Tsukishima Monja Okoge Asakusa Annex — Restaurant in Tokyo

To summarise my experience at Monjayaki Okoge Asakusa, this restaurant falls way below Japanese standard in terms of manners, food, respect and service as a restaurant. Be prepared to be forgotten when you are dining inside.

My name is Derwin. I have decided to write a review because of my horrible experience. I decided to take my family to this restaurant following the positive reviews on Google. I was very wrong.

The service from the staff during our visit (April 3rd 2025) was horrible. After seating down and placing the order through their QR code, we ordered a total of 5 dishes. The alcohol beverages arrived on a timely manner but after that, it all went south.

The first cook/waiter that came attempt to cook our food (I could not record the name since it is written in Japanese) added too much oil on the cooktop. This made the oil spatter everywhere when she poured the ingredients for the Okonomiyaki. The oil splattered and made stained my father’s jacket. The waiter who stained our clothes moved onto the next table after offering a napkin to clean it up. Follow that incident, that waiter never served us. We had to call a follow up waiter because we fail to get our remaining order after sitting for 20+ minutes. We dine there for about 1 hour and 20 minutes and had to follow up with them to cook our food. It seems normal that the staff puts the ingredients in front of us, then walks away? This is new to me.

The original cook that stained my father clothing did not apologise - no, not even a “gomenasai”. We had a total of three cooks taking care of our order. Water was not provided until 1 hour later, and I had to call out for it.

The bill was not cheap either and the food did not make give us the experience it was anything out of the ordinary.

We brought up the incident the front when closing the bill what we had experienced was not acceptable. The receptionist of the restaurant said sorry and said that the staff could not apologise because they did not speak English. I refuse to accept this is a reason. Regardless, the store receptionist did apologise, but appeared shallow. They did not offer any compensation at all.

When we further asked whether they can provide advice for the closest laundry facility to wash my father oil stained clothes, they told me they do not know any nearby. I am very disappointed by their response. It appeared now not only we had terrible dining experience, we now have to look for our own laundromat without any suggestions.

I know my rating of 1/5 will not do anything to this restaurant. But I still want to speak up to those who plan to visit. I do not plan to ever go back there again. I hope the owner of this chain reads this and consider retraining your staff to be more courteous and polite.

The oil spilled could have been far severe consequences - let say a kid was sitting at table level, and the oil splatter went into the kid’s face or worst; the children eyes.

The restaurant is also very oily, the floor is sticky and stained with grease. It appears there is no exhaust that directly extract from the cooktop - resulting me giving the atmosphere a 1 out of 5. It feel unhygienic and not pleasant at all.

While I can oversee those as ‘aesthetics’, I still cannot comprehend the lack of respect from the staffs. If you choose to dine there, be prepared to you could...

Conclusion first: If you are a foreigner who cannot communicate in Japanese, I advise you not to dine at this restaurant. There are more welcoming options available!

I recently visited this restaurant and ordered the appropriate number of dishes based on their set menu policy. At the beginning, they served a paid egg dish (included in the service charge). We still appreciate the staff's help as we didn’t know how to cook monjayaki, and they did it for us. However, perhaps due to the language barrier, the staff were a bit indifferent and didn’t indicate when the dish was ready to be eaten after cooking it.

After finishing the first monjayaki, we observed that the staff were diligently walking around the restaurant, checking on each table. We wondered when the next dish would be served and kept observing. After a while, we realized that the staff didn’t actively check if we were ready for the next dish. So, we informed them that there were still dishes yet to be served. The staff only relayed the message through their earpiece and left. While waiting, we noticed that the Japanese customers were receiving much better service. We thought the staff might just be busy because there were many customers, so we waited quietly for more than 15 minutes, but still no food arrived. New customers who had just arrived and those seated nearby were already being served and finishing their meals…

At this point, we realized we were probably being deliberately ignored. An hour and a half went by, and all we received were a small side dish and one main dish. I consider this extremely rude! It wasted our time and ruined our mood!

I then checked Google reviews and found that the restaurant has a high rating, which is likely thanks to the support of Japanese customers. But many foreign customers have shared similar experiences of being coldly treated, indicating that the restaurant does tend to treat non-Japanese speaking customers this way. So, if you don’t speak Japanese, I highly recommend avoiding this place, as it will only leave you angry and disappointed!

Here are a few suggestions for the restaurant: Since the restaurant is located in a tourist hotspot, dealing with foreign customers should be a daily occurrence. If you really don’t like or are afraid of serving non-Japanese speaking customers, perhaps you should set a policy that only Japanese speakers are allowed. Alternatively, improve the staff’s basic foreign language skills! Since your restaurant charges a seating fee, which I believe is akin to a service or cleaning fee, providing good service should be included in the meal cost. Offering different levels of service based on the customer's background is...

Monjayaki Okoge in Asakusa was an unexpected highlight of my trip—easily one of the most satisfying meals I had in Tokyo. Tucked away just a short walk from the more tourist-heavy streets around Sensoji Temple, this little restaurant has a cozy, down-to-earth feel that instantly makes you feel at home.

I came in curious to try both okonomiyaki and monjayaki, and I’m so glad I did. The okonomiyaki was fantastic—perfectly cooked, hearty, and full of flavor with just the right balance of crispy edges and soft, savory goodness in the middle. The monja was equally great, and a lot of fun to cook at the table. It’s one of those interactive dining experiences that feels very “Tokyo,” and the staff were incredibly kind and helpful, guiding me through the process with smiles and patience.

A special mention has to go to our server, Akane, who was absolutely fantastic at her job. She was warm, welcoming, and attentive without being overbearing. She walked us through the menu, showed us how to cook the monja, and made the whole experience feel so much more personal. It’s rare to feel that well taken care of in such a casual setting, and her kindness really stood out.

The restaurant has that local, lived-in atmosphere I love—simple wooden interiors, sizzling hot plates, and the warm clatter of conversations and laughter from nearby tables. You can tell people come here for the food, not the frills, and that’s exactly what makes it special. It feels like a place that hasn’t changed much over time, in the best possible way.

Whether you’re new to monja or already a fan, Okoge is a great place to dive in and enjoy a relaxed, flavorful meal in the heart of Asakusa. I’d happily go back, and I definitely recommend it—especially if you’re lucky enough to have Akane as...