Asakusa (浅草) - Sometaro - Restaurant

In Asakusa 浅草, a wonderful part of Tokyo, there is a great Okonomiyaki restaurant named Sometaro. (photo below of front door/entrance)


For those uninitiated in this unique culinary item....okonomiyaki お好み焼き is a a dish that I'll simply describe as a working class meal, in essence it is a Japanese pancake filled with any number of ingredients depending on what you like to eat - you name it beef, chicken, fish, noodles, vegetables, etc.


They bring all of the ingredients to you in a bowl which you then mix and cook on the grill in front of you. The entire pancake is then usually covered with some mayonnaise, a brown sauce that my friends refer to as bull dog sauce and then its all topped off with bonito fish flakes.



There are a wide number of variations ranging from Kansai, Hiroshima and Tokyo style okonomiyaki all with different toppings and batter consistencies according to the region of origin. I prefer Hiroshima okonomiyaki as it is filled with noodles and I opted for shrimp in mine.



The interior of Sometaro is basic and not for those looking for elegant/fine dining (photo below) - it is good hearty food that you cook on a grill in front of you as your sit on tatami mat floors. Bear in mind that you'll need to remove your shoes at the entrance, however, they have plastic bags handy, so you can carry your shoes with you when you are seated at your table.



The staff are great and if you've never had okonomiyaki before they will give you some help, tell you if it needs to be cooked a bit longer or if its time to flip the 'pancake'.

Sometaro is located at 2-2-2 Nishi Asakusa - a short walk from the nearby Asakusa subway station and is also near the Taiko (Drum) Museum, which I'll cover in another posting. You can also take a look at their web site as well for more information http://www.sometaro.com/

I hope that you enjoy this really great working-class meal.

All the best...Mark