Pretty good for what it was! Of course, nothing can truly beat japan, but really happy to have a local spot to enjoy! The corn cheese was pretty good, flavor was a bit more savory as opposed to a sweeter undertone that a lot of corn cheeses have. However, I still enjoyed it and it was pretty big portion sizing so perfect to share. Also had the duck and the takuan sides. Highly recommend the duck. Only downside was food took a little bit of a wait, but I think they are just working out the kinks right now since they just opened. Really liked how you could just pay when you order so you can just leave, I assume that helps with turnover. read more

Okonomiyaki Jiban Ya - Corn Cheese Okonomiyaki - Japanese Near Me - Seattle, Washington

I've never been blessed with the opportunity to indulge in Okonomiyaki before, nevermind in its homeland, so I'd like to think that this review is coming from a reasonably unbiased standpoint. And what a fun experience this dish is! In my mind, this is like Japan's version of the casseroles that my mom used to make as a kid. You take the leftover ingredients that you had and make them into something beautiful that can feed the family. All of the dishes seem to have the same base that has egg, noodles, and cabbage. This hearty blend of ingredients is then topped off with the protein of your choosing. It's a great dish that makes you feel like you have just kicked your shoes off after being welcomed into someone's home. I will say that there doesn't seem to be a ton of variety between the versions of okonomiyaki other than the proteins itself. So if you're sharing a few, then you're only really sharing whatever protein you picked. The shrimp tempura is awesome though; those things are HUGE. I like the dish overall, and I'm glad I tried it. It probably wouldn't be the first thing that I'd order at a Japanese restaurant, but I loved trying it at a place where this was their specialty. read more

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Was super excited about this spot, we don't really have okonomiyaki options around Seattle and my friends and I get cravings every once in a while. Owners have two other amazing restaurants and are doing a phenomenal job adding to Seattle's food scene variety, but I feel there's some opportunity here. Service is pretty minimal. We were allowed to seat ourselves, order from a QR code, and pay on the same website. Space is slightly tight where conversations can be overheard, but not too loud. Obviously this won't compare to Japan so not judging with Japan in mind but other states in the US have some pretty great okonomiyaki. Most people are familiar with the Osaka style, pancake-like experience which is mixed together. This spot specializes in Hiroshima style layering with yakisoba noodles. We tried the pork belly, oyster, shrimp tempura, and squid versions. Shrimp tempura was the only major difference with some spice. The other three had nearly identical base profiles, simply topped with different proteins. Unfortunately the pork belly was served first and was warm so first impression was mediocre. The others were served hot and tasted better. We expected a bit more cabbage and some crispiness to the yakisoba. The plate could be sizzling to help keep the okonomiyaki hot plus continue cooking the yakisoba to preference. read more

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Came here with some friends right at 5pm when they opened and were one of the first groups seated. They have one staff person, this sweet man who is stationed outside the building because it is a bit tricky to spot it and it's sort of an odd location in general. I hope he gets some orthopedic shoes and good rest because it pulled at my heartstrings seeing him by himself out there and opening doors for customers coming in. We ordered three of the okonomiyaki to share: scallop & cheese, classic pork belly, and the corn cheese. It took about 25-30 minutes for us to get our order, which seems considerably shorter than some other reviews I saw. The trick is to definitely arrive around opening and avoid the peak dinner crowds. The taste of the corn cheese and scallop & cheese honestly started to blur together at one point and tasted the same, though the scallops were delicious! The classic pork belly was indeed classic, but lacking on the pork belly, which appeared more like thin slices of bacon. Our total was around $85 so it averaged out to be about $28 per okonomiyaki and we were beyond full at the end. Overall, service was fantastic. The staff were incredibly friendly and checked in on us frequently. By the time we left about 90 mins later, they were much busier. My two takeaways: arrive early and order to share. read more

