Osaka Eats: Takoyaki and a Crab Dinner

Every region in Japan has their signature dish. One of Osaka’s most iconic dishes is takoyaki – round balls of dough filled with octopus, green onions, tempura flakes, and pickled ginger cooked in special grill molds and topped with a sweet savory sauce, tangy mayonnaise, green seaweed powder, and dried fish flakes.

You’ll find takoyaki restaurants and stands all over Osaka, especially along Dotonburi. I decided to try Kukuru. I asked for a table inside to enjoy the popular Osaka snack.

I ordered a beer and an order of their traditional takoyaki which came with 8 pieces.

The soft balls of dough were served piping hot and you can dress them however you want.

I topped them with some of the brown savory takoyaki sauce, mayo, dried seaweed, and dried fish flakes. Time to dig in!

There was a large piece of fresh octopus in each one. The dough was a bit soft and I would have liked it more well done and crispier. They were good though and went great with a cold beer.

After eating the must-try dish in Osaka, I walked around the food-obsessed city for a bit before finding a place to have dinner.

If you’re in the mood for seafood, you’ve come to the right place. A popular restaurant, Kani Doraku Dotonburi Honten, is famous for their crab dishes. I could go for some crab! The place was packed and I was given a time to come back to be seated. No problemo.

Kani Doraku Dotonburi Honten

After a bit, I came back and handed them my time ticket. When you walk in there’s a large water tank showing off their special live snow crabs.

I took the elevator up to the dining room and was seated at a booth towards the back overlooking the bright and bustling Dotonburi.

You can order as many crab dishes as you want. They also offer complete meal sets with crab prepared all kinds of ways. I just ordered a la carte and tried three dishes.

The Snow Crab Tempura was light and crispy. The crab meat was so sweet.

I also ordered the Grilled King Crab. The simply prepared dish with a small squeeze of fresh lemon juice over it was great.

I was intrigued by the Snow Crab Sashimi and had to try it. It was super fresh.

With some wasabi and soy sauce, the raw crab was delicious.

After my yummy crab dinner, I met up with the French guy from Beer Bar Miyama 162 in Kyoto from the previous night.

I used the real-time location feature on Google Maps to find which bar he was at. I eventually found the bar and we enjoyed a couple drinks before heading back to our accommodations and calling it a night.

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Kukuru Dotonburi Main Shop
1-10-5 Dotonbori
Chuo-ku, Osaka, Osaka Prefecture
+81 6-6212-7381
Website

Kani Doraku Dotonburi Honten
1-6-18 Dotombori
Chuo-ku, Osaka 542-0071, Osaka Prefecture
+81 6-6211-8975
Website