RestaurantOsaka, Kansai, Japan
Takoyaki and Okonomiyaki: Osaka's Two Great Griddles
The stalls and teppan counters our guides keep going back to
Average rating 4.0 out of 5
4.02 reviews$11:00-23:00
Octopus dumplings from a street window and savoury pancakes built at your table: a short, opinionated list of where to eat both in Osaka.
Flour, fire and sauce
Osakans call it konamon, flour things, and the city runs on two of them. Takoyaki are batter spheres around a nugget of octopus, turned with a pick in a cast-iron mould until the skin is crisp and the centre is still liquid. Okonomiyaki is a cabbage-heavy pancake cooked on a teppan, painted with sweet brown sauce and Kewpie mayonnaise and showered with bonito flakes that wave in the heat.
The best takoyaki come from windows rather than restaurants. Look for a stall where the cook works three moulds at once and the queue moves quickly; eight balls cost around 600 yen. Wait a full minute before biting, then accept that you will burn your mouth anyway.
For okonomiyaki, sit at a counter with its own hotplate. Most places cook it for you, flipping it with two spatulas and cutting it into squares; the more relaxed ones let you mix the batter yourself. Order a modan-yaki if you want noodles folded in, and a negiyaki if you prefer spring onion to cabbage.
At the stall
Our shortlist
- Wanaka Sennichimae: crisp shells, the dashi version is worth the queue
- Kukuru Dotonbori: big, soft takoyaki with whole octopus pieces
- Mizuno: the classic Dotonbori okonomiyaki counter since 1945
- Chibo Dotonbori: open late, with a view of the canal
About this story
Emma EditorAuthor
Sakura JourneysPublisher
Reviews
Write a reviewAverage rating 4.0 out of 5
2 reviews- TÁTomás Álvarez5 out of 5 stars24 Sept
Our favourite guide of the whole trip. The quiet neighbourhoods you suggest were the real highlight.
- KMKwame Mensah3 out of 5 stars18 Jul
Good ideas, but it underestimates the crowds in peak season. Go very early or not at all.
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