Okonomi Taro began with a memory that refused to fade. Owner Nakanishi had spent years working alongside his father in traditional Japanese cuisine before turning his attention to okonomiyaki (a savory Japanese pancake made with batter, cabbage, and various ingredients, grilled on an iron griddle). He lived in Osaka, a city overflowing with okonomiyaki restaurants -- and yet not one of them made the dish the way he remembered it from childhood: light, delicate, and deeply comforting.
His response was to build it himself. The technique he developed departs fundamentally from Osaka convention. Where traditional Osaka-style okonomiyaki mixes all ingredients into the batter before grilling, Okonomi Taro layers the batter and ingredients one level at a time. A lid is placed over the griddle so the heat circulates gently and evenly, steaming the okonomiyaki from within rather than simply grilling it from below.
The outcome is unmistakable: a pancake of extraordinary lightness, with cabbage so tender it nearly dissolves and a batter infused with kombu dashi (broth made from dried kelp) that gives each bite a clean, subtle umami. When Okonomi Taro first opened, customers were bewildered. Some asked if it was really okonomiyaki. Slowly, the lines began to form -- and they have not stopped in over twenty years.
Okonomi Taro joins YUU Japanese Food Hall, bringing its Michelin-recognized layered okonomiyaki to the United States. For those who have never tried okonomiyaki, this is the place to begin. For those who think they know it, this is the dish that will make them reconsider.
