After a long day in Hiroshima we stopped for dinner at the famous Nagata-Ya Japanese restaurant. Nagata-Ya is a Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki restaurant located on Hondori Road next to the Memorial Peace Park. It’s the perfect place to sit down and try some traditional okonomiyaki in a city that is famous for it.
Nagata-Ya is a quaint Japanese style place that basically looks somewhat like a small bedroom when you enter but! don’t let that fool you. They have been serving okonomiyaki for years! The kitchen is located on the left of the room and consists of a large hot plate on which an array of chefs works their magic. Next to the kitchen is a seating area that runs alongside a main grill for single diners.
Even though they are always busy, you can pre-order while you wait. Waiters will hand you menu beforehand so you can browse through, choose what you like and let them know. This way when you’re finally seated, your food will arrive in no time. One of the exciting things I loved about Nagata-Ya was the variety on the menu which was also bilingual. I can’t tell you how happy I was to see a menu that had both pictures and proper translations that actually made the food sound delicious!
To be honest, I didn’t know that okonomiyaki could be made in so many different ways! A typical okonomiyaki dish looks like a kind of pancake filled with egg, noodles, shrimp, pork, garlic, onion, sauces and melted cheese. Yum! Depending on your personal preference, this can change and there is also a vegetarian option too.
Since this was my first okonomiyaki experience, I had no idea of what to expect. That being said, I was pleasantly surprised.
It tasted delicious and the service at Nagata-Ya was exceptional. Frankly, I could have eaten a second (and maybe even a third) just because it was so delicious but our looming last train wouldn’t permit me to stuff my face any further!
How to get there:
Shigeishi Building
1-7-19 Otemachi, Naka-ku, Hiroshima
Hiroshima Prefecture 730-0051
Operating hours: 11 am-8:30 pm on Saturdays, 11 am- 9pm on Sunday & 11-10 pm on holidays. (They may be closed on some Tuesdays).