Eat 'Til You Drop! 20 Recommended Places to Eat in Osaka's Dotonbori Area
If you've been to Japan before, Osaka's Dotonbori area will be one of the first places that comes to mind due to its reputation as an exceptional culinary destination. The inexpensive, delicious foods there have been highly popularized in travel guidebooks for good reason. This is an updated guide for places to eat in Dotonbori for every occasion, from lively gatherings to casual dates.
This post may contain affiliate links. If you buy through them, we may earn a commission at no additional cost to you.
10 Recommended Restaurants in Dotonbori, a City for Feasting
1. Mizuno
The store's specialty is the Mizunoyaki. It is fairly standard, but the dish gives you an opportunity to try a hearty variety of different ingredients. You can even watch how it's made, which is a sight that's sure to rouse your appetite.
2. Kushikatsu Daruma - Dotonbori Branch
From store specialties like the Ganso Kushikatsu tonkatsu (fried pork cutlet) to authentic beni shoga (red pickled ginger), both of which originated in Osaka, a variety of choices can be found on the menu. The restaurant uses their own exclusive blend of oil for their deep fryer, which results in a lighter and more refreshing flavor than you'll find at most kushikatsu restaurants. The fine, crunchy crumbs of the breading, and the simple, palatable sauce go extremely well together, and you'll likely find it difficult to stop yourself from eating more.
3. Kinryu Ramen - Dotonbori Branch
The restaurant keeps their menu simple, offering two choices between plain ramen and chashumen (ramen noodles with marinated pork slices). The unostentatious toppings are flavored in a soup made from slow-cooked, rich pork bone broth. Free toppings including kimchi, chives, and garlic are available to fine-tune the ramen to your preference.
4. Kani Doraku - Main Branch
5. Jiyuken - Namba Main Branch
6. 551 Horai
7. Kin No Torikara
The karaage comes in three sizes, so you can make a choice depending on how many people you're looking to share with, or how many of these you think you can devour. Toppings include original spice, mayonnaise, and chili sauce, just to name a few. They can also be combined together - coming up with your perfect flavor is part of the fun of getting these karaage!
8. Niku no Marukatsu
9. Kyabetuyaki
10. Sakamachi no Ten-don
5 Recommended Takoyaki Stands in Dotonbori
1. Takoyaki Juhachiban - Dotonbori Branch
2. Acchichi Honpo - Dotonbori Branch
3. Takoyakikun - Namba Branch
4. Wanaka - Namba Branch
5. Aizuya - Namba Branch
If you fall in love with takoyaki and want to bring it home with you, order a takoyaki grill, and use the takoyaki recipe in this article!
5 Recomended Places to Get Dessert in Dotonbori
1. Andrew's Eggtart - Dotonbori Branch
2. Junkissa American
3. Ganso Purinya Mattari Purin - Dotobori Branch
4. Pierre Lotti Cafe
5. minamoalley
Looking for A Complete Culinary Experience? Look No Further than Dotonbori!
Although the city is especially well-known for its takoyaki and okonomiyaki, Osaka is also home to a significant repertoire of Japanese delicacies. Even within Osaka, Dotonbori is a culinary hotspot where the fierce competition has resulted in a high concentration of honed flavors. No other city has anything quite like it. If you're visiting Osaka, how about a culinary tour of the city? But be warned, once you've tried these foods once, you'll learn a craving for them that you won't get rid of easily!
If you want to give feedback on any of our articles, you have an idea that you'd really like to see come to life, or you just have a question on Japan, hit us up on our Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram!
Translated and republished with permission from: SPIRA (formerly known as Relux Magazine)
By the way, you can book a hotel through Relux (run by SPIRA) by clicking here!
Thumbnail: f11photo / Shutterstock.com
The information in this article is accurate at the time of publication.