Uoyaki

Uoyaki is proof that the best places are still worth hunting for. Genuinely hidden, deep in Temma’s warren of backstreets with the smallest sign of them all, the standing bar occupies a 100-year-old machiya whose earthen walls and original roof trusses are lit theatrically, like a tiny gallery built for eating and drinking in.

The food is focused on haiboshi-style fish, in which the catch is wrapped and buried in volcanic ash rather than left in the open air, drawing out moisture slowly while locking in fat and flavour, before it’s finished over charcoal right in front of you. Other seasonal dishes then round out the menu.

Wine is the other half of the draw. Uoyaki specialises in natural wine, poured with the kind of confidence and specificity that puts it closer to a dedicated wine bar than a standing boozer with a decent list.

Like we said, it’s a small space, and the inevitable trade-off of somewhere this hidden and this good is that it fills up fast. If your luck runs out, Uoyaki Winestand – their sister location and Osaka’s smallest wine bar – serves the same selection of wine in an equally theatrical setting with cheese and cured meats to nibble on.