The 7 Best Street Food Spots In Osaka You Should Not Miss

Best Street Food Spots in Osaka

Osaka, also known as Japan’s Kitchen, has a global reputation for offering some of the most delicious and unique traditional Japanese cuisines. From the bustling streets of Dotonburi to the high-end restaurants of Shinsaibashi, there’s a dish to suit every appetite here – but all dishes here will arguably suit all appetites as well!

A quintessential part of exploring the wonderful city of Osaka is hitting up the local spots for street food. Yes, you can get crowd favorites like takoyaki everywhere around Japan, but there’s something special about devouring it in its supposed birthright city that makes it all the more delicious!

With so many options to dine at, in, and around, we’ve decided to help you out by listing down the 7 best street food spots in Osaka for you to explore. Let’s have a look!

1. Shinsekai Osaka Food Street

Shinsekai Street Food Osaka

Shinsekai is characterized by the iconic Tsutenkaki Tower and colorful street stalls. To say that’s one of the best places to get street food in Osaka would almost be an understatement.

Almost all of the classic Osaka street food options are available here, and they’re not made by just any random person. Some stalls have been passed down from generation to generation, making them a huge part of Osaka’s history itself.

Kushikatsu Shinsekai Osaka

There is a small strip here dedicated specifically to kushikatsu, or battered and fried skewers of meat, seafood, and vegetables. You’ll also number numerous stalls selling world-famous Osaka street food including takoyaki and okonomiyaki here as well.

Whilst the Shinsekai Osaka Food Street is breathtaking and vibrant during the day, at night, it truly comes alive. Bright and colorful signboards, bustling crowds, and enthusiastic stallholders looking to sell their fare to the next hungry customer.

  • Address: Shinsekai
  • Directions: It is a short walk from Shin-Imamiya Station, Dobutsuen-Mae Station, and Ebisucho Station.

2. Dotonbori Osaka

Most Instagrammable Places in Osaka Dotonbori Street

Dotonbori is considered a street food lovers paradise. The bustling street right in the middle of the city offers the quintessential Osaka experience: huge crowds, hundreds of food stalls and restaurants, and bars to finish off your night at.

Dotonbori boasts food stalls selling classic Osaka street good items such as takoyaki and okonomiyaki, but it also offers so much more. You can pretty much get every type of Japanese street food that you can dream of here.

Dotonbori Yatai Street Food Osaka

Chocolate-dipped bananas? Check. Kushikatsu? Check. Taiyaki? Check. Grilled crab legs? Check, check, check.

You can eat a 10-course street food meal throughout the entirety of Dontonbori – just make sure you don’t eat anything beforehand!

  • Address: Dotonbori Osaka
  • Directions: 5-minute walk from JR Namba Station.

3. Kuromon Ichiba Market

Kuromon Market is the most famous seafood market in Osaka. It is a relatively smaller strip of shops selling incredibly fresh seafood as well as fresh vegetables, fruits, and other meats.

Kuromon was originally a fish market, but it eventually became known as a shopping strip where you can sample the best seafood Osaka has to offer. You may find that some stalls have already prepared street foods for you to purchase, but many will also prepare them fresh on the spot.

Kuromon Ichiba Market Osaka

Our recommendation would be to try charcoal-grilled oysters. They’re huge in size, and the charcoal gives them a distinct toasted aroma that’s delicious.

Uni, or sea urchin, is a must – you’ll never come across uni as fresh as this, ever again.

Unagi, or eel, is a quintessential Japanese dish, and barbequed unagi over rice is simply *chef’s kiss*.

These are only a select few of the street food items you can experience at Kuromon Ichiba Market!

  • Address: Kuromon Ichiba Market
  • Directions: 2-minute walk from Nippombashi station, using Exit 2. It is also a 5-to-10-minute walk from Namba Station.

If you want to visit this market with a local guide, we listed a very nice food tour here: Best Food Tours In Osaka.

