I came all the way to Abiko in Sumiyoshi-ku, Osaka City, and thought it would be a waste to just have ramen! I searched for a place where I could drink as well. During this time, when the COVID-19 situation was relatively calm, I was able to drop by a place called "Monja & Abiko Wine Sakaba Nishiya," conveniently located about a 3-minute walk from Abiko Station on the Osaka Metro. The exterior of the restaurant is a small, cozy place surrounded by vinyl sheets, giving off a bustling bar-like atmosphere. However, as soon as I stepped inside, I was greeted by a stylish space with a long iron counter that resembled a wine bar, creating a chic atmosphere. The monja here is said to go well with wine, but I decided to start with a cold beer to cheers to the occasion. Since it was my first time at the restaurant, I was a bit confused by the menu, but the friendly staff recommended some dishes for me. They kindly suggested that I try about 3 pieces of monja if I was feeling hungry. Even though I had just eaten ramen at another place as my first stop, the staff assured me that I could try one piece first and then decide if I wanted to have a second one after consulting with my stomach. How kind! I was impressed by this, especially with the increasing trend of single orders or one dish per person at many restaurants. It's nice to have options when you want to eat a little more at a second place. The Salt Hormone Monja was cooked right in front of me on the hot iron plate by the skillful staff. Watching the live cooking performance was enjoyable! The Hormone was tender and delicious, with plenty of it in the dish. I quickly finished it and ordered a second piece. The Tomato, Cheese, and Avocado Rice Monja was another dish the staff prepared on the sizzling iron plate. It was like a risotto with a rich tomato sauce, creamy avocado, and generous shavings of cheese on top. Pairing it with red wine was a great choice. The staff mentioned that there is always a sommelier present, and the wine was delicious. What stood out was the care taken when serving the wine, including tasting it and checking the cleanliness of the glass before pouring. I could feel their love for wine. The Rice Monja was exquisite, and I found myself wanting a third piece! If I ever come back to Abiko, I will definitely visit this place again. It was a delightful evening, and I was happy to have discovered such a wonderful restaurant! Thank you for the meal.

A friend invited me to this restaurant and the food was so delicious that I keep going back! I went three times with my coworkers from the same workplace! I went again yesterday! The Porcini Monja I had for the first time was apparently a unique dish, but it was so delicious that I ordered it again yesterday. Also, the Seafood Garlic Rice was incredibly tasty and all my colleagues agreed it was delicious! I have a shrimp allergy, so I always have my colleagues try it for me! The atmosphere is great and the owner is friendly and funny, so I highly recommend it!

There were many delicious variations of monjayaki, and all of them were incredibly tasty! The spicy monjayaki was a level 2 spiciness, and the chili peppers on top were more for decoration than for flavor. I feel like I could have one more serving! The wine was also delicious, with many easy-to-drink options.

My partner and I visited this restaurant and were seated at the counter. It quickly became full and there was a line outside. We ordered the following items: Spicy Ramen Monja for 1,210 yen, Nishiya Potatoes with Spicy Cod Roe and Mayonnaise for 1,485 yen, Oyster and Octopus Carpaccio, and some mysterious potatoes. The octopus was okay but the potatoes were confusing. The atmosphere was nice and I would like to visit again.

Today, I went to Abiko to have a meal at Monja & Abiko Wine Sakaba Nishiya. The facade of the restaurant is appealing to me as a fan of deep places. After passing through the entrance, there are several terrace seats, and beyond that, there is a counter with neatly arranged teppanyaki plates. We were guided to a seat in the back. I started with a draft beer. I asked the staff about the volume of Monja, and they said that usually, about 3 types are shared between 2 people. They suggested trying one dish at a time and adding more later if there is room. So, I ordered the negi-shio horumon monja, which seemed to go well with beer. The staff skillfully cooked the monja in front of us on the teppanyaki plate. The negi-shio horumon monja was delicious with the perfect balance of saltiness and the refreshing acidity of lemon, making it a great match with beer. We quickly finished it. Next, at my partner's request, we tried the tomato, cheese, and avocado rice monja. The rice and white sauce were sautéed first, then a rich tomato sauce was added and finished with cheese shavings and basil sauce. We paired it with wine. I chose red wine because of the shrimp in the dish, while my partner chose white wine because of the white sauce and cheese. It was delicious and went well with both red and white wine. Monja-yaki, not commonly eaten in Kansai, turned out to be a surprise hit for us. It's a must-try, regardless of preconceptions about the dish. The staff and atmosphere were excellent, so I highly recommend this place. It's already very popular locally, but it's a hidden gem.

At "Monja & Abiko Wine Sakaba Nishiya," we had a light second round. In Osaka, known for takoyaki and okonomiyaki culture, I thought monjayaki didn't have much presence, but when we arrived, the table seats were already full. Looking at the menu, there were plenty of options other than monjayaki as drinking snacks! As the place is called a wine sakaba, it seems more like they offer monjayaki as a type of drinking appetizer rather than being a monjayaki specialty store. Being already full from the first place, we ordered a unique monjayaki called "Quattro Formaggi" with four types of cheese. It was made in front of us and then torched on the surface. Finished with a generous drizzle of honey, it was delicious! It was nice to enjoy it slowly while sipping on drinks as the hot plate kept it warm. Even though we were already full from the monjayaki, we couldn't resist and also ordered a 1-pound steak, which was different from the tender Japanese beef and had a hearty texture. It was also delicious.

I have been going to this restaurant for a long time. Everything is delicious, but the miso sauce for the motsunabe is on the sweeter side and incredibly tasty, so I always order it when I go. The hearty meat dishes are also delicious, and the monja, which is in the name of the restaurant, is also tasty. Desserts like monja are now available at other restaurants, but I remember being shocked by how delicious it was when I first tried it here. It's a restaurant I want to visit regularly.

