Okinawa American Village 'Ichigenya (いちげん屋)' — I sat in front of the teppan and cooked okonomiyaki myself

In Chatan American Village, just next to the observation wheel, there's a red noren hanging in the second floor corridor of the shopping mall. Written in gold letters: お好み焼・鉄板焼 いちげ…

Okinawa · Ichigenya

In Chatan American Village, just next to the observation wheel, there's a red noren hanging in the second floor corridor of the shopping mall. Written in gold letters: お好み焼・鉄板焼 いちげん屋. I was looking for a place to have dinner after parking our rental car, and this caught my eye. Even if you don't know the name, quite a few people pass by and enter after seeing this single piece of fabric. We did too.

Waiting begins in front of the noren

There's a clipboard at the entrance. You write your name and the number of people and wait. When we went, there were already about a dozen teams' names filled in. Staff calls people in order, so you can walk around nearby, but if you go too far, you might miss your turn. It's better to go without expecting to get a seat right away during dinner hours. We waited about 40 minutes.

There's plenty to see while waiting. To the right of the entrance, there's a menu photo board with prices attached, so you can pre-select your order. Based on what I saw in the photos, there's pizza-style yaki for 800 yen, negiyaki for 730 yen, gyros (beef tongue and short rib cuts) for 800 yen, and sujikon with kimchi for about 800 yen. These are prices from when I visited, so it's best to double-check current prices on the spot.

Looking inside, each table has a teppan grill embedded in it, and the walls are packed from top to bottom with papers written by customers. It's more like a guestbook than graffiti. There are mostly 4-person tables and a counter as well. Staff in black t-shirts with the store logo move quickly through the narrow corridor. Despite being in the heart of a tourist area, the atmosphere is much closer to a small teppan shop in an Osaka back alley.

Once you sit in front of the teppan, the cooking is up to you

When you sit down, the ingredients come out in a bowl, mixed with batter, cabbage, and fillings. Staff sometimes prepares the first one, but basically, customers pour it themselves, flip it, and brush on the sauce. That's the fun of this place. I missed the timing to flip it and one side got a bit burnt, but that burnt part actually tasted the best.

Rather than finely julienning the cabbage, they cut it thick, so when you chew it, the crispy texture remains intact. The batter isn't heavy, so even if two people share one serving, it doesn't get boring. The sauce is sweet and rich. They drizzle mayonnaise in a crosshatch pattern and scatter aonori, and that's it. Watching the bonito flakes tremble in the heat of the teppan makes you want to take a photo.

We also ordered monjayaki. Those who only know okonomiyaki are confused at first. It's a runny batter poured on the teppan in a donut shape, with a moat built around it, then broth poured inside to simmer. Even when it's done, it doesn't come off like a pancake. The standard way is to press it on the teppan with a small spatula and scrape off the slightly pressed edges to eat. My first-time companion kept asking, "Is this actually cooked?" It is. The crisped edges taste the best.

Location and how to get there

American Village is 40–50 minutes by rental car from Naha Airport via Route 58. The parking lots are spacious and free throughout the complex. However, during evening hours, the parking lot near the observation wheel fills up first, so it's faster to park a block away and walk. It's within a 5-minute walk.

When you leave after eating, it's already dark blue outside. The iconic giant observation wheel of American Village lights up with purple and blue LEDs and starts rotating, and the signs for OUTLET-J and Carnival Park below light up as well. Taking a walk around this area on a full stomach is the perfect evening itinerary for the neighborhood.

Good to know before you go

• Waiting is standard. To avoid evening peak hours, aim for right after opening or after 8:30 PM.
• You need to write your name on the clipboard at the entrance first for your turn to start. Just standing around won't get you anywhere.
• The menu board is posted outside the entrance with photos, so you can pre-select while waiting and order as soon as you sit down.
• The seats in front of the teppan are hot. Long sleeves are not recommended in Okinawa summer.
• Monjayaki is completely different from okonomiyaki. I recommend trying both and comparing.
• Card and electronic payment stickers are posted, but it's safer to double-check payment methods on-site.

Restaurants in tourist areas tend to be pricey, but here you can get one serving for around 800 yen. Including cooking time, you'll be sitting for over an hour, so it's good to allow extra time. Next time I go to Okinawa, I think I'll be writing my name on that clipboard again.