Nadia Gunardisurya
Osaka is much less stuffy than Tokyo and fewer dainty than Kyoto, and town’s culinary scene calls for guests dive headfirst into indulgence — or because the locals say, kuidaore, “eat your self to destroy.” In Japan’s third-largest metropolis, cooks are sport to interrupt away from old-fashioned road meals like kushikatsu (breaded skewers) and takoyaki (octopus dumplings). Whether or not it’s blasting tuna cheeks with a flamethrower or blasting via Japan’s male-dominated positive eating scene with an all-female crew, Osaka is popping up the warmth.
Right now, town is drawing document numbers of worldwide guests and gaining world recognition for its rocking eating places. A lot of that is pushed by the Michelin Information for Kyoto and Osaka, which first launched in 2010. In 2025, Michelin really helpful a chart-topping 234 eating places in Osaka, together with awarding three stars to a few institutions. Osakan cooks are trending for his or her fusion of excessive finish eating with huge personalities and eccentric ideas, akin to a kaiseki course with Shinto choices to the gods — no surprise this punk-coded metropolis is thought for its lust for all times.
I’ve seen this culinary evolution with my very own eyes, having first hung out in Osaka within the Nineties when it was hardly a vacationer vacation spot. Whereas town has turn into more and more luxurious and enticing to vacationers, it retains the signature friendliness and texture that makes me excited to return yearly as a journalist and blogger. In that spirit, this map focuses on native cooking, whether or not it’s a bowl of udon or fusion omakase sushi.
On this newest refresh, we’ve revamped our write-ups to incorporate much more related data for diners, together with a tough vary of pricing for every vacation spot — starting from $ for fast, cheap meals with dishes largely underneath $10 USD (or the equal in yen), to $$$$ for locations the place entrees exceed $30.
New to the map in Could 2025: Liaison, a Michelin-starred French fusion restaurant helmed by a millennial chef; Tempura Sakugetsu, a pacesetter within the new wave of tempura method; and Shinon Washoku Senryu, a seasonal set primarily based on Shinto practices.
La Carmina is an award-winning journey/meals/subcultures blogger, journalist, and TV host protecting Japan and adventuring in 70 different international locations for shops just like the Journey Channel, the Meals Community, the New York Instances, Journey + Leisure, and Nationwide Geographic.
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