Teppanyaro! (Urasando)

True blue Osaka nightlife dining with standout signature dishes.

Teppanyaro is an okonomiyaki and teppanyaki restaurant with a lively rock-and-roll nightlife vibe and fantastic eats, featuring some unique spins on the classics, as well as a great selection of standard okonomiyaki.

Highlights

The namesake of the shop is the flagship signature creation of its Urasando location, the teppan-yaro (“griddle bastard”) – a hearty veggie-forward okonomiyaki that is made with more coarsely chopped cabbage and a batter that’s lighter on the wheat flour and is finished with a layer of whisked egg added at the end. As a result, it has a pleasantly chunkier-than-usual texture. The teppan-yaro is topped with a pico de gallo-esque “fresh sauce” of tomatoes, onions and green peppers steeped in olive oil, before being doused with fresh heat-scraped raclette cheese for a final decadent topcrust of crispy-gooey goodness.

The fresh sauce especially might raise the eyebrows of okonomiyaki purists before they try it, but this is the kind of dish where each element has clearly been meticulously devised in concert with the whole, and it shows in every bite. The creative choices all play well against one another in an impressively subtle balancing act between heavy and light, rich and refreshing, and traditional and innovative.

For a few hundred yen more, diners can upgrade to the deluxe (DX) version of the teppan-yaro, which adds extra toppings to the mix.

”I wanted to create a space that embodies Osaka, serve a menu that really represents Osaka, and offer true Osaka countertop conversation,” says owner and chef Koki Doi, referring to Osaka’s rough-and-tumble reputation for witty comedic repartee on the stage and in the streets. And as a part-time performer himself who once acted a scene opposite Jackie Chan in the 2009 film Shinjuku Incident (“which bombed,” the chef jokes about his near-miss big break, “because who the hell wants to see Jackie Chan not doing kung-fu?”), he fits the bill: bantering with the countertop dining crowd and decking his walls with magazine features on himself as cook, actor, and fashionista. Plastic cups atop dining tables offer slips of paper and pens for guests to fill out music requests and hand them to their servers.

In addition to the ‘yaro and the usual lineup of classics, Teppanyaro features a couple of other signature teppanyaki dishes that round out its griddle-top repertoire.

Its tonpeiyaki (a rolled omelette of pork and cabbage, another teppanyaki classic) uses pork belly that has been aged and slow-simmered at low temperature for a melt-in-your-mouth flakey texture in its core that sets it apart from the tonpeiyaki you’ll eat anywhere else.

Likewise, Teppanyaro’s yakisoba fried noodles offer the unique spin of a sukiyaki-style dipping sauce, for those accustomed to eating raw egg – or at least adventurous enough to try it. Of course, dipping is optional.

Notes

Like many Japanese izakaya pubs (and like Hanamaru Tei and Kyochabana on this list), one tsukidashi appetizer per guest is built into the bill, though unlike most places Teppanyaro offers choices on this, ranging from katsuo-tataki (bonito fish sashimi) to a mini pasta salad. This is worth knowing ahead of time for the budget conscious, though you’re certain to find something you like from the range of options.

As mentioned, Teppanyaro’s atmosphere is more nightlife izakaya than family-friendly restaurant. The seating is mostly stools, and it is located down a fairly narrow alleyway packed with other restaurants and drinking establishments – so visitors with children are advised to factor this into their consideration. The shop is also open only for dinner, 5pm to 11pm.

Locations

Teppanyaro has multiple locations, but menu offerings vary. The information here applies to the Urasando location, which focuses the most on okonomiyaki and features the namesake signature dish.

Teppanyaro Urasando Branch Information

Name in English:
Teppanyaro! Urasando-ten

Name in Japanese:
鉄板野郎! 裏参道店

English address:
2-9-19 Sonezaki, Kita-ku, Osaka, 530-0057 Japan

Japanese address:
〒530-0057 大阪市北区曽根崎2-9-19

Opening hours:
5:00pm-11:00pm (Mon-Fri), 4:00pm-11:00pm (Sat, Sun and holidays)
Closed 3rd Tuesday

Non-smoking area: Yes

Price:
Teppan-yaro ¥1480

Nearest Transport:
2 minutes walk from Higashi-Umeda Station (exit 4) of Osaka Metro Tanimachi Line

Website: Official Website (Japanese)

Where Is This Restaurant Located?

All of the restaurants in Osaka Okonomiyaki Guide are shown on the following map. They’re also listed on our main Osaka map.

More Information

• Insider’s Guide to Osaka Okonomiyaki Restaurants
• Best Osaka Restaurants

About the author: Angelino Donnachaidh is a translator/interpreter, food lover, history enthusiast, and longtime resident of Osaka, Japan. He is also the author of the middle grade historical fiction illustrated novella Tamiu: A Cat's Tale, the forthcoming YA post-cyberpunk AI heist adventure Brother, and the forthcoming sci-fi samurai epic The Mayhem Protocols. Find him on the web at saica-creative.com/angdonn.

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