Abeno Too, Covent Garden, London

God, I love okonomiyaki! This is what this restaurant is best known for. The okonomiyaki is pretty pricey, but it is really yummy. Be prepared to wait during peak hours as it is a small restaurant and very popular!

Best sushi I’ve ever tried, great atmosphere, too!

One of the To-Do-List I had to check when getting to London was eating at Abeno Too. I guess the only possible place in Europe where I could eat Okonomiyaki. :D So I didn’t really care that it was a little pricy. But it really really was worth it!

The place looked very nice: very simple and modern. I got there with some friends, but it was too damn full, so it wasn’t possible sitting toghether at the same time. The stuff was really kind and cute. You’d defintely feel welcomed. I wished there were some more drinks to offer, but at least they are suitable to the food. ;)

I got the Okonomiyaki London style and I couldn’t have a better choice. It’s so so so yummy! I just loved it! I have to say that it was my first Okonomiyaki ever, so I cannot say whether it was authentic – but still: damn, was it good. If they were in my hometown, I guess, I would be very poor in a very short time!

I will get there the next time again! Definitely! And YOU should, TOO!

It was our very first visit. Having communicated to close friends and reading the testimonials we have been cease hopeful for dining here. The service was superior. Very attentive. The atmosphere was calm yet inviting.They go the excess distance to ensure their guests are content.This was the most beautiful healthy meal I’ve ever had!I strongly recommend this restaurant if you love food items. Very accomodating staff members, and try to there when you need them.

The sushi culinary experts are amazing and merely serve the best species of fish. I’ve endorsed this eatery to various, many of us and none of them have been unhappy!!

Pics@Chopsti2Steaknives
http://chopstix2steaknives.blogspot.com/2011/10/bincho-ky...

I passed Abeno Too plenty of times and as the only place easily accessible that offers Okonomiyaki, diners aren’t left with many choices. I finally found myself Heading here after the longest time and was looking forward to some awesome Okonomiyaki.

Okonomiyaki £11.50 – 13.50

The Okonomiyaki was unexciting-ly ordinary. I enjoyed my dessert more actually which was the coffee jelly.

If you’ve not had coffee jelly before, do try if you see it on a menu. There is something about Sweetness of the jelly with bitter coffee that harmonises well.

Come here when the weather’s rubbish, you’ll be toasty warm and full of okonomoyaki in a matter of minutes. That’s a word that took me from utter ignorance to complete worship of that most fabled of food – pancakes – but this time, it’s japanese style.

Okonomoyaki are savoury pancakes filled with whatever you like, plus japanese vegetables, cooked on a teppenyaki hotplate, then loaded with toppings. You’re left with a slicer to cut your own segments, which is why you might like to try more than one kind when you order, that way you’ll get a taste of everyone else’s dinner.

Happily they don’t mind if you yelp and stop them from squidging dreaded mayonnaise over these delicious circular morsels of japanese delight – now that’s what I call service.

Fill up with food: around £17 per person

Best for:
Those who like to share
people who feel the cold
fans of atypical cuisine

I've always come here for okonomiyake and tempura so my experience is limited to that but I can't resist this little Japanese gem. Apart from the excitement of having your food cooked in front of you it is always filling and delicious and it's a great place to take someone who likes being a bit adventurous with their food and trying something different. It can get absolutely packed as the restaurant is quite small and sometimes on weekend nights you might have to queue but it's definitely worth it!

Been here a lot of times and haven't tried anything other than the okonomiyaki. But then again... when they taste that good! :) Great food and really nice atmosphere. Most of the cooks (the food is made at the table) are really good – they will explain what they are doing if you ask. One or two occasions they haven't been as good but I think they were new.

It is a little squashed sometimes – if you're sitting at the main bar you'll likely to be sharing your elbow space with someone else, but it's all part of the charm – the people you'll be sharing the space will be just as happy with their choice of food as you, so the atmosphere overall is really nice.

The quality is easily comparable to the best okonomiyaki you would find in Japan. The only reason for 4 stars instead of 5 is I always feel the prices are a little too high for what is essentially a simple dish. Still, absolutely delicious though!

please also refer to
http://hungryinlondon.com/2010/05/abeno-too-covent-garden...

