Top Choice
YōshūjiYōshūji serves superb shōjin-ryōri in a delightful old Japanese farmhouse with an irori (open hearth). The house special, a sumptuous selection of…
Top Choice
YōshūjiYōshūji serves superb shōjin-ryōri in a delightful old Japanese farmhouse with an irori (open hearth). The house special, a sumptuous selection of…
Top Choice
Yoshino SushiIn business since 1841, Yoshino specialises in Osaka-style sushi, which is hako-sushi ('pressed sushi'). This older version of the dish (compared to the…
Top Choice
Wanaka HontenThis famous tako-yaki (octopus dumplings) stand, just north of Dōguya-suji arcade, uses custom copper hotplates (instead of cast iron) to make dumplings…
Top Choice
ChibōOne of Osaka's most famous okonomiyaki (savoury pancake) restaurants, Chibō almost always has a queue, but it moves fast because there's seating on…
Top Choice
Yotaro HontenThis two-Michelin-starred restaurant specialises in exceptionally light and delectable tempura served at the counter, where you can watch the chefs, or in…
Top Choice
Endo SushiTrek out to Osaka's fish market to taste the exceptionally fresh sushi at cosy Endo, in business for over a century. You can choose from four different…
Top Choice
YururiMiyama's natural bounty is a big draw, and this restaurant in an elegantly updated thatched-roof farmhouse serves menus of seasonal local ingredients …
Top Choice
Shoubentango-teiThat this kappō-ryōri (Osaka-style haute cuisine) restaurant isn't more expensive is surprising considering its pedigree: established over 100 years ago,…
Top Choice
Ganso Kushikatsu Daruma HontenDaruma has branches around town, but for many Japanese a pilgrimage to the original shop in Shinsekai – opened in 1929 and said to be the birthplace of…
Top Choice
Imai HontenStep into an oasis of calm amid Dōtombori's chaos to be welcomed by staff at one of the area's oldest and most-revered udon specialists. Try kitsune udon …
Top Choice
BononshaThis chill spot – more Goa than rural Japan – with great wooden beams serves vegetarian dishes like tofu cheesecake that seem indulgent compared to temple…
This antique-strewn century-old house is a wonderful place to sample Matsusaka's famous wagyū (Japanese beef). Lunch sets of sukiyaki (thin slices of beef…
This is a great place to try Kōbe beef prepared in a variety of styles, including teppanyaki or shabu-shabu (thinly sliced beef cooked with vegetables in…
The speciality here is ochazuke, a bowl of rice and toppings over which hot tea is poured. Everyone's here for the popular katsuo ochazuke (¥1450), topped…
In a hut overlooking the ocean, ama (professional, mostly female, shellfish divers) grill seafood lunches – including items from their morning haul – and…
Mikuni serves local speciality Tajima-gyū (a high-end brand of Japanese beef). Different cuts are served different ways, and not just as steaks: sirloin,…
Mikami is a beacon of good food in the otherwise forlorn zone between Shin-Kōbe Station and Sannomiya. For both lunch and dinner it does excellent…
This is an elegant sushi counter, frequented by locals, offering reasonably priced set meals. In winter you can sample local crab sourced from Tsuiyama…
Kadohama specialises in goma-dōfu (sesame tofu) prepared several ways. The lunch sets come beautifully presented in bamboo baskets with eight small dishes…
A good place to sample local Nara specialities like kakinoha-zushi (pressed sushi wrapped in persimmon leaf – don't eat the leaf!) and chagayu (rice…