Abeno

1. Had an excellent meal here! Really loved everything and you can tell the staff really care for the product.
   I ordered natto and I actually really enjoyed it. Really is ‘Japanese marmite’.

   Coffee is excellent. Desserts also excellent. If you love coffee you have to get their coffee jelly.

   Can’t wait to come back and try more!

2. Wonderful experience for me and for my friend, who never tried Okonomiyaki before.
   Waiter helped us to choose, explained a lot about cooking process and made a great performance by preparing our order on the stove. I’m so thankful for this friendly service. Outstanding!
   Our okonomiyaki was super delicious, we felt like ordering again, but were already full, so decided for a desert and organic coffee, which were also great.
   Service, atmosphere, food, everything was exceptionally good. So nice to have a possibility to visit such authentic Japanese restaurants outside of Japan.

3. Delicious okonomiyaki and such friendly service. Had a great experience here.

   Between 4 of us we shared 4 starters and 3 pancakes which was about right. The prawn okonomiyaki was my favourite along with the incredible fried chicken starter.

4. Amazing little okonomiyaki place right next to the British Museum. Staff were super friendly and helpful, very knowledgeable about everything on the menu and able to give you advice on what to order if it’s your first time. They explain all the ingredients as they cook the okonomiyaki in front of you, and it is absolutely delicious! Very authentic and fresh. Vegetarian and vegan options are available, and a special mention goes to the karaage – it’s amazing.

   Loved the ‘90s decor too, and the Japanese city pop playing softly in the background. Great atmosphere, and we didn’t feel at all rushed to finish our meal. Love this place!

5. Although the shop front is unassuming, Abeno has a welcoming, clean and cosy atmosphere where the staff greet you cheerfully upon entering. The staff are polite and helpful, happy to talk you through recommendations and explain the shop’s specialties and the ordering process. Our server, Matthew, attended to us diligently and with a smile, patiently explaining the ingredients, ordering and cooking process; even allowing us to practice our meagre Japanese with him.

   The menu is available in English or Japanese, via a QR code on the table. As a handy bonus, all the staff appear to be bilingual so there’ll be no communication issues whether you’re English or Japanese.

   The menu is varied and authentic, offering many delicious variations of Okinomiyaki -(this was the first Okinomiyaki specialty restaurant established anywhere in Europe, I’m told)- along with many other classics of Japanese fare. We ordered the chicken Karaage, a beautifully elevated version of this classic izakaya staple featuring a yuzu pepper seasoning (which I regret not asking for the recipe of) along with the tempura which was light, crisp and airy, not heavy at all, and the dipping sauce it came with was savoury and complimentary.

   For our mains, of course, we had Okinomiyaki. One Osaka and one Tokyo flavour- these were both delightful and well made, and having them be cooked on the grill in front of you is a joy, bringing an authentic yet deeply personal feel to the meal. It is definitely worth a try if you’ve never had it- Abeno’s ingredients are all organic and it definitely feels much more like something I could eat every day than the usual high-sodium japanglish food available in most London eateries. They make truly beautiful food here!

   Speaking of beautiful food, don’t skip out on the pudding. Gorgeous sundaes, hotcakes and even more traditional Japanese desserts like red bean anmitsu await you- extremely rare for this type of specialty restaurant! Some desserts available include homemade mochi (I had the anmitsu with this in and I can honestly say I was genuinely upset to finish eating it) and house-made matcha ice cream- almost everything here is organic and made from scratch & in house.

   All in all this is now one of my favourite restaurants, and made all the more special by Matthew and the other wonderful staff who were knowledgeable, attentive and cheerfully diligent with caring for us, even without a reservation.

   Thanks a lot everyone & we’ll see you again soon!

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