Japan Guide
Kansai
Eating
1 Doma Doma 3F 3-2 Chayamacho 
06/6486-1005 
www.doma-doma.com Very popular izakaya, part of a nationwide chain, with a vast menu of reasonably priced fare such as yakitori (¥280), seafood salad (¥380) and sashimi (from ¥420).
2 Elephant Café 2-28 Chayamacho 06/6359-0136 www.ug-gu.co.jp/english/e-resutaurants/e-shop/e-elephant.html Asian restaurant in the Chayama area with a bright and breezy interior, serving curries, noodles, dumplings and salads. The ¥750 set lunch is good value. Ōsaka/Umeda stations.
3 Gataro Kappa Yokochōnai, Shibata 1-7-2 06/6373-1484 Intimate, classy izakaya hidden away in the warren of restaurants under the Hankyu railway terminus. Sit at the counter to get a view of the food being prepared – you might see the grilled fish being given a finishing touch with a blowtorch. No English menu, but an extensive jizake (regional sake) selection, from ¥600 a glass, and friendly staff more than compensate. Ōsaka/Umeda stations.
4 La Scoglio 10F Hanshin Department Store, 1-13-13 Umeda 06/6341-1235 Hugely popular Italian restaurant that's always packed at weekends thanks to its pizzas – some of the tastiest and best value (¥1000) in town. Pasta dishes are so-so. Ōsaka and Umeda stations.
5 
Nawasushi 2-14-1 Sonezaki 06/6312-9891 Of the many sushi restaurants east of the Hanshin department store, this one stands out for serving three rather than two pieces of sushi per dish (around ¥400). Higashi-Umeda Station.
6 Plum Cool Dining 3F 4-6 Chayamacho 06/6377-0701 www.plum.co.jp An entire restaurant themed on the taste of plums (ume). It has an extensive umeshu (plum wine) menu, from ¥280 a glass. Try the sour plum fried rice (¥850) and shrimp dumplings with spicy plum sauce (¥450). Dining spaces are in curtained alcoves or floor sofas.
7 Takimi Kōji B1 Umeda Sky Building Concealed beneath one of Ōsaka's hi-tech towers, this evocative recreation of a 1920s shopping street has some fifteen restaurants to choose from, all serving traditional dishes including noodles, tempura and okonomiyaki (from ¥750). Ōsaka/Nishi-Umeda stations.
8 Torihime 2-13-18 Sonezaki 06/6363-5445 This chain of Kansai restaurants serves a variety of Japanese cuisine all cooked with chicken. Very stylish modern interior with booth seating or large tables for groups. Price: Evening meal sets start at ¥3000
9 Africa Karaoke Yubo Building B1F, 2-8-5 Nishi-Shinsaibashi 06/6213-4622 Funky underground restaurant with a kitsch African-themed interior and an excellent menu of French– Italian cuisine. Surprisingly for such a trendy restaurant, the prices won't break the bank (budget for around ¥2000 per person for food, without drinks), and there's unlimited free bread, freshly baked on the premises. Make sure to have a drink afterwards at the secret bar, hidden at the back of the restaurant – if you can get a seat. Namba Station. Opening time: Daily from 6pm
10 Butterfly 2F Nanba Marui 3-8-9 Nanba Very swish café (with wheatgrass growing on the tables!), serving a fusion of Japanese and European cuisine, from sashimi to boiled sausage. Price: Evening courses from ¥3000
11 Café Absinthe 1-16-18 Kita-Horie 06/6534-6635 Mediterranean-style restaurant and bar with live music, DJs and photography exhibitions. Tabouli and hummus (¥900) are on the menu, and they serve absinthe cocktails (¥1400).
12 Dōtombori Gokuraku Shōtengai 1-7-16 Dōtonbori www.doutonbori-gokuraku.com If your time in Osaka is limited then head to this restaurant complex, also known as the Osaka Food Theme Park. Here you can try all the dishes Ōsaka is famous for in over fifty restaurants. There's a ¥315 entry fee, but dishes are cheap – takoyaki from ¥180, for example. It's opposite Kani Dōraku.
