Osaka For Foodies: 10 ‘Must Eat’ Osaka Dishes to Try on Your Trip

Osaka is a city so famous for food it’s called Japan’s Kitchen. There are giant food motifs everywhere and food stalls, bars, and restaurants on (almost) every corner. So, how do you decide exactly what to eat in Osaka? Well, you could start these with ten ‘must-eat’ Osaka dishes.’

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Why Are There So Many Famous Foods in Osaka?

Because Osaka prides itself on giving you so many choices of things and places to eat, it’s possible to eat till you burst (the word kuidaore in Japanese).

They even have a mascot for it. You’ll spot a bespectacled guy in a stripy clown suit in a few places around Osaka. This is Kuidaore Taro – also known as ‘eat yourself broke Jack.’

He was once the symbol of a famous Osaka restaurant called Cui-Daore, but, now stands for the food culture of the city (you’ll find all sorts of souvenirs with his face on).

While Kyoto is where you go for refined food, Osaka is where you come for something totally different.

Many of Osaka’s most famous dishes fall into a category known as B-Class Gourmet. That might sound a bit derogatory, but it means popular food using inexpensive local ingredients. It’s cheap, quick, easy to make, and hits the spot. Think of it as Japanese comfort food.

Every part of Japan has its own version of this, but Osaka’s has achieved an international reputation. For this reason, many of the famous Osaka foods below won’t break the bank to try them.

You can easily try everything here in Osaka for less than 1,000 yen a dish (except for number 7, which is a bit more spendy).

1. Okonomiyaki

This is top of almost everyone’s list of things to eat in Osaka – and it is super yummy (and very filling).

Okonomiyaki is a Japanese pancake, although you’ll sometimes see it referred to as Japanese pizza. It’s made of flour, filled with meat, seafood, and/or cabbage, and topped with sauce, and, in some restaurants, it’s cooked on a hot plate in the middle of your table.

Most Okonomiyaki places are pretty casual and it’s generally an inexpensive dish to try. You’ll often also find Okonomyaki places selling other hotplate-style dishes like yaki soba, so feel free to order one to share and a couple of other dishes if you think it might be a bit heavy to eat one alone.

While the traditional okonomiyaki is quite thick, there is a thinner version called Negi-yaki. A good place to try this is a restaurant called Fukutaro near Namba station.

Ikayaki is another pancake-style dish you might find. It looks more like the pancakes we’re used to and is filled with squid.

If you go to Hiroshima on a day trip from Osaka, you’ll find they add noodles to their okonomiyaki.

Where to Try Okonomiyaki in Osaka

Some of the most recommended places to try Okonomiyaki in Osaka include Mizuno (it doesn’t have an English sign, but look for a restaurant with a grey front and swirly red symbol on the sign, and a blue one on the curtain that hangs over the door – and a queue – there’s a picture of it on their website).

You might also want to try Okaru (marked as Pancake One on Google Maps) near Dotonbori or the chain Chibo.

The huge pancake in the picture above was from a place I stumbled across on my last trip. It’s called Naniwa no Yume and it’s just North of Dotonbori by the Aiau Bridge. Check out the chef giving it a final toasty finish.

I was going here before a night of singing karaoke at my favorite Osaka karaoke bar Kama Sutra – and it definitely set me up for a night of many throat-soothing Asahi’s!

2. Takoyaki

Another famous food in Osaka is Takayoki. These are balls of fluffy batter, each containing a piece or two of octopus.

If you’re eating them on the street, you normally have about 6 in a serving served in a small tray. Sauce and sometimes bonito flakes are added to the top, and you eat them with a toothpick.

They are very moreish.

Where to Try Takoyoki in Osaka

You’ll find Takoyaki stalls all over Osaka, and they’re often identified by octopus signs, octopus-shaped lights, and fluffy or blow-up octopus hanging from the stalls.

However, the place that is said to have introduced takoyaki to Osaka is a restaurant called Aizuya. They launched in 1933 and started selling the little batter balls full of meat and a root vegetable called konyaku, but then, after a comment from a customer in 1945, their founder decided to try adding some other fillings – including octopus and the rest is history.

They are also unusual in that they serve their takoyaki without sauce. The balls are smaller than you might find elsewhere in Osaka, but they explain this on their website with the most brilliant quote. ‘We are still stubbornly adhering to the original style of holding beer in one hand.’ I’m guessing their idea is you hold a smaller dish of takoyaki in the other!

There are a few branches around town, all clearly marked on Google Maps, including two branches in Namba and one over by the waterfront. You’ll also find a list here.

