I’m sliding in right before the end of the year for part 2 of our Japan travel recommendations – this time all about our second stop, Osaka! We decided to spend 4 days of our trip in Osaka (with 1 day set aside for a day trip to neighboring Kyoto) because we heard that it has the best food in Japan, and we were certainly not disappointed! Osaka is known as the “nation’s kitchen” and is famous for its incredibly high-caliber street food. I am so glad we spent a few days in Osaka and really got to explore the city because it was just so different from Tokyo – much more casual, a little grittier, and full of new-to-us foods and the friendliest people. In Osaka, we ate much more casually than in Tokyo – more street food and casual gastropubs than fine dining and restaurants – and nearly everything we ate was just so, so good. I highly recommend including a few days in Osaka on any Japan trip. Read on for our eating and drinking highlights!
- For the best ramen we had all trip: Moeyo Mensuke
We ate a lot of ramen on our trip to Japan, and I absolutely loved seeing all the different styles and spins on such a classic dish. To me, this one stood head and shoulders above the rest as my clear favorite. Moeyo Mensuke’s version is a duck ramen (!) with slices of perfectly rare duck instead of the traditional pork, chewy yet delicate noodles, and the most flavorful, sweet and salty broth. This was a ramen I missed before I even finished the bowl. Expect a wait but the line moves fast!
2. For amazing fresh fish and a show: Izakaya Toyo
We watched the Osaka episode of Netflix’s Street Food before our trip and got so excited watching it that we decided to make a whole day of going to the different vendors featured on the show! Izakaya Toyo did not disappoint, with the huge personality of the vibrant chef/owner, Toyo, on full display. The food was incredible – we sampled his signature broiled tuna cheek and a few sushi rolls – and we hung out for as long as we could in the rain soaking in the fun vibe. Izakaya Toyo is completely outside, with only standing tables and a serve-yourself cooler of beer, but the food was totally fine-dining caliber. We were also totally charmed by Toyo (who is clearly enjoying his newfound Netflix fame) – this is a must-visit in Osaka!
3. For an incredible Japanese craft beer selection + fantastic bar food: Craft Beer Works Kamikaze
This was our first stop as soon as we got to Osaka, and we loved it so much we went back on our last night as well. Kamikaze is a great gastropub with an extensive craft beer selection (both Japanese and international, with beers from all over the world) and some seriously good beer-drinking eats. Our favorite dishes were the karaage (Japanese fried chicken), the fried eggplant, and the edamame. I’m so glad we found this place!
4. For the best okonomiyaki: Fue
Another stop on our Netflix Street Food tour of Osaka, Fue is a teeny-tiny little restaurant tucked into an indoor shopping street. Unlike Izakaya Toyo, Fue was super quiet and calm – we were the only people in the place when we went, and the service was incredibly attentive. We ordered some stir-fried noodles and their famous okonomiyaki, a savory Japanese pancake that very quickly became one of my favorite dishes we ate the whole trip. The noodles were delicious, but the okonomiyaki was totally the star – it was so flavorful and a textural dream, crispy on the outside and gooey on the inside with tons of little pots of toppings to customize as you like. They serve all dishes on a hot plate in the middle of the table, so you just eat right off the hot plate – it’s fun and casual and felt like exactly the right way to eat okonomiyaki!
5. For delicious coffee with beautiful views: Moto Coffee
We got caught in a few serious downpours on Osaka (August is one of their rainiest months, and we learned that means rain pretty much every day!) and Moto Coffee was one of the places we ran into to wait out a particularly potent storm. We ended up loving the coffee and the tea house vibe – it’s in a cool 3-story building with a spiral staircase, with some really nice outside seating right on the river for when it’s not torrentially raining. It was the perfect afternoon pick-me-up and a great place to cozy up with some delicious coffee or tea and a good book!
6. For the perfect place to spend a cozy afternoon drinking beer: One’s Brewery Pub
A trip to Japan certainly isn’t a relaxing beach vacation, but we managed to find a few slow, lazy afternoons in Osaka when it was pouring rain and we couldn’t do much sightseeing. One of our favorite places was the pub of One’s Brewery, where we sat for hours by the window nursing a few beers and reading our books. It was a cozy, lovely afternoon and the beer was delicious – this is a great stop to grab a beer walking around Osaka!
I also would be remiss to not include our favorite stop from Kyoto (which is a quick 15-minute bullet train ride away from Osaka)! Without further ado, my bonus recommendation in Kyoto:
7. For amazing sushi in a beautiful neighborhood: Sushi Naritaya
Brad found this sushi spot with amazing reviews on TripAdvisor, and despite the off-the-beaten-path location, we decided we had to make the trek while we were in Kyoto for the day. First of all, the location is completely stunning – a beautiful forested area in Western Kyoto right next to a river – and was somewhere we never would have gone to if it weren’t for our sushi craving! We arrived around 3 pm for a late lunch right before closing and suffice it to say we were starving after a full day of seeing various temples and shrines. We had a sushi sampler, a fatty tuna roll, and some unagi, and everything was delicious, so fresh, and totally affordable. Everyone was so kind, and they even had free serve-yourself green tea! This was one of our favorite meals of the whole trip and was the perfect way to cap off a packed day of sightseeing in Kyoto.
P.S. Don’t forget to check out my Tokyo travel guide for our favorite eats from Tokyo and some general Japan travel tips!
Contact Info:
5 Chome-12-21 Fukushima, Fukushima Ward, Osaka, 553-0003, Japan
+81 6-6452-2101
3 Chome-2-26 Higashinodamachi, Miyakojima Ward, Osaka, 534-0024, Japan
+81 6-6882-5768
ヒフミヤビル 1f, 1 Chome-22-21 Kitahorie, Nishi Ward, Osaka, 550-0014, Japan
+81 6-6539-7550
5 Chome-2-7 Higashinodamachi, Miyakojima Ward, Osaka, 534-0024, Japan
+81 6-6351-5616
Japan, 〒541-0041 Osaka, Chuo Ward, Kitahama, 2 Chome−1−1 北浜ライオンビル
+81 6-4706-3788
Japan, 〒541-0041 Osaka, Chuo Ward, Kitahama, 1 Chome−1−28 ビルマビル北浜 8F
+81 6-4708-5388
Japan, 〒616-8385 Kyoto, Ukyo Ward, 嵯峨天龍寺芒ノ馬場25嵐山スクエアウエストパ―ク
+81 90-8579-8383
