I usually just stalk yelp to find good places in new areas but I have to write about Abeno. Just a short walk from my hotel and nearly empty in the late afternoon. Food was delicious but the service was even better. As a solo traveler it was great to be able to chat with the server about the history of the food, how it was made and the proper way to eat it. It was more of an experience than just a quick lunch which was greatly appreciated. Highly recommend! read more

Abeno - Spinach and cheese - Japanese Near Me - London, XGL

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As an American Gringo who lived in Japan for a while (4 years), I've been on the hunt for a good okonmiyaki, as I travel the non-Japan world. THIS IS IT! The food is yummy, the service traditional Japanese - very polite! If you have any gastronomical curiosity, you have to give these folks a shot. Highly recommended, and I'm tough to please. read more

I love the Japanese style cabbage pancake mix that is Okonomiyaki and that Abeno do very well. The novelty of having something cooked in front of you and that you break off to eat on your plate is definitely worth visiting and experiencing at least once for yourself. They have plenty of different variations that is best thought of a very savoury pancake with different sets of meats and vegetables that is both fairly quick and easy to cook and eat. The best bit is when they ask if you want additional toppings, add the okonomiyaki sauce, japanese mayonnaise, and then the bonito flakes that literally dance from the heat on the grill. It's both amusing and slightly disturbing if it's the first time you've seen it and you have no idea what it is. I've been in summer before and if it gets too hot, they can cook it away from the table though I think that takes some of the experience away. Abeno also do a variety of other traditional dishes (I've had their noodle omelette) and they do them all very well if you don't feel like okonomiyaki. read more

Wish I could give this place more stars .. everything we tried was awesome .. lots of veggie options and everything is presented with such attention to detail .. so cute ! Plus its all cooked in front of you and the servers/chefs are really friendly so it's a fun group experience .. read more

A great place to try authentic Japanese savoury pancakes, cooked on the hotplate in your table! This is an exciting meal if you are out with your family or friends and tastes great. Abeno has a great selection of premium/organic ingredients more suited to the english market and their wide range of dishes are delicious and served fresh. Dinner is expensive, but it is one of the only places to enjoy this Japanese speciality and the staff and service is great. read more

I'm going to do the same review for Abeno and Abeno Too, both of which are superb. They specialise in "Kansai-style of Okonomi-yaki" - which translates as "Japanese omlettes". The seating is unique - each little table has a heated panel in the centre of it upon which, after you've deliberated over the slightly bewildering array of options on offer - a member of staff will cook your omlette right under your nose! I must say, for this reason I would strongly advise that you think twice before going there on very hot days. However, with that caveat out of the way, Abeno is a great experience of a type of food you are unlikely to see in many places in London. While you're there try their sashimi beef and the "Geisha" cocktail. Verrrr niiice. hic read more

The food and service here are great. They cook your okonomiyaki at the table which keeps it nice and warm for the whole meal. My friend is allergic to seafood but they had chicken yakisoba as well which was good. We were three people and we finished three bottles of sparkling wine. The place is quite small but you don't feel rushed. Would definitely recommend. read more

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mouthwatering! They were at the Jamie Oliver Big Feastival, so got to sample their food. I tried something that looked like a rice and egg pancake with chicken, and a range of sauces I wouldn't dare to normally try! Was delicious, will be stopping into the restaurant as soon as I get the chance! read more

Abeno - Japanese Near Me - London, XGL

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Delicious Okonomi-Yaki, nice service, cozy environment. Highly recommended! I found it by chance, and I am extremely pleased with this place, I will surely come back here! read more

Came here yesterday afternoon for a late lunch. Lunch special was still available when I came in so I ordered the lunch combo with tokyo mix (pork, shrimp and squid) okonomiyaki with the daily side dish and miso soup. The side dish they had was gyoza with avocado and tofu filling. It's my first time having avocado gyoza and I'm not sure if I liked that taste... It seems a very odd combination to me Now for the main course of the meal: okonomiyaki. The server brings the mix to your table and makes it on the grill in front of you. It's pbbly a fun thing to watch for most ppl but I've seen it quite a few times before and made okonomiyaki on my own as well. The portion was smaller than expected but oh well it's london. The okonomiyaki tasted pretty good (okonomiyaki sauce and japanese mayo combined makes everything tastes good), quite authentic. I do wish there could be a little more shrimp in it. read more

This restaurant is very closed to The British Museum so it's a big plus after hours of walking in the museum. The food was great! Seaweed salad is so delicious but very different than what I had in the states; okonomiyaki is very yum and authentic with plenty of choices. The service was great too. I'm giving it 4 stars is because the air circulation inside the restaurant is really bad. All the stinky greasy smell stuck on our clothes.... read more