Another good place to try Takoyaki is the chain Takoyaki Wanaka.

You’ll find them in Kuramon market at the north end, on the left. They also have several other stores around Osaka, all marked on Google Maps.

Another highly recommended place is Kogaryu Takoyaki in the Triangle Park area of Amerikamura.

If you’re already a Takoyaki lover, you might want to visit Creo-Ru on your Osaka trip. They also offer twists on this comfort food classic, including changing up the fillings and the sauces. There are a few branches, and you’ll find them listed here.

The queue in the picture above is for the takoyaki from the Takoyaki Museum in Dotonbori.

3. Kushikatsu

Another must-eat dish in Osaka is known as Kushikatsu – this is basically fried meat and/or vegetables in breadcrumbs on sticks that you dip into a sauce.

The Kushi Katsu Rule You Have to Know

While so far, the dishes we’ve mentioned have been pretty casual in how you eat them, when it comes to kushi katsu there is one huge rule you have to learn.

NEVER double-dip the skewer into the dish.

You see, the dip dishes are refilled between guests, but the old dip is not thrown away so the only time you dip your skewer into the dip must be when you first pick it up..

Once you’ve taken a bite, that’s it; dipping again is the height of rudeness.

The problem here is that the sauce is a bit addictive, so you’re going to want more. Use the bits of cabbage your dish is served with to scoop the sauce onto your fried goodies once you’ve taken a bite.

Another rule – don’t use the chopsticks to hold your cabbage, as they’ll end up in the sauce too. Hold the cabbage with your fingers and ensure only the leaves go in.

Where to Try Kushikatsu

One of the most popular chains for kushi katsu is Daruma, which you’ll recognize because of the angry-looking chef model outside. He’s there to scare you into only dipping once!

They have served Osaka for over 70 years and have branches in Shinseikai and Dotonbori. They’re a good place for your kushikatsu experience because they have English menus, so you know what is inside each deep-fried goodie.

Kushikatsu is charged either as a set meal where you know how many skewers you’re getting and what’s in them or, or, you can buy them individually in which case it works rather like a sushi train and your bill is calculated by the number of skewers you have at the end multiplied by the skewer cost.

At Daruma, the prices are clearly marked so you won’t suddenly find you ordered more than you expected or, you can order a set meal.

Kushikatsu is not a leisurely refined meal so don’t expect to linger for a long time here. Maybe grab it as a quick lunch or dinner while doing other things than planning to spend a relaxing evening discussing the day.

4. Kasu Udon

This one might be one for the more adventurous. Osaka has a very unique type of udon known as Kasu Udon. That translates to leftover noodles, but the leftovers they use are intestines.

If you’ve never had intestines, they’re a lot better than you might think, meaty and chewy – and, actually pretty good if you can get over the idea of what you’re eating.

I had no idea about this until my friend Kendall translated the sign above for me and said ‘What’s leftover udon’ – cue much googling about Osaka udon!

Where to Try Kasu Udon in Osaka

If you want to try it, look for the Japanese letters かす (which means Kasu) and うどん (which is udon), like this sign below.

The original restaurant that popularized Kasu Udon in Osaka is known as Kasuya and they now have 20 branches you can visit to try this famous dish.

Tourists highly recommend the one near the moss-covered Honzeji shrine—it’s called Kasuya Honzeji on Google Maps.

It’s rare to find an English menu in places selling kasu udon as it is a very traditional dish, but, apparently, this branch has one; the udon and other dishes get good reviews and the chef is super friendly.

The restaurant pictured above is one of the Ryo-nosu chain. They also sell kasu udon, but also grilled meats (called yakiniku) and horumon… which we’re just about to talk about.

5. Huromon

Another one for the more adventurous among you. Huromon is another offal-based dish that originated in Osaka.

The story is that Osaka was full of the practical people of Japan, the workers, and the working class, and as such they didn’t like to see things go to waste – and so, they created a whole load of dishes around parts of animals that might have been thrown away in other parts of Japan – and huromon is one of those dishes.

It’s basically grilled, or boiled, intestines – or other offal dishes like kidneys or hearts.

It’s usually cooked at the table on a heating device like the one shown below. This is known as yakiniku and you can use the technique to cook all sorts of meats not just huromon.

Where to Try Huromon in Osaka

Ryo-nosu is a good place to give this a try. The menu is not in English, but it does have pictures.

Find a list of branches here. The one pictured above is their original store at 2-3-32 Shinsaibashisuji,

You’ll also find Huromon yaki udon (fried noodles with offal) in some restaurants around Osaka.

