Okonomi House

amazing comfort food, price, and location.

Must try

This place has been in Toronto for years. My boyfriend introduced me to this cute restaurant a few years back. We go every couple of weeks for bite to eat especially if we want an inexpensive tasty meal in a jiffy! Servers are all welcoming and polite except for the main female hostess who can be aloof at times but no ill-intentions on her part. I have not been to Japan but I do have Japanese and Asian friends who eat there regularly and they enjoy their meals every time.

Absolutely amazing food. We have been going to...

Absolutely amazing food. We have been going to the Okonomi House for a few years, and it has been amazing every single time. Very cheap for well prepared food. Definately visit again, and again.

A GREAT HIDDEN GEM - LOVE IT!

Okay, so the service isn't the greatest, but the food definitely was fantastic. I have cravings for Okonomiyaki often, but live up in Keswick so don't get down there very often! It met, if not, exceeded my expectations. I took my friend there for the first time and she loved it as well! Our entire meal for the 2 of us came to $16 including our drinks for lunch ... and we were stuffed until dinner! My mother used to take us to this restaurant over 25 years ago , when I was only 7 - so it's nice to see a Japanese run restaurant still in business. I'm not too sure what the other review was expecting - we are not in Japan and the owners probably had to tweak to "americanize" their meals to gain a broader clientel - that's called business! The food was great - that's what's important to me!

Beef was overcooked, and the vegetables were...

Beef was overcooked, and the vegetables were watery. Miso soup was very good, though.

An overrated restaurant. Yes, it's run by real...

An overrated restaurant. Yes, it's run by real Japanese, but the food is so not authentic Japanese. I've lived in Japan for a few years, and I know what real okonomiyaki should taste like, and how an actual okonomi house is like. A total disappointment. Yes, the price wasn't that expensive (it's NOT cheap), but the service and food was nasty. The okonomiyaki I orded took forever to make (like almost 20 min). And when it finally came, the owner didn't give us knives or spatulas to cut the okonomiyaki, and she didn't give us our aonori & katsuo (which we paid extra, they come free in Japan cuz they're dirt cheap). The owner ignored us when we waved at her, and when we finally got her attention (our okonomiyaki was getting cold), she said, "Wait." and continued ignoring us. This gotta be the first time I've seen a super rude Japanese woman. The okonomiyaki was too small and way too thin. The pork weren't in thin slices & very scarce, and the batter itself was plain gross. Too much eggs, skimpy on the cabbages, & not fully cooked, so it tasted like raw scrambled eggs. Real okonomiyaki should be twice or four times thicker. It just didn't taste like an okonomiyaki at all! I will never go to this place again, and stick with my homemade ones, which actually taste like real authentic Japanese okonomiyaki. I can't believe people rated high for this place. They've probably never been to a real okonomi house in Japan.

The Okonomi House is a mainstay of this Charles...

The Okonomi House is a mainstay of this Charles Street West neighbourhood having been in the same space for almost 30 years. A family run establishment, it is a Japanese restaurant without sushi, sashimi, or tempura so what do they serve you might ask? Well, its namesake dish, okonomi, is an omelette-like dish containing one of a few different fillings topped with a sauce and a dab of a mayonnaise-like condiment. However, calling it an omelette is like calling a pancake a crepe - same family but a whole different personality. Basically, whatever food can be prepared on a griddle: thinly sliced beef, chicken, hamburger, bean sprouts and then accompanied by steamed white rice is what you will find on the menu here. And, the great thing is that in all the years I have visited this establishment it has always been one of just two chefs working the griddle. You get the feeling that even after thousands and thousands of times cooking the same dishes you never feel they do any less than giving it their best effort dish after dish after dish. Don't take my word for it, sit on one of the counter stools facing the enclosed griddle area and watch them at work. The wait service is fast, personal, and unobtrusive. The prices are affordable for everyone who lives in this area including the great number of students from the University of Toronto residences near by. Highly recommended and the only drawback is that you might have the cooking smell in your clothes for awhile when you leave but that's what laundry detergent is for!