Okonomiyaki restaurants

I was wondering in Japan at Okonomiyaki restaurants, do you have to make them yourself or the chef makes them for you.

Depends on the restaurant..we have only been to those where the chef makes them. There are many references to restaurants where you make them yourself.

I have tried Okonomiyaki at Fugetsu 風月 restaurant. The waitors will cook the okonomiyaki at your table for you. In Tokyo, I have tried 風月 restaurant at Odaiba Aqua City. In Sapporo, I tried 風月 restaurant at Tanuki-koji 2 (on 3rd floor). This restaurant is well known for Okonomiyaki.

the staff at most okonomiyaki places will make it for you if you don't know how.

The place we went to in Hiroshima, the chefs cooked it on a huge griddle. We sat at the counter right next to the griddle, it was great to watch them cook out food.
Wish we had gotten the name of the place, it was great.

THE city for okonomiyaki is definitely Hiroshima. In the center there is actually an entire building packed with okonomiyaki stalls on multiple floors.

You should also try monjayaki which is kind of similar. Just go to Tsukishima district in Tokyo and walk down the main street where you will find hundreds of monjayaki restaurants.

I agree with the last comment, the place for okonomiyaki has to be hiroshima. Nothing can beat that special okonomiyaki with soba inside!

if you go to hiroshima, right inside of hiroshima station there's an okonomiyaki restaurant called 'Rei' (麗), it's my favorite and i highly recommend it!

I've been to one of those "cook it yourself" places, or so I think this is the closest you'll get.

The chefs will assemble the okonomiyake and cook it on the main grill of the restaurant. After that, it's brought to our table where the bulk of the table is a large heating surface. It's not so much for cooking as it is for keeping the okonomiyake warm, or cooking it deeper should that be how you like it. You are given plates to use so that you can break off portions and eat while the rest stays warm on the heating surface, though I'd hardly say that you're "cooking" it.