Takoyaki Yama-chan in San Jose

As avid Japanese food fan, I must say that I never had Takoyaki. The classic dish was simply amazing. Again, Mitsuwa and its collection of food court restaurants did not disappoint me. Top notch good.

I tried the one in SF before and had a good experience. So I was happy that there is another location in the south bay. But he takoyaki in this location is not freshly made, even though they claimed they are. I ordered 5 pieces tokoyaki and ate them in the food court immediately. The tokoyakis were soggy and cold inside. Added kimchi was $2-3 more. Wouldn’t recommend and won’t come back.

Overall its a cheap Japanese lunch spot which value for money but dont expect to be wowed(except the mochi donut).The star dish here is the mochi donut not the takoyaki.I agree with the comments below that the takoyaki has only one small piece of octopus inside. On the other hand the mochi donut was phenomenal, it was mindblowingly delicious.Also had the okonomiyaki, unfortunately that was also not a pass from me as it was not like a traditional okonomiyaki.

The takoyaki was cold.I like hot takoyaki.The taste was good.The food covered with bean sprouts and eggs containing noodles was also cold.If it was hot, it would have been more delicious, but I think its only hot because they put the food after cooling it down because they packed it and put it in front of them...I hope they sell hot food that hasnt cooled down.

Located in the Mitsuwa food court, Yamachan is a decent option for a quick bite. The line is normally shorter and the food itself is fine. The takoyaki was a little crispy, yet fluffy. They could put more octopus, but for the price, its fair. The staff are nice and patient.

What a let down. The management or owners of this location need a refresher course at Yama-chan academy. First time I came here, the Okonomiyaki equipment was down, fair enough, it happens. Decided to stop by again and was happy to hear they were serving it so I order one and an order of Takoyaki.First the Takoyaki was the Negi (green onion) version but I thought they gave me the wrong order because there were no green onions. I go back to the counter and tell them so they take it back and return it with an excessive amount (you had that feeling it was a vindictive amount) and you could tell they were prepped a long time prior because the ends of the cuts were already partially dried out. The Takoyaki itself was good enough.The Okonomiyaki was a failure. Lets start with the cabbage, either lazy prep, lack of pride, or poor training. Its supposed to be shredded, what I received was larger pieces of chopped, undercooked cabbage (when the pieces are too large they dont cook properly and become nice and tender). The rest just wasnt a cohesive dish that wasnt bound together like it should be. What a disappointment.I know what this companys product should taste like, Ive had it several times in HI and they make it well. This location, but in the same category, youd think it was made by some other entity. Thankfully theres a great place in the south bay for Okonomiyaki which Ill go to, its more expensive but worth the extra cost over this. I hope Yama-chan can address the product quality and serve what I know they are capable of.

Pretty disappointed with my takoyaki. The flavor is good, but definitely not worth $15. I havent tried their okonomiyaki but Im sure its good. Just a little sad that they served me batter balls with just some sauce on it. Perhaps it was a tough day, but I expected more.

If you crave for takoyaki, the Japanese octopus balls, you should come to Takoyaki Yama-chan, which is in the food court inside Mitsuwa.

Super slow service, very starchy with one small piece of octopus, and even with light sauce, was drenched. Expected more crispy texture and instead was overly soggy.

Super busy parking lot and market a line for each food court place. There is down time with zero wait and fast service so do that, Id rather grab and go lunch than wait and go as no time to sit 😉