Yaki

I came here at lunch time after reading positive reviews of this place. When I walked in I was disappointed to find that the Okonomiyaki was not freshly made as you waited there. It was displayed in a case and they prepare it with the sauces after you order it. It was nice they had a variety of combinations but when its was served to me it was warmish but not steaming hot as I have had it before. The only time I have had it before was a few times at Abeno in london where they make it fresh in front of you on a girl. Abeno is a set down place and a lot more expensive then Yaki. For a to go quick lunch place Yaki is a good stop. I was pleasantly surprised with the final result of the okonomiyaki was wish it was served hotter. If you are not aware of okonomiyaki the quick easy explanation of it is that it is somewhat like a frittata– pancake omelet hybrid with wonderful sauce (Kewpie mayonnaise, Okonomiyaki sauce, seaweed flakes, & Bonito flakes). Okonomiyaki comes from the regions of Hiroshima & Osaka. I discovered Okonomiyaki only two years ago and I have been eating different types of japanese food for over 20 years! I grew up in California and often frequented Japan town in San Francisco as a child while trying various types of Japanese food. I only noticed and came across Okonomiyaki and takoyaki in London. I hate when people just assume Japanese food is sushi and ramen… Japanese food is a large array of different types and variety of food… sushi, tempura, Tonkatsu, Izakaya, Soba, yakitori, ramen, shabu-​shabu, Kare Raisu, Udon, Gyuudon, Kushiage, Yakinsku, teppanyaki etc. If you are feeling adventurous and want to try a new type of japanese food I highly recommand trying Okonomiyaki, I prefer it more then Takoyaki. I eat Takoyaki if I can’t fine Okonomiyake. I find Takoyaki often soggy inside and I am not a fan of the chewy octopus bits.
FYI this place has great Taiyaki which is a fish shaped waffle with fillings. It comes out hot! I have had it before cold and it does not taste any where near as tasty as the ones that are freshly baked. I would not suggest the bean paste version although it is a classic, I have never been able to gain tastebuds for the red bean paste. I prefer the custard. Yaki offers a nutella and banana one which was very tasty and I have not seen it sold anywhere else in the UK with the nutella and banana flavour. Most common is the custard and black bean flavors. This place is good and is very reasonably priced… I will be heading back there next week for another lunchtime treat!

Takoyaki doesn’t come with katsuobushi (it’s kind of pink fish flake) which is really disappointing! It should be covered with katsuobushi! And there are not much tako (octopus) in it so basically it tastes like soft salty dough. Okonomiyaki is definitely not authentic. But it tastes ok. The staff told me they also have branch in Japan. I am really surprised how could they survive in Japan with food of such quality? Maybe they adjusted for Western people’s taste.

I work near Yaki and I have no idea why I did not pay them a visit before!
As I lived in Japan before, I was craving for «real» Japanese food — I mean not the typical salmon sushi you get at chains. Yaki was able to hook me up! :o)
I ordered an udon salad with an pork okonomika. I was very happy with both. Of course, it is not as good as in Japan, as a quick pick up during lunch time it is perfect! I am most certainly going back for more! Oh! And on top of it it cost me about 5 pounds. Deal!
There is not much room in Yaki, so I will suggest to all to take away their food.
PS. If you want to speak Japanese, two of the workers there are actually from Japan and are more than happy to speak in their native tongue: o)

Yaki has fresh, quickly-​made food that is unique from the abundant fast-​food Asian chains in the area — you can tell that it’s prepared to order. Space is tight in the shop, although the crowd seems to be unpredictable. Some days the shop seems empty, and other times you’ll be wedged in a corner seat watching a stranger eat their food.
Admittedly, I wasn’t familiar with all of the items on the menu on my first visit, but the staff was extremely friendly, and helped me with any questions. We ordered lunch specials, which came with tea, and found both the meat, wraps, and noodles to be fresh and flavorful.

I came here with fellow Unilocaler Andrew M’s aphabet dining group. His friend Sharon brought us to Yaki for J for Japanese dining
I think they cater for the rapid turnover weekday lunch trade. We were relieved because on our arrival, the counter was almost bare. However, they make their food to order and it did arrive rapidly, which was good as seating was limited. Fortunately, it was a nice day, so our big party sat outside and enjoyed the sunshine while waiting for our food to be made
I went for the meal deal — cheese and ham okono-​miyaki, edamame and a drink. Okono-​miyaki is a Japanese savoury pancake but it’s enhanced both by contents but also toppings — okono-​miyaki sauce, Japanese mayonnaise and powdered seaweed
It was filling but I’ve had better okono-​miyaki since then

