What to Eat in Osaka: The Best Dotonbori Street Food & Restaurants
Osaka is a food lover’s paradise! The second you get off the train after getting into the city you’ll instantly be greeted by the mouthwatering displays and savory smells of alluring food stalls. The main character for Osaka’s foodie scene is the Dotonbori street food, which we will cover in this post, but we will also cover what to eat in Osaka for first-timers or returning visitors!
We’ve been to Osaka countless times and each time it gets better and better. We honestly NEVER tire of this city and feel comfortable aimlessly wandering around finding new places to add to our list of favorite Osaka restaurants and hidden attractions. The vibrant glowing nighttime, the beautiful canals, the endless options of things to do and see, and of course, all of the many things to eat in Osaka are just a few things that make us feel right at home here.
If you are looking for a complete Osaka itinerary, we’ve got you covered here. If you want some quick inspiration then hop over to our Instagram and take a peek at our Osaka photos and Osaka story archive for some “behind-the-scenes footage.” But for now, you’re probably wondering what to eat in Osaka so let’s move on so we can all start dreaming about takoyaki together!
Osaka Food Specialties
Dotonbori is the main hub for street food in Osaka and has some of the best restaurants in Osaka as well. Everyone who visits Japan should experience these unique dishes for several reasons like…
- You won’t find it to be the same anywhere else. Trust us, we’ve tried takoyaki in a few other places and while it was good, it wasn’t the same.
- You can sample a variety of Dotonbori street food and make a meal out of it for a low cost – perfect for those traveling to Osaka on a budget.
Now of course if you have specific dietary restrictions or are vegetarian or vegan, you’ll probably skip quite a few of these – but don’t worry, we’re going to cover other options for vegan food in Osaka too!
Takoyaki in Osaka
Let’s start with takoyaki – a specialty of Osaka street food. Takoyaki is a ball of fried dough that contains octopus, green onion, pickled ginger, and tempura scraps. After they are turned countless times in a special takoyaki grill to create a ball shape they’re plated inside a to-go container (usually with six inside but sometimes more). Then they’re covered in a special takoyaki sauce, and sometimes mayonnaise and bonito flakes.
Creo-Ru is one of the best spots to try takoyaki in Osaka, the queue is usually long, but it moves quickly. But if you are in a hurry or don’t want to wait in a long line, almost any takoyaki stand in Dotonbori is good.
After you buy your takoyaki don’t dig in right away – these puppies come out PIPING HOT and your tongue and taste buds will be scalded for weeks if you aren’t careful. Not that I’m speaking from experience or anything haha!
Ramen in Osaka
If you’re looking for the best ramen in Osaka the smells of Dotonbori’s ramen will immediately make you salivate. In Dotonbori you’ll see a bunch of ramen shops some with indoor seating, some with outdoor tables in a covered gazebo, and many with a vending machine where you’ll order your ramen from.
Two of the most well-known and best ramen shops in this area are Ichiran Dotonbori Honkan or Kinryu Ramen Dotonbori. Either way, a bowl of fresh ramen is a comfort food that you should try at least once!
Yakisoba in Osaka
In Japan, there are A LOT of noodle dishes, but each one is entirely different from one another, yakisoba included. Yakisoba is a dish made of fried buckwheat (soba) noodles, a special yakisoba sauce, meat (usually pork, sometimes chicken), and finely chopped vegetables usually including cabbage, bean sprouts, carrots, and onion.
After it’s all fried together it is often garnished with pickled ginger. It’s a common street food that is widely available during summer festivals but can also be found as Dotonbori street food.
Osaka-style Okonomiyaki
One of the Dotonbori street food dishes that we love and often crave is okonomiyaki. Okonomiyaki is a savory pancake that has a ton of ingredients – in fact, the name roughly means “how you like it cooked.” Usually, it contains a mix of cabbage, egg, meat, and other veggies. Then it’s mixed up into a dough, cooked on a flat grill, and covered with okonomiyaki sauce, which is sweet and tangy, then mayonnaise and bonito flakes.
We’ve had this in all different cities in Japan and have been surprised by how this dish varies by region. You’ll find equally well-known okonomiyaki in Hiroshima, but the Kansai region (including Osaka) has made its way too! There are a few places that offer okonomiyaki as street food in Dotonbori but my suggestion would be to go to an okonomiyaki restaurant to get the full experience!
Yakiniku in Osaka
Yakiniku means “grilled meat” and it is essentially Japanese barbecue. Yakiniku is something you’ll find
There are places where you can buy individual skewers of meat in Dotonbori already cooked, but there are also restaurants that specialize in prime cuts of meat such as Kobe, Wagyu, and Matsuzaka beef where you can cook it yourself – but it comes with a heftier price tag (more on this later!).
Kushikatsu in Osaka
K
To cook your own
In Dotonbori you’ll find a few kushikatsu restaurants but if you want to visit the place where kushikatsu made its claim to fame head to the Shinsekai area where there are dozens of kushikatsu restaurants to choose from!
