Sometaro

Sometaro is an old-school okonomiyaki shack just a few minutes away from the main tourist area of Asakusa. Be warned: there’s no air-conditioning, so it gets super hot in the summer.

[Sometaro - image © Florentyna Leow]

‘Okonomiyaki’ is a mouthful of a word that means ‘cooked as you like.’ It most commonly refers to a savory pancake-like dish consisting of ingredients held together by a thick batter, though styles do vary by region. It’s also often mistranslated as ‘Japanese pizza,’ which is quite a misnomer.

While okonomiyaki is often considered a West Japan dish, there’s a great little place in Asakusa to get your fix. Sometaro has been dishing up tasty okonomiyaki since 1937 from a small wooden shack down a side street in east Tokyo.

Sometaro is popular with locals and tourists alike, and there’s an English menu with pictures that makes ordering much easier. If you’re not familiar with cooking okonomiyaki on the grill by yourself, you can either follow the instructions provided or ask your server to show you how when the ingredients arrive.

Little has changed in the last few decades, including the lack of air-conditioning. It can be sweltering inside the restaurant during the summer months, and Sometaro even puts up an English sign warning potential guests of the fact. Don’t worry - it adds to the atmosphere.

English name:
Sometaro

Japanese name:
染太郎

English address:
2-2-2 Nishiasakusa, Taito-ku, Tokyo, 111-0035

Japanese address:
〒111-0035 東京都台東区西浅草2-2-2

Opening hours:
noon-10:30pm

Price:

Non-smoking section:
No

Reservations:
Possible for 3 or more people on weekdays only

Nearest Transport:
Subway: 4-minute walk from exit 3 of Tawaramachi Station on the Tokyo Metro Ginza line.
Train: 5-minute walk from exit A2 of Asakusa Station on the Tsukuba Express line.

Telephone:
+81-3-3844-9502

Website:
none

Customer Reviews:
Read customer reviews of Sometaro on TripAdvisor.

Near To Here:
Sometaro is located in Tokyo’s Asakusa and Ryogoto district. See our complete list of things to do in Asakusa and Ryogoto, including places to eat, nightlife and places to stay.

More Tokyo Restaurant Recommendations:
See all pizza restaurants we recommend on our Best Pizza in Tokyo page and get the complete list for all cuisines on our Best Tokyo Restaurants page.

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