A note on the words: monjayaki (often just monja) is a Tokyo griddle dish of runny, dashi-seasoned batter with chopped cabbage and fillings, spread on a tabletop iron griddle (teppan) and eaten straight off the iron with small spatulas. Here the writer cooks a seafood-and-pork Mixed Monja and a pork-and-Camembert version, topped with crunchy Baby Star snack noodles that soften in the sauce. Teppanyaki means food grilled on that same iron; oshinko are Japanese pickled vegetables, here pickled in-house.
Teppan Sakedokoro Hanaya on Tabelog (English) — opening hours, payment details and the Japanese address are kept up to date there, not here.
Thanks for waiting, fellow drinkers! It’s time for Hangover Meshi!
I have been a bit into monja (monjayaki, a runny savory batter cooked on a tabletop griddle and eaten off the iron with small spatulas) lately. Since I went to another monja spot in Kamiitabashi called Janjan the other day, I decided to try a different place this time. This shop is about a three-minute walk from the north exit of Kamiitabashi Station on the Tobu Tojo Line. Teppan Sakedokoro Hanaya was reportedly opened in 2004 by the wife, and they say the “Hana” in the shop’s name comes from her given name, Hana. Now the couple run the place together, and the husband is reportedly a former manager of a long-established Italian restaurant. Perhaps because of that, even though it is a teppanyaki (iron-griddle) restaurant-bar, there is a full lineup of wines and cocktails, and the menu has a slightly stylish touch to it.
I walked in right as they opened at 17:00, so at first I had the place all to myself!
Apparently you can have the staff cook for you, but I told them I would do the cooking myself!
Now then, once you take your seat, this has to come first, right?
A highball (whisky soda)!
Then the otoshi (a small appetizer you’re charged for — it’s not a scam, it’s the cover charge) comes out.
This place apparently sources its vegetables from a local organic farm, and it seems they take real care with their produce — the vegetables are delicious. You really can tell they are a little different.
First up is the arabiki (coarse-ground) sausage as a drinking snack. Juicy fat bursts right out from the coarse-ground meat!
Seeing that they use local organic vegetables, I also ordered the grilled vegetables — a teppanyaki assortment of five or more seasonal vegetables. When it is grilled on the iron with a pat of butter, the natural sweetness of each vegetable comes right to the fore. The sweet potato is fluffy and sweet, and the onion is spot on. The green pepper keeps its pleasant slight bitterness, while the carrot and mushrooms pick up a toasted aroma from the heat of the griddle, all coming together in the mouth with the richness of the butter. Why, these grilled vegetables are actually delicious!
Grilled squid legs (geso) are another dish I cannot pass up! Drop a bit of butter onto the griddle and grill them, and the squid legs take on a plump, springy bite. The more you chew, the more the sweetness of the squid slowly seeps out, and when you dip them in ginger soy sauce, the crisp heat of the ginger leaves the aftertaste light and clean.
These are seriously delicious.
An assortment billed on the menu as “All Homemade!” They apparently pickle each vegetable differently — some with a lively sourness, some gentle in sweet vinegar, and some lightly pickled (asazuke) with a crisp bite — so the flavor shifts with every piece and you never get tired of them. They go wonderfully with drinks.
A glass of sparkling wine filled right to the brim.
It really is filled right to the brim!!!
This lamb was written on the blackboard under “Today’s Recommendations.” The rump is a lean cut near the hindquarters, and they say its appeal is that, with less fat, the flavor of the meat itself comes through firmly. The staff kindly told me that since this one is tricky to cook, they would grill it for me.
Because they seared the outside nicely on the griddle for me, the inside stayed moist and tender. When you bite into it, a faint lamb aroma rises, but it is not overly gamey, and the savory flavor of the lean meat spreads slowly across the palate. It is an approachable flavor even for someone trying lamb for the first time.
The bean sprouts grilled alongside it soak up the meat juices while keeping their crisp crunch — delicious! The shop’s homemade sauce spooned on at the end adds a touch of sweetness that makes the savory flavor of the lean meat stand out all the more. Who would have thought you could eat such a proper steak at a monjayaki shop!
Now for the main event: monja! Packed with pork, shrimp, squid and scallop, this is reportedly one of Hanaya’s popular combinations. I cooked it up briskly myself and scattered Baby Star (Baby Star Ramen, a crunchy Japanese snack noodle) over the top at the end.