A small place to grab some taiyakis (they were amazing) and green tea for breakfast, don’t even think about the okonomiyaki if you ever tried a good one before, the takoyakis are standard, you could find some cold japanese drinks too. I rather go to Yaki Instead of going to another fast food restaurant if you know what I mean…

Tokyo has clearly given me Japan fever as I start to realize I’m in the middle of an identity crisis, I desperately want to be Japanese (but don’t tell my dad he’ll kill me). Anyway, after getting my pre holiday colour retouch my stomach was grumbling — closer to howling but I like to paint a classier picture of myself. A Japanese bakery on the corner of Goodge Street caught my eye. Anything with the word ‘Japanese’ immediately catches my attention, so long as it’s not followed by ‘horror’. Do not care for that at all.
A Japanese bakery? NOOOO, carbs are strictly forbidden in my 1 week crash diet before Croatia — saying that I wolfed down 2 Krispy Kremes yesterday so you can imagine how successful my attempts are at achieving that beach bod. On further inspection this was not a bakery that served bread, it actually specialised in HEALTHY Japanese food. Wait, this feels a lot like fate, where have you been all my life? There are times when a Pret Crayfish and avocado salad just won’t do, this has got to be one of them.
Where? Yaki Bakery, 53 Goodge street, London, W1T 1TG
What? Okanomi lunch meal — £5.95
Any Okanomi (I went for Chicken Teriyaki), udon salad, crispy chicken stick and aloe vera drink.
Yays — This is a fantastic lunch spot for anyone working around Goodge Street/​Tottenham Court Road, a healthy Japanese lunch for £6 is a really good find. They have 3 ‘mains’ to choose from —
Rice Burger — (see my Lohas Rice Burger post for something similar)
Okanomi — This was included in the lunch menu and it’s a kind of Japanese savoury pancake/​Frittata made from cabbage, flour, eggs, vegetables with a topping of your choice. I went for Chicken Teriyaki
One Bowl Meal — Pretty self explanatory.
They also did taiyakis, fish shaped waffles (Of all the shapes to choose for a waffle, fish is a pretty odd shout…) for desert filled with all sorts of wonders (azuki cheese and green tea custard to name a few). They make them fresh in front of you and I definitely want to give them a go next time.
The crispy chicken stick was simply delicious though erring on the lukewarm side of the temperature scale. Udon salad was simple and made tasty with a delightfully nutty sesame dressing. I would eat so much more salad if I had that dressing at home.
Nays — Not the best Okanomi, which is a shame. I’ve tried fresh ones before and they are usually pan-​fried giving that aromatic and slightly crisp texture on the outside like a thick pancake, but here they are more quiche like. You can kind of tell these are pre-​made then heated. But I guess it’s one of the small prices you have to pay for ‘healthy’ alternatives. If you have a look at my Okanomi as well it was eyeballs deep in sauce. Not the moreish kind of light dipping sauce either, this was super rich, salty and sweet at the same time which made me literally gasp for a drink with every mouthful. Not enjoyable. Still wolfed it down anyway though didn’t I?
6.5÷10
A shame because I really wanted to like this place, given my love affair for all things Japanese I’m not dismissing it completely. I’ll be returning to give the rice burgers and taiyakis a go.
More reviews of cheap eats and street food in London by Chikay Lo at

Quick, affordable and descent.
I had the original Okonomiyaki fix lunch which was comprised of canned beverage, crispy chicken on stick, mini udon salad and of course the okonomiyaki. The crispy chicken was tasty but of room temperature. The mini udon salad was also a-​ok. It is mostly udon with some green vegetable drizzled with citrusy dressing. Finally, the Okonomiyaki (original) was good but not enough to make my eyes grow wide.
My husband on the other hand had the hamburger lunch bowl. It a rice bowl with steamed vegetable, gravy and huge hamburger patty on top. His food was actually pretty good. The meat was moist, tasteful and filling. Obviously, I had a little more than a spoonful of hubby’s lunch but that is true love.
So my verdict is A-​OK. I might have to think twice before coming back :-(

This place was ok– but not 5 stars.
The rice burger was an interesting novelty– though the rice itself fell apart, so not the best «bun» option. The beef was well marinated and tasty.
The fried balls with squid in the center were not actually friend. There was no crunch at all! The flavor was good, but the texture was mush.
The people at the counter were very friendly and helpful. They honored my Unilocal Check in discount, as well.

My two favorite items at this place is veggie rice burger and green tea custard azuki taiyaki. Their rice burger reminds me of Mos Burger in Japan, comes with kinpira (sauteed carrots and burdock root). I’d say taiyaki is pretty authentic.
Takoyaki and okonomiyaki are not that great because they are pre-​made. Okonomiyaki seemed odd to me as it was cooked in a round-​shaped mold and felt stiff.

