Teppan napolitan!, Yaba Coffee in Nagoya

15/10/2024

Contents

What is teppan napolitan?

First, I need to explain what Teppan Napolitan is. Teppan Napolitan is a pasta dish with a tomato ketchup-based sauce, served on a hot iron plate (referred to as teppan in Japanese). It’s a specialty dish commonly found in Nagoya’s coffee shops. As you can see from the photo, there’s a thin omelet on top of the iron plate, which is being kept warm by the residual heat of the plate while you eat.

Yaba coffee

Yaba Coffee, as the name suggests, is located in Yabacho. It’s right next to the south end of Hisaya Odori Park, across the street from the “Flarie.” For some reason, their Teppan Napolitan is a popular menu item. When I visited, almost all of the Japanese customers were ordering it.

You can choose the size of the Teppan Napolitan, with options like S, M, and L. I went with the M size. Since people in Nagoya tend to prefer stronger flavors, the seasoning was quite salty to match local tastes.

The counter tables have power outlets, so you can charge your phone. However, this café is often busy with families, making it quite noisy, so it’s not the best place for working.