Shop Till You Drop And Eat Till You Drop in Osaka
There are many local specialties in Osaka, but there are five essential dishes you really must try. These are takoyaki, okonomiyaki, fugu, kushikatsu, yakiniku.
SHOP TILL YOU DROP AND EAT TILL YOU DROP !
For centuries, Osaka has been referred to as The City of Kuidaore (eat till you drop) for its diverse, rich culinary scene. Urbanites can find foodie glory at one of the many shopping arcades and street food vending districts located throughout southern downtown Osaka. These bustling shopping districts and open-air food stalls draw in crowds of hungry visitors by the thousands, and for good reason, too.
Popular Japanese dishes like takoyaki, grilled scallops, and okonomiyaki are in no short supply and are best-enjoyed while hopping from stall to stall.
Be sure to save room for a fancy steak. Japanese beef has its origins in the city of Kobe, located just outside of Osaka. Here you can explore the menus at Kobe Plaisir and Misono, where prime beef is the star of the show.
Whether you are food-obsessed or just digging into Japanese cuisine, journey to the heart of it all in Osaka — the world’s greatest food city.
Across Osaka, hungry travelers can come upon casual food stalls, lively conveyor belt sushi joints, and farm-to-table, award-winning restaurants. Here, the odds are in your favor. And the hand you’ve been dealt is undoubtedly delicious.
Where to eat in Osaka
Ask this question in Osaka and you will be pointed in the direction of Dotonburi.
A trip to Osaka is not complete without a stop at Shinsaibashi. This neighborhood is a popular shopping destination for travelers choosing gifts and keepsakes; most shops are even tax-free. If Shinsaibashi is for shopping, then the Dotonbori area is for dining. It is important to know that the distance between Dōtonbori (Land) and Shinsaibashi (Station) is only 913 meters.
Dotonbori has something for everyone.
The area is flush with luxury department stores, locally-owned boutiques, attractions, bars, nightclubs, restaurants, and so much more, ranging from cat cafes and karaoke bars to Japanese BBQ restaurants where the specialty is yakiniku (grilled meat). You can find some of the best yakiniku in Osaka in Shinsaibashi.
Osaka is a city that through culinary development and innovation has taken Japanese cuisine to new heights.
Notably, one of Osaka’s most visited travel destinations, the Kuromon Market shopping arcade is brimming with more than 100 food stalls and boasts about 25 unique restaurants. The Kuromon Market, known as Osaka’s Kitchen, has a solid place in Osaka’s culinary history. In fact, the market has been serving visitors and supplying local restaurants since 1822.
Today, the Kuromon Market is a destination for Osaka street food. And it is here where you can find Osaka food specialties like grilled scallops. Grilled in the shell, these fire-kissed scallops are doused in savory butter and seasoned with just a touch of soy sauce — truly a must order for seafood lovers and adventurous foodies.
Must-eat food in Osaka: okonomiyaki, Japan’s tasty take on pancakes
No need for maple syrup. Pass the sonsu, instead.
Not your typical pancake, okonomiyaki is likely, unlike anything you have ever tasted. That is unless you’ve had the pleasure of forking into one of these savory Japanese pancakes before.
Okonomi translates to “grilled as you like,” which is exactly what you can expect when you place your okonomiyaki order.
Okonomiyaki is made by mixing a base of eggs, cabbage, and a yam-flour batter. Palate-pleasing additions to this hearty snack include pork, noodles, or anything else the food vendor has on hand. After all, you can get your savory pancakes as you like in Osaka. A drizzle of mayo, a Japanese-style Worcestershire sauce called sosu, bonito flakes, and seaweed are added to the top to finish it off.
You can find this savory treat at any okonomiyaki restaurant or purchase the savory pancakes from one of the many okonomiyaki street food vendors across Osaka’s celebrated street food districts — Shinsaibashi, Kuromon Market, and Dotonbori.
Everywhere you turn, the streets are abuzz with vendors serving ramen, udon, torikara, takoyaki, and much more.
Kappo-style to farm-to-table dining: experience a once-in-a-lifetime culinary adventure in Osaka
While Osaka is famous for its casual street food scene, The Nation’s Kitchen boasts a number of unique culinary experiences that range from fine dining to farm-to-table.
Bring your appetite, and discover kappo-style dining, an intimate, chef-driven foodie adventure. Or, savor teppanyaki-style Japanese beef — of the Kobe and Wagyu varieties. It’s all on the menu in Osaka.
Kappo versus kaiseki: what’s the difference?
Seasoned epicureans may be familiar with kaiseki — a refined method of Japanese dining that offers a seasonally driven, multi-course menu of elaborate, art-like and intricately plated dishes.
Although kappo is similar, this cooking technique is marked by some key differences. Like its counterpart kaiseki, kappo is a multi-course meal that is left totally up to the whims and wit of the chef preparing it, which generally leads to some pretty tasty outcomes. Kappo is widely considered Osaka’s own, more laidback version of kaiseki.
Meaning “to cut and to cook,” kappo is a word for a less formal kind of cuisine that plays up the juxtaposition of the diner and the chef who is preparing and cooking the food.
This unique dining experience provides a closeness between chef and diner as patrons are seated at the bar counters, immersed in the total culinary experience as the chef prepares fresh ingredients and plates a series of seasonally-inspired dishes right before your eyes.
At the time of its origin, kappo was considered high-class cuisine. Today, chefs and restaurants around Osaka, formal or not, ranging from sushi spots to fine steakhouses serving up the finest cuts of premium wagyu beef, can be found practicing kappo at their establishments.
Osaka, with its love of unique culinary experiences, is one of the best cities to try yakiniku spots and steakhouses offering exceptionally crafted wagyu dishes.
Then and now: Japanese beef’s rise to culinary stardom in Osaka, and beyond
There’s a good chance that you have probably heard of Wagyu and Kobe beef. Maybe you have even spotted the two variations of beef on a menu somewhere near home.
While the two are commonly referred to interchangeably, there are distinct differences between Kobe and Wagyu — although both beckon you to pick up a fork and knife. And both are high-quality cuts.
The history of Wagyu stretches back to the late 1880s when European cattle were introduced to Japan and crossbred with native breeds. The term Wagyu refers to four breeds of Japanese beef cattle: Japanese Black, Japanese Brown, Japanese Poll, and Japanese Shorthorn. Kobe, on the other hand, refers to a very particular strain of Wagyu: Tajima-Gyu.
Tajima-Gyu is raised to strict standards in Japan’s Hyogo Prefecture — a short distance from Osaka. When finished, Kobe is marked by its tenderness and its striking, well-marbled texture.
Ultimately, Kobe is Wagyu, but not all Wagyu is Kobe.