Okonomiyaki is famous in Osaka. Walk around city and you see it all over the place, from street vendors to famous restaurants. It is the soul food of the city. Of course, there is some rivalry between two Japanese cities as Okonomiyaki in Osaka, which has more vegetables, is often compared with its cousin in Hiroshima, which has more noodles. My preference is the Hiroshima version, because the noodles make it tastier. Having said that, is one restaurant in Osaka that blew me away. Okonomiyaki Kiji at the Umeda Sky Building.
This restaurant is incredibly hard to find, but it’s worth the adventure as it is nestled in a really stunning area. It is underground at the Umeda Sky Building. You need to find an entrance leading you down into Takimokoji, which is an area decorated in historic Japanese aesthetics. It’s a labyrinth of exciting restaurants, vistas and gardens. I recommend walking around to capture the amazing architecture. You’ll feel like you have entered a really cool maze.
We got to the restaurant super early, even before it was open at 11:30 am. When we arrived, there were already people lined up for this famous restaurant. Luckily, we got in the line early, because when it came time for us to get in, we noticed the line had become a snake-like queue of people. Long and almost never-ending.
We had the option of either a Japanese or English menu. Most of the okonomiyaki are under 1,000 yen and you really can’t go wrong with whatever you choose. The menu in Japanese is below.
The okonomiyaki here is super delicious, because it’s freshly made and has great flavors (e.g. the sweet and salty) and textures (e.g. the crunch factor combined with the soft carbs and tender meat). When I had a few bites of the okonomiayaki, I could see why this place was famous. They did things perfectly right. Also, if you are lucky enough to be seated next to the hot plate with the chef, you can marvel at their creations.
Okonomiyaki Kiji is a great value location with many many awards and accolades. If you are in the area, I highly recommend trying it out. You can put a post-it note onto the wall or your currency. Read the notes and see what they say.
If you arrive too early, you can consider visiting the Pokemon Center Osaka (near Osaka Station), which opens from 10:00 am, or the Umeda Sky Building. You can read more about my time at the Umeda Sky Building by clicking here.
Okonomiyaki Kiji is open from 11:30 am to 9:30 pm and is located at 2F, Shinumeda Shokudogai, 9-20 Kakudacho, Kita-ku, Osaka:
Please support the website by liking the article or subscribing to the mailing list.
Here are some of my recent articles:
Discover more from Australian Sightseer
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
