100 must-go restaurants in Osaka by genre

Japanese

Eager to take on a new challenge together with a team of up-and-coming cooks, chef Shintaro Katayama moved his signature restaurant to fresh digs in March 2025. His new space combines the shoin style of teahouse architecture with contemporary sensibilities, including a sizeable counter that provides an ample canvas for Katayama’s bountiful dishes. From the vividly coloured hassun appetisers to the moreish clay-pot rice that crowns every meal at Rakushin, this is delicate kaiseki at its boldest.

Trained in classical cooking at Osaka institution Ajikitcho, chef Keisuke Mifune channels his vast knowledge of cha-kaiseki – the ornate and highly formal meal served at a traditional tea gathering – into orthodox but imaginative series of dishes, beginning with a colourful expression of the season in the form of the hassun appetiser platter. For a kaiseki place, the atmosphere at Yugen is decidedly laid-back, making it the ideal restaurant for those fairly new to Japanese haute cuisine.

A more than 100-year-old traditional farmhouse deep in the green hills of Takatsuki makes a fitting home for one of Osaka’s most ambitious farm-to-table restaurants. The traditional East Asian 24-season calendar provides the basis for Cocorone’s signature omakase meals (¥25,000), which showcase local game meat, freshwater fish, and wild herbs foraged by the chef himself the same morning. This is a special place indeed, more than deserving of the trek to the prefecture’s farthest northern reaches.

Turning off the heavily trafficked National Route 1 in Hirakata and entering this restaurant set in a traditional Japanese country house feels almost like a mini-journey back into a simpler, more beautiful time. Nakanaka’s inspired kaiseki omakase (from ¥9,350) highlights a wide variety of Osaka vegetables, which receive strong backing from seasonal produce grown in nearby Nara and Kyoto. Meals end with a filling serving of rice cooked right at your table over an old-school wood-fired stove.

After a 14-year stint at Masuda, one of Osaka’s best-regarded kaiseki establishments, Toshiaki Amano knows the techniques and traditions of orthodox Japanese cuisine like the back of his hand. That’s exactly why he can bend the rules to come up with delicious surprises at the eponymous restaurant he opened in his hometown of Takatsuki in 2023. Local delicacies from organic produce to honey figure prominently in his playful cooking, which is at times coloured by Chinese and Western influences.

Ryotei – exclusive restaurants and entertainment establishments in the traditional Japanese style – have been influential in shaping Osaka’s culinary culture over the centuries. The venerated Kashiwaya is a prime example; a shrine to hyper-seasonal haute cuisine, where head chef Hideaki Matsuo conducts an orchestra of ingredients that includes sustainably sourced fish and Naniwa heirloom vegetables as he crafts symphonies of flavour in tastefully understated, teahouse-like surroundings.

Savour Naniwa (Osaka) heirloom vegetables and other seasonal delicacies amidst the bright greenery of early summer or the sparkling hues of autumn at this traditional Japanese restaurant on the trail leading to the thundering Minoo Falls. Book early – think up to a year in advance for the autumn leaves season.

Overlooking the lush landscape of the satoyama, the Japanese word for mountainous areas where people farm, forage and gather firewood, chef Takeru Nakai’s Nose Arata puts the spotlight on the plentiful produce of Nose – from seasonal vegetables to wagyu, wild meat and freshwater fish. Trained in traditional Kyoto cuisine and boasting a cosmopolitan resumé that includes a stint as chef at Japan’s mission to the European Union, Nakai lets his intuition guide him when reinterpreting washoku for the 21st century. The results are spectacular.

Kappo Matsuya styles itself the only restaurant in Japan specialising in watarigani, or Japanese blue crab. Take your pick of the multicourse meals, which include a bonanza of crab-based treats prepared in a myriad of ways – from salt-grilled to sashimi, in a salad, and incorporated into a rice dish. For a boozy finish to your culinary adventure, be sure to order a cup of the restaurant’s own ‘crab sake’.

The history of the former post town of Moriguchi comes alive at Chami, an orthodox kaiseki restaurant helmed by the Kyoto-trained Takuya Funami. Ever conscious of the need to align his craft with contemporary tastes, Funami infuses the revered traditions of Japan’s hyper-seasonal haute cuisine with a playful sensibility – and high-grade ingredients from throughout Osaka prefecture. Reservations are essential for all kaiseki meals, but the restaurant also offers a set lunch for walk-ins and same-day reservations.