What a fun place! And the food is good too.

I took my mum there who came to visit me from the culinary wastelands of Austria and I had the intention to provide her with some unique and special food experiences. What better place to choose than Abeno Too?

Abeno Too is a Okonomiyaki restaurant. If you – like me until very recently – have no idea what Okonomiyaki is, here a short explanation with the help of my dear Wikipedia which describes it as being a Japanese savory pancake. The real fun thing is that it is cooked in front of you on the table. The first challenge is not go get burnt, but it seems like everyone has to touch the cooking surface at first to check if it really hot (believe me it is!). And something else – you are supposed to store your coats and bags inside your seat at Abeno Too, just in case you wonder.

My mum was a bit doubtful upon entering the restaurant but she soon was convinced and very happy. We tried the cold sake served in a traditional wooden box (masu). If you – like me until very recently – have never drunk cold sake out of a traditional wooden box, I recommend it! You are supposed to drink out of the corner because you then engage the taste buds on the tip of your tongue which intensifies the flavour (that’s what the very nice waitress told me while cooking my Okonomyiaki) Interesting, eh?

We started with Hiyayakko (chilled tofu with bonito flakes and ginger) (4.95) which was lovely and fresh and moreish. Excellent were also the Yaki-Gyoza with asparagus and black tiger prawn (5.95) that were grilled on our table. 5 between us were clearly not enough.

The most exciting part clearly was the Okonomyaki with pork, kimchi and prawn (11). It was topped with Japanese mayonnaise (I could not detect any difference to European mayonnaise I have to say), sea weed and bonito fish flakes which seem creepily alive when added onto the Okonomyaki. Nice nice nice!

Not quite sated yet we shared a dessert, the (4.95) – consisting of green tea ice cream, sweet rice dumplings and Adzuki beans. This was not terribly exciting but still enjoyable and not too sweet.

All in all it is a great dining experience, it’s fun people watching, it’s fun to watch the friendly and efficient staff cook in front of you and the food is very tasty indeed. My mum loved it and so did I.

Visit this place. Super affordable, quick if you need it to be, fun and somewhat healthy, okonomiyaki is the way forward.

Great selection of authentic dishes (well as you're going to get in Leicester Sq, London town) - starters, mains/ okonomiyaki and desserts. Sake and Asahi are also on the menu! They cook on little bbqs at your table/ in front of you so it's fresh, hot and to your taste.

Seating is informal and fun. What I think I love most (which is a complete by-product) is that you store your coat, endless London bags, phone, stuff all in the box/seat you sit on. Consequently no checking of phones every 2 secs (unless you leave it out, I guess!), no worrying about your bag getting nicked, no coat sliding off onto the floor when it's freshly drycleaned... Oh. Just me?! Let's say it's relaxing and leads to quality conversation!

Ahh, need to stop thinking about it. Taste buds going over time!

Of you're in the area, make sure you try out the great Okonomi-yaki! Nice interieur, but nothing where you can go to wine- and-dine your new date. More of a diner-like athmosphere, but with a fast and friendly staff & service. Great for a change to your regular Japanese joint. Recommended!

I lived in Japan for a year, and I adored the food. Okonomiyaki is a fantastic dish (like a big omelette with loads of ingredients) because it's relatively cheap... in Japan... and is a good social experience because you get to do the cooking........ in Japan.

Abeno Too has all the makings of a lovely restaurant if only they let you alone! The portions weren't huge, but at least it tasted good. Trouble is, the service is annoying. We got a surly waiter with a far too tight t-shirt on. I loved the idea of having your own hotplates in okonomiyaki joints in Japan, and the staff merely bringing you your batter and ingredients to cook yourself. Here, however, your waiter/waitress does it all for you and it's a tad awkward. I understand that it's hard to let Brits do it all themselves because they aren't familiar with how to do it and some would no doubt complain. All I ask is for the staff to be a bit more smiley and maybe explain to people what they're doing. I was there with two other Brits who I worked with in Japan, plus two Japanese girls. The waiter could have asked if they know what to do, and left us to it.

