preparing and cooking it which was very handy.
Starting off with the deep fried tofu; crispy and lightweight of an eat; thick sauce complimented it well. Chicken kara-age was crunchy… Now onto the main part which was the okonomi-yaki. This was my first time being exposed to this dish so I was quite intrigued. You get a variety of flavours and textures for each one topped with Japanese mayonnaise, soy sauce and katsuobushi (shaved fish) which was like a burst for your tastebuds every time. My personal favourite is the Osaka version which includes kimchi rather than squid unlike the Tokyo and Sapporo. You get the slight acidic taste of the kimchi which makes it the winner for me.
The only reason why this review is bumped down to a 4-star was because of the dessert. My birikien sundae includes a small hotcake drizzled in whisky and finished with cream, chocolate pieces, berries, cream and matcha ice cream. The toppings served well to balance out the strong whisky taste, but overall, it was slightly off-putting because of the alcohol. It was small and rather expensive compared to the others.
Overall, I’m satisfied.
This is our first time trying お好き焼きhere!! To be honest we were spending minutes look at the menu……staffs are very helpful! We have 夏の思い出the memories of summer and オムそば soba noodles under an omelette. Both of them are very tasty, and authentic! FYI You’ll need to reserve a table there, they’re very popular and this is my second time waiting as a walk in! Not suitable for a single person though, they don’t have space for that.
So good. Really authentic okonomiyaki which is made right in front of you on a hot plate, plus variety of other great dishes (highly recommend the aubergine starter). Super friendly service as well, and minimal queue (4:30pm on Saturday afternoon)
A fantastic restaurant which is one of the only places outside of Japan that you can get traditional Japanese food, made the same way as if you were in the country. The food taste great and there is a great range to choose from. The staff are all really friendly and helpful and the service is incredible.
Fantastic authentic japanese restaurant with wide selection of okonomiyaki and other dishes. The drink selection is also great and everything is super fresh and tasty. The okonomiyaki is prepared in front of you, the staff is super friendly and helpful. This is the second time I have been here and surely not the last time.
You need to book to get a table, and the restaurant is really busy so make sure you plan in advance, but it's worth it!
Okonomiyaki: unpronounceable, delicious, Japanese, pancake style omelettes with various toppings cooked for you in front of you by super nice and charming staff. 3 of us shared 3 different ones and then added a teppanyaki to share. Additionally we tried their hot pancake dessert with bean and mochi matcha ice cream which was delicious.
An incredible concept, unique in London, bold flavours and doing it since 1993 in this restaurant. Book in advance as it’s impossible to walk in and get a table.
It’s not cheap, each Okonomiyaki will set you back £15-£20 and as a hungry man, I could easily eat 3-4 of these but I stuck to one because times are tight.
Great food and very friendly staff! It’s quite busy on a weeknight so luckily we reserved a table ahead - not a fan of the pre payment reservation system but understand why it’s done.
I love watching staff make okonomiyaki at our table. We ordered 1 side, 2 big okonomiyaki between 3 adults which were good portions and fair prices. We also ordered a pancake for dessert - it was delicious but seems quite pricey in comparison.
Service was very friendly and food was pretty tasty, however compared to okonomiyaki in Japan it felt like there was not enought mayo, sauce and other toppings.
Also we were reccomended to take a large sized portion and share between two people, which left me feeling still hungry. I would say it's a fair size for one person.
Coffee jelly with cinnamon ice cream was 10/10 though.
We loved Okonomiyaki when we first tried it in Japan and we were delighted to find this restaurant with amazing Okonomiyaki in Europe!
We were a group of 5 and we tried five different types of Okonomiyaki. All of them were really good!
The waiters are very friendly and the atmosphere is really authentic☺️
Probably good to make a reservation in advance.
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