It's about a 4-5 minute walk from Myoden Station. I like the Carbonara Monja. The Chicken Thigh with Green Onion Ponzu is also delicious. And of course, the Harami Steak is a must-try. When I was younger, I used to bring girls I met here and they always enjoyed it. It has a trendy atmosphere and a good selection of drinks.

My family of 5 went to eat. The 1-pound harami steak was delicious♪

The food here is incredibly delicious! To put it modestly, it's the best I've ever had. In particular, the mapo tofu monja and negi shio horumon monja are outstanding! The side dishes are also on a high level, with the harami steak pairing perfectly with red wine!

I went for the first time with my boyfriend and I was impressed by the delicious food, especially the monjayaki that I tried for the first time. I will definitely go back!

The alcohol menu was extensive, and of course, the Monjayaki was delicious and satisfying. The staff was friendly and made the experience enjoyable.

Monja is delicious!!

Lunch at Abiko! This is a monjayaki restaurant. They don't have teppanyaki menu for lunch. I was also curious about the curry, but I ordered the steak lunch. The steak lunch costs 900 yen. It comes with a soup with mitsuba (Japanese wild parsley), which is not shown in the photo. Sweet Manjū chili peppers and plenty of meat! The rice portion was generous, making it a bit of a challenge to finish. The meat was tender and delicious. You can also turn it into ochazuke by adding the broth halfway through. Coffee was included, but it tasted like kids' coffee (?) Recently, I found out that this place is a sister store to the newly opened oyster shack called Munchan. I haven't been there yet though. If you post on social media, you get a 100 yen discount. Monja & Abiko Wine Sake Bar Nishiya (2013.12.03) Monja & Abiko Wine Sake Bar Nishiya (2012.11.04)

I had been living a frugal life for a while and was starting to feel a bit down, so I decided to treat myself to some tonkatsu for lunch. I searched online and found a highly-rated restaurant in Abiko, so I went for a walk to check it out. Along the way, I saw a sign for steak donburi and couldn't resist (I'm a meat lover). Even though I was in the mood for tonkatsu, I was drawn to the steak and ended up going back to the restaurant. It was already past 1:30 pm, but they were serving lunch until 2:30 pm, so I ordered a regular steak donburi. The meal came with soup and pickles, and halfway through, the server suggested pouring some of the soup over the rice to make it like ochazuke. The steak was thinner and smaller than I expected, but it was tender and tasty. I enjoyed trying different ways to eat it, both as is and with the soup. I finished the meal feeling satisfied, although I wished it was a bit cheaper. The meal also came with iced coffee, which was a nice touch. Overall, I had a good experience and even thought about coming back for monjayaki in the evening, as the restaurant seemed to offer a variety of delicious dishes.

Monja & Abiko Wine Sakaba Nishiya Theme: Gourmet - Abiko/Nagai I visited this place for the second time since the last opening. Last time I only ordered appetizers. This time I tried the monja. I ordered the carbonara monja and kinako mochi monja. The beer was ice cold and only 390 yen, which is cheap. But I found out that if I had come three days later, it would have been half price for their 1st anniversary. I also ordered the seafood tororo okonomiyaki, which was a bit different than I expected, but still fluffy and delicious. The carbonara monja was not as flavorful as I had hoped. It got burnt quickly, so I had to eat it fast. The kinako mochi monja was impressive. It's amazing what they can do with monja. It's a dessert monja made by melting thin mochi on a hot plate. It was really delicious. Overall, I would rate it 2.0 out of 5.

First, I ordered a bottle of wine for 3100 yen. Soon after, the waiter came back and informed me that they were out of that particular wine, but they had other options available. When I asked if they could offer me a different wine for the same price, they said it was not possible, so I decided to order a draft beer instead. I also ordered the Avocado, Tofu, and Negitoro Wasabi dish for 680 yen, which consisted of tofu topped with unripe avocado and fresh Negitoro on top, sprinkled with bonito flakes and served with dipping sauce. It was tasty, but I felt it would be better priced at around 480 yen without the full tofu block. The Nishiya Monja for 750 yen had a simple appearance but was delicious, with a perfect texture without the need to create a levee. The Anchovy Potato for 480 yen was delightful, especially when eaten on a piece of bread. The Soba Meshi for 750 yen took about 25 minutes to be served, but it arrived in about 20 minutes after ordering. It had a fried egg on top, resembling a Nasigoren, and the soba noodles were unusually long, ranging from 1 to 5 cm in length. It also included bits of bonito flakes, which added to the flavor. Additionally, a bread basket was brought to our table without us ordering it, but it seemed to be a complimentary item. The beer was reasonably priced, served in a stainless steel mug that kept it cold for longer. Despite being called a wine tavern, the selection of wines was limited, and they had more unique beer options available. Overall, the food was delicious, but the atmosphere was not very welcoming for first-time visitors, so I left shortly after finishing my meal. It might be a better experience for regular customers. Thank you for the meal.

Anchovy Potato (580 yen) - 3.5 stars Salted Seseri (chicken neck) - 3.6 stars Overall rating - 3.6 stars The salted Seseri had a strong garlic flavor and was delicious! Anchovy Potato - 3.4 stars Salted Bean Sprouts - 3.5 stars Nishiya-style Monjayaki with Spicy Cod Roe Mayo - 3.4 stars Overall rating - 3.5 stars I made a reservation and visited on Saturday at 6:10 PM. The restaurant was about 30% full when I arrived, but more people came later. The Anchovy Potato was a bit oily, I prefer the one from Budouya. The Salted Bean Sprouts were very delicious and safe choice. The Nishiya-style Monjayaki with Spicy Cod Roe Mayo was made by the staff and was like a dish between a meal and a snack.