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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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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).
The mellow atmosphere at Raja is matched by the delicious Indian food. The restaurant is now in its second generation; the friendly owner-chef is the son of the reputed first Indian chef in Kobe. Among the home-style curries and samosas, vegetarians can find something delicious. Raja attributes the excellence of the tandoori chicken to using the highest-grade charcoal available in Japan. It's on the west end of Chinatown, near Moto-machi. Lunch is cheaper, but dinner sets are reasonably priced.
This place has been famous since 1945 for its Peking duck, flown in fresh from China (it's not cheap). Built at the turn of the 20th century, Totenkaku is in one of Kobe's historic homes. With tall ceilings, red carpets, luxurious curtains, and artwork from China, the dining room itself is worth a look. You can keep the price down by ordering one of the reasonably priced noodle specialties, or by enjoying a set lunch menu.
Deep in the forest behind Kasuga Taisha, Tsukihitei has the perfect setting for a traditional kaiseki meal. From the walk up a wooded path to the tranquillity of your own tatami room, everything here is conducive to experiencing the beautiful presentation and delicate flavors—as Helen Keller did when she dined here in 1948. When reserving a table, enlist the help of a good Japanese speaker to select a set meal for you, and allow yourself to be regaled. The lunch sets cost between ¥10,000 and ¥15,000—not exactly cheap, but cheaper than dinner.
Specializing in Japanese sweets and elegant bento-box meals, Yanagi-jaya's secluded tatami rooms and peacful garden transports diners to a bygone age. It can be found among the trees on a street corner, just a short walk east along the path from Kofukuji's Five-Storied Pagoda.
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