Hiroshima's department-store district, where the okonomiyaki flagship, the small counter kitchens and the office lunch trade all sit within a few blocks.
Mitchan Sohonten in Hiroshima layers cabbage, pork and crisped soba on the teppan at its Hatchobori flagship, the shop whose founder set the postwar template.
Signature: Soba niku-tama, Udon niku-tama, Grilled oysters
Order: Soba niku-tama, the layered pork, cabbage and noodle okonomiyaki
Tip: The counter seats fill before 12:00 on weekends, so arrive at opening or plan a late lunch after 14:00 instead.
Kitchen Minot is a two-table Hatchobori kitchen in Hiroshima where the menu changes constantly between European plates and Japanese small dishes.
Signature: Squid fritters, Miso-stewed chicken skin
Order: Whatever is chalked up that night, plus the squid fritters
Tip: There are only two tables and a counter that wraps the kitchen, so call ahead or come at 18:00 when the door opens.
The Hatchobori flagship of Mitchan Sohonten is the Hiroshima okonomiyaki counter most locals still send first-time visitors to, a brand trading since 1950.
Signature: Soba niku-tama, Grilled oysters, Koune
Order: Soba niku-tama, with grilled oysters alongside at the evening teppan service
Tip: Evening service adds teppanyaki plates of oysters, horumon and koune that the lunch menu does not carry.
Kitchen Minot serves until midnight from a two-table Hatchobori room in Hiroshima, working from a menu that changes from one week to the next one.
Try: Changing European and Japanese plates
Order: Whatever the chef has chalked up, plus the yuzu-kosho
Tip: The room is tiny and closed on Sundays; arriving before 22:00 is the only way to be sure of a seat.