This superb Japanese resaurant serves amzing food that is cooked on the hot plate embedded in your table. I had a Tokyo Mix okonmoi-yaki, which contained pork, squid and prawn, and it was delicious. I also ordered a chicken om-soba, which was made all the better with the generous helping of Heinz Tomato Ketchup. The atmosphere was nice, and the decoration was fairly minimal. Be sure to avoid the ominously grimy seat to the left of the entrance, and you are sure to have a great experience here. I am definitely going back! read more

Perhaps I didn't know what to expect and that is why I wasn't all too impressed. I was certainly impressed when I walked in and saw that all the tables had a grill and that they made the food at your table. I was really looking forward to the experience. We ordered the Cottage Okonomiaki which was good but not great. We also ordered an additional dish which I cannot remember and for dessert we did the chocolate 'pancake'. For the prices charged, the portions are small, very small. Service is excellent and the people are very friendly. I'm not sure if I would come back though... read more

okonomiaki is a typical japanese street food made with eggs and flour and some other ingredients of your choice like mushroom, shrimps, meat at this restaurant the dinner table is where they cook it! they cook everything in front of you and it is really nice also to see other food they cook (like dessert!) nothing posh, but very nice staff also and prices are quite low! read more

Excellent authentic Japanese food. Was quiet pleasantly surprised to find great Traditional JP food in London.

This place is way overrated. And expensive! When I walked in, they hesitantly sat me down at 5:00pm, and warned me that they had a reservation for that table at 7:00pm. Fine. But if I hadn't sat down, would they have left the table empty for two hours? Wouldn't you want that table generating business? In any case, I ordered the seafood okonomi-yaki, super delux. Having had many great Korean seafood pancakes, I had high expectations for my 15 GBP pancake. I was not impressed. I didn't think this meal was of any higher quality than fried rice. And I wouldn't pay 15 GBP for fried rice. read more

Delightful food and service. Extremely attentive staff prepare food on a hot-plate in the center of the table. The food prep is not a gimmick but rather just ensures the high quality ingredients are cooked and served to perfection. I will definitely be going back. read more

Ah, okonomiyaki. It comes at a London price, but it's a delicious treat after a long day. I ordered the Tokyo mix (prawn, squid, & pork) which was very satisfying...especially with tons of Japanese mayo! Apparently you need to make reservations, but they let us in and rushed us throughout our meal so they could clear the table for the next group. That's alright, cause I was scarfing down the okonomiyaki anyway. It takes a little while to prepare, and at first I was wondering if I could make this myself at home, but my first bite assured me that nothing I made would taste this good. read more

Had the London okonomiyaki lunch special. While it's a little expensive at dinner, the lunch special is actually a pretty good deal at 13.95 for the okonomiyaki, miso soup, and side of the day. The ingredients were high quality and tasty. The food stays hot throughout your meal. read more

Abeno is a cool restaurant as it veers away from the more typical Japanese fare of most other London restaurants, instead serving the Osakan speciality of okonomiyaki, a sort of omelette, filled with different ingredients of your choice. Once you've chosen the combination of meat, fish and vegetables you want from the menu, the food is cooked in front of you on a hotplate on the table which is a fun extra touch and also ensures it is served to you piping hot. It tastes really good too, meaning Abeno is a welcome addition to the London dining scene. read more

Went there just after our visit to British Museum. Not fully-authentic Japanese food but I believe it suits westerner's stomach. We ordered combo meal with Tokyo talk and London yaki. Overall they were very delicious but a bit expensive. read more

This was the first time I had okonomiyaki. This was a very pleasant place to eat at and the wait staff was simply amazing. They cook the food in front of you so you get first hand experience on the process of which it is made. It was a fun experience. I would definitely try to make reservations if you can, but if you don't be prepared to wait as it could take some time to get seated. We got lucky that when we got there, a table had just opened up and we just barely got there before a couple of other groups. read more

Very good taste, it is one of the best Japanese restaurant I have ever eaten, highly recommend!

Good soul food with excellent value for money. Cooking at the table really sets the mood!

Okonomiyaki is AWESOME! Just as you'd get in Japan, with some twist of British. Service is what you'd expect from Japanese biz also, very helpful and fast. The only downside is the price - If they want to charge such high price, it should be twice as big. Location is really great for tourists heading to British Museum, it's just around the corner! read more

Have been eating here since it started. A unique but very European friendly authentic Japanese dining experience. And a rather above average wine list as well with several really first class bottles. Lots of inexpensive nibbles and a good choice of the 'cabbage pankake' (Okonomi Yaki) and Om-Sorba -Noodles all of really high quality and very flavoursome. Everything is very fresh and of highest quality. A bit smoky with the cooking right in front of you so don't go in your finest though the after-smell dissapears in a day. Really nice Japanese staff, though remember that their english may require you to speak carefully. Be sure to schedule more than one visit so you get used to the menu. Once you have found how it works, then you will have the nice feeling of a place that calls you to dine there regularly. Recent visit confirms still on song. Look also to second, slightly different version in Great Newport St. Still going strong at latest visit! read more