I managed to convince my co-​workers to come here for lunch one day, and I’m glad I did! We all ordered the lunch special. For £5.95 you get one of the omelette things, a chicken stick or two croquettes, a small salad or edamame and a drink. What a deal!
So the food is good. Like really good. I was really impressed with the Japanese flavors in the omelette thingy. The croquettes were also pretty tasty, and, like everything at Yaki, they were baked and not fried (it’s apparently healthier or something like that). I opted for one of the Japenesey drinks, and it was also really tasty. My co-​workers said that the salads and the chicken sticks were great, so I may have to try it next time.
They’ve also got a good selection of rice bowls. I *think* they even have a katsu curry, which I may have to try next time. The rice burgers are also an intriguing idea.
Be warned though, if you’re used to a big lunch, this place probably isn’t for you. I ended up getting one of the sweet stuffed waffles at the end of my meal as well. Which was alright. The green tea custard and red bean filling was tasty, but the waffle itself wasn’t outstanding. Although the red bean and cheese one has me quite intrigued.
There’s not a ton of seating either, but most people in the area seemed to be getting their food to go.

Super Cheap Okonomiyaki in London?! What is this sorcery! I think the last one I paid was like 23 quid and it was made in front of me, but it was still this diddly little thing. (or we could call it Yinnie_​C sized, I’m pretty sure it’s a thing now, YES, IT’S A THING.)
So, I didn’t get it made in front of me, but we did get udon, chicken stick/​croquette, and a drink with it for under 6 quid. Win. The only issue was that the chicken stick was a bit lukewarm, I’m thinking that i should’ve gone for the croquette now. The Okonomiyaki was sound, it’s not the best I’ve had, and it could do with more sauce but under a tenner. You’re still winning.
Also, got the takoyaki to share, and man, balls are filling. (LOL!), but I did manage to also stomach a taiyaki, a sweet pastry shaped like a fish, filled with green tea custard and red bean. I wish they gave me less red bean, it tasted like the canned stuff. Don’t like the canned stuff. I wish it was just the green tea custard, that would’ve been more yummy.
Tip: Don’t go crazy on liquids/​drinks, Yaki don’t have customer loos.

I never had okonomiyaki before coming to London and now I can have fast-​food okonomiyaki? My god, the world is filled with wonders.
Okonomiyaki, for those who also are in the dark, is a Japanese savory pancake made with all kinds of delicious vegetables, meats and spices. It’s seriously delicious although to this moment I’d only ever had it prepared fresh, usually in front of me on a skillet.
Yaki does it a little different. They have their food pre-​made ready to be heated so Eliza D was right, it was more like a quiche than a real pancake. That being said, it was a tasty bit for sure. Warm, delicious meats and veggies, hot and ready and I ate every bite. Nice.
We also tried the Taco-​yaki, which are small egg and flour balls, crispy on the outside and soft on the inside with octopus inside. Tasty as all get out! The Tai-​Yaki though, their fish-​shaped cookie that we ordered with bean paste in the middle, was only ok. But maybe I just didn’t like bean paste.
And they have a solid deal that gets you a noodle salad, croquettes, okonomiyaki and drink for a little under £6. Boom!
The space is tiny and it’s usually better to take to go (although we found a seat outside on a nice day that worked really well.) So that was win.
Not the freshest or nicest okonomiyaki I’ve ever had, but by far the fastes and cheapest and still pretty tasty. There’s something to be said for that.

So I finally got around to trying Yaki with Katie and Rob this week, and it was a pretty tasty lunch.
Pros: The 5.95 lunch deal gets you a solid amount of food, the calpico was amazing (my first time tryiing it), there is seating, and it’s easy to get to.
Cons: The Okonomiyaki is pre-​prepared, so it has more of a quiche like consistency than what I’d tried previously prepared fresh.
Overall for the price it is a yummy lunch option.

I tried their rice burger 4 weeks ago and it was fine. Now the portion of meat is extremely small and the beef was 80% fat!!! Who wants to eat that amount of fat??? It’s just a bit of flat bland rice with tiny bit of lettuce & tomato with little meat. Also it’s not cheap. £3.99 for the small portion of rice (bland) and fatty meat is not worth it. They also display pre-​cooked Okonomiyaki and I’ve never seen or eaten pre-​cooked one anywhere. In Japan they cook in front of you.
Now a revised review.
They went through a refurbushment last Christmas and offered free Taiyaki which was nice but lacked consistency depending on who cooked it. Okonomiyaki was much better than I thought. The best one was Chicken Teriyaki. We will try somethng else next time.