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This restaurant is located in a... unexpected area of u district lol. I'm not sure if there's dedicated parking for this place, but we managed to find street parking around the back. The place itself was dark, and definitely still had tavern/bar vibes from the previous tenants. It was cozy and smoky. We didn't have to wait for a table, sat at the bar, and ordered via QR code. The cured mackerel came out pretty immediately after we ordered, but the okonomiyaki took ~45 minutes. So definitely plan for that long wait time. The mackerel was pretty good, not a whole lot of pieces though. Okonomiyaki had a cabbage/noodle base, with a super thin pancake, then pork belly, topped with sauce. It overall was pretty good. Pork belly was yummy, sauce was super addicting, and everything was cooked through nicely. Overall, a nice spot. Personally, I feel like there's a lot of improvements needed for a full grand opening, but as they're getting ramped up, I see lots of promise! Will definitely be coming back when more improvements are in place. read more

Okonomiyaki Jiban Ya - Pork okonomiyaki - Japanese Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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I was intrigued by all the posts and photos via IG about Okonomiyaki Jiban-Ya. I've never had this particular Japanese dish before, so that definitely piqued my curiosity. They are currently in soft opening mode. Note site location: 660 NE Northlake Way, Seattle WA 98105, next door to Voula's Offshore Cafe. Okonomiyaki Jiban-Ya is the latest restaurant concept from JP and Boss, the dynamic duo behind Secret Congee in Ballard/Shilshoe and Ginger & Scallion in Stumbletown, area between Ballard and Phinney Ridge. This dish is available from other restaurants in the greater Seattle area, however, they are the first ones to feature this as their culinary focus. Same concept as their other restaurants which focused on congee and khao soi (prior was Hainanese chicken rice), respectively. The Homie and I arrived fifteen minutes before opening and of course, there was a line already (5/3/26)! Angle parking is available out front along Northlake Way. The doors promptly opened at 5pm. We chose to sit at the bar counter. Other seating available onsite are booths and tables. I was a bit disappointed that the historical artwork from Northlake Tavern & Pizza House (legendary pizzas near University of Washington, closed Jan 2023, after 65 years due to the owner's retirement) are no more. Clearly the next tenant, Big Mario's NY Style Pizza updated the interior after changing ownership seven months later. Seeing the projector screen, maybe with the new Japanese theme, Okonomiyaki Jiban-Ya can show anime or sumo. Ordering is easy, note your seating number, scan the QR code, order from the menu, and final payment transaction is completed. We chatted with Boss briefly while waiting for our order, okonomiyaki with pork belly. This is an Osaka style savory pancake grilled from a batter containing flour, eggs, dashi, leavener like baking powder, shredded cabbage, and customized with protein of choice. Cooked on a flat top and flipped to finish cooking. This is then topped with sweet and tangy sauce, Japanese mayonnaise like kewpie, dried bonito flakes (katsuobushi) and seaweed flakes (aonori). This was served piping hot on a hot plate, divvied up with a sharp edged spatula, and eaten with chopsticks. I really enjoyed that this came out piping hot from the kitchen line. We thought we'd eat half and take the rest home. Nope, we both scarfed that okonomiyaki with pork belly. Very flavorful with the all the different ingredients combined. It would have been perfect with an accompanying cold beer or sake, but their liquor license is still pending. During their soft opening, the choices included pork belly, scallops & cheese, nata koji shrimp, oysters & egg, mushroom & natto, and corn cheese. Additional sides including duck breast, pickled radish, and crab salad. Of course, this could be further refined or expanded as they find their stride. 4.5 stars rounded up to 5, tasty option in Seattle's University District/Northlake area. read more

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This is such a lovely restaurant with a true Japanese diner feel. The outside is quite inconspicuous but trust that you're in the right spot with the small sign next to the door. This Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki has the right sauce ratios with even more flairs like with the peppercorns on the shrimp. I would say that there was too much yakisoba and cabbage that weren't cooked down enough so it seemed a bit dry despite there being a lot of sauce. I'd say just half the amount of noodle and cabbage and the ratio will be perfect. The shrimps were incredible and HUGE! And the oysters had a great crispiness to them. read more

