What to try in Osaka

A savory griddle cake built from flour-and-dashi batter, cabbage, and chosen additions, commonly finished with sauce, mayonnaise, and green laver.

Osaka's official guide calls okonomiyaki a local soul food and notes that its present style became established after the Second World War.

Round bites of seasoned batter cooked in molded pans around pieces of octopus and finished with sauce and other toppings.

The official Osaka guide identifies takoyaki as classic local fast food and traces its widespread urban presence to the 1950s.

Vinegared rice and prepared toppings pressed together in a mold, producing the box-shaped sushi form closely associated with Osaka.

Osaka's tourism authority identifies box sushi as the most representative form of the city's sushi tradition.

Also known as Box sushi, Pressed sushi

Skewered meat, seafood, or vegetables coated in batter and breadcrumbs, then deep-fried and served with dipping sauce.

The official guide presents kushikatsu as an Osaka specialty, including the well-known custom against double-dipping in shared sauce.

Seasoned rice, commonly cooked with ketchup, wrapped or topped with a thin omelette.

Osaka's official guide recounts a local restaurant origin story in which an omelette was combined with seasoned rice for a regular customer.

Also known as Omelette rice