Okonomiyaki in San Francisco
PABU Izakaya
101 California St, San Francisco, CA 94111
This petite pancake has got to be the most gourmet version of okonomiyaki we've ever tried. PABU's "Monterey Squid Okonomiyaki" is comprised of a thick cabbage cake, chewy squid bites and tender porkbelly strips topped with okonomi sauce, tart ginger, spicy wasabi mayonnaise, bonito flakes, aonori and a sunny-side-up egg with a bright yolk.
Kui Shin Bo
1424 Lombard St, San Francisco, CA 94123
22 Peace Plz #2, San Francisco, CA 94115
Kui Shin Bo has two locations in San Francisco; one in the Peace Plaza of Japantown and one on Lombard Street, the "crookedest street in the world." Here you'll find large pancakes featuring a variety of veggies such as carrots, corn, mushrooms, cabbage, ginger and zuchini and either pork, chicken, beef, seafood or tofu as a protein.
Mifune Don
22 Peace Plz, San Francisco, CA 94115
Nestled inside the Japantown Peace Plaza, you'll find Mifune Don offering a large pork and egg okonomiyaki on its menu. Of all the okonomiyaki we tried, this one tasted the most like okonomiyaki you'd find in a street vendor stall. Okonomi sauce, mayo, aonori flakes and pickled ginger round out the traditional Kansai-style pancake and made it one of the most recognizable dishes in town.
On The Bridge
1581 Webster St #206, San Francisco, CA 94115
So named because it sits on the bridge between the two buildings that make up the Miyako Mall, On The Bridge features a wholely unique take on okonomiyaki - as a literal pizza. Cheese, okonomi sauce, mayonnaise, green onion and pickled ginger all sit atop a soft, chewy pizza crust. The cacophony of ingredients is a bit startling when you first taste them, but they soon settle into a harmonious medley of savory flavors.
Izumiya
1581 Webster St #270, San Francisco, CA 94115
Just a few steps away from On the Bridge, Izumiya offers two types of okonomiyaki on its menu - traditional Kansai style and modanyaki. The Kansai-style okonomiyaki is your friendly neighborhood cabbage and carrot pancake topped with okonomi sauce and mayo, bonito and aonori. The modanyaki is similar to Hiroshima-style with its oodles of noodles and egg. More unique ingredients include corn, carrots, chicken and a hint of horseradish.
Izakaya Kou
1560 Fillmore St, San Francisco, CA 94115
You may wait a little longer at this trendy izakaya for your okonomiyaki to cook, but the thick cake and sunny-side-up egg make it worth the wait. Carrots, onion, zucchini strips and bits of pork belly are all baked into a large pancake and smothered with okonomi sauce, mayo and bonito flakes and then graced with golden, runny yolk on top.
New Oyaji
1615, 3123 Clement St, San Francisco, CA 94121
Fancy a late night bite? New Oyaji has you covered - if you're not looking to eat a full pancake, they have crispy, deep-fried okonomiyaki triangles on a stick so you don't have to bother with chopsticks or a fork. The bites are small and covered in okonomi sauce, mayo and bonito with a generous helping of cabbage and ginger on the side.
Namu Gaji
499 Dolores St, San Francisco, CA 94110
If you're looking to get your kimchi fix, look no further than Namu Gaji's take on okonomiyaki. Served hot off the grill in a large skillet, this deep-dish version of Japanese pancakes has kimchi-infused cabbage, with green onions, bonito flakes, sauce and mayo piled on top. You can also choose to add one or two sunny-side-up eggs as an additional option.
Izakaya Roku
If you thought the name sounded familiar, you were right. Namu Gaji has a booth at the Ferry Building farmer's market. From 10am - 2pm on Thursdays and 8am - 2pm on Saturdays, you find visit their pop-up table and try a miniature version of their kimchi-infused okonomiyaki. This pancake is chewier and more similar to American flapjacks in texture than their mainstay restaurant's cake, but it has the same traditional toppings. Add extras like egg for an additional price.
Kazan
2809 24th St, San Francisco, CA 94110
Another contender in our kimchi okonomiyaki lineup, Kazan's pancake is also oozing with cheese, which makes for a strange yet pleasing combination.This pancake comes with egg, bonito flakes, sauce, mayo and a deeply crispy (due to the cheese?) bottom crust.
Genki Ramen
3944 Geary Blvd, San Francisco, CA 94118
Genki Ramen offers a plethora of options for okonomiyaki, including beef, veggie, seafood and chicken. Their fluffy cakes are served with cabbage, carrots, onion, aonori, mayo, okonomi sauce and thinly-shaved bonito flakes.
Halu Restaurant
312 8th Ave, San Francisco, CA 94118
This cozy Beatles-themed izakaya will have you literally rubbing elbows with other music lovers. Their okonomiyaki takes a bit of time to come out of the kitchen, but you'll be treated with a crispy cabbage pancake grilled with ginger, onion, carrots, ground beef, okonomi sauce, mayo and aonori on top.