Osaka is known as Japan's kitchen. To find the best, we head to the heart of Osaka - Dotonbori Food Street.
Dotonbori Street Food
Since they say the way to a man's heart is through the stomach, finding the best of Dotonbori Street Food in the city's heart is not surprising. The Main Street Food runs parallel to the famous Dotonbori canal. Finding it is pretty straightforward. Just head to where the crowds gathered. Once you see a Giant Crab hanging on the wall, you are at the start of the street.
With food options galore, it may be a tad confusing. No fret, as we bring you the list of 10 must-try
Dotonbori Street Food.
1 Kani Douraku (Japanese Crab) - 2 Pieces at ¥1000
Kani Douraku
Kanu Doraku is a famous crab restaurant found in Japan. You would not miss the iconic gigantic moving crab hanging above the restaurant. You could head inside and enjoy a crab feast, but since we have a limited time, we decided to try out the charcoal crab legs that are cooked on the spot.
You will get 2 pieces of crab legs at Jpy 1000. You have to eat it with a pair of chopsticks. It tastes fresh with a hint of Charcoal but is a tad expensive relative to the rest of the street food. Make this the first stop to freshen up your taste buds.
Kani Douraku
2 Osaka Ohsho Gyozo - 6 regular pieces ¥250
Osaka Ohsho Gyozo
Ohsho Gyoza is the self-proclaimed King of Goyaza. Look for the Giant Goyza hanging from the wall to find the store.
Osaka Ohsho Gyozo
You must not miss this at a mere 250 Jpy for 6 pieces of tender and crispy meat dumplings. Remember to head inside to take the sauce to dip these Gyoza in.
Ohsho Gyoza outlets are spourting all over the world, but trust us, the original always tastes better.
Don't forget the sauce
3 Takoyaki - Serve with Egg and Mayonnaise ¥550
Takoyaki is a ball-shaped Japanese snack made up of flour-based batter and filled with minced diced octopus with pickled ginger, green onion and tempura scraps.
Takoyaki
There are plenty of stalls along Dotonbori that sell Takoyaki. Our advice is to head to the one with the longest queue!
Since we had Takoyaki during this trip, we decided to be a bit more adventurous and ordered one served with egg and mayonnaise. The combination was absolutely divine as it added more flavour compared to the original Takoyaki.
Takoyaki - Serve with Egg and Mayonnaise
This dish can only be found at Takoyaki - Okonomiyaki. It is located next to the Daruma Kushikatsu
4 Daruma Kushikatsu
Daruma Kushikatsu
Daruma Kushikatsu is a popular Kushikatsu chain in Osaka. This place is famous for its fried skewers of all varieties. You can have chicken, prawns, vegetables and more. It is a place that fried food lovers will enjoy.
Look for the giant 'angry' man and you will find Daruma Kushikatsu.
5 Kinruyu Ramen ¥650
Kinruyu Ramen
Off the three main noodle dish, Soba, Ramen and Udon, our favourite one would be Ramen. If you are craving for a mouthwatering bowl of Ramen that is filled with extra thick broth and smooth noodles, head for the famous Kinruyu Ramen at Dotonbori. Spotting it will be easy, just look for the Dragon.
You get your ticket on the vending machine to give it to the staff. Within minutes a hot bowl of Ramen will appear in front of you. Cooked in Tonkotsu Style, the Ramen was exceptionally tasty. It is best eaten when hot, especially on cold winter days.
Remember the slurp up. The louder, the better as it is considered polite in Japan.
Slurp Slurp
6 Teriyaki ¥300
Teriyaki
We found this Teriyaki stall in the middle of the street. It does not have a storefront but it has the chunkiest Teriyaki at a decent JPY300 per stick.
Get two while you are there because one is never enough!
7 Densetsu no Sutadonya (Pork Bowl with Raw Egg)
Pork Bowl With raw Egg
Beef Bowls are aplenty and well known in Japan. Pork bowls are generally less famous. Nonetheless, this stall sells value for money Pork Bowl in generous servings under JPY1000. Buy a ticket from the vending machine and head inside to taste the delicious Pork bowl with raw egg.
Look for the large Pork bowl with an egg on the shopfront if you are searching for this place. It is right at the entrance of Dotonbori near the main road.
Densetsu no Sutadonya
8 Kobe Beef
Kobe Beef
You do not need to travel to nearby Kobe to try the famed Kobe Beef. It is available near the end of Dotonbori Food Street. There are a couple of stalls too for you to choose from.
9 Genroku Sushi
Genroku Sushi
If you are a Sushi fan, there is only one place to head to. Genroku Sushi is the most popular Sushi place in Dotonbori. Queues are always very long if you choose to dine in. With Sushi at a very reasonable price, it is no wonder it is packed to the brim every day. Go earlier if you wish to grab a seat before the end of the day.
10 Turkish Ice Cream ¥400
Last but not least, have a dessert. We recommend you to try the Turkish Ice Cream located near Kinruyu Ramen. We do have a warning.... it may be a lot harder to get your ice cream on your hand than you think. Still, it makes great entertainment while waiting!
That's all, folks. You can also check out our youtube video on our Dotonbori Street Food adventure. Have a great time feasting
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