Okonomiyaki Chitose

Settling on a place to eat Okonomiyaki required many browser tabs, reddit deep dives, texts to Rie, and flagging down a random stranger on the street. But I’m confident I picked the right place, especially because it took me way too long to find it.

Walking down an alley I probably wouldn’t have dared to venture alone were I in any other country, I had to go back and forth a few times until I finally spotted the place, tucked under a small red awning partially hidden by a blue tarp and some scaffolding on the corner.

The inside was what I imagine whenever I hear the expression “hole in the wall” – small, a little cramped, eclectically decorated, and packed full of hungry individuals. 

Of which there weren’t that many, anyways: two tables that could seat four but currently only had two each, and three people at the bar – with one spot left that seemed saved just for me. 

As I plopped down on the stool and took in the kitchen, I could feel a few inquisitive stares and eyebrow raises that seemed to translate into gaijin. The cook behind the grill immediately addressed me in English, which, fair.

The menu, also in English, consisted of a base okonomiyaki + a bunch of different add-ons. By definition, okonomiyaki means “what you like grilled”, so the wide array of toppings was no surprise. What did catch me off guard was the inclusion of pineapple in the base, which if you know okonomiyaki, at its most basic is a wheat flour batter with cabbage. But pineapple?

I ended up ordering a mix of pork belly with mochi cakes and a beer. I took a bite while watching the cook skillfully flip over the massive pancakes. 

“You like?”

“I LOVE!”

The cook’s previously stern demeanor softened into a smile, and we proceded to chat about my trip, Mexico, food, and how they ended up putting pineapple in their batter.

I don’t know how much I’d like it with beef, oyster, squid or shrimp, but with pork it was absolutely delicious. Gulps of dry beer cut through the richness of the Kewpie mayo and fatty belly.

If I hadn’t had Takoyaki earlier, I probably would have been able to eat more of this, but by the 5th bite I was feeling pretty full. I stayed a little longer, hoping (to no avail) to fit in one more bite before heading out towards Dotonobori. 

We said our goodbyes, snapped a few pictures, and while I reached for my wallet, the other guy behind the grill reached under the register and pulled out a box with individually wrapped sea creatures.

“For you!”

The tiny whale shark I picked stayed in the front pocket of my backpack for the rest of the trip.

Okonomiyaki Chitose is located in a well-hidden alleyway in a residential area at 1 Chome-11-10 Taishi, Nishinari Ward, Osaka, Japan.