Osaka is well-known in Japan for its lively atmosphere and friendly izakaya, or Japanese style pubs with a good eye for food and drink.
These izakaya can range from region-specific styles with unique dishes and a casual atmosphere to fancier spots serving up western cuisine.
Here, we will look at five izakaya that are easily accessible from Osaka Station in the Umeda area.
Each of these izakaya serve washoku (Japanese food), but in their own unique ways with a different ambience at each, so take a look to find your favourite!
梅田 日本酒エビス / Nihonshu Ebisu Umeda
For a fully Japanese experience with both food and drink, "梅田 日本酒エビス / Nihonshu Ebisu Umeda" is a great option for an evening in Osaka.
As the name suggests, "梅田 日本酒エビス / Nihonshu Ebisu Umeda"’s specialty is nihonshu, which is another word for sake or rice wine.
But they also pride themselves on their washoku, meaning Japanese food.
This is all served in a friendly and casual environment, so it’s easy to walk in and join the fun!
While some places might choose their drinks to pair with the food, here, the food is made to go with the drinks.
"梅田 日本酒エビス / Nihonshu Ebisu Umeda" has over 30 different kinds of nihonshu to choose from, as well as izakaya standards like beer, simple mixers, and soft drinks.
There is even a mini sake capsule toy dispenser!
As for the food, you’ll find plenty of classic izakaya flavours to try out here, though often with fun twists in presentation or an interesting flavour accent.
This includes everything from fried food like their negi-shio karaage (salt and green onion fried chicken) to their tower of ikura daikon (daikon radish with fish eggs).
So there are plenty of familiar comfort foods to enjoy in between more adventurous washoku options.
You’ll be spoilt for choice, so if you want to make the choice easier, there are a few set courses that also have all-you-can-drink options, so you only have to decide on the drinks!
マヅメ 梅田本店 / Mazume Umeda
Moving on to something more seafood-oriented, "マヅメ 梅田本店 / Mazume Umeda" is the place to go in Osaka for reasonably-priced alcohol and fresh Japanese seafood dishes.
"マヅメ 梅田本店 / Mazume Umeda" makes it their top priority to offer a wide selection of drinks at reasonable prices.
Something that takes the spotlight is their “Don-Yasu Drink” menu, which get cheaper the more you order!
The first drink is at the regular price, the second is ¥319, and the third and every drink after is just ¥209!
That particular menu is limited to Highballs and Sours, but the regular drinks menu also has beer, gin, sake, shochu, and soft drinks.
"マヅメ 梅田本店 / Mazume Umeda" isn’t just about the drinks, though!
They also have a number of tasty washoku and seafood dishes, from saucy yakisoba noodles to fresh sashimi.
A warming option in the colder months is their oden, which involves different ingredients being boiled in a soy-flavoured soup.
Of course, their main culinary focus, though, is their fresh seafood.
"マヅメ 梅田本店 / Mazume Umeda" has a special technique to keep their fish as fresh as possible for as long as possible.
They even have their own fish tank to ensure optimum freshness.
They do a special dish every day at 7 p.m. which uses fish from the tank to serve up some incredibly fresh sashimi!
咲くら 梅田阪急グランドビル店 / Sakura Hankyu Grand Building
Our next izakaya has quite a different atmosphere, because it is located on the 27th floor of the Hankyu Grand Building, where you can see the city lights down below.
But unlike other restaurants with great views, "咲くら 梅田阪急グランドビル店 / Sakura Hankyu Grand Building" doesn’t come with high prices to match the high floors.
Their drink and food options are reasonably priced, with some of their set courses for as low as ¥4,000 per person.
That means all the great flavours and prices of a regular izakaya, with the added view and atmosphere!
"咲くら 梅田阪急グランドビル店 / Sakura Hankyu Grand Building" also specialises in washoku, with a variety of meat, fish, and vegetable dishes as well as filling fried food.