A place that does Okonomiyaki… Oh yes please, I shall visit it… and I did! It is a small little bakery situated in the heart of noho. I was gutted that this is no way near my work place but it was at least closer to home.
I have had their Okonomiyaki, chicken stick, the octopus balls and their sweet potato cake. They were all absolutely delicious. It may not taste like the Okonomiyaki that is served at Abeno, but it is also different to the Okonomiyaki served at a Japanese café in Brixton Village by 2 Japanese owner. I yet need to try our the rice burger to make sure I’ve tried out every single type of food they serve here.
You can sit in to eat even though it’s a small café. The price is good for what you get, especially if you’re going for lunch, unlike the overpriced Abeno. They also have a loyalty card where on your 12^th visit, you get a free meal. Oh yes please!
This place is god send to me and hope they will not lose their expertise in perfectioning their food.

Okonomyaki for under £4? That is a deal…
I came here, having read the glorious reviews that had pooped up over the last few weeks. I was very excited about having another Okonomyaki option, because up until now I only trusted Abeno, but there you have to sit down and actully pay 3 times the amount for a cabbage-​pancake.
So here’s my verdict: I had their original okonomiyaki as well as some soba noodles. For the price, the Okonomyaki is a really economical as well as tasty option. (Compared to the freshly-​prepared pancakes at Abeno though, they lack in presentation and experience.) The soba overall was quite dry and unexciting.
Overall, I like the vibe here… it feels very Asian and by that I mean it’s trendy, hip and clean.

Yaki is a Japanese bakery. I was just walking past this spot on my way to dinner when I was offered a taste of the goodness that is a Japanese pancake (Okonomiyaki). From the moment I tried it my world changed. Everything was suddenly in Technicolor, Frankie Avalon appeared out of nowhere to sing to just me, and the guy handing me the sample became my new boyfriend.
It took me a few days but I was able to finally return for a proper meal. I had the Okonomiyaki meal which consists of a pancake, 2 croquettes or 2 chicken sticks, salad, and drink for £5.95. I had the Original pancake with 1 chicken stick and 1 croquette, the Udon salad, and Calpico to drink.
A Japanese pancake is very similar to a quiche. My Original supposedly had pork but I didn’t taste any. I also sampled the Chicken teriyaki which I much preferred, though both were amazing! The Udon salad and Calpico were delicious. The croquette was also good but I dream of that chicken stick and would return just for that (but would, of course, get everything else while I was there).
I’m so super happy I stumbled upon this place and that my new boyfriend was there to offer me a sample. If it weren’t so cheap, I’d probably start stalking them, waiting for my new boyfriend to offer me more free samples. Luckily, because they’re so cheap, I can return often as a paying customer (and without scaring anyone).

So good and so cheap!
This place is great, everything I tried was incredible. I had the Chicken Teriyaki Okoyomi-​yaki, the Udon Salad, the Potato Chicken Croquette and the Chicken Sticks. I washed it all down with a very tasty Calpico. Everything was perfect, including the very friendly staff.
This was a great find, the ideal place for a fresh, quick and inexpensive meal.

Lunch time okonomi? Yes please!
Would you like to add dorayaki, takoyaki and croquette? YES PLEASE!
*keels over from eating too much food*
‘Yaki’ basically means ‘fried’ in Japanese. Many of you might think of Japanese food as low in calories and healthy. I wouldn’t say this is incredibly unhealthy, but it is pretty calorific (and terrific) way to eat!
Okonomiyaki:
Okonomiyaki are like fat, cabbage-​filled pancakes with a topping of your choice. Yaki’s versions are made downstairs (I assume), then brought up to sit on a hot plate until you take them away. This means service is quite fast… but I was worried it would mean a dried out, unhappy okonomi experience. I was wrong! This wasn’t as good as the freshly made okonomiyaki in Okan BUT it was awesome as a speedy lunch! The staff were generous with the mayo, sauce and nori sprinkles which made this miiiiles better than my normal sandwich-​based lunches!
Takoyaki (fried octopus in balls):
I am a takoyaki snob, so I wasn’t planning on ordering these, but my colleague bought some, so I tried one… They weren’t bad. Better than the few I have tried in London… but not quite up to the awesome crunchy-​outside-​smoodgy-​inside-​balls-​of-​heaven in Osaka!
Croquettes:
Try the pumpkin ones! Om nom nom nom! They had sold out when we arrived, but I looked so sad that they made more. After 6 minutes we were given piping hot kabocha-​flavoured croquettes! Yay!
Dorayaki:
These are a bit like sweet hotcakes/​pancakes filled with azuki beans, maccha cream (or whatever flavour you fancy.) These were perfect… just like Japan.
Taiyaki
They have a Taiyaki making machine! In Japan I normally went for azuki bean filling… but this place had a whole list of interesting flavours! The menu listed bacon and egg taiyaki (!) and even chocolate and banana taikaki (!!) I will be back to give these fish-​shaped snacks a try!