There's a saying among Japanese that whereas a Kyotoite will spend his last yen on a fine kimono, an Osakan will spend it on food. You don't have to spend a lot of money, however, to enjoy good food in Osaka. Local specialties include Oshi-zushi (pressed square-shaped sushi), udon noodles with white soy sauce, and takoyaki (wheat-flour dumplings with octopus).
Osaka is probably best known, however, for okonomiyaki, which literally means "as you like it." Its origins date from about 1700, when a type of thin flour pancake cooked on a hot plate and filled with miso paste was served during Buddhist ceremonies. It wasn't until this century that it became popular, primarily during food shortages, and gradually, other ingredients such as pork, egg, and cabbage were added. Today, Osaka is literally riddled with inexpensive okonomiyaki restaurants -- more than 4,000 of them.
Around Osaka Station -- Two good restaurants, Bar Tachibana and Namaste, listed here in the Namba section have branches near Osaka Station.
Inexpensive -- fun place for a meal is Takimikoji Village, located in the basement of the same building as the Floating Garden Observatory. It's a re-created Showa-Era 1920s and 1930s Japanese village, boasting everything from an old-fashioned sweets shop and a barbershop to a post office and a miniature shrine. There are about a dozen restaurants here -- branches of well-known Osaka establishments -- serving okonomiyaki, kushikatsu, teppanyaki, noodles, yakitori, and more. Most lunches cost less than ¥1,000 ($8.35/£4.20) and dinners less than ¥2,000 ($17/£8.50), making it popular with those who work in the area. It's open daily; lunch is served from about 11:30am to 2pm and dinner from 5 to 10:30pm.
Namba -- Dotombori (or Dotonbori), a narrow pedestrian lane just off Midosuji Dori that flanks the south bank of the Dotombori River Walk, is the center of Osaka's most famous nightlife district, which radiates from Dotombori on both sides of the canal; you'll find lots of restaurants and bars in this area. A healthy choice in Namba Station (just outside the south exit near Namba Park) is Japanese Organic Café (tel. 06/6644-2782) serving inexpensive soups, brown rice balls, curry, and organically grown coffee, with main dishes priced below ¥700 ($5.85/£2.95). It's open Monday to Friday 8am to 10pm and Saturday and Sunday 10am to 10pm.
Osaka Bay Area -- Universal CityWalk has lots of restaurants, most of which are open daily from 11am to 10pm, including Bubba Gump's (tel. 06/4804-3880) for shrimp and Hard Rock Cafe (tel. 06/4804-3870) with its T-shirts for sale and a menu of burgers, steaks, sandwiches, and barbecued ribs.