A lot of the dishes at Sakura are very seasonal, with warming hotpots and rice dishes in winter, and cool noodles and sashimi in the summer, using the best ingredients to match the season.
It’s not just the food that is seasonal, either.
At "咲くら 梅田阪急グランドビル店 / Sakura Hankyu Grand Building", they have an impressive line-up of sake that changes with the seasons, as well as their fruit liqueurs and cocktails.
A lot of their drinks can be added with their all-you-can-drink menu as well, so you can easily sample a variety of different flavours as you watch over the lights of Osaka.
くらくら 梅田茶屋町店 / Kura-kura Umeda Chayamachi
So far we have looked at izakaya that serve washoku in the broad sense of Japanese food, but "くらくら 梅田茶屋町店 / Kura-kura Umeda Chayamachi" focusses on food from a specific part of Japan: Kyushu, Japan’s southernmost region.
This focus means tasty dishes you won’t often see elsewhere, as well as a wide variety of shochu, a beloved southern style of sake.
The menu is full of different food to suit your mood, from small plates to accompany your sake to large dishes to fill you up.
While there are standard izakaya dishes like French fries and ocha-zuke (tea on rice), the highlight is definitely their Kyushu dishes.
They specially have satsuma-age (a Kagoshima specialty fish cake) and salted fish shipped from Kagoshima, and serve up a variety of Kyushu favourites like goya chanpuru (bitter gourd and tofu) and buta no kaku-ni (soy-stewed pork).
The other Kyushu specialty that くらくら 梅田茶屋町店 / Kura-kura Umeda Chayamachi takes pride in is its variety of shochu, which is a type of sake distilled with different ingredients, commonly sweet potato.
Their shochu selection lines the walls, and they have over 150 different types, many of which are seasonal or Kyushu-specific.
These go particularly well with all the Kyushu flavours, but there is also Kyushu awamori (Okinawan distilled rice spirit) and brown sugar beverages, as well as fruit-based drinks, beers, and simple cocktails.
The atmosphere is completed with warm candlelight and relaxing music, making it a great izakaya option in Osaka for unwinding in the evening.
播鳥 北新地本店 / Bancho Kitashinchi Honten
"播鳥 北新地本店 / Bancho Kitashinchi Honten" is another izakaya that specialises in washoku, but with a particular focus on chicken.
This Umeda prides itself on its fresh Miyazaki “Jittoko” chicken that it serves up in a variety of different delicious ways, starting with yakitori (charcoal-grilled, skewered chicken).
Yakitori dishes typically use every part of the chicken, so while you can easily order chicken thigh or breast, this is your chance to get a little adventurous and try something like nankotsu (cartilage) or zuri (gizzard), too.
Alongside their chicken skewers, "播鳥 北新地本店 / Bancho Kitashinchi Honten" also has small plates to snack on while drinking, like edamame or buttered potatoes, bigger dishes with their signature chicken, and a variety of meat and vegetable dishes as well.
This can all be accompanied by their variety of drinks, which includes sake, beer, and simple cocktails.
"播鳥 北新地本店 / Bancho Kitashinchi Honten" has a typical izakaya atmosphere to it, with private booths or floor seating for larger groups and a lively clientele.
The private booths on the second floor are good for more privacy and a slightly more special atmosphere, while the other seats allow for a livelier evening.
Explore Osaka’s Nightlife
Here we have looked at five different kinds of izakaya in the Umeda area, but Osaka is well-known for its lively evenings and welcoming atmosphere.
So why not take a look at some of our other articles about Osaka izakaya to see which one is right for you?
Written by Cassandra Lord
After studying Japanese at university, I moved to Japan in 2018 to experience Japanese culture first-hand.
It wasn’t long until I developed an interest in Japanese cooking, and now I’m always experimenting in the kitchen, cooking anything from okonomiyaki to goya chanpuru.
That all started in Tokyo, so the city will always have a place in my heart, but now that I live in a more rural area, I have fallen in love with small towns and regional cuisine and culture.
I want to continue exploring and experiencing Japan as much as I can.