Japanese Pizza at Japonica on Taylor Street

Had to try "Okanomyaki" (Japanese Pizza) at little Japonica on Taylor Street after I saw a piece about it on NBC5 with Art Norman.

It was a great and unique addition to the golden age of pizza we're currently experiencing in Chicago. Native Japanese were in the place enjoying "their pizza". Be warned , it is only served on Thursday and Friday nights.

Welcome to LTH, and thanks for the post. Wikipedia's take on the dish with a variant spelling:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Okonomiyaki

A "chef" at Benihana in Lombard made us individual pancakes with hoisin, scallions, and shrimp as a topping (on a crispy batter made right on the griddle) as a special appetizer a few years ago. I've never had a full-on authentic version but noticed it was on the specials menu at Momotaro as well.

Robert Scarola wrote:Had to try "Okanomyaki" (Japanese Pizza) at little Japonica on Taylor Street after I saw a piece about it on NBC5 with Art Norman.

I've never had okonomiyaki in Chicago--it's good to know a place that offers it. I was just in Melbourne (Australia), and okonomiyaki is everywhere. It makes for a nice, lighter meal. Okonomiyaki is pretty different from but makes me think of a Spanish tortilla. I only saw and tried the Kansai style in Melbourne, but I've been thinking about trying to make my own. It's the type of thing I can see making a huge mess on the griddle (flipping has never been a forte), but otherwise it seems easy enough to recreate.

Here are some okonomiyaki cooling at a stall at Melbourne's Suzuki Night Market:

The traditional Okonomiyaki isn't pizza per se, it's more like a pancake (more description in the link posted above). It usually starts w/ a cabbage and and batter based "base", cooked slowly to solidify, then you pile on your choices of ingredients and finish the topping off w/ Japanese mayo and okonomiyaki sauce. I have not found any in Chicago area that even comes close to the ones I've had in Osaka (pictured below), including my own kitchen .


I'll be checking this place out and report back.

I used to regularly get this dish at several different sushi restaurants in Dallas. I've never seen it in Chicago though. Thanks for the lead. I like a good Okonomiyaki as a diversion every once in a while.

Isn't one of the stalls at Mitsuwa's food court primarily dedicated to okonomiyaki?

Dmnkly wrote:Isn't one of the stalls at Mitsuwa's food court primarily dedicated to okonomiyaki?

Yep, I was just about to post that. It's the second one from the right (just after the ice cream place).

They serve it at Dodo (or used to, not sure if it will be at the new location). I thought it was fine but could be cooked a bit more. Never had it in Japan

See below

You all should take Robert Scarola's post (his first one no less, always a tip-off) as a shill for a friend.

I know because I ate at Japonica last year and the owner told me how he was proud that he was good friends with Scarola who was co-writing Alpana Singh's book Alpana Pours.

That being said, Japonica was pretty satisfying when I ate there last year, and it hasn't gotten a lot of play on the board. I really liked the "dynamite" dishes, which were kind of a casserole covered with a broiled crunchy tobikko and chili mayo sauce.

MJN ("AKA" Michael Nagrant ) Thanks for the tip-off about Japonica's owner overselling a relationship with me that is far from "good" friendship. While writing "Alpana Pours" with Alpana Singh we visted Japonica two times. We did promise the owner (who for obvious reasons was thrilled to see Alpana visit his place twice) access to an autographed copy of the book when it came out. Subsequent to that -- he paid for an autographed copy of the book which was sent to him by our publisher, and I did eat there after that as Japonica is a good little restaurant. When I saw the piece on NBC5 about Okonomiyaki at Japonica I was happy for them and had to try it as I do every new pizza in town I can get my hands on. The lesson here... everyone likes to claim to be a "good friend" of celebrities -- or close collegaues of celebrities (like me) -- when it serves their purposes.

cilantro wrote:

Dmnkly wrote:Isn't one of the stalls at Mitsuwa's food court primarily dedicated to okonomiyaki?

Yep, I was just about to post that. It's the second one from the right (just after the ice cream place).

That place also makes an outstanding tonkatsu and katsu curry -- best deal in the food court for $5

I'll second that notion about Mitsuwa having good Okonomiyaki. That stall is a big favorite with my friends for all their dishes.

I was surprised by the title of this thread since a few months ago I tried the Japanese "pizza" at Tsuki on Fullerton. That is definitely _not_ Okonomiyaki but more of a traditional pizza dough with quasi-Japanese ingredients on top. Stay away - it's not worth it. The other menu items there are pretty good, even if they are on the end of the spectrum of Japanese-places-that-try-to-hard-to-be-hip.

J

Japonica sushi on Taylor street in Little Italy is no more.

One can still get their Okonomiyaki fix on the north side. Hamamatsu in Andersonville has Okonomiyaki on their appetizer menu in both seafood and vegetarian versions.

Hamamatsu
5143 NORTH CLARK ST.
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS 60640
773 506 2978

Thank you!