Apart from that, this seems very authentic and the food is good.

I went there with... wait for it... my boyfriend's brother's wife who is Japanese. She said it felt and tasted like home! Truly a great and authentic place that I always enjoy. The very little downside is that it's very very hot in the restaurant due to the hotplates.
Also because it's very popular and not a very big place, you might have to wait outside to get seated... but it worth it!

I'm going to do the same review for Abeno and Abeno Too, both of which are superb. They specialise in "Kansai-style of Okonomi-yaki" - which translates as "Japanese omlettes". The seating is unique - each little table has a heated panel in the centre of it upon which, after you've deliberated over the slightly bewildering array of options on offer - a member of staff will cook your omlette right under your nose!

I must say, for this reason I would strongly advise that you think twice before going there on very hot days.

However, with that caveat out of the way, Abeno is a great experience of a type of food you are unlikely to see in many places in London. While you're there try their sashimi beef and the "Geisha" cocktail. Verrrr niiice. hic

Fairly good Okonomiyaki at a bargain price, and friendly service. I really like to go there.

I also found the "benches" interesting, where you can sit on: They are actually chests for storing your bags and coats. Clever idea, since space in this restaurant is a scarce resource anyway.

This place is amazing! A really different dining experience: you are sat on a wooden bench (which opens for you to store your bags and coats in) at a wooden table with a hotplate in the middle. The friendly and efficient staff cook your meal while you watch, using delicious, fresh ingredients.

Abeno Too specialises in Okonomoyaki - Japanese pancakes made with batter, egg, cabbage and a variety of fillings: chicken, bacon, steak, cheese, mushrooms, asparagus - you name it! You can also order the okonomoyaki with noodles on top - yum!

This place specialises in okonomiyaki, a Japanese omelette/pancake thing which they cook in front of you on hotplates and then cover in all kinds of nice sauces and tasty flaked stuff. As the name suggests, this is the second in the chain and this location is a bit cramped compared to the Museum St. one. You can store your effects inside the benches, but it’s still a slightly uncomfortable dining experience and gets a bit hot. But the okonomiyaki are delicious.

Long queues and rather small floorspace, Abeno Too is far from the most spacious and luxurious feeling restaurant, but where it lacks in these physical features, it makes up for in sheer quality of food.
For those into their Japanese cuisine, onomiyaki should be a fairly familiar concept, if you like your Japanese food but have not tried, it is definitely something that should be on your list!

Price wise, I find it to be decent value, whilst I would echo the view of another reviewer - it is as good as what you can get in Japan. Add in the convenient location and this is definitely a winner. (Personal preference - the less hectic lunch hour).

If you love Okonomiyaki, this is the place to be. The food is undoubtedly declicious, I must also warn fellow foodie to be aware of the smoke the restaurnat produces. We went during the winter and upon seated down, we feel like we are eating in a kitchen. The smell of cooking is everywhere in the restaurant. Not particularly a nice smell to bring with you around if you are heading off to somewhere later. Dont say I didnt warn you.

Abeno Too, the second in the two-strong chain of okonomiyaki restaurants in London, is situated about one minute away from Leicester Square tube station. The restaurant itself is tiny and it is not possible to book, so be prepared to queue. But however long the wait is, it will certainly be worth it, not just because the food is great, but because having an okonomiyaki is an exciting experience. You are seated around hot plates on which the friendly staff cook a kind of thick pancake made from a mixture of cabbage, egg, flour and extra ingredients of your choice, such as different meats or vegetables. Meaties should probably go for the London mix, which contains pork, bacon AND salmon, while veggies fare extremely well with the Kiso mix of mushrooms, lotus root and cheese (do make sure you inform the member of staff that you are vegetarian and would like to abstain from the bonito flakes). If you fancy a little bit of variety, the om-soba is also highly recommended, and for dessert definitely choose the coffee jelly, which is surprisingly scrumptious. The okonomiyaki are not cheap, and be aware that you will leave smelling of food (which may be off-putting if you are planning a visit to the nearby cinema). Despite this, Abeno Too is definitely worth a number of visits!