Okonomiyaki Mizuno: Osaka’s Michelin-listed soul food eatery

Here’s Okonomiyaki Mizuno’s signature okonomiyaki. Japanese yams, pork belly, and scallops. Yum. *I last visited the restaurant in 2021.

Okonomiyaki (お好み焼き) is a Japanese savory pancake. Flour, cabbages, and a variety of ingredients make up the pancake. Japanese Worcestershire sauce and Japanese mayonnaise make up the surface. It’s one of the easiest Japanese foods to cook. That’s why it’s popular.

Okonomiyaki is the most popular soul food in Osaka. It’s impossible not to spot okonomiyaki signs on streets in Osaka.

The storefront of Okonomiyaki Mizuno.

Okonomiyaki Mizuno is exceptional when it comes to reputation. Founded in 1945 as a Japanese kissaten (喫茶店) cafe, Okonomiyaki Mizuno is now one of five Michelin-listed okonomiyaki restaurants in Osaka.

Okonomiyaki Mizuno’s menu (1/2).

Okonomiyaki Mizuno’s menu (2/2).

As Okonomiyaki Mizuno’s menu suggests, I ordered the most popular Yamaimoyaki (山芋焼) that said “NO1” on the menu. Yamaimoyaki is made of Japanese yams (yamaimo / 山芋) instead of flour, which is unconventional yet not crazy as okonomiyaki. It comes with two choices from five topping options (pork loin, pork belly, scallops, squid, and octopus). I went for pork belly and scallops. With the Japanese potato dough, why not make it like Portuguese?

Yum.

Thanks to the dough, the Japanese yams, Okonomiyaki Mizuno’s signature Yamaimoyaki was beyond fluffy. It was almost polenta that has traditional Okonomiyaki flavors. The toppings were distinctively chunkier than other ordinary okonomiyaki eateries. That helped the dish stay memorable to this day. The price was twice as much as a basic okonomiyaki. I was willing to swallow it.