Ask the locals of Kyoto and they will definitely know Jumbo Okonomiyaki. The popular diner was one of the first things recommended to us by several of our buddies and even our teachers at the university, and so we immediately put it on our must-try list. And what a recommendation it was – tasty, cheap food cooked before your very eyes!

We waited a quite a while for our table, as the place is small and rather crowded (it wasn’t too bad though, as they have chairs for you to sit on as you wait. We waited about 20 minutes). The tables were arranged in a Japanese style with pillows for you to sit on. Come with easy to remove footwear as you will be required remove them before you sit!

We then watched as the chef cooked our meals on the hot plates on our table. We ordered 1 large yakisoba and 2 large okonomiyaki, to share between the five of us. This was more than enough for us as the portions were really huge (you may want to consider that we are five asian kids though). There were also bottles of seasoning at the table if you want to add some extra squid shavings.

You have to order when you get a table, and cannot order additional food after that as the diner is quite crowded, and they do not want to hold up the queue, so remember to plan out what you want to eat when you get there! The food was amazing and incredibly cheap, we paid about 350 yen each. I would definitely recommend this diner, as it is a fun experience and the food tastes amazing, especially on a cold winter’s night.

Interested? The diner is located 15 minutes away from Ryoanji temple. Ninnaji temple and Myoshinji temple are also located close by. It’s a great pit stop between visiting the temples! Location