Osaka, a city right off of the Yodo River, has the second largest metropolitan area in Japan. It’s a booming city bursting with Japanese culture, festivals and museums. Known as the "Nation’s Kitchen”, Osaka is popular for its varied culinary experiences. With many regional specialties, you are sure to see and taste the many different flavors of Osaka. If you’re going to eat in Osaka, you must try their regional dishes. Some of them may seem strange to Western pallets, but with their rave reviews, how can you go wrong? 

Takoyaki

One of the city's regional dishes is takoyaki. Takoyaki is a a grilled octopus ball that is topped off with katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes), aonori (green seaweed powder), takoyaki sauce and mayonnaise. The best place to get this dish is at the Osaka Takoyaki Museum. This dish is so popular they dedicated a whole museum to it! Well, actually they refer to it as a mini-theme park. With the wild colors and silly tokoyaki inspired characters all around; it’s obvious why they call it that. This isn’t so much a restaurant as it is a souvenir shop. There you can buy lots of different Takoyaki related things. You can also order the dish prepared in a number of different ways.

Okonomiyaki

Another dish popular in Osaka is okonomiyaki which translates to “As-You-Like-It Pancake”. These aren’t like regular pancakes though. It’s a savory fried batter with cabbage that’s filled with all kinds of different things depending on your taste. If you’re really looking for some good okonomiyaki it is pretty easy to find in Osaka. You can find it with street vendors or restaurants that specialize in the dish.

Hako-zushi

Hako-zushi is yet another regional dish from Osaka. It’s a special kind of sushi made by pressing rice in a box called a hako. The sushi comes out square and layered with different items. Unlike traditional sushi, cured or cooked fish and rice are the main ingredients in hako-zushi. The best place to get it in Osaka is Yoshino-sushi. Yoshino-sushi is a sushi bar that was established in 1841; showing experience you can trust.

There are many more specialty dishes that derive from the Osaka area. Some examples are Ikayaki (crepe-like pancake with squid), Doteyaki (beef sinew) and Jiyuken Curry (fried rice with curry sauce). When eating out in Osaka, don’t be afraid to try some of the different things that are served in an area named the “Nation’s Kitchen!”