Would have missed this place had I not been looking for it. Good service, told the lady we had to be gone in an hour and she made sure that we were accommodated. Terrific miso soup to start--perhaps the best of said soups I've had. I ordered the okonomiyaki Tokyo style (with porks, shrimps, and squids). Our server came out with a bowl of ingredients, whisked them all together, and poured it onto the stove-table in front of us. Took about 10 minutes to cook and then added a number of mysterious sauces and flakes (two of which seemed to be a Japanese mayonnaise and seaweed flakes. In the end, it was yummy and so I ate it. Good experience. read more

We had a wonderful afternoon here and enjoyed everything we ate. The okonomiyaki was so damn good. We chose the Osaka. The service was pretty good. We also enjoyed the gyoza, tempura and onigiri. read more

Yummmyyyy fried noodles, pancake and kimchi pork belly!! So good. Cozy. Recommend reservations. A little on the pricy side, but the food was very good! read more

You'd think that a place this close to the British Museum would just rest on its laurels, but that's not the case. They actually seem to be catering mostly to a local crowd. We got the asparagus and prawn gyoza, which had a nice fresh flavor, although a little steep at £6.50. We also got the Osaka okonomi yaki and the Kimpira Gobou, both great. read more

This Abeno is less cramped than the more heavily-reviewed Covent Garden one. It serves okonomiyaki, a sort of omelette-slash-pancake affair that you can have customised with lots of toppings. They are very tasty and watching them cook them on a hotplate built into your table is fun. Quite expensive for what they are, though. But certainly worth trying; and if you do, try them in this branch. read more

japanese restaurant which specialises in okonomiyaki, which is like the japanase version of a pancake. Wikipedia has a page on okonomiyaki. They also do other foods, like Om-soba, tempura onigiri and so on. The food is ok, not like a culinary experience but very nice. It is probably on the side of more contemporary easy going japanese food, i was surprised for example that the okonomiyaki comes with sauces like ketchup, mayonnaise or barbecue sauce (japanese version). It is very convenient if you are at the British Museum, and one million time better than the cafes inside the museum. Apparently a booking is recommended: turning up at 18.00 on a saturday, we were given a table only for 1.5 hrs because it was otherwise fully booked. It's quite cheap and the food is nice, so it is definitely recommended; if you are visiting london it's nearby a major attraction so if you are into japanese food or would like to try, don't miss it. you will be sitting at a table with a grill in the middle (which is part of the table, so be careful) and they will cook the okonomiyaki in front of you. Service is, it goes without saying, of the highest quality in the typical japanese style. read more

Okonomiaki was fabulous. Reminded me of my days in Yamanashi - ken. Also had mulled yuzu and ginger cocktail that was perfect.

The food is basic (though healthy), the price is totally unrealistic for this sort of ingredients.

Great food, reasonably priced, with friendly staff. What more could you want? Very happy to have found Abeno on Yelp. The restaurant was just a block from the British Museum, yet reminiscent of Japan. Highly recommend the okonmiyaki with all the toppings they suggest. Sake by the boxful to ease things along, and HOME MADE green tea ice cream with red bean paste to finish. Great meal at a great price. Thanks Yelp! read more

Three of us went there. We were seated fairly quickly. The place is cosy and not too crowded. This the first time I have eaten okonomiyaki. I ordered the Abeno special. If you are in a rush forget it. The special is cooked by the chief at your table and takes time to put the tasty masterpiece together. The staff is very friendly and the whole experience is top notch with one exception. One person in our group ordered yakisoba and it was presented to us almost cold. (The reason for the one star deduction.) the meal was a bit expensive but you get to see the chief create the okonomiyaki. read more

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Service was extremely slow. When they finally took the order they made us wait even longer before telling us they had NO chicken so they couldn't make the order of 3 members of our group. Sadly, we all had to go without eating. read more

Most definitely delicious. I had the Chef's special, followed the waiters suggestion , and finalized off with a exceptional frozen goodies dish . Classic cooking, dished in an unpretentious dining facility without a tremendous amount of fuss. Your meals definitely speaks for itself, and though vegetarians properly unearth their choice quite limited, it's a carnivore's bliss. Numerous business-types here on a week day lunch break, but the surroundings was still being fairly casual. Service was warm, attentive and thought to be without getting pushy or stuffy. Will quite go back try some of the a lot more adventurous bowls read more

Prompt and kind service with delicious food. I had the iced barley tea, pork okonomiyaki and the seasonal mochi appetizer. Yum! I'd love to visit again before I leave. read more

amazing Japanese omelette... I am not a big fan of omlettes or eggs and yes it sounds strange making a japanese Omlette but trust me its amazing!! I always get the lunch special Okonomi- Yaki (Cheese & Spinach version)... this place is a real treat... they cook it in front of you and you get sauces to dip it in... YUM read more