Takoyaki, Akashiyaki

Takoyaki are balls of fried batter filled with bits of octopus, an inexpensive delicacy of Osaka. Akashiyaki are a Kobe version of this dish with a lighter and fluffier batter, using octopus from the Akashi area.

Akashiya - Akashiyaki: Umeda

[ Open 5pm -2am (LO). Closed Mondays. ]

The prices on the menu outside Akashiya are in U.S. dollars and the sign reads: we have loco food. Does this mean crazy or local? It's a little of both. Masa, your congenial host, will cook up an...

[ Open 5pm -2am (LO). Closed Mondays. ]

Bubutei - Akashiyaki: Umeda

[ Open 10am-9:30pm (LO) daily. ]

Akashiyaki - the main attraction at Bubutei - is a variation of takoyaki, made with a more eggy batter and served with a mild dipping broth rather than being smothered in sauce. It's native to the...

[ Open 10am-9:30pm (LO) daily. ]

Kushiage

Kushiage (aka kushiyaki) refers to battered and deep-fried food on skewers. Typical ingredients include pork, chicken and other meats; mushrooms, lotus root, and seafood like scallops and shrimp.

Kushinobo - Kushiage: Nagahori

[ Open 11am-10pm daily. ]

Good-quality kushiyaki deep-fried skewers from this Tokyo-based chain. Budget around Y2500-3500 at dinnertime.

[ Open 11am-10pm daily. ]

Iruri - Kushiage: Tennoji

[ Open 11am-11pm daily. ]

Kushiage restaurants are one of the attractions of the very down-to-earth bar zone around Shinsekai's Tsutenkaku Tower, and there are a lot to choose from. But while other shops are content to serve...

[ Open 11am-11pm daily. ]

Ageha - Kushiage: Umeda

[ Open 11:30am-2:30, 5-10pm (LO) daily. ]

Ageha isn't super-fancy, but they turn out reliable, good-quality kushiage skewers at reasonable prices. There are four prix-fixe menus at both lunch and dinner, with somewhat more premium...

[ Open 11:30am-2:30, 5-10pm (LO) daily. ]

Kushinobo - Kushiage: Umeda

[ Open 11:30am-2, 5-9:30pm (LO) daily. ]

This Tokyo-based shop serves reliable deep-fried meat and seafood skewers made from high-quality ingredients. Budget around Y3,500 at night, Y1,000 at lunchtime.

[ Open 11:30am-2, 5-9:30pm (LO) daily. ]

Kushiya Monogatari - Kushiage: Umeda

[ Open 11am-10:30pm daily. ]

This popular shop lets you cook your own kushiage skewers in a deep-fryer right at your table. It's all you can eat, including various side dishes and a big variety of skewered tidbits. The price...

[ Open 11am-10:30pm daily. ]

Mogami - Kushiage: Umeda

[ Open 11:30am-10:30pm (LO) daily. ]

Earthen walls with backlit niches and the spacious dining room at Mogami elevate the humble kushikatsu (fried morsels on skewers) to a feast. There are 36 different kinds, from fish to vegetables,...

[ Open 11:30am-10:30pm (LO) daily. ]

Okonomiyaki

Okonomiyaki is another inexpensive Osaka favorite - savory pancakes made from flour and eggs and filled with pork, squid, shrimp, shredded cabbage and other ingredients. See the okonimyaki menu article for more details.

Chibo - Okonomiyaki: Namba

[ Open 11am-10pm (LO) daily. ]

Five floors of okonomiyaki action here at Chibo headquarters overlooking the river. Actually the top floor - called "President Chibo" - specializes in grilled steaks.

[ Open 11am-10pm (LO) daily. ]

Boteju - Okonomiyaki: Umeda

[ Open 11am-10:30pm daily. ]

This national chain prepares good-quality okonomiyaki, yakisoba, "modern-yaki", and interesting five-color "salads" of shredded vegetables. They also do a Hiroshima-style option. Take-out is...

[ Open 11am-10:30pm daily. ]

Fugetsu - Okonomiyaki: Umeda

[ Open 11am-10pm (LO) daily. ]

Besides the usual okonomiyaki variations, Fugetsu also serves grilled seafood - a combo of octopus tentacles, shrimp, squid and oysters is Y1050.

[ Open 11am-10pm (LO) daily. ]

Kobe beef steaks, teppanyaki

This section covers classic "steak houses" as well as teppanyaki restaurants, which serve full-course meals that include seasonal seafood delicacies in addition to steak.

Minami - Teppanyaki: Namba

[ Open 11:30am-2:30, 5:30-9:30pm (LO) daily. ]

Top-quality domestic beef and seasonal seafood dinners start at Y13,860; lunches run from Y5428. The pleasant dining room looks out over the rooftop gardens of the Swissotel directly above Namba...

[ Open 11:30am-2:30, 5:30-9:30pm (LO) daily. ]

Tofu and Kyoto-style cuisine

Ume no Hana Umedaten - Tofu: Umeda

[ Open 11am-3, 5-9pm (LO) daily. ]

This well-established tofu specialist offers luxurious multi-course menus centered on their excellent home-made tofu. The tofu is prepared at your table, and supplemented by grilled fish, sashimi...

[ Open 11am-3, 5-9pm (LO) daily. ]