6. Kaiten Sushi

Also known as conveyor belt sushi or sushi trains, you can find these all over the world, but they were invented in Osaka in 1958 – and so, it’s only fitting that you visit one while you are here.

The inventor of the sushi train, Yoshiaki Shiraishi, took his inspiration from a conveyor belt in a beer factory, but the horseshoe shape of the belt came from the way cards are fanned out in a casino.

Yoshiaki san also spent a lot of time creating the perfect speed for his invention, realizing if it went too fast, the quality of the fish would suffer, but if it went too slow, people would get fed up and spend less money.

Where to Try Kaiten Sushi in Osaka

You’ll find sushi trains all over Osaka; the picture above was taken in one near Kuromon market.

However, the original Kaiten sushi restaurant started by Yoshiaki san was called Genroku Sushi. While their founder has passed on, the family firm still has branches in Osaka today, including one in Dotonbori.

If you want to visit, look for the giant hand holding a piece of sushi on Dotonbori.

They also have other branches in the city. If you want to see more details, their website is here. It’s in Japanese, so you may need to use Google Translate.

7. Omurice

Another dish that originated in Osaka was created by a chef who felt sorry for a customer with a weak stomach. The gentleman would order the same thing every day, a plain omelet and rice, so the chef decided to find a way to liven it up a bit.

He created a dish of mixed rice, mushrooms, and onions and topped it with the omelet and ketchup. Omurice was born. It’s not only a very common Japanese comfort food, it’s also one of the foods you can pick from if you don’t like fish (there’s a list of lots more fish-free Japanese foods here)

Where to Find Omurice in Osaka

The restaurant where the dish was created is still standing in Osaka – although it has changed its name from its original incarnation, but to visit the birthplace of Omurice, head to Hokkyokusei. It’s located close to Dotonbori.

The restaurant is very traditional, and you will have to remove your shoes. You can sit at a few tables, but most seats see you sitting on the floor.

Expect to pay about 800 yen for the omurice; they have English descriptions on the menu.

You’ll also probably have to queue to get in. Write your name on the list inside, then join the queue.

8. Oshizushi

Conveyer sushi is not the only sushi Osaka is famous for; it also has its own shape for sushi, a square or rectangle.

While most sushi in Japan sees rice being formed by hand, oshizushi is also known as pressed sushi because it’s made in a square box with a weight on the top, forcing the sushi into a square shape. It’s then left to sit for a little while so the flavors of the fish infuse the rice.

For this reason, if you try Oshizushi, you might not find the normal condiments like soy sauce and wasabi on offer. The taste of the dish is supposed to speak for itself.

Originally, the dish was topped with mackerel, a dish known as Battera sushi as it looked kind of like a boat, but nowadays, it can include other toppings.

Where to Find Oshizushi in Osaka

Despite originating here, it can be hard to find oshizushi in Osaka, and as such, it might not be the cheapest sushi lunch you have here.

If you want to try it, have a look at Yoshino Sushi at 3-4-14 Awajimachi. It’s a little bit north of Amerikamura. They are open for lunch and dinner but don’t open at weekends.

9. Kitsune Udon

If Kasu Udon wasn’t your kind of thing, but you want to try a traditional Osaka udon, Kitsune Udon is what you need to look for.

Kitsune means fox in Japanese, and it’s so named because it’s topped with deep-fried tofu (known as aburaage) – and apparently, foxes are a big fan of this. It’s often left as an offering to the fox guardians you’ll find at many shrines.

The Tofu is marinated in a sweet sauce, giving it a distinct flavor that goes well with the light broth used in kitsune udon.

Where to Try Kitsune Udon in Osaka

You’ll find it in almost every udon shop in Osaka, but the restaurant that launched Kitsune Udon in Osaka is still open. It’s called Usami-Tei Matsubaya.

It’s located in Shinsaibashi at 3 Chome-8-1 Minamisenba. That’s it below.

10. Crab Ice Cream

While the above are all foods Osaka has been known for for a long time, this one is newly viral – and as it might have popped up on one of your social media feeds so, we’re going to tell you where to try it.

You’ll find it at the famous crab restaurant Kani Doraku toward the western end of Dotonbori – it’s the one with the giant waving crab.

The ice cream freezer is to the right of the shop front.

You can’t pretend you are eating strawberry – the flavor is not subtle and it has giant bits of crab in it, but it’s fun!

So, there you have it – the ten dishes we think are Osaka must-eats and where to find them – enjoy!

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