We went there on a whim, and in typical tourist fashion we arrived half an hour before they were ready to open. They kindly asked us to wait patiently, but welcomed us in 10 minutes early.

They were very gracious hosts, and we were treated like guests in their home. We sat at a large table with the cooking tray ready to go (nice and warm on a cold night) where they offered us a menu with easy to follow English translations. The lady was kind enough to guide us through the menu, and offer us her recommendations.

The food is cooked in front of you, and was entertaining to watch. They present the food for you immediately as it’s cooked, so if you’re hungry you should definitely order some sides. The buttered corn and garlic buttered potatoes we ordered were delicious and served piping hot, and I could have easily eaten another serving.

The yakisoba was great, the noodles had a nice, firm texture and the sauce was very flavourful. But the okonomiyaki stole the night, absolutely the best we’ve ever had- we were devastated when it was over and we discussed ordering another, but regretfully decided not to be too greedy.

A nice big bottle of Sapporo to savour the experience was the cherry on top.

The prices were extremely reasonable, costing us less than 5000 yen (edit: my wife just corrected me, was actually under 3000 yen) We have spent much more for much less during our stay here, for sure.

Would recommend to anyone visiting Kyoto, and we hope that we can make it back here again someday.