Nishikiwarai Daimarukita

First food experience in Kyoto and okonomiyaki in Japan and happy to say that it was a great one!
I ordered a combination (shrimp, squid, pork) okonomiyaki with radish sprouts. The server brought it pre made in 20 minutes (kind of a long wait, but worth it when you don’t know how to make the pancake yourself haha)! It was delicious and piping hot since it was kept on the hot plate at the table.
Only comment is that we wish the restaurant did not allow smoking. It really ruins the flavor of food when you’re inhaling secondhand smoke from other tables. Also, we would have liked more water refills ;)

All I can say is awesome Okonomiyaki! We were looking around for a restaurant that served this dish and this restaurant did not disappoint. It was excellent!
The prices were reasonable and the service was very friendly.

Kinda bummed that I didn’t get to cook it myself. There were different types and you can tell that there are westernized styled okonomiyaki for all types of tastes.

We stopped in at Nishikiwarai because it serves Okonomoyaki — a type of Japanese cuisine rarely seen in the U.S. It is right outside the Nishiki Market, so it was an easy stop for lunch after a morning of shopping.
Okonomoyaki roughly translates to «Grilled as you want.» They begin with a savory pancake batter made with cabbage, dashi, eggs, and yam. Then, they add ingredients or toppings «as you want.»
Typically, you can cook your Okonomoyaki on the teppanyaki grill at your table. However, as westerners with no experience, they prepared the Okonomoyaki for us and then served them on the teppanyaki. Contrary to what other reviewers have said, I saw other tables preparing their own Okonomoyaki at the table, so let them know if you want to cook your own. They will bring you the batter and ingredients.
We ordered a wonderful Okonomoyaki with shrimp mixed into the batter topped with sprouts and a traditional Okonomoyaki topped with Okonomoyaki sauce, Kewpie Mayo, pork belly and a fried egg.
It was wonderful. Forget what you think when you think western pancakes. This is a savory dream come true, and a fine meal.
The one downside is that they allow smoking and when we asked for a non-​smoking table, they had to work to accommodate us. Not a deal breaker for me, but if you are very sensitive to smoke, you should find a different Okonomoyaki place. But, find one! Okonomoyaki is hard to find in the U.S., and you will be better for experiencing it.

Best option in Kyoto. Small mid-​level décor. Cute Japanese setting. They don’t prepare it at the table but they bring it out to put directly on your hot grill.

Okonomiyaki (basically a japanese style pizza) is the specialty of this chain restaurant.
The food is quite delicious and inexpensive. Be sure that you have enough room, since a single okonomiyaki is easily enough for two people. There is lots of variety in the ingredients you can put into your okonomiyaki, so this is a dish that is suitable for anyone. Note that it takes about 25 minutes to cook at your table.
This location is conveniently next to the Nishiki fish market.
They do have an English menu. The waitstaff has very limited English, but is friendly and helpful.