Restaurants

Abeno Too is probably our favourite restaurant in London. We have been there at least 20 times! I love Okonomiyaki. It tastes great! And I love also the Leiceouster Square branch, where you seat in front of the bar. I have a sense of authenticity doing that. Anyway, I haven't tried other okonomiyaki places as to compare, but I can say that as a Japanese restaurat is a really nice one.
Try the Udon or the London Mix... my favourites.
As a negative point I have to say that the starters and desserts are really pricy (even though they have a really nice green tea ice cream).

I went there last night and had a lovely time. The staff speak excellent English, though they're all Japanese so makes it feel more authentic. The okonomiyaki is great, as are many of the side dishes (we only tried a few). A fair range of beer and the price for central London is reasonable.
However, and this is important, okonomiyaki may not be to everyone's taste. Antonio blames the restaurant when it's the style of food itself that was the problem. I have tried okonomiyaki in Osaka, and I can promise you there was nothing wrong with what I ate in comparison.
If you want big portions of food, I suggest you try get a Big Mac with large fries. Japanese food only comes in large portions if you go to Wagamama - and that's not even really Japanese food. However, if you like okonomiyaki then Abeno Too is a good place to go.

If you're looking for an okonomiyaki joint in London, the Abeno mini-chain is pretty much it. Not sure what the previous reviewer was expecting, but don't come with hopes of refined kaiseki cuisine. Abeno specialises in more homely fare, from the warm, soulful and slightly inebriated end of Japanese dining experiences that very rarely make it over here. It does a pretty good, if a bit pricey, transposition/translation job too. An extra star if the nostalgia gremlins are messing (in a good way) with my tatsebuds.

Easily THE WORST FOOD I have ever eaten in my life! Went there last month for my wife's birthday. We both love Japanese food - however this is not the Japanese fare you would expect... The pancakes cooked in front of you (which is what they specialise on) are the worst value for money/most tasteless food you will ever try - especially if you are after the delicate usual Japanese flavours! We had to cover them in mayonnaise and ketchup (which I don't even eat with chips!) to give them some flavour... Disgusting!!! Wouldn't recommend to my worst enemy...

Waited quite some time without being aknowledged. Once we got our table the service was good but quite slow. The food was very very tasty but extremely expensive for what we got. We ordered a chicken dish (cooked on a hot plate on our table) and it cost £17.80. When the food came to the table I was shocked to see that it was 1 chicken breast, some beansprouts and a couple other bits of chopped veg. They were cooked in front of us in some butter and sauce & although they tasted good, and the chicken was organic, there is no way that it was worth that much. Apparently, organic chicken is hard to come by in London and that's why it's so expensive! It was a fun place, good novelty factor, but a total rip off for many of the dishes. Choose carefully.