Eat Till You Drop — Kuidaore
This City's Philosophy

If Osaka had an official city dish, it would be this round ball — batter with a big chunk of octopus, baked in a dimpled round pan, turned with a single skewer, slightly crisp outside and a semi-liquid molten cream inside that can burn your mouth if you're not careful. Drizzled with sweet Worcester sauce, ribbons of white mayonnaise, bonito flakes dancing in the rising heat, and powdered seaweed. Wanaka in Dotonbori has been open for decades and still has long queues every day. Aizuya near Namba is the shop food historians call the "birthplace" of modern takoyaki.

It means "grill whatever you like" — batter mixed with cabbage, egg, pork, shrimp, squid, or whatever you order, poured onto a hot iron griddle, pressed flat, left until the edges crisp, then flipped. Finished with okonomi sauce, mayonnaise, bonito flakes and powdered seaweed. The Osaka style mixes everything into the batter before frying (unlike Hiroshima's layered version). Mizuno on Dotonbori has been open since 1945 and often has queues that run all day. Chibo has several branches around the city.

Skewered, breaded and deep-fried in hot oil — the sizzle is the soundtrack of the Shinsekai district. There are hundreds of options, from beef, shrimp and pork to peanuts, pickled ginger, cheese, gourd and quail eggs. Each skewer is ¥90–200, eaten with a dip in the brown Worcester sauce in the communal pot. The iron rule is absolutely no double-dipping. If you want more sauce, use the raw cabbage to scoop it on. Kushikatsu Daruma is the most famous chain and you'll find branches all along Shinsekai's main street. Yaekatsu is a cheaper local spot.

Ever heard how different Kansai-style udon is from Tokyo's? Tokyo's broth is dark and sharply salty, while Osaka's is a clear amber gold made from seaweed and bonito dashi — warm, soft and deep in flavour. The udon noodles here are thicker and chewier. Kitsune (meaning "fox") refers to the sweet, golden-brown fried tofu laid on top, soaking up the broth inside. Legend says Dotonbori Imai created the recipe in 1949. Usami-tei Matsubaya is also one of the oldest origins of the recipe.

If you're going to eat pufferfish anywhere in Japan, Osaka is the best answer — this city consumes more fugu than anywhere else in the country, and has the most shops licensed to handle this dangerous fish. Pufferfish carries tetrodotoxin in certain organs, and chefs must train for 3 years before earning a licence. The flesh is translucent and paper-thin, mild in flavour, like distilled sea. Eaten as eye-wateringly thin sashimi (tessa) or in a hot pot (tecchiri). Takoyasu, open since 1929, is recognised by the Michelin Guide.

Before fancy nigiri rose to fame from Tokyo, Osakans ate box-pressed sushi — sushi rice packed tight into a square mould, topped with fresh boiled shrimp, fish roe, sea bream, sweet egg, or a colourful work of art made from the ingredients, then cut into even pieces, beautiful as carving. The flavour is softer than nigiri because the components meld together during pressing. Yoshino Sushi in the Honmachi district has over 170 years of history and still makes the original recipe every day. The Michelin Guide has recognised this shop.

The name comes from the Portuguese word for "boat" — because of its little-boat shape. Battera is pressed sushi using mackerel cured in salt and vinegar (saba) laid over sushi rice, then pressed with a thin, translucent sheet of kombu seaweed and cut into square pieces. The taste is gently salty fish balanced with the rice vinegar — a dish you'll see in every Kansai sushi shop. History records it was created at Sushitsune in the Temma district in 1891. Good battera uses fish fresh that day, not frozen.

If you're sitting in an izakaya in Osaka and don't know what to order, order doteyaki first — beef tendon and joints simmered in red miso with sake, sugar and dashi until meltingly tender, deep brown and richly fragrant, served on a block of white tofu with spring onion. The flavour is heavy, warm and intense, perfect for chilly weather and a canned beer. Nonkiya in the Ebisuhigashi district is a Tachinomi (stand-and-drink) spot Osakans drop by regularly. Order doteyaki and an Osaka beer — nothing's better after work.

Honestly — if you liked takoyaki, try akashiyaki. It's an octopus ball that's softer and fluffier, made from a batter that's almost all egg with barely any wheat flour, coming out golden-yellow and soft as pudding. It isn't drizzled with sauce, but dipped in a warm dashi broth before eating. It originated in the town of Akashi (near Kobe), but in Osaka there are shops selling it around various neighbourhoods. It's a dish non-Japanese visitors often don't know, but fall in love with the moment they taste it.

Osakans don't need anyone to explain what 551 is — the pork-bun shop with a queue at every Osaka train station. Soft-doughed buns with a juicy filling of minced pork and onion, faintly fragrant with ginger, twice the size of an ordinary bun. Eaten hot out of the steamer, a little oil-soaked underneath, the juices running out inside. There's a saying among Osakans: "When the smell of 551 drifts through the train, you know home is close." Buy at branches in JR Osaka Station, Namba, Shinsaibashi and dozens of other spots.

The giant moving crab sign on Dotonbori is one of the most photographed images in Osaka — but honestly, the food inside is good too, not just a photo backdrop. Kani Doraku (かに道楽) serves snow crab, horsehair crab and other crabs prepared dozens of ways, from steamed crab legs and crab sashimi to crab hot pot and crab sushi rice. The setting inside is a traditional Japanese dining room that isn't cheap, but if you're going to eat crab once in Osaka, this is the place that makes it feel worth it.

Osaka isn't a ramen city on the level of Sapporo or Fukuoka, but it has its own style — a clear or light-coloured broth (shio/shoyu) that emphasises clean flavour, neither heavy nor greasy, perfect for someone who's eaten plenty all day and wants to finish with something light. Many Osaka ramen shops also serve gyoza (crispy dumplings) as a regular pairing. The Osaka style leans into a clear dashi flavour, without forcing in truffle or other foreign gimmicks.