4. Hozenji Yokocho

Hozenji Yokocho Osaka

For those who are foodies but are also culturally inclined, Hozenji Yokocho is the perfect balance of Japanese tradition and street food culture. Hozenji Yokocho translates to ‘the street beside Hozenji’. It is only 80m long, with a cobblestone walkway that gives you olden-day vibes.

Hozenji Yokocho surprisingly boasts quite a ‘happening’ food scene. There is a huge variety of local and authentic foods, from yakitori grills to kushikatsu, okonomiyaki, and katsu cutlets.

If you want to visit a place that’s both photogenic as well as a foodie’s heaven, check out Hozenji Yokocho.

  • Address: Hozenji Yokocho
  • Directions: 3-minute walk from Namba Station, using Exit 14.

5. Ikuno Korea Town, Tsuruhashi

Ikuno Korea Town Osaka

Did you know that Osaka has its very own Koreatown? Similar to Shin-Okubo in Tokyo, Tsuruhashi is home to a plethora of condensed Korean food stalls, shops, and restaurants that rival those even in Seoul!

The entrance to Ikuno Korea Town features a huge unmissable gate called the Baekjae Gate, and once you walk through it, it’s like you’ve been transported.

Ikuno Korea Town Osaka

As you walk up and down Ikuno Korea Town, the smell of kimchi and deep-fried foods will temptingly waft through the air. You’ll be able to snack on endless Korean street food here.

We’d highly recommend trying the gimari (fried japchae noodles wrapped in seaweed), jokball (pigs trotters), Korean cheesy hotdogs, and, of course, the ttaekbokki rice cakes!

6. Tenjinbashisuji Shopping Arcade

Osaka Tenjinbashi-suji Shopping Street attraction

Tenjinbashisuji Shopping Arcade is definitely one of the best street food spots in Osaka!

It’s located in the North of Osaka and it’s the longest shotengai in all of Japan! Stretching over 2.6km, it is split into seven perpendicular streets, each numbered from 1 to 7. 

Here, you won’t see any luxury brands of 5-star restaurants. Instead, you’ll witness a huge condensed area filled with antique stores, bookshops, shops selling household goods, craft stores, restaurants, and, of course, endless lines of street food!

Tenjinbashisuji Shopping Arcade

One of the most popular street food items to try from Tenjinbashisuji is the korokke or croquettes. The original and traditional recipe encompasses minced meat mixed with mashed potato and deep-fried. However, there are different versions available from different vendors, so we encourage you to explore them!

Tenjinbashisuji Shopping Arcade korokke

If you’re a big fan of takoyaki, head to Takoyaki Tamaya, where you can order a tasting dish from an assortment of different takoyaki to try. From curry with cheese to simple rock salt, you’ll get to eat takoyaki as you’ve never eaten it before!

If you want to get into the kitchen and learn how to make Japanese food in Osaka, feel free to join one of these 5 best cooking classes in Osaka.

7. Sennichimae Doguyasuji Shopping Street

Sennichimae Doguyasuji Shopping Street

Sennchimae Doguyasuji Shopping Street is affectionately known as Osaka’s Kitchen Street. The reason behind this is that it sells everything that you need to fully equip your kitchen!

Kitchenware of all shapes and forms will fill your vision as you peruse this 150m long strip. From Takoyaki grills to plastic food samples to knives – it’s got everything you need to be the perfect home chef.

After you’ve shopped to your heart’s content, why not check out the few street food stalls to appease your appetite before heading off to the next adventure? They also do food sampling classes (perfect for students on a field trip!), and takoyaki demonstration sales.

Reading this must have made you super hungry! There are so many street food options in Osaka that, to be honest, this list barely scratches the surface of what the huge, bustling, exciting city has to offer.

However, if you’re new to the Osaka street food scene, simply follow the scent of the grill and you’ll be right where you need to be in no time.

Let us know if you’ve experienced any of the mentioned markets before, and what were your favorite things to eat there! We’d love to hear about your experiences.

Before you go, make sure you also check out the best street food spots in Tokyo and the best street food spots in Kyoto!

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