Pukuichi Toritsudaigaku

Fun local spot that is popular for Okonomiyaki. Not much English spoken here but the menu is pretty easy to translate. Always seems busy for dinner. They recently added an outside table. Smoking is allowed here 🚬

Great okonomiyaki. Got the pork one from the front of the menu. Loved every bite. Fun to sit at the grill and watch everything get made.

Every time I passed by Pukuichi, I thought it was a thriving shop.

With the door open and the interior open, you can see everything inside, making this a lively teppanyaki restaurant.

On this day, we had a special seat where you could go to the counter and watch the food being cooked right in front of you.

Everything is delicious, and I think draft beer is the best at a place like this in the summer.

It was my first time to eat Fuchuyaki in Hiroshima.
If you eat at the counter, they will serve it straight from the iron plate.

The grilled squid was plump and perfect as a snack!

I went on a Sunday after 5pm, but I think it's best to make a reservation.

It's probably popular because of its location, which is located near Tokyo Metropolitan University Station, but has a back alley feel, and its no-frills, Showa-era retro atmosphere. Whenever I pass by, I get the impression that there are always people gathering. It's open until midnight, so I went in by myself late at night. Counter seats, of course. I think it's pretty good because you can watch the food being cooked right in front of you. The customer base is mostly young people and groups from nearby workplaces, but there are also a few older men drinking alone.
As for drinks, beer, hoppy, and sour drinks would probably be enough for a restaurant like this, but they also had all the major cocktails, (cheap) shochu, and sake. Well, I guess something like a pickled plum sour or a highball would be fine.
The teppanyaki menu is quite extensive, and this time I only ordered grilled sinew cabbage and soup stock rolls with mentaiko (I forgot to take a photo), but of course there were grilled meats and seafood, as well as chijimi, teyaki, and snacks. There was also Neapolitan and garlic rice.
It was my first time to try the main dish, Fuchuyaki. Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki has also evolved in a unique way in Bingo-Fuchu City, using minced meat instead of pork belly and giving the noodles a crispy, oil-fried finish. To be honest, I didn't really like the crunchy noodles because it felt like eating candy, but if you can't get enough of this, there are probably only a few restaurants in Tokyo where you can get it, so you'll probably like it.
The fact that smoking is allowed inside the restaurant and only cash is allowed is quite a disadvantage, but if you think of it as a restaurant that has its own specialties, and the food and atmosphere are appealing enough to overcome the negative points, then there won't be any problems. However, for me, the customer service, atmosphere, and food quality were all average or worse, so I didn't think I'd definitely want to go there again.
If you're looking for the same junky downtown bar atmosphere, I'd choose Monja. Sorry for being a Tokyoite.