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.

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Kukuru

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.

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Takoyaki Restaurant

Kukuru

Menu

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

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

Kukuru

Octopus Balls

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

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Takoyaki

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.

Kukuru

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.

Osaka

Outdoor Food Court

Osaka

Grilled Beef Restaurant

Osaka

Kobe Beef Stand

Osaka

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.

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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.

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Crab Restaurant

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

Kani Doraku

Menus

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Chopstick Rest

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.

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Crab Feast

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

Kani Doraku

Crab Tempura

Kani Doraku

Snow Crab

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

Kani Doraku

Grilled King Crab

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

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Crab Sashimi

Kani Doraku

Raw Crab

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

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

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Dotonbori

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Don Quixote Ferris Wheel

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.

Kani Doraku

Random Bar

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Nightcap


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

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