Osaka Restaurants & Food
Experience Local dining
Dotonbori Imai honten
Dotonbori, Chuoku, Osaka, Osaka Prefecture 542-0071, Japan
+81 6-6211-0319
Known by the locals as one of the top places to get udon in Osaka, the Dotonbori Imaihonten has become popular with the tourists, however they have a hard time trying to find it as there are no English signs and the restaurant itself is small and unassuming.
Assuming you make it to the Imaihonten make sure you score some Udon and Tempura. They offer a whole slew of traditional Japanese food and it is all done very well so you can't go wrong. Lunch sets start at 1050 yen and go as high as 8400 yen.
La Piccola Cucina
2-4-3 Nanbanaka, Naniwa Ward, Osaka, Osaka Prefecture, Japan
+81 90-8160-3721
Just a few minutes East of Nanba Station by foot, is the Japanese Italian fusion La Piccola Cucina. Italian travelers have vowed that their pasta and tiramisu tastes just like it does in Italy. So why don't you do what the Romans do and get some Italian at the Piccola? Other recommended menu items are: the grilled tuna, and gyoza.
The restaurant is very small and there is just one cook so try to make a reservation.
Kanidoraku Honten
1-6-18 Dotonbori, Chuo-ku, Osaka, Osaka Prefecture 542-0071, Japan
+81 6-6211-8975
Osaka's or even Japan's most photographed restaurant, the Kanidoraku's unmistakable store front's Giant Crab is a landmark and common meeting place for the people of Osaka. But its not just a landmark! Oh no, this restaurant happens to the Apex for any crab-related dining; they prepare crab in every possible way you can imagine. But its not cheap! Travelers beware, you will spend a minimum of $60 each... and that is for the cheapest set! And yes, the servings are small. If you can afford the splurge then check it out.
http://douraku.co.jp/kansai/shop/honten/
Ippudo
Kakudacho, Kitaku, Osaka, Osaka Prefecture 530-0017, Japan
You'd better be ready for a life-changing ramen experience. Well maybe not life-changing, but certainly sensational. Should you be staying at the Fraser Osaka Hotel, you'll find Ippudo just accross the street for your convenience.
Ippudo is a masterful ramen shop, here you can choose from pretty good variety of different ramen, with Salt (shio), Soy sauce (Shoyuu), and Tonkotsu (pork) being standard. And like every good ramen shop, Ippudo offers a 'kae-dama' (literally: change noodles), where after you have eaten the noodles in your bowl, you ask the man for another serving of noodles and you plop them into your bowl! All for just 100 or 200 yen)
Of course, if you're having ramen then you must order a side of gyoza to go along with it. Ippudo does gyoza as good as they do ramen.
http://www.ippudo.com/index.html
Chibo Dotonbori
Chibo Dotonbori Building 1F 2F 3F 4F, 1-5-5 Dotonbori, Chuo-ku, Osaka, Osaka Prefecture 542-0071, Japan
+81 6-6212-2211
NO trip to Osaka is complete without a proper Okonomiyaki experience! So put on your walking shoes, grab your yen and head on down to Chibo for the real okonomiyaki deal. As with every other restaurant of note, Chibo is located in, you guessed it: Dotonbori/Shinsaibashi and while you can get okonomiyaki in other shops in Osaka for around 600 yen, at Chibo its almost double the price.
You can get your okonomiyaki plain (which is not fun) or you can get it with a special ingredient inside or outside, such as: shrimp, bacon, cheese, etc.
Don’t let anyone convince you that okonomiyaki is junk food and bad for your health, as it is merely composed of flour, water, egg, cabbage, barbeque sauce, mayo and whatever additional ingredient you select.
