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Thanks to its history and unique culture, the Kansai region offers an unparalleled variety of Japanese cuisine. In addition to the local specialties of Osaka, Kobe, and Nara, Kansai has the same inexpensive chain restaurants as Tokyo and a good variety of international food. Outside tourist areas, restaurant staff may not speak English but often exhibit Kansai’s signature friendliness, going out of their way to help.
Japan's first steak house is famed for its superb, hand-fed Kobe beef from a single farm in the nearby city of Sanda. The melt-in-your-mouth sumiyaki (charcoal-broiled) steak is worth its weight in yen and is only served with mustard and pepper. (Don't even think about asking for other condiments.) The dining room's dark-wood paneling and lovely chandelier give it a European air. Be prepared to spend some yen; main courses are phenomenally expensive.
The city's premier hotel restaurant serves extremely good French food. The elegant yet relaxed atmosphere, seasonal menus, and extensive wine list make La Baie an excellent choice when you're in the mood for European-style fare. With its high ceiling, 18th-century paintings, and dark-wood accents, the interior is impressive and the service is impeccable. The weekday lunch courses are a good way to sample some of the best French cuisine in Osaka.
If there is one food Osaka is known for, it is okonomiyaki, a savory pancake that can be filled with vegetables, meat, or seafood. Mizuno, opened in 1945, is one of the city's best and oldest places to try this hearty specialty. Mizuno's okonomiyaki are light and fluffy, using a variety of ingredients delivered from Osaka's Kuromon Market. Sitting at the long teppan counter grill you can watch as the chef whips up a hearty taste of Osaka before your eyes. Long lines form around lunch and dinnertime, but move rather quickly.
At this elegant dining room, the excellent Kobe beef is sliced thin and cooked before you on a teppanyaki grill along with fresh vegetables and served with pepper, mustard, and soy sauce for dipping. Wakkoqu uses meat from three-year-old cows that have never been bred, which is said to be the reason for its unbelievable tenderness. Lunch set menus are available until 3pm.
With a relaxed atmosphere, A-1 is known for serving thick slices of Kobe beef. The teppanyaki steak (broiled on a hot plate) is cooked in a marinade of spices, wine, and soy and served with charcoal-grilled vegetables and crisp garlic potatoes. The "small" version is enough to fill you up. Four branches are scattered about town, but the main one is conveniently west of Hankyu San-no-miya Station, across from the B-Kobe hotel.
Pungent nara-zuke will lure you into this well-known shop and adjoining restaurant. Inside, white-capped prep cooks busily prepare packages of pickles that you can try with cha-gayu (green-tea porridge) or a meal of crispy tempura. The set menus are on display, making ordering simple. This is a good place to escape the crowds on Higashi-muki Dori, the main shopping street. Nara Kintetsu Station and Nara Koen are within a five-minute walk.
This lively café offers above average French cuisine that you can enjoy on an outdoor terrace—a true rarity in Japan. The menu covers all the bases, ranging from couscous to bouillabaisse. Midway up the hill on Kitano-zaka, it's great for people-watching and is a good stop while cruising the Kitano district. Lunch and dinner sets are reasonably priced.
Housed in the former Kobe Union Church, this café exemplifies Kobe's relaxed beauty. High ceilings, arched windows, and white walls give the dining room a bright, airy feel. It's the perfect place to take a rest from exploring the Kitano neighborhood. The kitchen serves tasty salads and sandwiches, and the bread is baked fresh next door.
Located on a quiet backstreet just a short walk south of Horyu-ji's Great Eastern Gate, this low-key yet stylish café offers delicious lunch sets, including very local specialties such as tatsuta-age (a type of fried chicken) and deep-fried ofu (steamed wheat gluten). The café also has its own woodwork studio and shop, with a number of robot-themed wooden toys on display.
A collaboration between a local development group and Kobe farmers, Farmstand serves fresh deli-plates and café fare. Meals are mostly vegetarian, and in the afternoon it is a great place for coffee and dessert.