Gyoza in Osaka
Traditionally a Chinese dish, Japan’s version of these succulent little dumplings are found all around Japan, even in Konbini (convenience stores). Gyoza in Japan are lightly pan-fried and often filled with some sort of meat, cabbage, and other vegetables. They are a favorite snack of ours!
One place to get gyoza in Dotonbori is Gyozaoh! They even have vegetarian options or honestly, as soon as you see a giant plastic gyoza sign, you’ll know you’ve found a place. We’ve had yummy gyoza in a few other cities, but this option is great for a quick Osaka cheap eat.
The Best Restaurants in Osaka
Besides the Dotonbori street food, there are many incredible restaurants and markets to eat at in Osaka. Here are a few of our favorites (most have English menus too!).
Sushi Hayata
We love sushi, and because of that, we’re pretty picky about it too. We’ve only been to Sushi Hayata once, but the experience was memorable. The fish was really fresh and we had great service. The restaurant itself is rather small with bar seating and only a couple of small tables, but the chefs get you in as fast as they can.
If you are adventurous or willing to try something new, we recommend ordering omakase which means “I’ll leave it up to you.” This allows the chef to pick the best quality pieces of fish for your sushi. Our omakase came with a variety of nigiri sushi including salmon, eel, fatty tuna, squid, and shrimp. If you want to be a little more selective that’s okay too – they have an a la carte menu you can choose from!
Location: 2 Chome-6-4 Fushimimachi, Chuo Ward, Osaka, 541-0044, Japan // MAP
Tsurutontan Soemoncho
We could go on about Tsurutontan Soemoncho for days. Just thinking about it honestly has me drooling. Tsurutontan Soemoncho has a few different locations in Japan, most being in Tokyo, but just because there isn’t just ONE doesn’t mean you should steer clear. They have some of the best and most diverse udon entrees you’ll find. Plus you can order a double or triple order of noodles for NO EXTRA COST. Every noodle lover’s dream, am I right?
If udon isn’t your thing they also have a few other entree options too like tempura and seasonal offerings. If you do decide to dine here pop in for dinner right after sunset. It’s located right on the Dotonbori canal which we believe has one of the best city sunsets in the world.
Location: 3-17 Souemoncho, Chuo Ward, Osaka, 542-0084, Japan // MAP
Kushikatsu Daruma
Chances are if you’re in Dotonbori or near Tsutenkaku Tower you’re gonna see a ton of kushikatsu restaurants. Kushikatsu Daruma is all over Osaka with locations in Shinsaibashi, Dotonbori, Namba, and more. At this particular kushikatsu restaurant you will select the items you would like off of a menu then those items will be prepared for you.
If you prefer to go to a place where you can enjoy all-you-can-eat kushikatsu plus cook it yourself, we suggest the popular chain, Kushiya Monogatari. Another recent favorite of ours is Kushikatsu Ouji Dobutsuen-Mae. They had terrific variety and I found the batter to be exceptionally light and crispy. Make sure you start with some cabbage and cucumbers and order a bunch of kushikatsu!
- Kushikatsu Daruma
- Location: 1 Chome-6-4 Dotonbori, Chuo Ward, Osaka, 542-0071, Japan // MAP
- Kushiya Monogatari
- Location: Japan, 〒556-0011 Osaka, Naniwa Ward, Nanbanaka, 2 Chome−10−70 なんばパークス 6F // MAP
- Kushikatsu Ouji Dobutsuen-Mae
- Location: 3 Chome-2-25 Ebisuhigashi, Naniwa Ward, Osaka, 556-0002, Japan // MAP
Ichiran Dotonbori Honkan or Kinryu Ramen Dotonbori
If you’re looking for some of the best ramen in Osaka these two are some of the most popular in Dotonbori (we briefly mentioned them above). Ichiran Dotonbori Honkan is a chain ramen shop but it is incredibly well-known for its creamy soup broth and extra thin ramen noodles. On the other hand, Kinryu Ramen Dotonbori is another popular ramen shop in Osaka, but it has a shoyu (soy sauce) based broth and more topping choices.
- Ichiran Dontonbori Honkan
- Location: 1 Chome-4-16 Dotonbori, Chuo Ward, Osaka, 542-0071, Japan // MAP
- Kinryu Ramen Dotonbori
- Location: 1 Chome-7-26 Dotonbori, Chuo Ward, Osaka, 542-0071, Japan // MAP
Okonomiyaki Sakaba O
Like I said before, while in Osaka you have to try Kansai-style okonomiyaki! My favorite okonomiyaki restaurant is Okonomiyaki Sakaba O which has a variety of okonomiyaki types to choose from as well as yakisoba! I love getting octopus and/or shrimp in my okonomiyaki but my second favorite is mentaiko!
