Visiting an izakaya in Umeda is a great way to experience Osaka food culture first hand.
Izakaya are often referred to as a “Japanese style pub”, but they can be big, small, cheap or fancy, and everything in between.
Osaka has a completely different culture to Tokyo, and its food is no exception.
Osaka people love good food and good drink, but most of all they love to have a good time.
Izakaya in Umeda can often be very lively, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t stylish and laid-back ones too.
These are five popular izakaya in the Umeda area, ranging from deep-fried dishes to seasonal sushi and sake.
活 阪急グランドビル店 / Katsu Hankyu Grand
At any izakaya in Japan, there is almost always fried food on the menu.
And if you’re in Osaka, one of the best fried foods to try is kushi katsu (or kushi age) which is said to have originated here.
Kushi katsu is basically anything you can put on a stick and deep fry, and the aptly named izakaya, "活 阪急グランドビル店 / Katsu Hankyu Grand", is one of the most popular places to get your fill.
From prawns to lotus root, each ingredient is carefully chosen by season and quality.
The chefs take pride in their skills to serve up the kushi katsu in a crisp yet light batter, and are trained to fry each ingredient for the exact right amount of time to avoid making it soggy or heavy.
Alongside salts and seasonings, at your table you’ll also find two original sauces, black and brown in color, and full of fruit, vegetables, and spices to create a unique flavor.
Of course, everything can be washed down with a drink from their wide selection that covers sake, shochu, beer, and wine.
The seating is arranged in typical izakaya style with both counter seats, where you can watch the chefs in action, and counter seats.
"活 阪急グランドビル店 / Katsu Hankyu Grand" has over 60 years of history behind it, and several locations around Osaka.
So, if you’re ever craving something fried, you know where to go!
チャオチャオ 梅田店 / Chao Chao Umeda
Gyoza are a type of Japanese fried dumpling that often come as a side dish.
But if you want to get your fill and try out different varieties, "チャオチャオ 梅田店 / Chao Chao Umeda" is the place to go when a side dish just won’t do!
"チャオチャオ 梅田店 / Chao Chao Umeda" take special care in every step of making their gyoza to create delicious dumplings that are full of flavor but never greasy.
Their attention to detail from the filling to the casing makes for crisp and umami-packed gyoza that go perfectly with their two sauces – miso sauce and vinegar soy sauce.
As for what goes inside the gyoza, there are plenty of fillings to choose from, ranging from beef and onion to curry.
There are so many options, you might find it hard to choose, so there’s also the option of the set or half set to give you a selection of different types.
Something that may surprise izakaya beginners is the size of "チャオチャオ 梅田店 / Chao Chao Umeda".
This style is typical of local izakaya, and only has a few tables and counter seating where you can see the chefs at work.
Needless to say, this is best for smaller groups.
But despite its size, there is also a wide range of drinks to accompany your gyoza.
Beer is the standard accompaniment, but there are also original sours, Japanese style cocktails, and soft drinks.
虎連坊 ヒルトンプラザウエスト/ Torarenbo Hilton Plaza West
If you’re looking to focus more on sake and seasonal dishes, look no further than "虎連坊 ヒルトンプラザウエスト/ Torarenbo Hilton Plaza West".
"虎連坊 ヒルトンプラザウエスト/ Torarenbo Hilton Plaza West" takes special care with all its ingredients, and is particularly popular for its impressive sake selection.
The izakaya holds a regular stock of 40 different sake brands, but also brings in different sakes every season.
This means you might stumble across a new sake that you’d be hard-pressed to find elsewhere.
What’s more, many of these delicious sakes can even be found on their all-you-can-drink menu, too, so you’ll be spoilt for choice!
Much like wine, good sake is at its best with good food.
At "虎連坊 ヒルトンプラザウエスト/ Torarenbo Hilton Plaza West", the specialty is washoku (Japanese cuisine), but covers all sorts of dishes from sushi to steak.
Most of their dishes are highly seasonal, making great use of the fresh meat, fish, and vegetables from around Japan.
In autumn that might mean eggplant dishes and bonito fish dishes, whereas in winter you might find hotpot style dishes to warm you up.
While there are regular counter and table seats at this chic izakaya, if you’d like more privacy you can also book one of their private rooms for small groups or up to groups of 20.
Pick and choose with their standard menu or get a set course meal and have the chefs do the choosing for you!
沖縄キッチン てりとりー / Okinawa Kitchen Territory
Okinawa, being over 500 miles south of Osaka, has a completely different food culture to this Kansai city.
But if you don’t have time to fly all that way, a visit to "沖縄キッチン てりとりー / Okinawa Kitchen Territory" is a great opportunity to experience those flavors.
Some Okinawa classics that you can try at "沖縄キッチン てりとりー / Okinawa Kitchen Territory" include umi budo, goya chanpuru, and rafute.
Umi budo are sea grapes, often likened to a seaweed caviar, whereas goya chanpuru features bitter gourd, and rafute tender pork belly.
Alongside these classics, there are tons of delicious dishes featuring all sorts of typical Okinawan ingredients that you won’t find at a standard izakaya.
As for drinks, "沖縄キッチン てりとりー / Okinawa Kitchen Territory" proudly serves the Okinawan staple, Orion Beer, along with an array of other Okinawan specialties.
You can try out awamori, an Okinawan specialty shochu (sake), or be transported to a tropical island with one of their fruit liqueurs.
All of this comes with a side of friendly service from the lively staff, and a bubbly atmosphere reminiscent of those southern isles.
くらくら 梅田茶屋町店 / Kurakura Umeda Chayamachi
Focusing on southern Japan as a whole, "くらくら 梅田茶屋町店 / Kurakura Umeda Chayamachi" specializes in Kyushu cuisine.
This includes not only Okinawa, but also other prefectures at the southern end of Japan’s main island.
That means there’s everything from tender pork to sweet mango drinks to experience Japan’s southern cuisine.
One of this izakaya’s specialties is their satsuma age, a classic Kyushu dish.
Satsuma age is a special type of deep-fried fish cake that originated in Kyushu’s Kagoshima region, and is often mixed with a variety of different ingredients.
At "くらくら 梅田茶屋町店 / Kurakura Umeda Chayamachi", there are a variety of different flavors, such as shiso, black sesame, and ginger.
But that’s just one of their many delicious Kyushu specialties!
There are plenty of other delicious dishes like their sausage plate, fried chicken, and various salads.
"くらくら 梅田茶屋町店 / Kurakura Umeda Chayamachi" takes pride in their wide selection of Kyushu specialty drinks, too.
Alongside their 17 regular shochu brands, they also have 3 new shochu that are switched out every month, and seasonal sake, too.
If you’re not a sake or shochu kind of person, there’s also beer, fruit liqueurs (including mango umeshu), cocktails, and soft drinks to choose from.
Explore Umeda’s Food Further
These izakaya are a great way to explore Japan’s food culture, but they’re just the beginning!
Umeda and the rest of Osaka are both full of interesting food options that give you an insight into Kansai cuisine.
Have a look around, and see what you can find!
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.