in Osaka, Japan

I love to travel just to try the different foods each country has to offer. And of course, I was super excited for Japan! I also love to do a lot of prior research to know which food spots are worth checking out, or where locals might like to go themselves. For Osaka, though, I didn’t really have to do that. I’ve watched so many food documentaries, and every episode about Japan was set in Osaka.

So through those documentaries, and also some help from my Japanese friend, I’ve compiled a list of the 8 best food spots in Osaka! Enjoy!

1. Okonomiyaki Mizuno

This is a place that my friend Ryota recommended to me. He said that this was the best okonomiyaki he’d ever had, so naturally we had to go check it out.

If you don’t know what an okonomiyaki is, let me change your life. It’s a japanese savory pancake made out out flour, shredded cabbage, eggs, as well as various proteins and toppings. It’s literally in the name: okonomi means “how you like it” and yaki means grilled. So you can basically choose what you want in your okonomiyaki and how you want it topped.

Typically, it’s made with wheat flour, however at world-famous Okonomiyaki Mizuno they use yam batter instead. This gives the pancake an even smoother texture. There’s a pretty big selection, so my boyfriend and I got a set menu for two people that included three different okonomiyaki. (One Yamaimo-yaki combination for which we chose scallops and pork sirloin as ingredients; One Mizuno-yaki with a mix of six different ingredients; One Negi-yaki with kimchi and pork.)
I loved the first one the most, because of our choice of ingredients, but also because the okonomiyaki was lathered in sauces and toppings. It was so delicious, I could have had a few more of them.

The restaurant is quite small so you might have to queue for a bit to snatch a seat. Once you’re in, you’ll sit around the teppan (grill) and your food will be prepared right before your eyes. I was a little skeptical at first because I tend to avoid places where you have to queue, but here it was definitely worth it and rightly on the list of best food spots in Osaka.

🕰️ Opening Hours: Everyday from 11am-10pm (closed on Thursdays)
💸 Price: from about 1,000 Yen for one okonomiyaki
📍 Address: 1-4-15, Dotombori, Chuo, Osaka 542-0071 Osaka Prefecture
🌐 Website: Mizuno Osaka

2. Chao Chao Gyoza

I had initially planned to go to Chao Chao Gyoza at their location in Kyoto. However, every time we went there, it was always too long a waiting time for my hunger. When I googled the chain, I found out it was originally from Osaka. So, with Osaka being our next stop, Chao Chao at Ebisuhigashi was literally the first thing we went to after checking into our hotel.

Chao Chao Gyoza offers, as the name clearly suggests, gyozas. We first ordered some smaller portions and a variety of gyozas that were deep-fried rather than fried in a pan, and I was a little disappointed by the taste. But then, we saw what I guess everyone’s going to Chao Chao for: a 16-piece dumpling set for only 690 yen. And yes, the dumplings are on the smaller side, but they were really good.

All in all it was a solid food spot on our journey to find the best food in Osaka, but I’m sure you’ll find great dumplings elsewhere. Just maybe not for the same price 😉

🕰️ Opening Hours: Everyday from 11am-10pm (Shinesekai location)
💸 Price: 690 Yen for 16 gyozas
📍 Address: 2-3-4 Ebisuhigashi, Osaka 556-0002 Osaka Prefecture and 1-3-14 Shibata, Kita-ku Angle Bldg 1F, Osaka Osaka Prefecture

3. Dekasan

While preparing for a trip, I usually go into a social media rabbit hole and save so many places to my Google Maps lists. When I’m actually on the trip, however, I never really remember where exactly I got the recommendation from.

So I’m assuming “Dekasan” was sent to me by my travel algorithm, and thank god it was. It’s a small sandwich shop with maybe 15 seats, so prepare so queue again. The specialties are the fluffy egg sandwich, as well as the rare harami sandwich. My boyfriend and I got one each and both were so smooth, delicious, and filling. And for this, it deserves a place on the list of best food spots in Osaka!

🕰️ Opening Hours: Everyday from 11am-4pm
💸 Price: 1,000 to 2,000 Yen
📍 Address: 3 Chome-5-17 Kawarayamachi, Chuo Ward, Osaka, 542-0066, Japan
🌐 Website: Dekasan Osaka (Instagram)or on Tabelog

4. Oretachino-curry ya

This place was recommended to me by a friend, and by coincidence we were pretty much right at the location when we were hungry. It’s a small restaurant where all seats are at a counter around the kitchen. The main dish they serve is curry (it is in the name), but also ramen.

Since we had had so much meat over the previous weeks, we decided to opt for two vegetarian curries. One was with spinach, and one with green onions. The spinach one was better, but the other one was great too. However, everyone else ordered exactly one dish: Curry with katsu. So if you’re not vegetarian and haven’t had enough of meat, I highly recommend getting that one.