Location: Japan, 〒542-0076 Osaka, Chuo Ward, Nanba, 1 Chome−7−15 江戸安ビル B1F // MAP
Matsuzakagyu Yakiniku M, Hozenji Yokocho
Remember that pricey
Location: Japan, 〒542-0076 Osaka, Chuo Ward, Nanba, 1 Chome−5−24 だるまビル 2F // MAP
Kuromon Market
If you are familiar with the food markets in Japan you’ve probably heard of Nishiki Market in Kyoto. Kuromon Market in Osaka is very similar and while it does feel a bit touristy, you can try a selection of different fresh foods and sweets here for pretty cheap!
Anytime we stop by Kuramon Market we get some grilled king crab legs which can be as cheap as 100 yen a piece which is a crazy steal! We also recommend trying the maguro (tuna) sashimi, grilled eel, tofu donuts, and my favorite, strawberry daifuku.
Location: 2 Chome-4-1 Nipponbashi, Chuo Ward, Osaka, 542-0073, Japan // MAP
Kanidoraku
Kanidoraku is a crab hot pot restaurant with a few locations in Japan, most being in Osaka. You’ll know you’ve found Kanidoraku the second you see the large animatronic crab sign above the building! One of the unique features of this restaurant is the “modernized” traditional Japanese-style seating. When you enter you’ll be required to remove your shoes and walk along the tatami mats to your kotatsu table.
Of course, the best thing to order at Kanidoraku is a crab hot pot which comes with many crab legs, tofu, noodles, mushrooms, cabbage, and other vegetables. We have also ordered crab rice before which is delicious! One thing to know about Kanidoraku is that it’s popular so make sure you make a reservation before you go!
Location: 1 Chome-6-18 Dotonbori, Chuo Ward, Osaka, 542-0071, Japan // MAP
Kinnotorikara (Torikara Stick)
While Kinnotorikara technically falls under our list of Dotonbori street foods we threw it in the restaurant category cause it’s not on the “main street” and because we keep going back for more (I’m not joking, we’ve eaten these little chicken pieces more times than I can count).
Kinnotorikara is super cheap (around 200 yen for a single order!), made right in front of you, and there are a TON of different sauces you can pour right on each piece. Pop over across the street for a drink from the vending machine and enjoy these piping hot pieces of fried chicken.
Location: 1 Chome-5-12 Nanba, Chuo Ward, Osaka, 542-0076, Japan // MAP
Vegan and Vegetarian-Friendly Restaurants in Osaka
While neither of us are strict vegans or vegetarians, I was a vegetarian for several years and typically still eat a lot of vegetarian or plant-based meals. One way you can find vegan or vegetarian restaurants in Osaka is by using the website Happy Cow. I was pleasantly surprised by the number of places in Osaka that have vegan or vegetarian options. There are also some vegetarian or vegan-friendly options at most
Here are a few vegetarian and vegan-friendly restaurants in Osaka:
- Gyozaoh!: Gyoza and other small plates. They have a separate menu for vegetarians with some vegan options as well!
- OKO – Fun Okonomiyaki Bar: If you are vegan or vegetarian and want to try okonomiyaki while in Osaka, this is the place! They also have many gluten-free options!
- OKO – Takoyaki: The sister restaurant to OKO’s okonomiyaki, this one serves vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free takoyaki.
- Paprika Shokudo Vegan: This vegan restaurant has Japanese comfort dishes like vegan karaage (fried chicken), donburi (rice bowls), and many other dishes.
- Alohana: A small shop that serves only two main menu items, vegan ramen and vegan yakisoba.
- Halal Ramen Naniwaya: Has halal ramen and vegetarian ramen options.
Osaka Desserts
If there’s one thing to know about Logan and I is that we LOVE sweets. I mean we seriously have an entire Instagram story archive on all the ice cream we ate while in Japan. Osaka has some great restaurants or food stalls that are solely dedicated to delicious Osaka desserts so if you’re looking to indulge we can help with that.
Crepe Ojisan Shinsaibashi
Japanese crepes are unlike any others we’ve had, mostly
Crepe Ojisan Shinsaibashi is our favorite crepe stand in Osaka and is worth sharing with a pal, kid, or significant other but we definitely won’t judge you if you decide to eat the whole thing by yourself (we did).
Rikuro Ojisan no Mise
Have you heard of Japanese cheesecake? Before you ask, nope it’s not anything like the New York-style cheesecake. If NY-style cheesecake and a sponge cake had a baby, it would be Japanese cheesecake. At least that’s the best way I can describe it.
It’s light and fluffy, and you’ll want to try one at Rikuro Ojisan no Mise. If you go into it with the mindset that it’s not going to taste like the cheesecake you’re used to having, you’ll probably love it. You’ll end up buying the whole cheesecake but it’s only around 700 yen.
Taiyaki
Taiyaki is a Japanese dessert cake that is shaped like a fish. It resembles the Tai (Japanese Red Seabream). The most common filling is red bean paste but we’ve also had it with sweet potato or custard. If you decided to get only one treat while in Osaka, let it be one of these!
Well now I’m hungry and I wish I could find some okonomiyaki here in the United States, but I think I’ll have to keep that craving until next time we’re in Osaka.
