Kansai regional dishes in Osaka and Kobe
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In addition to tofu and other Kyoto cuisine, there are many other specialty cuisines that have their origins in the Kansai region. These include kushi-age (deep-fried meat and vegetables on skewers); takoyaki (octopus balls); okonomiyaki (savory seafood pancakes); and of course the world-famous Kobe beef.

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. ]
Tako-no-tsubo - Akashiyaki: Motomachi
[ Open noon-9:45pm (LO) daily. ]
Akashiyaki is a lighter, fluffier version of takoyaki, made with local octopus, and Tako-no-tsubo is an expert in its preparation. The room cozy dining room - usually filled with the aroma of...
[ Open noon-9:45pm (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. ]
Reliable deep-fried meat and seafood skewers from this Tokyo-based shop. 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. ]
All-you-can-eat deep-fried skewers of meat and vegetables, plus assorted side dishes and desserts, will set you back Y2625 (or Y1575 at lunchtime). There's a two-hour limit, so don't dawdle over the...
[ 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. ]
Kushiya Monogatari Harborland - Kushiage: Harborland
[ Open 11am-10pm 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. Y2625 per...
[ Open 11am-10pm daily. ]
Kushiya Monogatari - Kushiage: Nishinomiya
[ Open 11am-11pm 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. Y2625 per...
[ Open 11am-11pm 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. ]
Tankubo - Okonomiyaki: Sannomiya south
[ Open 11am-9:30pm (LO). Closed Tuesdays. ]
Sobameshi is a unique local dish that originated in the Nagata district of Kobe in the 1950s, and it's one of the specialties of this shop. It's made by mixing yakisoba (fried wheat noodles) and...
[ Open 11am-9:30pm (LO). Closed Tuesdays. ]

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.

Miyasu - Steak house: Motomachi
[ Open noon-9pm. Closed Sundays. ]
One of Kobe's top-rated places for steaks; full-course dinners start at Y9000, or you can go a la carte.
[ Open noon-9pm. Closed Sundays. ]
A-1 - Steak house: Sannomiya
[ Open noon-11pm. Closed Tuesdays. ]
The interior here is far from fancy, but the steaks are good and the prices reasonable; full-course Kobe beef steak dinners start at Y6500.
[ Open noon-11pm. Closed Tuesdays. ]
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. ]
Umenohana - Tofu: Kyukyoryuchi
[ Open 11am-3, 5-9pm (LO) daily. ]
Excellent home-made tofu is the core of the menu here, with tofu-centered set meals at various price levels (Y4000-10,000). The dining room offers a nice high-rise view over the Kobe waterfront.
[ Open 11am-3, 5-9pm (LO) daily. ]
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