The best things to do in Tanimachi 6-chome

Among the tastiest eateries in Taniroku is this pan-Asian restaurant, opened in 2018 by the team behind the popular Stand Sonoda nearby. Focusing on flavours from countries along the Pacific typhoon belt, Taifu Hanten (‘Typhoon Restaurant’) mixes and matches with Thai, Vietnamese, Taiwanese and Okinawan influences.

Popular dishes include ji pai (Taiwanese fried chicken), lu rou fan (braised pork over rice), pad thai, and ‘Taiwanese tacos’, and the lengthy selection of colourful, fruit-flavoured drinks is also well worth exploring.

Taifu Hanten’s dishes aren’t intended to be orthodox, but the joint’s interior wouldn’t seem out of place in Bangkok or Manila, and the atmosphere is heightened by a groovy soundtrack mixed by the owner, who moonlights as a DJ. We also like their funky T-shirts and other original merchandise, which serve nicely as offbeat Osaka souvenirs.

Osaka’s only urban winery occupies a handsome two-storey space some 10 minutes on foot from Tanimachi 6-chome Station. The giant 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 – plus some 15 other varieties by the glass (from ¥550). Around a third of the wines on the list are usually Japanese, with European labels making up the rest of the selection. Fujimaru wines are also available by the bottle.

Sommelier Hiroshi Kawabata, winemaker Tomofumi Fujimaru’s right-hand man, explains that the charm of domestic wine is in how challenging it is to make. ‘[Japanese wine] is imbued with the guts and spirit of producers who keep growing their grapes here despite the adverse climate,’ he says. Raise a glass to these artisans’ efforts while savouring quality Italian cuisine from appetisers to pasta, meat and fish.

In a city with a takoyaki shop or stall on every corner, singling out the best purveyors of these iconic octopus dumplings inevitably invites impassioned debate. What most Osakans can agree on, though, is that Takoriki deserves a place on the podium.

Made with only the finest ingredients – top-grade konbu kelp and fish flakes for the dashi broth, the freshest octopus from Ise for filling – the joint’s dainty creations taste heavenly even without the obligatory splash of special sauce. At ¥1,100 for a serving of 14, they’re pricier than your average takoyaki, but we can guarantee you’re getting some serious bang for your yen. In the shopkeeper’s own words, ‘Making takoyaki with quality, domestic ingredients used to be commonplace, but times have changed. We’ve decided to uphold traditions rather than try to compete with the cheap stuff.’

Do like the locals and pair your boat-shaped plate of goodness with a beer or a glass of natural wine – and don’t forget to explore the specials. Takoyaki gratin, anyone?

If you’re looking for authentic Chinese cuisine in central Osaka, Chugoku Shokudo 261 is an iron-clad choice. Set meals are available around ¥2,000 during lunch hours, centred on organic vegetables, meat and fish.

Twelve options were available on the day of our most recent visit, including stir-fried shrimp and squid with sauteed summer vegetables, sea bream tempura with a sweet vinegar sauce, and pork stew with bitter melon and spicy stir-fried summer vegetables. There are also a few dishes of which only one serving per day is available, such as Sichuan-style sea bream and a spicy eggplant stew.

You can upgrade your meal with a number of different side dishes – think marinated anchovies, steamed seafood gyoza, steamed eggplant with a vegetable sauce, homemade pickles or sweet potato with sesame.

When Italian-trained chef Hiroki Nakao started cooking a weekly serving of curry for his staff at the now-closed Mykonos in Nagahoribashi, little did he know that the dish would one day surpass all his other creations in popularity.

After first offering it for lunch once a week at Mykonos, the spicy curry caused such a sensation locally that Nakao decided to open an entire new restaurant to do it justice. And so Teishokudo Kongoseki was born in 2017. A tiny one-man operation decorated with retro and antique furniture and serving up one or two varieties of curry daily, the eatery attracts spice fiends from throughout Kansai.

On our lunchtime visit, the only option on the menu was a voluminous half-and-half platter with tandoori butter chicken and kofta curry (¥1,300), a pleasantly piquant affair to which an ample dollop of butter on the chicken side added a welcome hint of creaminess. Our choice of topping was a Taiwanese-style stewed egg (¥100) seasoned with five-spice powder and star anise for another infusion of palate-amusing flavour.

A traditional machiya merchant’s home preserved and renovated as part of Ren, a cluster of little shops, eateries and coffeeshops, makes an apt home for this cute crêpe café. Previously based in far noisier surroundings in Amerikamura, the jovial shopkeeper – a 30-year veteran – makes not only the batter but essentials such as whipped cream and custard in house. Imoan’s voluminous but otherwise guilt-free crêpes start at ¥500 and can be ordered with fillings of seasonal fruits and nuts from strawberries to chestnuts.

Most customers get their crêpes to go, but if you prefer to sit down, consider ordering a plum soda on the side. And as far as more substantial meal options go, you can’t miss the hashed beef rice (¥800, side salad included), a classic of Japanese home cooking.

A five-minute walk from Tanimachi 6-chome Station takes you to this unique bar at the end of a narrow alley. Shinka was built to resemble a submarine, complete with steel and steampunk elements covering the front door, interior and even the bathroom.

Besides U-boat aficionados, the cosy boozer seems to attract both members and fans of the Maritime Self-Defense Forces. Lean back with a gin and tonic and appreciate the otherworldly atmosphere.

Konbu kelp, an essential ingredient in Osaka cuisine and an integral component of Japanese food culture for millennia, is given pride of place at this one-of-a-kind museum run by the venerable Konbu Doi, a konbu specialist shop located next door.

On the first floor, visitors are treated to an exhibition of equipment used to harvest kelp in southern Hokkaido, where the highest-grade product originates from, along with a panel display describing the harvesting process and industry.

You’ll get to learn about the difficulty of conserving natural kelp beds and forests, study the process of drying konbu and, of course, view some seriously lengthy specimens. Also highlighted is the relationship between the umami-packed ingredient and Osaka’s culinary culture, including how the kitamaebune trade route between Hokkaido and Osaka along the Sea of Japan coast developed in the Edo period (1603–1867), along with a primer on why konbu became so important for the city. 

On your way out, make sure to stop by Konbu Doi to pick up some high-grade konbu to bring back to your kitchen.

The proprietor of Maradona Records went to high school in Chichester in the south of England, where a local record shop became his gateway to hip hop and funk. After relocating to Japan and learning the ropes at the iconic King Kong in Amerikamura, he set up his own joint in the midst of the pandemic, hoping to provide a measure of musical solace to the Taniroku community.

What was initially a bare-bones operation has grown steadily in the past few years, and you’ll now find around 2,000 LPs, some 400 7-inch singles and roughly 400 CDs on the shelves. Everything on sale is available for listening in store, with the sounds routed through a handsome vintage McIntosh amp.

Now an integral part of the Taniroku landscape and a vibrant space where locals from all walks of life come to mingle over funky tunes, Maradona Records is the kind of spot that’s worth a detour even if you aren’t on the hunt for vinyl.