Inside Osaka

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Best Okonomiyaki in Osaka

Okonomiyaki is a savory pancake-shaped dish filled with your choice of ingredients. Here are some of our favorite okonomiyaki restaurants in Osaka where you can try one of city’s most famous dishes.

A table-top griddle with a tasty mound of Okonomiyaki, with mixed gooey ingredients, topped with shredded green vegetables and a lattice of mayonnaise
Okonomiyaki © Florentyna Leow

Osaka is famous for its “konamono,” or flour-based foods. These include takoyaki, kushikatsu, and okonomiyaki. Okonomiyaki is often translated in English as “Japanese pizza.” However, this is a bit of a misnomer. It’s more like a thick, grilled pancake-slash-frittata, with all kinds of ingredients held together by a nagaimo (mountain yam) and wheat flour batter. In terms of toppings, anything goes: shrimp, squid, pork, even cheese. That’s all part of the name - “grilled as you like it,” or “okonomi”!

Okonomiyaki is one of Osaka’s signature dishes, and it’s characteristically cheap, unpretentious, and delicious. Unless you have gluten allergies, this is certainly a must-try. (But even then, there are one or two gluten-free options out there!) There are hundreds of restaurants in the city; these are just a few fabulous and friendly ones.

  • Kiji (Kita; budget)
    If you only have time for one okonomiyaki restaurant in the city, make it the Michelin Bib Gourmand-rated Kiji in Umeda. The constant queues in front are testament to its excellent dishes.
  • Ajinoya (Minami; budget to moderate)
    Ajinoya is a Bib Gourmand okonomiyaki specialist near the Dotombori Arcade. With fast, friendly service, and rich, delicious okonomiyaki, it’s one of our favourite places to sample Osaka’s signature dish. Recommended!
  • Chibo (Minami; budget to moderate)
    Located along the vibrant, bustling Dotombori Arcade, Chibo is one of the city’s most popular okonomiyaki restaurants, and for good reason - the pancakes here are awesome. It’s English-friendly, so don’t fret about ordering!
  • Jibundoki (Central Osaka; moderate)
    For brilliant and creative okonomiyaki, as well as some other dishes cooked on a teppan (iron griddle), try this excellent restaurant a short walk southwest of Honmachi Station. The name is written in English on the awning, so finding it shouldn’t be a problem.
  • Kyochabana Shin-Osaka Eki (Shin-Osaka Area; budget)
    Looking for a flavourful but healthy dinner option in Shin-Osaka Station? At Kyochabana, you get affordable, delicious, and creatively cooked Japanese food with a Kyoto twist.
  • Negiyaki Yamamoto (Kita Area; budget)
    This comfortable spot, which is a short walk from Umeda and Osaka stations, serves a scallion-filled version of okonomiyaki and a good craft beer menu. All ages are welcome.
  • Mizuno (Minami; budget)
    Mizuno, near the Dotombori Arcade, has a near-permanent queue outside the door for their world-famous okonomiyaki. While we don't like waiting on line, in this case, it's worth the wait. And, they are one of the only okonomiyaki restaurants we know that has both vegetarian and gluten-free options.

For more great okonomiyaki restaurants, see our Insider’s Guide To Osaka Okonomiyaki Restaurants, where we introduce seven restaurants favored by locals, along with a map of where to find them.

Best Osaka Restaurant Recommendations

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