When you press the cooked monja against the hot griddle with the small spatula, the savory aroma of scorching sauce rises up. Out of the thick, melty batter come the sweetness of the scallop, the firm bite of the squid and the rich fat of the pork one after another, spreading plenty of seafood umami across the tongue — wonderful. It goes so well with drinks!
I think the Baby Star is what really clinches it! At first it is crunchy, and then as it soaks up the sauce it softens, so the texture keeps changing within a single batch — you should definitely add it!
Wanting just a little more to eat, I ordered one more dish.
According to the menu, it is a combination of “pork and melty Camembert.” I grilled the monja the usual way, wondering when I was supposed to put the Camembert in, and right before it was done I just tossed it in!
Well, if you put it in from the very beginning, it would melt away till you could hardly tell where it went anyway!
Tasting it, the Camembert brings a creamy richness, a gentle saltiness and a burst of that distinctive aroma, turning the monja all at once into something that belongs alongside wine. The batter itself is seasoned lightly, which makes the cheese and the pork fat stand out all the better. Here too, I really think adding Baby Star is the way to go.
So I came to try this griddle pub that has been loved by locals in Kamiitabashi for over twenty years. Beyond okonomiyaki (savory Japanese cabbage pancakes) and monja, from sausages and vegetables grilled on the iron to the daily specials on the blackboard — with that Italian background showing through — the range of drinking snacks is remarkably wide. The vegetables were delicious, the drink selection was generous, and I think it makes for a pretty satisfying visit. I will come again!
Here’s hoping we run into something delicious again today!
Teppan Sakedokoro Hanaya Menu
Okonomiyaki | Popular Combinations at Hanaya
Pork, shrimp, squid, scallop
Large-portion version for sharing with a group
Pork, curry, garlic
No. 1 favorite with kids
Shrimp, squid, scallop, sakura shrimp
Loaded with green onions, served with ponzu (citrus soy sauce)
Standard Okonomiyaki
A slightly smaller size (200 yen off) is also available. Staff will grill it for you on request.
Monja | Popular Combinations at Hanaya
Pork, shrimp, squid, scallop
Pizza-flavored with corn, tomato and green pepper. Cheese topping recommended
Pork and melty Camembert
Standard Monjayaki
Toppings
Available for both okonomiyaki and monja
Foil-Baked & Teppanyaki (Griddle Dishes)
Fluffy, steamed on the griddle
Salmon and vegetables with miso sauce
With homemade salt sauce
With ginger soy sauce
Vegetables & Other Dishes
Five or more seasonal vegetables
Finishing Dishes (Shime)
Griddle risotto billed by the shop as ‘a big hit at Hanaya.’ Cheese topping (+363 yen) recommended
Seafood yakisoba is available for +462 yen
Salads & Bar Snacks
Small size: 473 yen
Desserts
Beer & Highballs
Double: 748 yen. Also available with cola or ginger ale
A 45 ml pour of whisky, slightly strong
Sours & Other Drinks
Chuhai (shochu highball): 440 yen with cut lemon, 616 yen with pickled plum (umeboshi)
Clear, yet tastes like tomato
Ramune soda, Calpis, lychee, peach, Kyoho grape, green apple, lemon
Green apple, peach or Kyoho grape mixed with Calpis
Also available hot
Fruit Liqueurs & Wine
Bottle: 3,630 yen
Half bottle: 1,705 yen / Full bottle: 2,970 yen
Half bottle: 1,903 yen / Full bottle: 3,355 yen
Other bottled wines available (ask staff for details)
Cocktails
Shandy Gaff, Gin and Tonic, Moscow Mule, Campari Soda, Cassis Orange, Framboise Soda, etc.
Soft Drinks
Oolong tea, Calpis, sparkling water, orange juice, cola, ginger ale
*From the in-store menu at the time of our September 2026 visit. Prices include tax, and items change with the seasons. Daily specials on the blackboard are separate. Please check at the restaurant for the latest menu.
Teppan Sakedokoro Hanaya (Okonomiyaki / Kamiitabashi Station)
Tabelog dinner rating ★★★☆☆ 3.5
I ate here and paid for it myself. Nothing on this site is a comped meal.
One more for the road?
