photo by Kristoffer Trolle
Japan’s second largest city ‘Osaka’. With Glico’s big neon sign and the very conspicuous crab signage, is a city that loves showy things and where its people are very cheerful. This is the jovial city where friendly men and women will talk to you no matter if you’re Japanese or a foreigner. The city with not only the best people, but also the best food. Lots of cheap good eats. It’s your first time in Osaka and you don’t know what to do… here are some restaurants that are guaranteed not to disappoint.
Takoyaki ‘Takoya Dotonbori Kukuru’
Round with a creamy center and a rich sauce on the crispy outside. With dried bonito dancing on top. Looks and tastes delicious, Takoyaki is one of the representative soul foods of Osaka that grabs the hearts of Japanese people all over the country and doesn’t let go. Like the name suggests, Takoyaki does have tako (octopus) inside, but because it is cut into cubes to not have it’s original grotesque looking shape, first timers are able to try them without opposition. Among all the Takoyaki restaurants in Osaka, the symbolic one is ‘Takoya Doutonburi Kukuru’ which uses a certain kind of octopus. This is a restaurant that always has a line, so beware.
Takoya Dotonbori Kukuru main store
Osaka City Chuo-ku Doutonbori 1-10-5 Hakua building 1F
Okonomiyaki ‘Tsurubashi Fugetsu’
The Japanese born pancake is the Okonomiyaki. It is made with a batter of eggs and flour, along with meats, seafood, or any ingredient of your liking. A hot grill at each table where at times, you can cook it yourself. The use of a rich sauce with Katsuo shavings and adding some mayonnaise to your liking is very similar to Takoyaki, but this is especially recommended for people who don’t like octopus. The restaurant in Osaka that’s popular is ‘Tsuruhashi Fugetsu Hoten’. There’s more cabbage than flour in there, so it’s very healthy. You can eat way more than you expect. It’s also nice that the waiter cooks it for you.
Tsuruhashi Fugestu Honten
Osaka City Tenoji-ku Shitamihara-cho 2-18
Udon ‘Dotonbori Imai’
Japan’s ‘Washoku’, an UNESCO intangible cultural heritage item. You should definitely have a taste of that ‘umami flavor’ now that you’re in Japan. Above all I recommend Osaka udon, with it’s perfect balance of dashi, noodles and ingredients. It’s speedily made, the price is reasonable and it’s tasty!! Among them is ‘Dotonbori Imai’ where they are very particular about the dashi (soup stock). The dashi is never pre-made, and is made using select ingredients from all over the country. I recommend the Kitsune Udon. The sweetly flavored fried tofu and the udon are the perfect combination!
Dotonbori Imai main store
Osaka City Chuo-ku Dotonbori 1-7-22
Ganso Kushikatsu ‘Daruma’
Kushikatsu (fried skewer), the food where you skewer almost anything. A light meal like takoyaki or okonomiyaki is good too, but if you come to Osaka, it’s one of the must-have Naniwa area foods. A crispy outside with a variety of hidden ingredients inside. The kushikatsu of Namba’s ‘Daruma’ are very popular; they are very particular about their panko breadcrumbs and sauce, even their oil for that juicy finish. There is just one thing that is considered to be common sense when it comes to kushikatsu. Everyone uses the same sauce on their kushikatsu. Everyone shares the sauce. But at every store, it is strongly prohibited to double dip the same kushikatsu, so you have to be careful. If you insist on having more sauce, use the side vegetables to scoop some more.
Ganso Kushikatsu Daruma Shinsekai Souhonten
Osaka prefecture Osaka City Naniwa-ku Ebisu-higashi 2-3-9
Last but not least, ‘Kani Doraku’
The store that is famous for their signboard with the 8 slowly moving legs. The menu item you can have at the store is of course, ‘crab’. Until 4pm, a crab kaiseki (multicourse) meal can be had for a reasonable 2160yen.
Kani Doraku Dotonbori main store
Osaka prefecture Osaka city Chuo-ku Doutonbori 1-6-18
By the way…
By the way, for a long time, ‘Cuidaore Taro’, was the longtime symbol of ‘ruining oneself by the overindulgence in food’ in the city of Osaka. He disappeared along with the words ‘Thanks for a long time. Greatly appreciated’, but now has repositioned himself in the ‘Chuza Cuidaore Building’, regaining his popularity.
