34 must-go international restaurants in Osaka

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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?

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.

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.

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. 

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.

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.

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.

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. 

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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).

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.