Fresh seafood brought in the same day from the nearby ports gets turned into vibrant seasonal dishes at this kappo stalwart, conveniently located just a few minutes’ walk from Kishiwada Station. While the fish steals the show – you’re offered different types of soy sauce depending on the source of the seafood served – Yuko’s meat and veg dishes are excellent as well, deserving of a pairing with choice tipples from the restaurant’s selection of around 100 wines and 50 types of sake.

Dine in style while gazing out at the elaborate Japanese garden just south of the Kishiwada castle moat at this samurai estate turned fancy kaiseki restaurant, where you can enjoy multicourse meals centred on delicacies such as Kobe beef. Tip: You don’t have to eat at Gofuso to visit the garden and its three teahouses.

Kadoma lotus root is a heirloom vegetable that’s been grown in this area just east of Osaka city for centuries. Savour the sweet and satisfyingly crunchy delicacy in more forms than you knew existed at the restaurant of fourth-generation lotus root farmer Masanori Nakanishi, who turns his own produce into distinctive dishes like the cake-like renkon mochi. If you make it this far, do consider going all out with an elaborate multicourse lotus root meal.

Italian

An Osaka chef through and through, the free-wheeling Tadayoshi Yamada has no qualms about blending Japanese culinary culture with French and Italian techniques and flavours. When eating at RiVi, come prepared to smile: Yamada loves to show local pride with dishes like a kofun-shaped rillette.

The expert chefs at this Kadoma favourite know how to bring out the best in seasonal ingredients. They don’t forget to have fun while doing their thing either, taking requests from diners and customising dishes on the fly. The cuisine is Italian with a local twist, full of joy for both the eyes and the taste buds.

Osaka-grown produce figures prominently in the parade of invigorating Italian dishes served as part of A La’s omakase meals (available for groups of two or more). Besides artisanal Naples-style pizzas baked in a handsome wood-fired oven, you can look forward to a selection of refreshing appetisers, plus hearty pastas and meaty mains. Be sure to ask about any seasonal specials: one of the most memorable dishes we’ve had here was a pizza highlighting figs from Habikino in eastern Osaka.

The lush natural beauty of rural Shimamoto provides an apt setting for the innovative, near-to-nature Italian cuisine conjured up by chef Masaki Hishida. Having done his time in the kitchens of several Michelin-starred restaurants in Italy and trained under the late Gualtiero Marchesi, the first Italian chef to earn three Michelin stars, Hishida employs his hard-earned mastery to highlight the acclaimed produce of the mountainous Mishima region between Osaka and Kyoto.

Having spent many long years in Italy, honing his skills across rural trattorias and Michelin-starred restaurants alike, Masaaki Fujita dares to be transgressive in his kitchen. At Lacerba, he’s made a name for himself showcasing Japanese ingredients in the rich context of regional Italian cuisine, but his latest invention is perhaps the boldest one yet: an entire line of artisanal sweets marrying traditional dolce with the tropical flavours of Okinawa.

Select seasonal ingredients from Italy meet super-fresh Southern Osaka meat and produce in vibrant, inventively plated dishes. If you’re looking to kick back and savour local specialities like Naniwa Kurogyu wagyu, Naniwa heirloom vegetables or Kawachi duck with a glass of wine or three, this is the spot.

Book at least a day in advance for the chance to eat your way through one of this seafood-focused Italian restaurant’s seasonal multicourse meals, which regularly venture beyond the confines of orthodox Mediterranean cuisine while letting the quality of the ingredients speak for itself.

Scrutinise the marine riches of Senshu through an Italian lens at this conveniently located trattoria right by Izumiotsu Station. Small jako shrimp, brand-name Izumi octopus and hamo (pike conger, a type of sea eel) are only a few of the local specialities highlighted in pastas, pizzas and multifarious small dishes. If you happen to visit on a quiet weekday, the chef will sometimes ask you about your favourite flavours and offer to cook up something special off the menu.

Hiroaki Imaki is a veteran of several decorated Italian restaurants, but the Sicilian cuisine he pours his passion into here is inspired by the home-cooked comfort food a Michelin-starred chef’s mother served to kitchen staff at one of his former workplaces. Don’t miss his show-stopping appetiser plate, a signature creation featuring up to nine dishes that set the stage for a memorable feast. Cuccagna is a staple among Shinkansen-borne gourmands, being easy to reach from Shin-Osaka Station.

Vegetables, eggs, meat – not to mention grasses, wild fruits and edible flowers – from throughout the surrounding Minami-Kawachi area lend a distinctive touch to the wonderfully casual Beccafico’s seasonal cuisine, which tells the stories of local producers through plating and flavours alike.

