With the exchange rate riding high and flights more affordable than ever, Japan is one of the top destinations for Australian travellers right now. Many visitors–especially first-timers–will go direct to Tokyo for their Japanese adventure, missing the country’s second largest city Osaka. But like Melbourne to Australia’s Sydney, Osaka is the creative, fun-loving sibling you shouldn’t overlook. It also has a great sense of humour, with the majority of Japan’s comedians calling the city home.
With a population of almost nine million people, it’s ever so slightly more relaxed than hectic Tokyo, with just as much flashing neon and, of course, excellent food. It’s particularly known for its thriving street food scene, including dishes such as okonomiyaki, ramen, gyoza and katsu.
Here are the best places in the metropolis to seek out its most iconic dishes.
Okonomi-yaki
Chibo
Image credit: Osaka Convention & Tourism Bureau | Supplied
Arguably Osaka’s most famous dish is this elaborate savoury pancake. Okonomi means ‘as you like’, and yaki means ‘grilled’. Cooked ‘teppanyaki-style’ style on a sizzling open flat hotplate, it’s built up with batter and other ingredients including cabbage, meat, seafood and rich sauces such as Japanese mayo and dark, moreish okonomiyaki sauce (like barbecue sauce), then topped with bonito flakes and seaweed.
There are dozens of spots in the buzzing (and must-visit) Dotombori dining district serving the dish, but we liked Chibo, a sprawling venue with heavy wooden tables, and English-friendly service over multiple levels. They also do a mean gyoza dumpling, flattened on the hotplate and grilled until crisp.
Ramen
Torisoba Zagin Niboshi
Japanese ramen takes many forms, with subtle differences between regions and chefs. A steaming bowl of the noodle soup could be anything from rich tonkotsu broth with slices of pork to a light shiso soup lifted with egg and spring onion.
Torisoba Zagin Niboshi in the stylish fashion district of Minamisemba specialises in creamy chicken broth and springy soba noodles as well as Tan Tan Men, a chilli-spiked spicy soup. There are just a dozen seats around a low counter at this much-loved and often-packed spot. The line outside moves quickly, overseen by an efficient hostess, with customers purchasing tickets from a cash-only vending machine at the sliding doorway.
Izakaya
Izakaya Toyo
Image credit: Osaka Convention & Tourism Bureau | Supplied
Think of the izakaya as Japan’s answer to the pub. This is where locals hang out after work, drink cold draught beer, sake and whiskey highballs, and graze on snacks such as gyoza dumplings or yakitori skewers cooked on a hibachi grill.
The most famous izakaya in Osaka is run by the chain-smoking showman Toyo-san, who was featured on Netflix series Street Food: Asia. For over 25 years, he’s been serving simple, ultra-fresh fare such as sashimi and seafood, with the signature blowtorched tuna cheek attracting lengthy queues at the humble street stall. Get there early and enjoy the show. It’s cash only with no reservations.
Curry
Oretachi No Curry Ya
Japan loves its curry. The thick, distinctive brown gravy was popularised by the British, and has its own unique vibe. Various outlets–including national chains as popular as McDonalds–serve their own secret recipe. The flavour is deep, rich and comforting, served with noodles or steaming white rice over fried prawns, pork cutlet, beef hot-pot, stewed chicken or crisp eggplant.
Oretachi No Curry Ya is a happening hole-in-the-wall in the Namba district with just a few seats. Like many of the best places to eat in Japan, it specialises in a single dish, and its curry has been utterly perfected. Items are ordered via a cash-only vending machine. Choose your level of chilli heat, and for an extra flex, cover it in grated cheese.
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Sushi
Endo Sushi
Image credit: Osaka Convention & Tourism Bureau | Supplied
Perhaps Japan’s greatest culinary export, you can find sushi pretty much everywhere from airport to train station (they really have travel snacks covered in this country). The artful bundles of vinegary rice and a variety of other delights have become a symbol of the country. Iconic? You bet.
At the top of the list for any sushi lover is Endo, which has several branches, the main outlet being inside the Osaka Central Fish Market. It’s open from 6am and uses the freshest seafood of the day. There are four different plates with five pieces of sushi on each, from fatty toro tuna to uni sea urchin and ebi shrimp–all expertly crafted and sublimely delicious. In true Japanese style there are rules: it’s cash only, and there are 2000 yen fines for customers who over-order and leave food behind. But trust me, you’ll want to savour every mouthful.
Novelty
Pokemon Café
Osaka has plenty of weird and wonderful themed venues, including bars where you can throw full-sized axes at targets while sipping cocktails (find them in the Shinsekai district). It’s also the home of Pokemon, and the original theme café in Shinsaibashi is one of the city’s most popular attractions.
There are cheeky performances from a life-sized Pikachu and plenty of kawaii (that’s cute) dishes in elaborate designs such as Snorlax's Tummy Filling Nap Lunch Plate served with a side of merch from the gift shop for dessert. Reservations are a must, but you can get lucky by showing up and nabbing a spot from any no-show visitors.
Pancakes
Café Sunshine
Image credit: Osaka Convention & Tourism Bureau | Supplied
Do pancakes come any fluffier than in Japan? The souffle-style treats are feather-light and several inches thick, and sometimes emblazoned with a digitally printed motif.
Sunshine is a cosy, retro hidden gem in a basement offering wobbly pancakes since 1973 (they sell over 25,000 orders of them a year). As well as stacks of pancakes with slabs of butter and thick syrup, you’ll also find great coffee and other all-day breakfast fare. It’s an example of the ‘jun kissa’ cafes seen all over the country, with old-school dishes like omurice or even tomato spaghetti on the menu.
Tea
Wad
Japanese tea is more than a beverage, it’s a way of life. Often prepared in ceremonies known as chadō, there are many varies such as gyokuro, sencha and matcha available everywhere from chain hotels to Starbucks.
Wad is an ultra-chic minimalist teahouse in bustling Minamisenba which is a great place to start your tea journey. Guests choose a one-of-a-kind porcelain bowl from which to drink a customised blend. Enjoy the brew with local sweets such a mochi, the famous cake made from sweet glutinous rice.
Convenience Stores
Family Mart
Image credit: Osaka Convention & Tourism Bureau | Supplied
If you come to Osaka and don’t fall in love with convenience store culture, you haven’t truly discovered the city. There are three main chains located on every street corner—Family Mart, Lawson and 7-Eleven—and while many Japanese people will have a preference, they largely sell the same dazzling array of items.
It might be easier to say what you can’t buy in one of these stores, the food is a particular highlight. Stock up on fresh onigiri, readymade meals such as pastas and curries (ask them to heat it up in the microwave for you), frozen fruit smoothies and every kind of beverage you can think of. Don’t leave Japan without trying the viral hit snack: a fillet of fried chicken from the counter inserted into a packaged egg-mayo sandwich on fluffy white bread. It’s truly the best thing you’ll eat in Osaka, for less than $5.
Kaiseki
Bokusui
Kaiseki is how the Japanese celebrate: a traditional set menu comprised of many small dishes. Like eating in someone’s home, the dishes are many and varied and encompass soups, rice, fish, meat, vegetables and dessert.
This intimate spot in the chaotic Dontonbori district is the definition of a hidden kaiseki gem. After climbing a steep set of stairs to the first floor, guests remove their shoes and sit at low tables behind paper screens. The drinks flow as dishes such elegant raw sashimi, lightly battered tempura vegetables, and a centrepiece ‘sukiyaki’—a bubbling individual stew with sliced beef—arrive. And afterwards? What else but karaoke at one of the many nearby clubs.
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Image credit: Osaka Convention & Tourism Bureau | Supplied
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