🕰️ Opening Hours: Monday – Friday 11am-4:30pm and 5:30pm-10:30pm, Saturday & Sunday 11am-10pm
💸 Price: about 1,000 Yen
📍 Address: 14-13 Nanbasennichimae, Chuo Ward, Osaka, 542-0075, Japan
🌐 Website: Tabelog

5. Kushikatsu Daruma

Another recommendation for my list of best food spots in Osaka comes from my Japanese friend. I have to admit, I was skeptical at first because Kushikatsu Daruma is a chain. And usually, I try to avoid chain restaurants. However, my friend assured me that they’re a great place to have katsu.

It’s a heavenly place if you’re into deep-friend food. You can order basically anything you can think of: Kobe beef, quail eggs, lotus roots, cheese, or even fruits. And they’re all served deep fried on a stick. As a side you usually get a portion of sliced cabbage and a special sauce to dip the katsu and cabbage into.

I loved the experience of having so many different meats and veggies friend. However, the portions are quite small and you’d have to order a lot to not be hungry anymore. I was fine after a while, but my boyfriend had to go find some ramen afterwards because he was still hungry.

🕰️ Opening Hours: Everyday from 11:30am-10:30pm
💸 Price: about 200-300 Yen per skewer, but you need quite a few to be full!
📍 Address: 1-6-8 Dotonbori, Chuo-ku, Osaka 
🌐 Website: Kushikatsu Daruma

6. Onigiri Gorichan

My daily breakfast consisted of onigiris and a smoothie from 7/11 when I was in Japan. But I still wanted to try the restaurant version of this typical Japanese snack. Don’t ask me how we found out about Onigiri Gorichan. I suspect this time it was my boyfriend’s social media algorithm.

The place is, again, a small restaurant with a bar counter around the kitchen. You can choose between up to 40 different versions of onigiri, I think. And don’t expect the sizes you’d find at 7/11. These ones are so big that one or two should definitely be enough to fill you up. I had an onigiri with minced beef and a cured egg on top, my boyfriend tuna and the egg.

I struggled a little with how to eat it because the people next to me used their chopsticks. For me, it was just a little too big and strange to be using chopsticks, so I asked the staff. Apparently, it’s totally fine to use your hands to eat the onigiri. I could barely finish mine, but it was so so good and I would love to have them every morning.

🕰️ Opening Hours: Monday – Friday 11am-8pm, Saturday & Sunday 11am-6pm
💸 Price: 350-650 Yen per onigiri
📍 Address: 3-5-28 Minamisemba Fuji Bldg. Minamisemba 1F, Chuo, Osaka 542-0081 Osaka Prefecture
🌐 Website: Instagram

7. Kinryu Ramen

By the time we stumbled upon Kinryu Ramen, we had learned one thing in Japan: if there’s a queue, there’s usually a reason for it. And it was the same with this ramen restaurant in Dotonbori. The first time we passed it, the queue was so long that we didn’t bother. However, later at night we tried again and only waited for a few minutes.

The menu is simple: ramen or chasumen (roasted pork ramen). You order it at a ticket machine in front of the restaurant, pay, and wait for a table to free up. You can add different toppings, too, like kimchi or garlic.

I think overall we tried out four or five ramen restaurants during our Japan trip, and Kinryu Ramen might have been the best. It was just very simple and delicious.

🕰️ Opening Hours: Open 24/7
💸 Price: 600 Yen or 900 Yen for one bowl of ramen
📍 Address: 1-7-26, Dotombori, Chuo, Osaka 542-0071 Osaka Prefecture
🌐 Website: Kinryu Ramen

8. Yaoya-to-Gohan Uraya Ookura

I like to always ask locals for their favorite food spots. In Osaka, I asked a woman from the hotel about her favorite places, preferably non-touristy. First of all, she recommended the American village for shopping and eating. There are way less tourists and she loves to go there all the time. And there, she pointed us to Yaoya-to-Gohan Uraya Ookura.

There was no western name outside of the restaurant, which I thought was a pretty good sign. Inside, there were some bigger tables, as well as a few smaller ones on tatami mats. They basically serve sets of different foods and you can choose the main dish, and sometimes substitute the smaller ones.

I loved trying the various Japanese side dishes and my main dish (fried chicken) was so good I could’ve eaten second portion. Sometimes, the food you eat as a tourist in Japan can feel like there are not enough veggies. This place counters that for sure. There were so many fresh veggies and pickles which felt like a real relief after so much katsu, ramen, or curry. For sure one of the best food spots in Osaka!

🕰️ Opening Hours: Everyday from 11am-11pm
💸 Price: from 820 Yen for one set
📍 Address: 1-1-28 Sakuragawa, Naniwa-ku, Osaka 556-0022 Osaka Prefecture
🌐 Website: Yaoya-to-Gohan