Expats in the kitchen: Flipping for Japanese pancakes in Prague

Like a Czech hospoda via Osaka, Letná’s Okonomiyaki Izakaya fuses specialty cabbage pancakes with beer and sports.

Anica Mancinone

Written by Anica Mancinone Published on 25.01.2025 10:00:00 (updated on 25.01.2025) Reading time: 2 minutes

In Prague, after a long workday, Czechs flock to their hospoda, where flowing drinks, beer snacks, and hearty plates of svíčková create a sense of community.

The concept isn't so different in Osaka, where izakayas—casual Japanese pubs—offer the same lively gathering spots, with beers, bites, and sports on TV. At Letná’s Okonomiyaki Izakaya, Japan's vibrant pub culture is on full display.

With whirring multi-colored lights in the windows and colorful decorations pulled from manga comics and Studio Ghibli films, Okonomiyaki Izakaya exudes the spirit of a quintessential Japanese pub. Since opening four months ago, it’s become a hit with foodies, especially for its star dish—traditional okonomiyaki, or cabbage pancakes.

Meet Takeshi Ito

Chef Hiroki Komiya brought the concept to Prague after debuting the Japanese-style ‘okonomiyaki’ at a cultural festival in 2022, and the izakaya is now run by Takeshi Ito.

With the pub’s long stretching interior, Ito describes the feeling of entering as a “long festival street, similar to those leading to a Japanese shrine,” complemented by street food and celebration.

In Japan, festivals and street food are closely connected to sports, especially sumo. Traditional sumo tournaments are held at shrines to celebrate special occasions, so that connection inspired our concept.

Takeshi Ito

Open late and offering plenty of Japanese whiskies, sake-based drinks, and bottles of Asahi, drinks are sorted at this establishment. But the buzz is coming from one particular menu item—the decadent, flavor-filled okonomiyaki or cabbage pancake.

This traditional Japanese street food features a savory, fluffy wheat flour batter cooked on a flat griddle, loaded with cabbage, meat, and seafood.

Topped with dried bonito flakes, creamy mayonnaise, tangy special sauce, and fresh spring onions, each bite is a perfect blend of crispy, soft, savory, and umami-rich flavors. The curious delicacy, new to many locals, is being well-received according to Ito.

Okonomiyaki Izakaya
Okonomiyaki Izakaya

“For Czech people, it's more familiar to compare it with bramboráky, the potato pancakes. But the Japanese version is made with cabbage instead of potatoes. We did a bit of adjusting for different styles based on feedback, such as the Hiroshima style."

Hiroshima style okonomiyaki is notable for its star component: pork belly, which sits on top of yakisoba noodles and fried egg, and is covered in a delicious special sauce.

At first, we made the traditional version, but we didn’t get much positive feedback. So we adjusted it a bit to better suit Czech tastes. 

Takeshi ito

The most popular pancake is the one topped with seafood, followed by pork, which Ito says is more common in Japan. He notes that the Czech Republic has great quality pork which complements the dish well. Patrons can customize their pancakes, making for interesting flavor combinations.

Okonomiyaki Izakaya
Okonomiyaki Izakaya

Beyond okonomiyaki, the menu is filled with other Japanese dishes, with staples such as gyoza, chicken katsu, udon noodle soup, and octopus balls (takoyaki). Sake cocktails are delicious accompaniments to the gastronomic delights at Okonomiyaki Izakaya.

Tucked between shelves of Japanese craft beer bottles, hanging lanterns, murals of sumo fighters, and tables with miniature pool games and fussball, a visit to this hole-in-the-wall in Prague’s Letná district is a veritable ticket to Osaka.

Okonomiyaki Izakaya is located at Veletržní 820/73, Holešovice. Opening times will change after January and can be found on their Instagram page.

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