One of my favorite local neighborhoods in Tokyo for local eats is Tsukishima. There is one street lined with restaurants, many of them serving monjayaki, the Tokyo version of the more famous Osaka okonomiyaki. Diners sit at a teppan iron plate/table where food is cooked and you eat directly from the grill using chopsticks or a small metal flat spatula. 

Monjayaki is a messier and thinner version of the savory okonomiyaki pancake. My favorite fillings are mochi, cheese, and mentaiko – a spicy pollack roe. Each store will have its own menu of monjayaki. Okonomiyaki is also served as other dishes cooked on the teppan iron grill like yakisoba noodles. We cooked edamame with a garlic butter, definitely order if you see it on a menu. There are also some uncooked dishes like cucumbers with a garlicky meaty miso dip.

Ice cold beer is a good partner to monjayaki. If it’s summertime you’ll need to beer to stay cool by the hot plate.

I love the Moheji chain, which also has a branch near Tokyo Station at the Shin Maru Building. For this meal we were at Moheji Hanare. Staff are friendly and cook the monjayaki for you at the table. My tip, after the staff prepares the dish, spread out thin parts of the monjayaki on the grill to make it super then. Be patient and let it crisp up and enjoy!

Moheji Hanare @moheji_tsukishima_monja

Tokyo-to, Chuo-ku, Tsukishima 3-6-4

Moheji has branches throughout Tokyo.

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