Tweet

Pocket

Horaiya is the kind of casual little restaurant that fills up each evening with locals who come in to grab a drink and a bite of Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki, a local Hiroshima dish so beloved in Japan that it’s now found all over the country. Of course, the best places to try okonomiyaki are local spots like Horaiya, where owner Yorimasa Okamura carefully piles layers of thinly fried batter, egg, shredded cabbage, wheat noodles, and sliced pork (or other toppings) on the griddle, finishing the dish with a good layer of local Carp brand okonomiyaki sauce. But Horaiya isn’t just any old okonomiyaki shop―not only does the restaurant make some of the best okonomiyaki in Miyoshi, but they’ve helped make a mark on the history of this beloved local food.

Horaiya is actually a family business started in 1977, but Okamura went to work in Tokyo as a young man and never intended to take over the restaurant, until the passing of his mother left an empty spot at the griddle that he felt moved to take over. After practicing hard at the okonomiyaki-making techniques that had been passed down over the years, and adding a little innovation of his own, Okamura has kept ahold of old regulars and brought new life to his mother’s little okonomiyaki spot. Diners rave about the texture of the noodles used―Okamura uses fresh noodles in the okonomiyaki, instead of pre-cooked ones, which lends them an especially satisfying chew!

But the real ingenuity of Horaiya came when Okamura met with a Miyoshi childhood friend, Daichi Egusa, and the two of them worked together to perfect the recipe for the “karamen” noodles now made across the street at noodle factory Egusa Shoten. Egusa had already begun developing the spicy chili-pepper flavored noodles that have since become a smash hit around Miyoshi, but Okamura helped shift the course of karamen from ramen noodles to the kind of noodles used in okonomiyaki, and together they realized they’d hit upon something amazing. After the two men worked together to perfect the flavor of these unique chili noodles, and make them the ideal addition to a batch of Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki, the new dish “karamen-yaki” was born. This dish of okonomiyaki made with karamen was born at Horaiya, but it’s now a go-to favorite for Miyoshi locals, and can be found at okonomiyaki restaurants around the city, and made at home as well!

Between Okamura’s skills on the griddle, and the extra touch of spice that karamen-yaki brings to the menu, Horaiya has become a local success with the power to draw Hiroshima’s okonomiyaki-loving celebrities and athletes from all over the prefecture. But this comfortable little restaurant is the perfect place to sit down at the counter for a cold drink, a plate of the best karamen-yaki in town, hot off the griddle, and a good chat all about the history of Miyoshi’s newest culinary specialty.