Bringing a slice of Sicily to Sakai, chef Yusuke Mori completed part of his culinary training on the Southern Italian island and now has a little garden of his own, where he grows the Sicilian vegetables and herbs that colour his vibrant multicourse meals. Consider pairing yours with a bottle of Sicilian natural wine.

Kanan meets Italy at this quirky trattoria run by Shota Uematsu, a chef who hails from the aforementioned rural town in southern Osaka Prefecture and channels its landscape, history, culture and ingredients into artistic cuisine that brings together the best of two very different culinary worlds.

If you’re a fan of both old Japanese houses and creative Italian-adjacent cooking, you may never want to leave Daccia. Nature-rich Tondabayashi makes a fitting home for this home-like restaurant, where antique furniture curated by chef Emi Yachida herself contrasts sharply with the inspired fusion cuisine on offer. Yachida’s creativity shines through in a wide variety of dishes, many of which centre organic vegetables while pairing Mediterranean fundamentals with a Japanese essence.

Look out the window of the 150-year-old traditional Japanese house accommodating this Italian restaurant and you’ll see the World Heritage-listed Shiratori no Misasagi, an ancient keyhole-shaped burial mound. But you might be too occupied with the food to even notice: the chefs here afford local vegetables like garden peas starring roles in their imaginative multicourse dinners, which end with dessert hand-crafted by the resident pâtissier. A meal at Viteraska alone merits a trip to Osaka.

Cafés

Furniture and metalworking masters Jozu Works expanded into cooking with this gorgeous, multi-tasking space that houses two eateries fitted with the company’s celebrated artisanal furnishings. Fu specialises in Japanese cooking while Kanjitsu does Western-inspired fare; what they share is a commitment to fermentation, serving up rejuvenating dishes in which local vegetables meet condiments fermented in house.

Set amidst the greenery of Nose, this countryside café is run by a husband-and-wife duo who were both born and raised in the area and source their produce from farmer friends in the community. Grab a seat on the terrace and dig into one of the weekly lunch plates or a dessert, coloured by hyper-local greens and fruits.

Local greens and culinary creativity shake hands at Bonocafe, an Ibaraki institution that celebrates the northeastern city’s produce in the form of an entirely improvised daily set meal built around a random array of fresh, seasonal veg delivered to the shop by local farmers each morning.

Tucked away in the basement of a dated mixed-use building a stone’s throw from Osaka Station, this retro-futuristic coffee shop opened in 1970, the year of the Osaka Expo and at the height of the ‘space fever’ that gripped the world after the moon landing of 1969. Admire the cosmic imagery – the ‘night sky’ ceiling with lights that resemble stars is a highlight – while exploring a menu that screams ‘classic kissaten’: think hand-drip coffee, fruit sandwiches, ‘Napolitan’ spaghetti and toast.

Home-cooked meals made with quality local ingredients and seasoned to the tastes of those most discerning of gourmands – children – Natt’s Cafe is the kind of eatery every parent wishes they had in their neighbourhood. High chairs are available, of course, and diminutive diners are welcome to enter in prams, too.

Tucked away in the mountainous village of Chihaya-Akasaka in rural Minami-Kawachi, near the border of Osaka and Nara prefectures, restaurant, café, hair salon and art gallery Bum juggles its many roles with effortless flair. At the restaurant, the multicourse meals spotlight traditional South Indian cuisine, taking diners on a meditative journey through seasonal flavours and produce as well as a multitude of enticing spices. The restaurant is reservations only, but walk-ins are welcome at the café.

Churning out Breton galettes of the very highest order, On pairs its pancakes – made entirely from domestic buckwheat flour – with vegetables sourced from local farms. Be sure to check out their seasonal specials; on one of our recent visits, we were left floored by a galette filled with a combo of ground meat, Malabar spinach and miso butter. You’ll also find a nice selection of fruity drinks on the menu, with both cocktails and mocktails well represented.

A historic red-brick silk mill in the town of Tarui houses Rojica, a real multitasker of a destination that started out as a shop dealing in Southeast Asian furniture and sundries but now also encompasses an event space – and, crucially, a tranquil café serving some of the most lip-smacking cakes in all of Osaka.

The bustle of central Osaka feels a world away amidst the tranquillity of rural Kumatori. Gaze out at the pond in front of this cosy café while treating your taste buds to a healthy and filling lunch or some homemade sweets, ideally combined with the bright greenery of early summer or the golden foliage of autumn.

