Takoyaki Yama Chan

While I’m not a fan of the takoyaki, I do like the okonomiyaki, which you can only order off the grill starting at 12 (although they have pre-​made ones for sale before then). Specifically, I like the Hiroshima style okonomiyaki, which comes with noodles inside. I order it will shrimp and all the toppings. It cost about $ 10 and can be a meal for someone with a small appetite, otherwise it’s more of a snack.

I’m not too keen on eating at the food places upstairs in Shirokiya, but I usually make an exception for this place.
Likes: Their takoyaki, especially when freshly cooked, is soft in the middle, crusty on the outside, and topped with takoyaki sauce, mayo, green onions, nori and bonito flakes. You need to have everything on there to get the perfect bite.
Dislikes: Wait can be long if they run out. It’s better to get the freshly cooked ones that the packaged ones that have been sitting out and getting soggy. Their TV ad that’s played gets pretty obnoxious as well when you hear it looping for the 15^th time.
Favorites: They have different toppings, but I prefer the plain one.
Next time you’re in Shirokiya and need a snack but not a meal, come by here. Just wait a little before eating a fresh one or open it up and let the steam out because they’re really hot.

Obsessed with these balls mouth watering exploding with flavor, great for a couple out for a snack the service is fast and the best thing you can watch them cook it right before your eyes

Yama Chan has brought one of Osaka’s most popular street food straight to Shirokiya-​Ala Moana!
These ball-​shaped goodness combines tako, tempura scraps, and green onions and mixes them into a savory batter that is grilled and is then transformed into a mouthwatering snack.
They are then brushed with takoyaki sauce and sprinkled with green onions and bonito flakes.
Yama Chan offers a variety of options depending on your preference, so if you’re feeling adventurous… go crazy!

My fave go to snack while shopping at Ala Moana! For about only $ 5, it gets me quite full!

Great snack, especially if you get a fresh batch, because they are crispy on the outside and piping hot and soft on the inside. The regular takoyaki with mayo, yakisoba sauce, seaweed and bonito flakes is the best, although the negi ponzu mayo has a fresher taste. You can also get it with shrimp but it costs a little more. The one with melted cheese is a little strange for my taste. Love when they beat the drums to announce a fresh batch of takoyaki, so Japanese!

Grabbed a bento at their Shirokya location. I think the takoyaki is much better fresh out of the molds instead of sitting into a bento container. The bento also had okonomyaki which was ok; again it’s better if it’s fresh and not getting cold in a bento box.

Ever since I ate this Japanese street treat for the first time during my first trip to Hong Kong back in 2006, I’ve been hooked. So whenever I have a chance to scarf down these squid-​filled wheat flour-​based balls of deliciousness, I take it.
I’ve eaten at Yama Chan twice (one outside of Don Quoite and in Shirokiya mall), and I think the chain is just A-​OK.
Sure, I love the magical mayonnaise and ponzu sauces, scallions, and dried bonito on top, but I just can’t get past the consistency. Maybe it has to do something with them being pre-​made, but they are way too soft and instantly break apart upon bite. It’s the only time in my life I’ve been glad to have only ordered a five piece. (Usually, I order double the number.)
It’s not a bad price to pay (somewhere only above $ 5), and the service is super friendly, but I think I’ll look for other takoyaki joints the next time I return to Honolulu.

Don’t Miss Ethnic Food Adventure: This place is a 5 Star discovery if you are looking for small foodie adventures here in Honolulu.
Location: Located in the top floor Shirokiya Food court is the loud Takoyaki Yama Chan counter complete with flat screen video playing non stop which introduces customers to their dishes. There is also a drum which is beat about every 10 minutes or so. Plus there is a glass screen through which you can watch them make the takoyaki in a special cooker/​grill.
Products: It is primarily takoyaki (grilled balls of octopus meat) plus Osaka style okonomiyaki. You can pick up a freshly made bento box with okonomiyaki, takoyaki or both. Those in the know will walk up to the counter and order off the large menu and wait for very freshly grilled items.
Service: The cooks and cashier/​drum beater are all helpful and busy cranking out those items non stop all day long. They are friendly and helpful and don’t mind preparing fresh bentos even though there are warm ones on the counter.
Magic: Ok… so…beer and takoyaki just happen to go perfect together. Since the Yataimura Beer Garden/​food court is one and the same thing. You are all set for a very Japanese drinking and eating adventure.
Vegetarian: Unless you are pescatarian there is no option for you here. But, this place is pretty good and that is why I’m including this on my Shirokiya vegetarian dining list.

This review is for their new stall in front of Don Quijote.
Went shopping at DQ that day and while checking out, the cashier (a friend) told me about the new takoyaki shop in front that just opened. So I went to check them out. Nice looking shop and seemed crowded. Didn’t feel like takoyaki since I prefer it with beer and this was lunch time. I do like good yakisoba so I ordered that.
It was made fresh and after a few minutes, I got my order. Nice and hot and the staff was pleasant.
However when I got home, the yakisoba texture was dry. Not soft and chewy like I had at other places. Didn’t have much flavor too, pretty bland but it was hot.
I will give them a few months to work out the kinks and maybe will try it again.

I’m not to sure what I just ate or if I liked it. I know it had tako in it and bonita flakes, not too sure about what else was on it or in it. I would like to try the Kim Chee balls though. To me though, that’s part of the fun of living in a new city with tons of ethnic food. Trying new stuff seeing what you like, then going from there. Even if you have no idea what it is.

