The Best 10 Places to Eat in Osaka

There is a saying, “Kyoto people spend a lot of money on clothes and Osaka people the same on food” since a long time ago in Japan. Osaka, the “Kitchen of the Nation” has innumerable delicious and cheap foods. Especially, the foods which are cooked, using flour, such as Takoyaki and Okonomiyaki are characteristics. I’m introducing to you the carefully selected local shops which you must visit on your trip to Osaka.

1. Kougaryu

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“Tako-yaki” is a fixed image of Osaka foods. It is a synonymous word for Osaka. The flour dough with a little soup-stock and sliced octopus is baked on a special shaped iron pan. It is a kind of “soul food” for Osaka people. They eat it as a snack after school or with a glass of beer.

The recommended shop for Tako-yaki is “Kougaryu”. It has been a long established Tako-yaki shop since its opening 40 years ago. The head shop is located in the town for younger people, the American Village in Shinsaibashi. The creamy sponge has the fruity sauce, the shaved dried bonito, sprinkled green laver and mayonnaise as toppings and largely sliced octopus inside. It has appeared in the Michelin Guide, Bib Gourmand.

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2. Kiji

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Okonomi-yaki in Osaka is cooked on the iron pan after mixing all the ingredients together. The mixture of various ingredients with the ground yam in the soup and sliced pork on the top is softly cooked on the iron pan. The sauce has a special flavor as well as a bit of a spicy taste.

The especially recommended shop is “Kiji” which offers a modern-styled one. Cooking noodles, using only eggs is called a modern-yaki. The eggs which absorb the soup increase its flavor. This shop has also appeared in the Michelin Guide, Bib Gourmand. As it is a super famous shop, you have to be prepared for standing in a queue. But it is worth visiting.

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3. Dotonbori Imai

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In Japan, various types of udon are found in different places. For the udon in Osaka, the soup is life. The Kansai-styled soup is clear and has a special flavor. The fruity, soft noodles are very palatable and they go down smoothly. The Kansai-styled udon has a special characteristic, but you should try it for yourself.

The “Dotonbori Imai” is strongly recommended! They use the natural kelp from Hokkaido, the ground dried round herring and mackerel from Kyushu for making the soup. The freshness is life for the soup, so it is freshly cooked for every 30 portions. The thick deep fried bean curd, sticky Osaka udon and the secret recipe soup-stock create an exquisite taste. Please try the “Kitsune-udon” at the “Dotonbori Imai”. I’m sure you will like it!

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4. Daruma

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Skewered deep-fried pork is said to have originated when blue-coloured workers ate at the counter standing in the early Showa-era. But now, it is the B-class gourmet for representing Osaka. Both adults and children enjoy them. There is a special Osaka rule, “Don’t dip it in the sauce more than once.” in all the Skewered deep-fried pork shops. So, please abide by it when you eat it!

The most famous shop is the “Daruma”. You don’t have to worry about heart-burn from eating it, because they pay attention to choose the finest oil and batter. There are various types of ingredients for the price, ￥100 and upwards. It is enjoyable to choose one from amongst them. I suggest that you should soak it deeply in the sauce once, not dip!

5. Sora

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There is a Korean Town in Tsuruhashi in Osaka, so you can find a lot of roast beef shops. At every shop, you can enjoy various cuts of beef. Most shops offer fresh good quality Japanese beef for a cheap price. The shops are always crowded with many people.

The “Sora” is a roast beef and grilled pig innards shop in Tsuruhashi. They have a variety of grilled pig innards in a menu which you can’t taste at other shops. They offer them for half-price, so you can enjoy a lot of them.

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6. Dotonbori Kamukura

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Osaka is the birth place of many Japanese instant ramens which have been eaten all over the world now. There is no specifically fixed style in the Osaka ramens. You can enjoy all their free-styled ramens.

Amongst many ramen shops in Osaka, this “Dotonbori Kamukura” is especially recommended. The soup-stock was invented by a French chef. It has the sweetness of vegetables with the light soy-taste base. As it has a lot of Chinese cabbage, it is very healthy. They are open well into the mid-night, so they are convenient for drinkers as the closing food of the day.

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→The 10 Best Ramen Shops You Must Eat in Shinsaibashi, Osaka

7. Kyu Yamutei

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There are innumerable curry & rice shops in Osaka. The office area is a closely contested district for the curry & rice shops. They are competing against each other for the western-styled one, the Sri-Lanka-styled one and the Japanese spicy one.

The most popular one is the “Kyu Yamutei”. The old building in the old shopping street has been renovated as the “Kyu Yamutei”. The medicinal curry & rice cooked without using any flour tastes spicy and has the smooth palate. You can order one portion with the 2 different flavors. The meats have varieties such as beef, pork, chicken, mutton and turkey. They have a lot of seasonal vegetables with them. Please try a different taste of curry & rice.

8. Sushitetsu

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Many people have the image that “Sushi means Edomaezushi“, but actually Osaka has a longer history in sushi than Tokyo. Osaka-sushi has much larger sliced ingredients and varieties. They have a good quality for their prices.

The “Sushitetsu” is recommended amongst many sushi shops in Osaka. They offer 2 pieces of sushi for the price of ￥108! Surprisingly, you can eat all you want for 90 minutes for ￥3,500. Please enjoy your favourite ingredients as much as you want.

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9. Hokkyokusei

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During the beginning of the Showa-era, Osaka had the “Great Osaka-era” as a modern city and the town was bustling with people. When the modern buildings and department-stores were built in the town one after another, the omelette-rice appeared in Osaka. Omelette-rice is a Japanese-styled western food. It is the rice with chicken wrapped in an omelette. Nowadays, it is used in home-cooking, but at that time, it was a very modern cuisine. Please enjoy the fluffy egg palate, thinking of the past.

The “Hokkyokusei” used to be a western-styled restaurant. They mixed omelette and rice for their regular customers and that’s the origin of the present omelette-rice. This shop in Shinsaibashi was built in the 25th era of the Showa (1950) and it is a Japanese-styled building. It is interesting that you can enjoy the western-styled food in the Japanese-styled building, isn’t it?

10. Zuboraya

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Globefish give us a pricy image, as it requires a cook to obtain a special license. But 60% of the globefish are eaten in Osaka and you can eat them cheaply there! I’d like you to try “Tessa” or “Tecchiri” which are usually unaffordable for the general public, taking the opportunity while you are on a trip to Osaka.

The recommended “Zuboraya” is famous for the gigantic globefish lantern signpost. They have all sorts of globefish food, such as Tecchiri, Tessa, Soft-roe au Gratin, Soft-roe Tempura and Globefish-sushi. If you are a small eater, you can have a small fixed menu.

Let’s eat delicious food in Osaka!

Have you enjoyed these articles? There are wonderful local gourmets just like Osaka can offer, aren’t there? The best attraction is that you can eat what you want for a cheap price in Osaka. Please enjoy strolling around the town in Osaka where people spend a lot of money on food.