13 Garb BBB Building, 1-3F, Baguromachi 4-4-7 06/6258-3341 Hugely popular mukokuseki café-restaurant in the city's cool Minami-Semba district among the fashion boutiques, art galleries and office blocks. The menu is a fusion of east, west and all points in between, with baked tuna sitting alongside duck pizza and cutting-edge pasta dishes, though the food is more filling and the bill is less wallet-emptying than you might expect. Shinsaibashi Station. Price: From ¥750
14 Green Earth 1F Kyuho Building, 4-2-2 Kitakyuhoji-chō 06/6251-1245 This narrow café is one of the city's few true vegetarian establishments, and offers some of its best-value meals. Jumbo sandwiches either come on their own or form the centrepiece of set meals, which include soup, salad and a drink. Good hummus, too. Shinsaibashi Station. Opening time: Tues– Sun 11.30am–5pmPrice: Jumbo sandwiches ¥400, set meals ¥700
15 Il Gemello 2F Daiki Building, 2-4-8 Nishi-Shinsaibashi 06/6211-9542 Traditional and friendly Italian restaurant with Rome-trained chefs. English is spoken. Namba Station. Meals around ¥2000 per person Opening time: Mon– Fri 5.30pm– midnight, Sat & Sun 11.30am–2.30pm & 5.30– midnight
16 Kani Dōraku 1-6-2 Dōtombori 06/6344-5091 There are now outlets of this seafood restaurant – easily spotted by the giant red crab above the door – all over Japan, but this is one of the originals, serving fresh crab in a vast range of dishes. Namba Station. Opening time: Daily 11am–11pm Price: Lunch sets from ¥4000
17 Ken's Chanto Dining 1-7-28 Higashi-Shinsaibashi 06/6282-3838 www.chanto.com/restauranto/kensdining/index.html One of the city's most excitingly designed restaurants. In the second-floor sushi bar, mirror-lined walls combine with the black décor and low-slung tables and chairs to give a feeling of floating in space, while the third-floor dining room is the height of elegant sophistication. The food is a joy too, from tender slices of raw beef tataki (¥1400) to Tokyo-style conger eel (¥890). The best option may be to go for Ken's Special: five dishes where you're at the mercy of the restaurant's master chef (¥5000). Afterwards, there's a good range of cigars to enjoy in the first-floor bar. Shinsaibashi Station. Opening time: Daily from 5pm
18 Kuidaore 1-8-25 Dōtombori 06/6211-5300 One of Ōsaka's oldest restaurant department stores, identified by the giant drumming clown outside. Set meals, covering a wide range of cuisines, start at around ¥1000 and there are good food displays. Head to the fourth floor for nabe and shabu-shabu stews. Namba Station.
19 Namaste No. 2 Rose Building, 3-7-28 Minami-Semba 06/6241-6515 To the east of the Shinsaibashi shopping arcade. Not the cheapest Indian restaurant in Ōsaka, but a good one, serving lots of veg dishes. Shinsaibashi Station. Price: Set lunches from ¥750 Opening time: Mon– Sat 11.30am–3pm & 5.30–11pm
20 Nanbantei 4-5-7 Nanba 06/6631-6178 In the alleyway behind the Shin Kabukiza Theatre, this popular yakitori-ya has a huge range of skewer food (from ¥250) and a friendly atmosphere.
21 Café Solare 1-5-10 Kaigan-dōri 06/6577-0001 Stylish Italian restaurant behind the Suntory Museum, with excellent views across Ōsaka Bay. Imaginative pizzas and pasta (from ¥1200) and a decent salad bar. Ōsakakō Station.
22 Gochi-sō Biru Restaurant building with eleven floors next to the Kintetsu department store opposite Tennōji Station, offering a good range of reasonably priced cuisines. Head to the basement for excellent-value set Japanese meals (¥800). The Hokuo bakery on the ground floor is a good place to pick up a breakfast snack.
23 WTC Cosmotower 1-14-16 Nankō-Kita. Ōsaka's tallest building has several good-value restaurants including Shiki no Hana Sushi, on the 47th floor, with set lunches from ¥950, and the Mashu Seafood Buffet Restaurant on the 46th (from ¥1600). Trade Center-mae Station.