This review is for the new location at Don Quijote.
Do not go.
We ordered cheese Takoyaki and the maker immediately told us that we need to wait 3 – 4 mins. Ok, 3 – 4 mins is fine. After waited for almost 15 mins and saw so many other customers picked up their orders, we went to check ours and of course, they forgot!!! They did apologize and said to make our order right away. Too late already, we got our refund and left. (It was a hot and humid day. Try imagine standing there waiting with all those hot air) The cashier guy (owner?) actually did make eye contact with me while I was waiting right by the winnow. I wonder what was he thinking? These people like to stand by their store and wait for nothing? And we were the only ones waiting…
You can still try. Just make sure they don’t forget your order.

This review is for their new location at Don Quijote on Kaheka. I got an order of the kim chee takoyaki & a small order of cheese takoyaki… food was ok. The takoyaki balls where under cooked, cheese was burnt & employees dont speak English or know the menu, so expect your order to be wrong. Very disappointed!

There’s a TV by this stand constantly replaying how they make their tako yaki and it succeeded in sucking us in.
There’s one that has torched cheese on top in addition to the regular toppings. It tastes pretty good but the balls weren’t crispy enough, probably because they’re made ahead of time.
We paid $ 4.50 for 5 which was not bad. We were the only ones in the morning getting it and it only took about a minute.

I have not had Takoyaki like this since I went to Japan years ago. They cook it fresh in front of you and it goes fast. They even bang a drum when they’re all ready to be served!
I got the NegiMayoPonzu Takoyaki and my goodness was it heavenly. You have the creaminess from the freshly prepared takoyaki with a slight crunch from the exterior being fried just right. Then there’s a salty and lemon pop from the ponzu and the mayonnaise and bonito flakes puts it over the top. It is absolutely indulgent.
Don’t miss the opportunity to travel to the upstairs food court of Shirokiya in the Ala Moana shopping center. You don’t want to miss this place.

I’ve lived in Japan for several years and love Japanese street food. When someone tells me it’s going to take over 15 minutes to make takoyaki, I was flabbergasted. The worst place in Tokyo can make you takoyaki in minutes.
Every time I have gone to this place, the staff seems very unknowledgeable about their menu and I’ve waited up to 45-​minutes when it was NOT BUSY for my takoyaki order. I’ve given more than enough times to redeem themselves, but they just disappoint me every time. It’s like going to see an M. Night Shyamalan movie: seems awesome in the trailers; in the end, it’s you getting screwed out of money.

Phenomenal Japanese takoyaki. The menu is short, and most of the items are variations of takoyaki… but let’s be honest for a second… What else do you need in life other than deliciously made fresh takoyaki.
I will be back. I ordered 10 takoyaki and it was so good I came back for 10 more. I’m currently in a takoyaki coma. My friend also ordered the okonomiyaki and it looked very good. 5 stars!

This stall inside Shirokiya is where I bought freshly made takoyaki. They’re one of the loudest and showiest stalls inside the whole place. You won’t have any issue finding it because periodically, they give a giant drum a good whacking, perhaps to signal that some fresh takoyaki are ready to eat, I don’t know. They sell pre-​packaged takoyaki but it’s worth it to wait a few minutes to get freshly made ones. They have the very classic version with diced octopus (caught in Hawaii!) inside with the kewpie mayo and aonori toppings but they also go a little bit wild and you can get some filled with shrimp or topped with kimchi. I think these are just a good a version as any other but I’m just not a huge fan in general of this snack.

I tried Takoyaki Yama-​Chan for the first time yesterday at, of all places, KCC Farmers Market. This, after having been a «ramen b*tch» at Yataimura Food Court in Shirokiya at Ala Moana Center, insisting on just eating that. Long story, which you can read my Tasty Island food blog if interested in why.
Takoyaki are essentially pieces of par-​cooked Tako — in Yama-Chan’s case, fresh-​caught in Hawaii! — that are encased into a shape and size like a Golf Ball in a «grilled» pancake type of batter that’s also combined with bits of Tenkatsu, Beni Shoga and Negi, then SMOTHERED with sauce, furikake nori and bonito flakes.
And it’s freekin’ OISHI! Way, WAY better than I thought it’d taste. It’s a total explosion of flavor and texture contrasts, being well balanced, and not over-​the-​top at all. Just simply BRILLIANT.
I chose the Negi-​Mayo Ponzu sauce for the topping, which also comes with a default Takoyaki Sauce that pretty much tastes like Okonomiyaki sauce, being similar to Worcestershire and Tonkatsu Sauce. That combination, along with the smokey bonito flakes really kicked the Takoyaki to a whole nother level. The chunks of tako are tender, with just enough chew, while the batter is nice ‘n toasty on the outside, albeit a little undercooked inside in an unusually good way!
I really need not say more than, if you haven’t yet, TRY IT. Takoyaki Yama-​Chan will rock your world! Sugoi Oishiikata!

I prowl Japanese towns in every city searching Takoyaki – my favorite Japanese snack. Takoyaki Yama Chan makes it perfectly. It’s crispy on the outside and filled with goodies inside. This ball-​shaped snack is made of wheat-​flour batter and cooked in a special takoyaki pan. (Think of an Asian ebelskiver) It’s filled with bits of octopus, pickled ginger, green onion and brushed with takoyaki sauce (which is like a mix of Worchestershire sauce & Japanese mayo). Everything is topped with shredded seaweed and bonito flakes.
I first discovered the Takoyaki Yama Chan stall, located in the Shirokiya food court at Ala Moana Shopping Center, during my recent trip to Honolulu. I came back three more times during that week.
I always order the regular Takoyaki, but there are other flavors like Negi-​Mayo Ponzu, Cheese, Kimchi, and Soup.
Tip: For optimal taste and outside crispiness, wait for a fresh batch. You can watch them make it fresh through the glass window. They hit the gong when it’s ready.
Regular 5-​pieces $ 3.99; 8-​pieces $ 6.30; 10-​pieces $ 7.90; 12-​pieces $ 9.30