Crafting ‘ethical sweets’ like cheesecakes made with brown rice flour and layered cakes featuring misshapen fruit donated by local farmers and turned into purée, this friendly little pastry shop brings joy to both the planet and intrepid sweets fiends willing to make the trip way out to Sennan.

French

Special occasion? Celebrate in Senshu with an opulent French meal incorporating the finest flavours of the region: handsome, nutrient-rich vegetables sourced from a select crop of local farmers, and the freshest fish courtesy of wholesaler Tozaemon, a dealer in the highest-end Osaka seafood since the mid-1800s.

Vegetables sourced from local farmers take centre stage at this innovative French restaurant. The prettiest and most flavourful greens shine as prominent parts of the colourful multicourse meals, which also feature house ham infused with mountain pepper and a memorable onion cheesecake.

Representing the cutting edge of Osaka gastronomy, Yusuke Takada’s ever-evolving La Cime has built up a border-crossing reputation with its bold ingredient pairings. Here, seasonal greens like bitter melon or Kamo nasu eggplant may be enhanced with a vinaigrette incorporating ishiru fish sauce from the Noto Peninsula, in what’s only one example of Takada’s determination to enhance his world-class cooking with undervalued ingredients and condiments used in regional cuisines across Japan.

Hidden away among the drab office buildings of Honmachi, this French favourite has held on to its Michelin star for eight years running. Chef Kosei Fujita is building a gastronomic style all of his own with umami-rich, aromatic dishes that reflect the seasons – and are as pretty to look at as any work of fine art.

Chef Kenji Nakata swapped the star-studded kitchens of Paris for residential Toyonaka to pursue his at times narrative-focused, at times poetic cooking, in which the connections between ingredients stand out. His counter-only restaurant serves no more than seven diners at a time, and lunch is offered on Thursdays and Fridays only.

Note: Point will close in Toyonaka on November 9 and relocate to Fukushima ward in December 2025.

The value-conscious gourmand’s favourite in Yao for 40 years and counting, Bon Chic is where traditional French sensibilities shake hands with local, seasonal vegetables like Yao wakagobo burdock root and edamame. The restaurant displays an admirable commitment to using ingredients from its surroundings, with even the house red wine being an exclusive product, made as it is from grapes grown by the head chef-cum-sommelier himself.

After soaking up knowledge at the source in France and refining his skills at legendary Kobe restaurant Jean Moulin, chef Atsushi Ota returned to his hometown of Kashiwara to set up shop in 2012. There’s no menu at either lunch or dinner, only a single omakase meal that Ota conjures up from ingredients sourced the same morning. Pair yours with a selection of fine vino from the nearby Katashimo Winery, which is also the source of the wine that the chef uses in his celebrated stews and sauces.

Chinese

Hong Kong’s seafood restaurants are dynamic places, with hungry customers gathering around fish splashing about in aerated tanks, choosing the tastiest-looking specimens for chefs to cook up on the spot. Despite its location way out in the Osaka suburbs, Kishina replicates the experience down to the tiniest details.

The innovative couple running Toyonaka’s Limelight took over from the previous generation in 2023 and they’ve been busy elevating and reconfiguring chuka, the unapologetically greasy, no-frills Japanese take on Chinese cooking, ever since. Who knew staples like gyoza, fried rice and grilled bird could be reconstructed into something so photogenic – or that these dishes could pair so perfectly with natural wine or craft beer?

A leading name in Osaka’s fusion dining scene, Chi-Fu combines Chinese culinary traditions with Western and Japanese influences to memorable effect. Chef Yuji Fujita is noted for his obsessive dedication to getting the aromas and flavours of each dish to pair perfectly, fine-tuning his creations down to the tiniest details such as serving temperature and bite size. His popular wine pairings are available in non-alcoholic versions, too. 

If you’re looking for top-value Chinese cuisine with a local flourish, China Table Kisshin in Takaishi is an iron-clad choice. Chef Yoshitomo Tanaka channels his Sino-Japanese expertise into imaginative dishes that make full use of seasonal ingredients. His distinctive Japanese-style tableware is worth admiring, too.

While staying true to the instantly recognisable aesthetics, no-frills flavours and accommodating pricing of traditional chuka – Japanified Chinese cuisine – Yamaguchi rises above the crowd with its commitment to quality ingredients, homemade sauces and frequently changing but always inspired dinner specials. In autumn, look out for dishes incorporating distinctive local produce like Manchurian wild rice stems (makomodake), which are grown in the nearby village of Chihaya-Akasaka.

