Hozenji Yokocho Yakizen

Hozenji Yokocho is a quiet and peaceful area in the downtown area of Namba, Osaka. Originally, this area was the precincts of Hozenji Temple, where stalls were set up to cater to worshippers, but these stalls became actual shops and developed into Yokocho. The two 80-meter-long narrow alleys north and south are lined with long-established kappo restaurants and bars… This area is popular among foreign tourists as a place to casually enjoy the Japanese atmosphere in Osaka.

In a corner of Hozenji Yokocho, there is an okonomiyaki and iron plate restaurant called Hozenji Yokocho Yakizen, which was established in November 2003. It is a popular restaurant that has been selected three times as one of the 100 best okonomiyaki restaurants in the “Tabelog”. I had had okonomiyaki at this restaurant several years ago, and I liked the atmosphere of the counter seats on the first floor, and it remained in my memory. The other day, I happened to have time to stop by Namba and said, “Well, let’s go there again after a long time!” And so, I decided to revisit Yakizen. I went to the restaurant expecting to enjoy okonomiyaki in the same atmosphere as before, but…

A place to enjoy okonomiyaki and beer for 90 minutes… Hozenji Yokocho Yakizen is like this!

I arrived at Hozenji Yokocho Yakizen at around 12:30 on a weekend. There was a short line of four customers waiting in front of the store, but soon after I joined the line, a waiter came out of the restaurant and invited me inside to wait for my order.

The restaurant has two floors, with the kitchen and eight counter seats on the first floor, and four counter seats and five tables for four on the second floor (28 seats in total). The space inside the restaurant is quite small, especially the counter seats on the first floor, where you can just barely walk past the customers. Although this is an area frequented by tourists, do not visit the restaurant with suitcases or other large luggage. Well, Hozenji Yokocho, the street in front of the stores, is also quite a narrow street, so it would be difficult to bring large luggage with you…

Now, as you look around the restaurant, you see a paper on the wall that says “90 minutes only”. Yes, in this restaurant, we have to leave 90 minutes after we take our seat. In addition, the restaurant operates in the style of slow cooking okonomiyaki, so if you take too long, you may end up saying, “I wanted to eat more…” So, please be careful about that. Personally, however, I like the atmosphere of this restaurant. Especially the counter on the first floor. Eating okonomiyaki and drinking beer here makes me feel as if I were drinking alone in a traditional Japanese pub. If you too like that kind of sibling drinking, I highly recommend the first-floor counter seats at Yakizen (the atmosphere is especially great after the sun goes down). Well, unfortunately this time, after a 20-minute wait, I was shown to the counter on the second floor…

Meibutsu Modern-yaki: One of Hozenji Yokocho Yakizen’s two most famous dishes… To be honest, it was quite expensive, but how was the taste?

Let me introduce to you the “Meibutsu Modern-yaki,” one of the two main menu items I ordered at Hozenji Yokocho Yakizen, along with the “Negi-yaki. After about 15 minutes of waiting for my order, the dish arrived in front of me like this…

Before going on to the okonomiyaki, first of all, this little iron plate is my favorite. I’m sorry the picture doesn’t do it justice, but the okonomiyaki is making a sizzling sound as it cooks. However, the specialty modern-yaki is priced at 1,600 yen per piece including tax, which is quite expensive for okonomiyaki. To be honest, I was surprised that the price is the same as the fromage-yaki I had the other day at Okonomiyaki Yukari. Well, even at the same price, the volume of this dish is totally superior.

The cross section of the modern yaki, which is about 4 cm thick, shows the bottom layer of okonomiyaki dough, topped with ingredients such as buckwheat, cabbage, and squid, and topped with browned pork belly. The structure of Yakizen’s modern yaki is different from that of Kiji Head Shop’s modern yaki in Shin-Umeda Shokudo Gai, but since modern yaki is originally Osaka-style okonomiyaki with soba added, Yakizen’s modern yaki is more in line with the original form.

The cabbage in this modern yaki is cut into large pieces and is very chunky. There is also plenty of squid legs, and the Chinese noodles are sticky… It is true that there is Osaka-style okonomiyaki batter on the bottom layer, but the texture is more like Hiroshima-style layered okonomiyaki. And the sauce on the modern yaki was a slightly sour type, but they really put just the right amount of sauce on it, so I could fully enjoy the sweetness of the cabbage and the wheatiness of the noodles. While many restaurants put too much sauce or mayonnaise on their modern-yaki, Hozenji Yokocho Yakinzen’s modern-yaki was differentiated from others by the taste, which made a good impression on me.

Examples of other menu items at Hozenji Yokocho Yakizen (prices include tax)

• Dote-yaki: 770 yen
• Tonpeiyaki: 980 yen
• Yakisoba (yakisoba with pork) 1,050 yen
• Okonomiyaki with Pork and Egg 1,050 yen
• Negi-yaki (with pork) 1,400 yen
• Okonomiyaki with Shrimp and Egg 1,440 yen
• Hozenji-yaki 2,550 yen

Souvenir yokochoyaki are also on sale… Hozenji Yokocho Yakizen is a 4-minute walk from Namba Station on the Osaka Metro Midosuji Line, the closest station to the restaurant.

Hozenji Yokocho Yakizen also sells frozen yokochoyaki for souvenirs (340 yen per piece including tax)…

There are three kinds: one with squid, one with pork, and one with shrimp, and they are the perfect size to eat when you are hungry. Simply heat them up in the microwave for easy eating. They also ship nationwide, so you can take them home empty-handed. I think it’s totally possible to buy some as a souvenir from Osaka or as an accompaniment to a beer at home.

Here are the details of the restaurant…