Okonomiyaki, American Village Ichigenya (いちげん屋)

👋 Haisai! I’m CULT.
Today, I’d like to tell you about a must-visit restaurant in Okinawa’s American Village, Ichigenya (いちげん屋). This place primarily serves Japanese mainland cuisine rather than Okinawan dishes. If your first trip to Japan is to Okinawa and you feel it’s quite different from the Japan you imagined, I recommend visiting this spot. You can try many Japanese foods commonly seen in animations and films, and the value for money is excellent, allowing you to enjoy a variety of dishes without any pressure.

📌 Location and Opening Hours

The restaurant is located in Depot Island, American Village, and there is a very spacious car park nearby. However, on weekends, even this large car park can be full, so it’s advisable to park in a nearby public car park. [Google Map] It’s situated in the centre of what looks like a shopping building near the car park on the ground floor, so it shouldn’t be difficult to find. Also, the restaurant is closed every Thursday, and ⏰ opening hours are from noon to 3 PM, and after a break, from 5 PM to 9 PM. Please make sure to check as these hours differ from those on Google Maps. [Google Map]

This is what the front of the restaurant looks like. I’ve visited this restaurant several times already, and I often chat with the owner, who recognises me. However, it was a bit tricky to find on my first visit. It’s helpful to check the centre of the first floor of the shopping complex in advance.

It’s an indoor setting, with a bar table and a table with a teppan where four people can sit around. It seems you can comfortably set it up to accommodate up to eight people.

If you’re visiting with your family, I think the special menu for 2,700 yen, which includes Donpeiyaki, Okonomiyaki, Yakisoba, and two drinks, is a good option. Since I always visited alone, such a menu felt a bit much for me, so I kept ordering individual dishes. On my first visit, I only ordered Okonomiyaki and a zero cola.

• Okonomiyaki 800 yen
• Zero Cola 300 yen

Whenever I come here, I always order a Coke Zero, but in Okinawa, they don’t seem to stock it very well. At the restaurants I’ve visited multiple times, I hint that if they want to attract Korean customers, having zero-calorie drinks is essential. I really hope there will be more zero-calorie drinks available in Okinawa.

🫓 Ichigenya’s Signature Dish: Okonomiyaki

You can watch the making of okonomiyaki in real-time like this. I think that’s why I often visit Ichigenya. When I visited, they were even teaching a junior staff member how to cook. It was a delightful experience for the eyes.

You can watch the process of making okonomiyaki in real-time like this. It seems like something you could make at home. Personally, I often chop a lot of cabbage at home. With some egg batter and bacon, it seems quite easy, doesn’t it? Oh, but I don’t have a griddle.

Then they place it on the hot plate in front of my table… Unfortunately, I didn’t capture that moment. Please make sure to check out the other photos below. The okonomiyaki at Ichigenya is delicious. Above all, it’s a Japanese dish that’s not commonly found in Okinawa. I always feel that Okinawa is Okinawa and Japan is Japan. I see Okinawa and Japan as separate entities.

🍜 Ichigenya’s Yakisoba

On my next visit, I pondered over trying a different menu. This time, I decided to order yakisoba. I dine out almost every day to write articles about Okinawa’s best eateries, and while I’ve had Okinawa-style yakisoba many times, it’s rare to come across the mainland-style yakisoba. So, I was delighted to order the mainland-style yakisoba.

• Yakisoba 800 yen

Yakisoba is served on a plate rather than on a table grill. I think it would have been more difficult to eat if it were served on a grill. The combination of meat, cabbage, soy sauce, and noodles in yakisoba is always delicious. Add some spam to this, and it becomes Okinawa yakisoba 😙

I’ve captured these detailed aspects as well. Since it’s a noodle dish that’s easy to enjoy, I think it’s a good idea to order it alongside okonomiyaki. Plus, it’s not spicy, so it’s suitable for Westerners or people from the Middle East too.

🍳 Donpeiyaki

Next is Donpeiyaki. It’s an Osaka dish made with thin pork wrapped in an omelette. You can also watch it being cooked in real-time.

• Donpeiyaki 800 yen

Once it’s ready, it will be served on your table like this. You can take a portion onto your plate and enjoy.

Is this really pork? It seems quite thin. Still, I think it’s perfect as a beer snack… Unfortunately, I drove here, so I can’t have any beer. Next time, I’ll stay near American Village and focus on introducing you to some great snacks to enjoy with drinks. 🍶

🥚 Omelette Yakisoba

On my next visit, I decided to try the omelette yakisoba. It’s nothing too special, just yakisoba wrapped in an omelette, and you can enjoy it by paying an additional 150 yen on top of the basic yakisoba.

• Yakisoba 800 yen + Omelette style 150 yen

You can indeed watch the cooking process in real-time. Then, the completed yakisoba is placed on the egg wrap to shape it. This part was finished by a staff member working at Ichigenya. The owner was continuously instructing on how it should be done.

Then, it is brought to the table like this. You can share it nicely among yourselves.

When cut in half, it looks like this, and I served myself a portion on a small plate and enjoyed it. It had a different charm compared to regular yakisoba.

🥓 Samgyeopsal (Pork Belly)

Next, I found something different on the menu. This time, it’s pork belly. The pork belly is already lightly salted, and with a bit of chojang, dipping it in the sauce makes it… delicious. It’s common sense that grilled pork belly can’t be anything but tasty.

• Pork belly 900 yen

The pork belly is thin, so it cooks faster than you might expect. If you combine it well with the chilli paste and cabbage… it’s delicious. The chilli paste isn’t spicy at all, so even Westerners, South Asians, or people from the Middle East can enjoy it easily.

🥬 Kimchi Fried Rice

There was something unusual on the menu, so I decided to give it a try. It’s kimchi fried rice, but it’s listed as “kimuchi.” Well, that can happen. I see kimchi and kimuchi as separate dishes. Kimchi is a Korean dish, while kimuchi is more like a salad adapted in Japan.
Anyway, it’s a dish I have no expectations for. However, since everything I’ve tried so far has been delicious, I’m curious to see how they make it.

• Kimchi Fried Rice 900 yen

Once it’s ready, it will be brought right to your table. It’s great for sharing with several people.

It’s naturally delicious when enjoyed with a fried egg with a soft-cooked yolk.

As for the taste… it doesn’t quite match the kimchi fried rice flavour that Koreans are familiar with. Being Korean, when I tried it, I thought… you know when babies move on from baby food to eating a bit of rice or porridge? It feels just like that. It’s simply… like fried rice with a savoury touch and vegetables. So, for Korean taste buds, it might seem quite bland. However, for Japanese people or Westerners who aren’t fond of spicy food, it would be something they can enjoy without any trouble.

So, it’s even more delicious when enjoyed in collaboration with pork belly. I found it incredibly tasty this way.

After finishing the meal, this is what it looks like. There’s a hot plate in front of the table like this, which keeps the food warm continuously. In the case of pork belly, you can even cook it. How about sitting in front of the hot plate with your family and enjoying a variety of dishes?

Today, I’ve left a review about the restaurant Ichigenya in American Village. If you’re unsure about where to eat in American Village, consider giving it a visit. I think you’ll feel like you’ve truly arrived in Japan, rather than Okinawa.
I’ll wrap it up here and return tomorrow with more Okinawa travel information. Matayasai 👋

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