Perfect for a romantic dinner overlooking the lights of Kobe, Fusha serves up delicious French-inspired European dishes in a relaxing, country-chic setting. The restaurant requires a 20-minute taxi ride from Shin-Kobe or Sannomiya Station, but offers a stunning nighttime view of the city and harbor from the candlelit outdoor tables. Although the food is good, the view and atmosphere are the real draws, so be sure to reserve a table with a good view of the city.
Dining at the Swissôtel's flagship restaurant is an elegant escape from the crowds of Osaka. The seasonal kaiseki dinners are presented with exquisite attention to detail, bringing out the flavor of each ingredient. The restaurant offers separate seating at the sushi bar, tempura counter, and even four private rooms. Choose from one of the seasonal set menus, or put your dinner in the hands of the skilled chefs. The staff are also happy to serve Kobe beef from Minami, the hotel's teppanyaki restaurant.
This eatery's kamitsumichi bento box, with a selection of sashimi, fried shrimp, tofu, vegetables, and homemade plum liqueur, is a bargain. Harishin is traditional and quite rustic. You sit in either a large tatami room overlooking a garden or around a large irori (hearth).
At Hiraso you can try kakinoha-zushi, sushi wrapped in persimmon leaves. What's more, you can take it away in a nicely wrapped wooden box for a satisfying lunch in Nara Park. Another featured delicacy is kakisuga, dried persimmon dusted with kudzu (flour made from the East Asian kudzu vine) or arrowroot powder and cooked tempura style. Most set menus include green-tea porridge, which is usually made with mushrooms or seasonal vegetables. Hiraso has tables and chairs, but the tatami alcoves are more intimate.
Kobe has many excellent bakeries, but this one, a Kobe institution since 1946 with a branch just west of San-no-miya Station, is notable for its fine selection of Japanese-style pastries and breads. Among its most popular items are the kare-pan (curry bread); crispy donut-like snacks filled with a mild curry sauce. Or try the kureemu-pan (cream bread), a much sweeter cream-stuffed alternative.
The most famous restaurant on Dotombori-dori—the enormous mechanical crab is a local landmark—Kani Doraku has fine crab dishes at reasonable prices. The lunch set menu includes large portions of crab; dinner is more expensive ¥6,000. If you prefer a quick snack, a stand outside sells crab legs. An English-language menu is available. Reserve a table on weekends.
There's no better place to try Osaka's kappo-ryori (a more intimate, less formal version of kaiseki-ryori) than the restaurant that started the trend. Chef and owner Osamu Ueno scours the markets daily to find the best ingredients for dinner each evening. The menu here is a constantly rotating selection of à la carte items, all superb. If you're unsure about what to order, simply leave it up to the chef for a delightful dinner. The restaurant has a relaxed atmosphere and friendly staff, with counter seating and two private rooms for small groups.
Moriya's flagship restaurant stands where the business began in 1885 as a butcher shop. Now this cozy restaurant serves excellent grade A5 Kobe wagyu (the highest rank of Japanese beef) at reasonable prices. The atmosphere feels like being in a 19th-century home, with dark-wood paneling and floors. In addition to the premium-priced Kobe beef, the restaurant also serves the excellent but less expensive Moriya beef—a great value for travelers who want to try top-grade wagyu without breaking the bank. The restaurant is popular with tourists, so it is best to reserve, or expect to wait if you visit during peak lunch or dinner times.
Hidden down a quiet street just south of Ara-ike in Nara Koen is this intimate restaurant serving exquisitely presented traditional kaiseki meals. Within the faded wooden walls, a common architectural motif in Nara, you can sit at a rustic counter or in one of two serene tatami rooms. Choose from one of the two set meals. Both lunch and dinner here are short and served early (noon–1 for lunch, 6–7:30 for dinner).
A hip hangout on the fringe of Amerika-mura, Planet 3rd is perfect for a quick snack or a full meal. The food is tasty—consisting mostly of sandwiches, curries, and sweets—and the atmosphere is cool and laid back. In the morning the café serves breakfast from 7 am. The computers at the front are free use for customers.
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