You’d think Chinese cuisine had more than enough spice on its own, but the crew behind Hakkai appear to disagree. They have no qualms about applying chuka (Japanified Chinese) techniques to their sinus-clearing curry concoctions, and the results are pretty spectacular. A dozen or so spices go into each of their three signature curries – lamb and cumin, Sichuan mapo tofu and a monthly special – which can be ordered on their own, or all on the same plate for a certain taste bud knockout.

Udon

Clear, aromatic and deeply flavourful, the dashi steals the spotlight at this elevated udon eatery. And no wonder: the broth is painstakingly crafted from high-end ingredients, as you might expect at an offshoot of the two-Michelin-starred Miyamoto, one of Osaka’s leading washoku restaurants. 

Udon doesn’t have to be so serious, as proven by the playful cooks at this Shijonawate noodle joint that doubles as a pub. Get your fill of dishes like the udon tessa – thin slices of noodles eaten with ponzu and grated daikon flavoured with chilli pepper – and be sure to explore the plentiful tempura selection.

An Osaka noodle institution if there ever was one, udon eatery Azuma has been in business since 1864. For more than 50 years, the bestselling menu item here has been the Sasame Udon, an innard-warming bowl of medium-thick wheat noods topped with a thick and starchy ankake sauce accented with fresh ginger.

Having started out in 1955 as a humble food stall at Osaka’s bustling Kuromon Market, udon specialist Sakae developed its quick-cooking, toothpick-thin noodles to satisfy the market’s famously impatient clientele. Though now based in the suburbs, the shop still serves up what’s one of the city’s original fast foods.

Pastries

Artisanal French-style baked treats line the neat shelves at Ikeda’s premier pastry and chocolate shop. Having cultivated a loyal following since opening in 2012, Pâtisserie a terre is the kind of spot you’ll want to get to early – preferably between 10.30 and 11am – to have your pick of the selection. Look out for the gâteau au chocolat, made with chocolate crafted from scratch in house, and the financiers, baked with copious amounts of the shop’s own almond powder. Seasonal specials abound.

Pastry chef Yoshiki Tsujii may be the guardian of his family’s 55-year cake-making legacy, but he’s not afraid to challenge his adoring regulars with inventive takes on iconic sweets. Some things are best kept the same, though: Tsujii makes his strawberry shortcake with the exact recipe he inherited from his father.

Decadent cakes finished with seasonal produce and baked beauties giving off enticingly buttery flavours line the shelves at what has to be one of Osaka’s most detail-oriented patisseries. We’d be remiss not to rave about the artistic tarts, topped with ultra-ripe fruit sourced directly from trusted farmers.

Bakeries

Having trained in classical French cuisine before he found his calling in baking, Takashi Funai draws on an eclectic repertoire of skills when crafting his acclaimed – and ever-evolving – selection of breads, pastries and sandwiches. Come prepared to queue.

Having done his time and paid his dues in France, baker extraordinaire Ayumu Iwanaga conjures up baguettes that would hold their own in Paris. Kansai’s leading bread authority now runs several boulangeries in Osaka, but his original Kishibe bakery (and café space) is more than worth the hike out to Suita.

Four kinds of artisanal shokupan, Japan’s newly trendy, pillowy soft milk bread, are among the best-selling goodies at Blue Tree Favo, a bakery that deals in ‘everyday luxury’ in the form of around 60 kinds of baked treats. Hit up the shop on a Tuesday to enjoy a 10 percent discount on shokupan, or just make the trip at your leisure to peruse an enticing selection of sandwiches and other deli breads, croissants, and buns filled with seasonal varieties of red bean paste.

A true scratch bakery with its own Italian restaurant, Centre de Village does everything in house from carefully selected ingredients – and the difference isn’t hard to taste. They’ve come up with around 150 types of bread so far, so you might spend a moment or two perusing the shelves.

Sushi

Jovial chef Takayuki Saki hails from Takamatsu across the Inland Sea but has been in the Kansai sushi game since age 16 – plenty of time to develop a distinctive feel for local seafood, around which he structures the artistic omakase meals on offer at this Kita-Shinchi gem.

A sizeable tank filled with seafood brought to shore on local boats dominates the airy interior of this fishing-village sushi joint. Make a quick pit stop for a couple of nigiri topped with in-season delicacies, or call ahead and settle in for an elaborate multicourse meal built around fugu or hamo sea eel.

