7 Great Okonomiyaki Restaurants in the Food Capital, Osaka
Osaka is one of the biggest tourist cities in Japan. In the city center, there are a lot of restaurants and bars with eye-catching signs. Osaka is the capital of food, and is known as the battleground for gourmet dishes. While the city has a lot of signature foods, okonomiyaki (Japanese savory pancake) is a must-eat, as it is Osaka’s most iconic food. It is a dish loved by the people, and each restaurant has a different style and taste. It’s fun trying and comparing them!
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1. Okonomiyaki Chitose [Dobutsuen-mae]
Chitose is an okonomiyaki place located in a small alleyway close to Osaka Tennoji Zoo. Be careful not to walk past it without noticing, as it is a really small restaurant. This place is popular both with the locals and foreign tourists! As small as it is, it has a really cozy and friendly vibe to it. You can enjoy their okonomiyaki, even if you are trying it for the first time.
First, try the most orthodox one, which is Butatama (pork gem). The dough made with grated Japanese yam and flour is mixed with chunks of cabbage and sliced pork. You can choose from spicy or sweet sauce to pour on your okonomiyaki. The sauce plays a vital role in bringing out the great taste of the okonomiyaki!
2. Kiji - Main Branch [Umeda]
Located close to Umeda Station and Osaka Station, Kiji is a very popular okonomiyaki restaurant with a friendly atmosphere. Every day, there's a long line of people waiting outside. The recommended way of enjoying this place is to sit at a counter seat. The chefs will be making okonomiyaki right in front of your eyes. Their impressive technique is a must-see!
Butatama is a solid choice, but also try their Modern-yaki, which is okonomiyaki with pork, cabbage, squid, and yakisoba (pan-fried noodles with sauce). The soft texture of noodles matches pretty well with the other ingredients.
3. Mizuno [Namba]
Mizuno is an okonomiyaki restaurant frequently visited by a lot of tourists from overseas. From the counter seats, you can see the pros making okonomiyaki up close. The standard one, Mizuno-yaki, is an okonomiyaki topped with a half-boiled egg. The soft dough has pork, squid, shrimp, and octopus in it. Add some aonori (dried green seaweed) before you eat it!
Yamaimo-yaki is another popular meal here. They use grated Japanese yam instead of flour for the dough, so its softness is different from dough made with flour. You can enjoy the melting texture of the yam!
4. Hozenji Sanpei [Namba]
Located in the historic town of Hozenji Yokocho, this is an okonomiyaki place with a cozy vibe. They have various options for toppings. You can customize your okonomiyaki according to your preference at this place.
Mix Modern is a really soft okonomiyaki that uses Japanese yam in its dough. The okonomiyaki here doesn’t have too strong of a taste, so you can eat a lot without getting tired of the taste. Sujikon consists of beef sinew, konjac, and green onions. Together with beer, it makes for a golden combination!
5. Okonomiyaki Mifune [Higashi-Umeda]
Mifune is a well-established okonomiyaki place that has a stunning exterior. It is a store where you can enjoy the retro atmosphere of the good old days. You can cook the okonomiyaki yourself on the table. If you don’t know how to make one, you can always ask for the waiter's help!
One characteristic of the okonomiyaki here is that the dough is not too soft. However, it is plump and has a great texture. It has a lot of ingredients inside, such as yakisoba made with thick noodles, cabbage, pork, and other ingredients, so it is pretty filling.
6. Yukari - Sonezaki Main Branch [Higashi-Umeda]
Yukari (Sonezaki Main Branch) is a successful okonomiyaki restaurant with a bunch of branches dotted around Osaka. One of the reasons why they are so popular is the wide variety of okonomiyaki they serve. From the orthodox ones to some unique ones, you can try many different kinds of okonomiyaki!
One of the signature dishes is Fromage-yaki, which has cheese as its star topping. It uses 5 different kinds of cheese. Its cheesy, fondue-like, smooth texture and rich taste is really good. Their sweet and spicy sauce is a good match for this dish!
7. Madoka [Osaka-Uehommachi]
Madoka is a small okonomiyaki restaurant with just 7 counter seats. The long griddle on the counter is pretty iconic. The price is pretty cheap, but their okonomiyaki is so amazing! The dough is spongy, and you can really taste the deliciousness of each ingredient.
Their signature dish, Zabuton, is definitely worth trying. It is okonomiyaki topped with yakisoba. The combination of the sauce and mayonnaise is delightful, and the yakisoba sauce is so rich and delicious!
Osaka is full of cultural heritage, with facilities and buildings that possess long histories. The city itself is pretty unique, so it's a great place to walk around. Okonomiyaki restaurants can be seen in every corner of the city, so it's recommended to just follow your heart and jump into any random restaurant that catches your eye!
*Thumbnail image is retrieved from PIXTA
The information in this article is accurate at the time of publication.
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