Okonomiyaki Jiban Ya - Oyster Okonomiyaki - Japanese Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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Came here during the soft opening and while the food tasted great, the wait time for the food was super long. I would recommend coming here if you're not super hungry and are willing to wait. The interior is decorated very well and has a lot of Japanese decorations. The bathroom stalls are a bit tight. Overall good experience. read more

Okonomiyaki Jiban Ya - Japanese Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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Great place to get Japanese food around the University of Washington area. We came around 7:15 PM on a Saturday night and waited roughly 1 hour between waiting in line and when the food actually came to our table. Service was good, the food was good, for a party of six I recommend for the pancakes. Overall, I recommend and I would come back. read more

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I was so excited to finally try this place out! I've been seeing lots of videos online of people suggesting it, they're still in their soft opening I believe. We got the pork belly okonomiyaki and the corn cheese. The corn cheese was okay, not my favorite, but the okonomiyaki was delicious! Luckily it wasn't too busy when we went so we didn't wait too long. But I've heard the wait times can be longer if it's a rush which makes sense since the okonomiyakis take a while to cook. Also wasn't sure but it seems they don't have an alcohol menu, which is nice for sober friends out there, but I personally would've loved a fun drink to go with my meal! Still got a peach fizzy drink which was tasty. Also, this place is a bit hard to find, the signs outside all point to a pizza restaurant. But it's there! Just hidden a bit. Worth seeking out but definitely hope the hard opening will come with some more signs so people don't miss this place! read more

Okonomiyaki Jiban Ya - Pork belly okonomiyaki - Japanese Near Me - Seattle, Washington

It's great to see a Okonomiyaki place come open in Seattle. The location is somewhat hard to spot at first but look for a dark grey door with Big Mario Large board on the top. The host Boss is very gracious and friendly and brother JB handles the kitchen. We ordered bunch of appetizers and they are all great to pair with sake and Japanese beers. For Okonomiyaki we had the shrimp one, just a heads up it's a different style of Okonomiyaki with egg and noodles and not much batter, but it's tastes delicious specially with the spicy sauce. The place is huge inside but still has a cozy vibe, give it a try. read more

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Kitchen staff looks like they gave up trying to get out of the weeds. Theres a string of tickets about 15 deeps hanging off the printer. Despite two flat tops that could hold about 6 (maybe 8) okonomoyakis there were 2 on each. I hope this soft opening they learn a lot to improve their Kitchen process. Okonomiyaki takes about 20 min to cook properly, with two small flat tops and a dining room this large i don't know how the flat tops have the capacity to meet the demand. It's simple math. Regarding the okonomiyaki. It was fine, nothing close to what ive had in Japan living and eating through there for two years. It wasn't cooked all the way through, I thought this was Osaka style (cooked through, bonito flakes) . I wouldn't say it was runny is just not cooked all the way through. And thats concerning The scallops are tasty. The staff were doing there best. But clearly the system they had in place is insufficient. We saw endless people get up and weak out after waiting literally hours for a single okonomoyaki. Soft openings should be more controlled to test the system and the staff. This was utter chaos. For someone who owns 2 other well loved and successfull restaurants with similar models I expect more. This isn't their first rodeo, if it were I'd be more forgiving. Hopefully they figure this out, waiting three hours for what is a snack and not a full meal is crazy work. To the owner: cooking a thick batter takes more time and heat than a burger (there is an entire science of thermodynamics you can look up) . Therefore you cant just use a standard western grill for tepanyaki because the steel is not thick enough and the batter will act as a hot sink and cool the flat top down too much, on a busy night like last night your flat top will inevitably get too cold and you'll have to wiat for it to recover. Which is what I assume happened last night. If youre gonna keep the dining room the same size id recommend the proper teppan with a thick metal bottom or a process that meets your quality standard within the capabilities of the under spec'd grills you have. Wishing you the best of luck! read more

The pork belly okonomiyaki was great! It's a different style from other okonomiyakis I've had. The pancake layer, pork belly, cabbage, and noodles were in separate layers and not mixed. We also had a ringo cider, which was also good. The waiter was very attentive. He filled our water pitcher and also brought us a takeout box in a very timely manner without us asking. read more

