The Shinsekai district in Osaka. | Nadia Gunardisurya
A “painting” of 110 vegetables at a three-Michelin-starred spot, blowtorched tuna cheeks from a Netflix-famous street food stand, skewers and beer at an old-school shop tucked in Shinsekai’s alleys, and more of Osaka’s best meals
Less stuffy than Tokyo and less dainty than Kyoto, Osaka’s culinary scene demands visitors dive headfirst into indulgence — or as the locals say, kuidaore, “eat yourself to ruin.” In Japan’s third-largest city, chefs are game to break away from tradition, whether it’s by blasting tuna cheeks with a flamethrower or blasting through Japan’s male-dominated fine dining scene with an all-female crew. Even Michelin-starred fine dining veers towards the eccentric, like at three-starred Hajime, where chefs famously use 110 vegetables to paint an abstract portrait of planet Earth. Some of Osaka’s most innovative restaurants are in the quiet outskirts, but food lovers can’t go wrong in central areas like neon-lit Dotonbori (packed with okonomiyaki and takoyaki stalls) and Shinsekai (with its alleys of old-school standing izakayas). The food rocks at all price points, and it’s worth saving room for lesser-known down-home dishes like fugu hot pot and Takaida-style soy sauce ramen. Across all of Osaka’s best restaurants and bars, you’ll taste the city’s raw lust for life.
La Carmina is an award-winning travel/food/subcultures blogger and journalist who writes for the New York Times, Travel + Leisure, and National Geographic, among others. She hosts travel TV shows worldwide — including Travel Channel programs in Japan — and has published several books with Simon & Schuster and Penguin Random House. Follow her adventures in over 70 countries @LaCarmina.
