Botejyu Flagship Store Dotonbori

Okonomiyaki and Osaka are inextricable from each other. Along with takoyaki (octopus balls) and kushikatsu (deep-fried skewers of vegetables and meat), the iconic grilled savory pancake is emblematic of Osaka soul food. And there are few restaurants, if any, that do it better than Botejyu. With its first store founded in 1946 in Osaka’s Dotonbori entertainment district, it was instrumental in the rise and proliferation of the flour-based okonomiyaki amid the rice shortages that plagued postwar Japan. Over the years, Botejyu has also been one of the major drivers of okonomiyaki’s evolution, such as pioneering the addition of mayonnaise to it — a condiment that is now considered essential to the dish — and inventing modanyaki, a type of okonomiyaki that incorporates three different types of sauces, unlocking incredible new dimensions to the dish. Almost 80 years later, Botejyu’s flagship store remains at its original location, but the appeal of okonomiyaki — and Botejyu — have spread all across the country, and even overseas as well. Still, the Dotonbori flagship store’s conveniently central location and storied history continues to draw pilgrims from all over Japan, as well as from outside it, looking to pay homage to where this dish began. Though okonomiyaki now has the reputation of being a street food, eaten in smoky izakaya surrounded by raucous salarymen, Botejyu’s flagship store offers a much more upscale experience, with clean, minimalist interiors and an open kitchen concept, plus course menus that incorporate wagyu beef — and not just any wagyu beef, the extremely prized Yamagata Prefecture specialty of Takamori wagyu beef, so rare it’s known as one of the country’s “phantom wagyu.” An okonomiyaki meal in this downtown Osaka institution is a breath of fresh air, and one that has to be experienced. Take the opportunity to taste okonomiyaki history where it began.