In the world of sushi, the freshest fish isn’t always the finest, as evidenced by the aged delights served at Moriya. Practically bursting with umami, these palate-invigorating morsels are the result of careful craftsmanship and an unparalleled eye for quality, demonstrated by the chef himself during his frequent trips to local ports to meet with trusted fishermen and pick out the most promising seafood. Be sure to order the sake pairing, curated to bring out the very best in every piece.

Wagashi

Putting a stylish twist on the traditional daifuku – soft mochi usually filled with sweet red bean paste – Shizuku makes its dainty treats entirely without additives. A herbal extract provides the intense colour of the blue raspberry daifuku, while the eye-catching Tsuchi (‘Earth’) incorporates hemp charcoal.

Ohagi are small rice balls usually coated with sweetened red beans, kinako soybean flour or sesame and salt. Mori no Ohagi puts a creative twist on the traditional snack with a seasonal selection including corn mochi in summer and a combo of grilled chestnut and black rice for autumn and winter.

Brewpubs

Putting the Hokusetsu area on beer fans’ radars since 2021, 3Tree Brewery is a pioneering microbrewery where you can settle in and drink your way through their acclaimed selection at the second-floor pub. In addition to four of their regular brews, you’ll find two different seasonal specials on tap every month. 

Your one-stop shop for quality beer in central Osaka, Mother Tree is a brewpub and bottle shop that should satisfy the cravings of even the most discerning drinker. You’ll find around 15 of their own beers on tap at all times, and the food menu merits equally careful consideration (otherwise you’ll end up trying everything...). The selection of bottled and canned beer is impressive too, with an expertly curated line-up of around 500 varieties from throughout the world.

Izakaya

Twenty kinds of seasonal sashimi is just the beginning – if you enjoy pairing your alcohol with fresh seafood, you might never want to leave Ajiyoshi. Neyagawa’s discerning drinkers and pescatarians flock to this fish-focused izakaya, where you can choose from a dizzying variety of raw, grilled, steamed and deep-fried fish to fuel a night of imbibing. The admirable attention to detail on display extends to the house-made soy sauce, of which there are separate varieties for sushi and sashimi.

In 2010, Nagahori became the world’s first izakaya to earn a Michelin star. Fifteen years later, Shigeo Nakamura’s establishment retains its place at the summit of Osaka’s gastropub scene, serving up no-frills dishes highlighting veg selected by the chef himself – including heirloom greens like Kaizuka sawa nasu eggplant. 

Fugu

Dempo fishing port is home to this gem of a seafood eatery with a cheerful proprietress and an infrequently seen speciality: detchiri, or hot pot with freshly cut fugu. Meals end with zosui, an umami-packed, congee-like dish prepared by dunking rice into the hot pot and mixing it with the remaining dashi broth.

If you can make a living for four decades serving a fish as fickle as fugu, you’re probably doing something right. At Agatha, plump 1.5kg pufferfish are available fresh in the restaurant’s own tanks year-round, ready to be cut up into thick pieces and served either as springy sashimi (‘tessa’) or in shabu-shabu form with ponzu sauce. Either way, the flesh is luxuriously light and mellow, with a refined hint of umami. Not a fugu fan? Try some other type of sashimi, or go for the excellent kushikatsu.

Yakiniku

Grill-it-yourself yakiniku joints are dime a dozen in southern Osaka, but if you’re looking to enjoy high-grade wagyu without breaking the bank, you might as well narrow your options down to one. Queen enjoys the benefit of having a family connection to a local butcher shop, giving the restaurant an insurmountable advantage when it comes to value. Whether it’s chewy intestines or A5-grade chateaubriand you’re after, this place can be counted on to deliver a memorable (and meaty) feast.

Carnivores with an eye for unique cuts travel from far and wide to peruse the frequently changing menu at meat master Tsuneyuki Kobayashi’s yakiniku grill. Sourcing rarities like Kumamoto black tongue and ultra-thick wagyu tenderloin from a private network of suppliers, Tsunechan is worth the trek for any dedicated beefeater.

Casual Japanese

Obanzai is straightforward Japanese cooking at its best – a longstanding culinary tradition of using fresh, in-season ingredients that results in meals bursting with natural flavours. Malu turns greens grown in the restaurant’s own garden or sourced from farmers in the neighbourhood into wholesome combinations of inviting small dishes, eight of which are served alongside melt-in-your-mouth rice balls and miso soup in the restaurant’s signature Malu Gokan Teishoku set.