Okonomiyaki Jiban Ya - Pork Belly Okonomiyaki - Japanese Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Not that the flavors were bad, I think that it was actually good. But they changed their recipe the week we went. So the cool videos we saw on TikTok or even some of the pictures here wasn't accurate to what we had eaten. We asked the server what she would recommend and she told us that they changed their recipes so she didn't even know. If you were expecting the traditional Okonomiyaki, we did not receive that. Instead we had gotten noodles and cabbage with barely the batter. Noodles aren't usually there. Our group was really excited to come but it just didn't live up to the videos we saw. We would love if it went back to the original recipes that they had initially advertised instead of fillers. I will come back to review because i do think there's potential read more

Okonomiyaki Jiban Ya - Prawns Okonomiyaki - Japanese Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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I left feeling pretty disappointed after visiting Okonomiyaki Jiban Ya. The biggest issue was that we were informed only after ordering that the menu had changed just a day or two prior. Items we specifically came for, such as the duck breast, were no longer available. More importantly, the okonomiyaki is now made with a noodle base rather than the traditional pancake-style base that most people associate with okonomiyaki. This also wasn't mentioned anywhere on their digital menu, so there was no indication beforehand that the dish differed from what many diners would expect. I really wish this had been communicated upfront. The pancake version is what many people have likely seen on social media and what drew us in to begin with. Instead, we ended up paying over $22 for one (we ordered a total of three) what felt like mostly noodles. While the flavors were decent, the dish lacked the texture and experience we were expecting, making it feel underwhelming for the price. The restaurant itself also feels a bit dated, likely because the space was previously a bar and still carries that atmosphere. Overall, the food wasn't bad, but the experience didn't match the expectations that were set. Better communication about the recent menu changes would have gone a long way in preventing disappointment. read more

Okonomiyaki Jiban Ya - Noodles lol - Japanese Near Me - Seattle, Washington

I am an okonomiyaki obsessive so when I heard that the people responsible for much lauded restaurants Ginger and Scallion and Secret Congee were opening an okonomiyaki restaurant I was like "SIGN ME UP!" I went for the second day of the soft open (sounds like the first night was pretty intense!). The restaurant is in the former Big Mario's space; think retro dive bar (but cleaner) vibes. It was quite busy but we were able to sit at the bar right away. One thing is that the bar had a padded/upholstered edge: comfy for drinking, not ideal/kinda awkward for eating. There are also lots of roomy booths and tons of tables towards the back (all full when we arrived). The ordering system is via QR code. The menu is a bit limited now but I was so happy to see a vegetarian option (corn and cheese). I could see staff HUSTLING and working super hard to keep everything cranking and clean. However I have to say that we waited over 40 minutes for our okonomiyaki. I think this must have been a glitch with the ordering system because I saw multiple parties who came after us served much faster. With that said, our food was so delicious and portions are generous (can't wait to eat my leftovers for lunch today). There are some definite kinks to work out, but hey, they've only been open 2 days and hey, that's what soft opens are all about! I can't wait to see this place grow and to eat many more okonomiyaki here! read more

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Lovely hidden spot for some unique eats - shareable dishes. Everything was fresh, served quickly and the welcoming smile from the owner made us appreciate this place more! read more

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We arrived around 5:30 they didn't have a table available so we opted for bar seating. I don't mind bar seating but I'm short, the seats are low and the bar has a faux leather bumper on the edge making for a very awkward eating situation. We decided to leave but they moved us to a table instead. The okonomiyaki was good but it's not the style I prefer. We ordered the oyster okonomiyaki. I love oysters but these were definitely not freshly made and had a very unpleasant flavor. I'll probably stick to making okonomiyaki at home. read more

Over rated. We waited over one hour for our food. Water said each order takes about 20 - 45 minutes to get ready. But, four people (2 tables) sat down after us and order after us got served and left before our order were served. After a manager realized their end messed up, they got our order cooked and served in 10 minutes. I feel like the waiter was lying. And the taste of the food...all I can say is I had better elsewhere. read more