Stewed fish, crisp tempura, Japanese omelette, sashimi cut fresh from fish brought in from the Izumisano fishing port that morning – the options are many and enticing at this eatery where you get to assemble your very own set meal. Open from as early as 4am, it’s a wildly popular spot, so come prepared to queue.

Bars

The runner-up in 2016’s global World Class final, Ryu Fujii showcases his mix mastery at this tiny counter-only hideaway. Never one to rest on his laurels, the widely travelled bartender makes a point of revamping his cocktail menu entirely from year to year, giving discerning drinkers a reason to come back. 

Liquor store bars

When you want to drink like a local, nothing beats hitting up a kakuuchi – a liquor store that doubles as a bar. Ueda Saketen is the perfect example; a long-established booze dealer with a superb selection of sake, shochu and canned cocktails. Feeling adventurous? Pair your poison with some house-made monkfish liver. 

Mexican

The first restaurant in Japan to receive a Michelin star for Mexican cuisine, chef Willy Monroy’s Milpa serves modern Mexican dishes rooted in indigenous ingredients and traditional cooking methods, elevated with a touch of Japanese influence and flavours. Formerly of Noma Kyoto, Monroy travels effortlessly between culinary cultures, showcasing the rich history and regional variety of his home country’s cooking with a sensibility and meticulosity tailor-made for Japan’s fine dining scene. 

Vietnamese

Dongan caters first and foremost to the sizeable Vietnamese community in Yao, so you can bet the flavours are authentic. Warm both body and soul with a bowl of beef pho, served in an aromatic but refreshingly light soup simmered for 12 hours, and finish off with a choice serving of chè (Vietnamese dessert).

Tonkatsu

An omakase-style tonkatsu counter likely to change your perception of what’s usually dismissed as little more than greasy comfort food, Koshiro offers multiple servings with different cuts of meat – three for lunch, six in the evening – each a different expression of the genius idea of breaded and fried pork.

Oden

Takoume near Dotonbori was founded back in 1844 and is considered Japan’s oldest oden restaurant. It specialises in Kanto-daki, the Osaka variety of this classic comfort food and winter warmer, which is lighter in colour and sweeter than the punchy oden common in eastern Japan. Take your pick of around 30 oden options, including daikon radish, surimi fish cakes and various vegetables, plus a few specials like the tako-kanroni (sweet stewed octopus), served in largely unchanged form for 180 years.

Record bars

Audiophiles from far and wide make pilgrimages to this Shinsaibashi record bar, which stocks a collection of some 2,000 titles from Brazilian beats and jazz to mellow hip hop, including classics and new releases alike. Owner and bartender Keiji Maki picks every track himself, pulling records from the shelf one after the other and playing songs that match the moment’s atmosphere. We’d be remiss not to recommend Jazz’s house wine, made at Maki’s vineyard in southern Osaka.

Kushiage

Deep-fried skewers of meat and vegetables, kushikatsu is crispy golden goodness through and through. Savour the quintessential Osaka delicacy at this standing-only shop where all you need to do is face the counter, grab anything lined up on the silver trays, dip your pick in the thick sauce provided and dig in.

Takoyaki

Taking Osaka’s iconic octopus dumplings to a new level, Takoriki makes its takoyaki with only the finest ingredients – top-grade kombu kelp and fish flakes for the dashi broth, the freshest octopus from Ise for filling. Its dainty creations taste heavenly even without the obligatory splash of special sauce.

Okonomiyaki

Putting a healthy twist on iconic ‘konamon’ dishes – the multifarious flour-based eats that fuel daily life in Osaka – this casual izakaya is a pioneer in the admittedly narrow field of gluten-free okonomiyaki. Their speciality ‘buta’ (‘pig’) combines a crispy rice flour crust with a soft-boiled egg to delicious effect.

Ramen

An unmissable stop on any ramen fan’s Osaka itinerary, Kadoya Shokudo is revered for its orthodox soy sauce-based chuka soba. But to truly give the shop’s memorable noodles – crafted in house every morning from a proprietary blend of domestic wheat – their much-deserved place in the spotlight, order the tsukesoba (dipping noodles). Paired with a rich dipping broth and a hearty serving of toppings, these aromatic, perfectly springy noods might well expand your culinary horizons. 

Food markets

The food and cultural market that brings the best of the city together under one roof, Time Out Market opened its very first location in Asia in 2025. Situated in the heart of Osaka, the Market showcases the best local chefs, renowned restaurateurs, bars and cultural experiences, all based on Time Out’s editorial curation. It spotlights both the city and Kansai’s award-winning culinary talents and much loved local gems, with 17 kitchens and two bars serving up an exciting mix of flavours.

Wine bars

Osaka’s premier urban winery occupies a handsome two-storey space some 15 minutes on foot from Shinsaibashi Station. The tanks of the winemaking facility on the ground floor are visible from the Italian restaurant upstairs, where you get the opportunity to taste Fujimaru’s own wines, made entirely with grapes grown in the area around Osaka. Raise a glass to the local terroir while savouring quality Italian cuisine from appetisers to pasta and fish just a quick stroll from the city centre.

Yao wakagobo burdock root and a plethora of other local heirloom greens feature prominently in the Italian-inspired dishes served to complement the carefully curated wines and sake at this snug bar, housed in an atmospheric space under the railway tracks near Kintetsu Yao Station. Koto Ryokushu is a labour of love and a true haven for friends of aromatic tipples, whether grape- or rice-based.

Curry

A tiny one-man operation decorated with retro and antique furniture and serving up one or two varieties of piquant curry for lunch, Teishokudo Kongoseki attracts spice fiends from throughout the Kansai area. In the evening, the menu expands to include a cosmopolitan range of set meals.

Bistros

A French bistro set in a traditional Japanese row house, with a commitment to spotlighting the Senshu area’s finest foodstuffs – a cosmopolitan hog if you ever met one, ‘The Golden Pig’ sources its seafood from Izumisano Port and fish dealers in Kishiwada, while most of the veg comes from its own neighbourhood. Try one of the imaginative multicourse meals built around a single ingredient, such as plump and sweet Senshu mizunasu eggplant from Yamade Farm nearby.

Vegan

Soy meat hamburg steaks, satisfyingly thick smoothies and hearty salads made with ample organic veg are just a few of the vegan delights on offer at this comfy and centrally located café, which also does away entirely with artificial additives, GMO products and even white sugar.

Soba

Sobakiri Tensho takes soba to another level, sourcing multiple varieties of high-grade buckwheat from throughout the country to ensure its noodles – whether thinly cut or roughly ground – are always on point. To savour the ingredient in its simplest, most fundamental form, try the sobagaki, an oblong-shaped, lightly boiled dumpling made from dough containing nothing but buckwheat flour and water. Get there early: the day’s meals often sell out in about an hour.

Fujino is famed for its commitment to brand-name Kawachi duck, sourced anew every morning so that cuts like liver and gizzard can be served while they’re still fresh and flavourful. For the full experience, order the Kawachi duck nabe, a hefty hot pot filled with an aromatic Kansai-style skipjack broth that together with vegetables like traditional Namba negi spring onion, water celery and burdock root lends the meat an extra infusion of flavour. Meals end with hand-cut soba noodles. 

Gyoza

Laser-focused specialist eatery Marusho has been doing a roaring trade in nothing but pan-fried, thin-skinned gyoza dumplings and beer since 1969. Reservations are essential and taken only from 3pm on the same day – and you’ll need to tell them how many servings you plan on eating in advance.

Yoshoku

Yamamoto is one of Osaka’s top exponents of yoshoku, the Japanese interpretation of ‘Western’ food, which over the decades has become part of the national cuisine in its own right. Visit at lunchtime for a taste of the omurice – rice wrapped in omelette and topped with a minced meat patty and deep-fried shrimp.

Yakitori

Grill master Kohei Morinaga soaked up serious bird knowledge at Ayamuya, the first restaurant in Osaka to receive a Michelin star for its yakitori, before breaking out on his own to start an omakase-only chicken skewer joint. That decision is now paying off handsomely: Working together with sous chef Noboru Nishiguchi, Morinaga uses specially made titanium skewers and a self-built grill to bring out the dizzying umami in heirloom chicken from Akita and Kyoto, all while complementing the yakitori with an array of compromise-free side dishes.

Buddhist cuisine

To eat like a Buddhist priest – albeit a rather discerning one – travel out to Kawachi-Nagano for this stunner of a restaurant, which occupies a 16th-century building constructed as the kitchen of a temple associated with the historic Kanshinji Temple nearby. Savour a rice porridge made with azuki beans and tea, traditionally eaten at Kanshinji on the first day of spring, or book a full spread of Buddhist cuisine made with local produce – but no meat, fish or ‘pungent roots’ like garlic or onions.

Seafood

Run by the wife of a fisherman based at the nearby Nishitottori Port, this no-frills eatery offers hearty home cooking centred on super-fresh seasonal seafood. Try the daily set lunch, built around your choice of the day’s catch.