La Pizza Napoletana Regalo

Regalo is a pizzeria located near the Shin-Fukushima JR Station. It has been dubbed as one of the best pizzerias in Osaka. The interior is charming but tiny, with 12 seats. We waited for an hour to be seated. The owner is pleasant and friendly but does not speak much English. He was trained in Italy and won 3rd place in the World’s best pizza competition in 2013. He also runs the restaurant alone, a one-man show. Cutleries, dishes, glasses, and drinks are self-service, and the restaurant only accepts cash payments.

I’m unsure if an English menu is available; another foreign customer and I were not given one. We had to use google translate.

The menu is straightforward, with a good selection of tomato sauce or non-tomato tomato sauce pizzas.

I ordered the classic Margherita and Marcantonio ( mozzarella, fresh cream, ham, mushroom, and basil). The pizza was around 10 inches and cost 1,500 yen each. The ingredients were fresh, and the tomato sauce on the Margherita was beautiful. The pizza crust was thin with nice charred edges, but a little disappointed with the flavor and texture of the cornicione. It was salty, dense, and chewy.

The pizzas were decent and good value for money, but for me personally, it was not worth the one-hour wait. I have had better pizzas in Japan.

La Pizza Napoletana Regalo

Website: https://ameblo.jp/regalo22/

Telephone: +81647962215

Opening hours: Monday- Sunday (except Tuesdays) 12 – 14:30 p.m., 17:00 – 21:00 p.m

Address: 5-chōme-9 Fukushima, Fukushima Ward, Osaka, 553-0003, Japan

Melbourne Coffee, Craft & Cider

Melbourne Coffee, Craft & Cider is a hip little cafe near the Shinsaibashi station serving Australian-style breakfast and coffee. It is difficult to find breakfast places that open early in Osaka especially places that serve Western-style breakfast. This cafe opens at 9 a.m. and is near my hotel, which is perfect. There is a good breakfast selection, such as toasties, muesli, smoothies, and cakes. There are gluten-free and vegan options. Their coffee beans are roasted in Melbourne, and the yogurt and muesli are made in-house.

The interior is decorated with graffiti art and has a lively atmosphere and chill vibe. The staff was bubbly and friendly. From their accent, I think they were Australians.

We ordered a Flat white, a detox smoothie (banana, lettuce, and avocado), and two different toasties – tomato and cheese, avocado, ham, and cheese. The coffee has a more robust flavor than the ones I’ve had at a Japanese cafe. The smoothie and toasties were simple yet delicious; feels like breakfast at home.

The cafe is popular amongst foreigners, so I recommend getting there early. All in all, a fantastic place to grab Western-style breakfast and coffee.

Melbourne Coffee, Craft & Cider

Website: https://www.melbournecoffee.jp/

Opening hours: Daily, 9:00 a.m. to 13:00 p.m.

Telephone: +817089507788

Address: 1st Floor Sanei Moor Building, 3-8-7 Minamisenba Chuo-ku Osaka Japan
542-0081

Authentic South Indian food in Osaka

On my recent trip to Osaka, I stumbled upon a South Indian restaurant – Cocobanana. The restaurant has a set menu as well as an ala carte. I love that the food is served on banana leaves, which is a traditional South Indian method of serving rice dishes. The prices are reasonable, and the portions substantial. The cooks are Indian, and one Japanese waitress is friendly and speaks some English.

I had a plain Lassi (200 yen), Dosa with rice set with chicken curry and coconut fish curry (1300 yen), and paratha (300 yen). The lassi was sweet and refreshing. The curries were mild but delicious, and the paratha was soft and flaky, not too oily.

Overall, I enjoyed the meal and curbed my 3-and-a-half-year craving!

Cocobanana

Website: https://kdnr800.gorp.jp/

Opening hours: Lunch: 11:00 – 15:00, Dinner: 17:00 – 23:00(L.O.22:30)

Telephone: 050-5488-7042

Address: 2-7-4, Edobori, Nishi-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka, 550-0002

Horie Meijiken

image via https://tabelog.com/osaka/A2701/A270201/27001834/dtlrvwlst/B208949884/

Meijiken is a Western Japanese restaurant located in Shinsaibashi. This restaurant serves omu rice (omelet rice), cutlets, curry rice, soups, and steak. There are English menus available, but it does not consist of all the dishes that are on the Japanese menu, and they do not accept credit card. When we were there, there was a waiter that could speak sufficient English.

My sister ordered the omu rice with a chicken cutlet. She enjoyed it; she thought it was delicious. For me, it just tasted like tomato rice and egg. It was decent, but nothing special about it. That is just my personal opinion. The chicken cutlet was nice and crusty outside, but the inside was pretty flavorful.

I ordered the steak set with a soup (of your choice), salad, and bread/rice. I ordered the creamy corn soup, which was light and creamy. The salad came with a thousand island dressing. The bread was lightly toasted, fresh, and warm, with a hint of sweetness. I ordered my steak well done; it came with a brown sauce which I was not too fond of; it did not agree with my taste bud. The steak, however, went really well with the two pastes served on the plate – mustard and pepper (I think).

Nearing the end of our meal, my sister was craving something more. So she ordered the beef stew. The stew was hearty and delicious! It was full of flavor. The potato, carrot, and beef pieces were tender. It would go lovely with rice.

The total was around 5300 yen. I would say this is a restaurant worth exploring.

Horie Meijiken

Website: https://meijiken.crayonsite.net/

Opening hours: Daily 11:30 p.m. – 21:00 p.m., closed on Wednesdays

Telephone: +81 0665398250

Address: 1 Chome-14-30 Minamihorie, Nishi Ward, Osaka, 550-0015, Japan

Wired Cafe

The Wired Cafe is located on the 7F of the Lucua mall at Osaka station. It is a vibrant, cozy, and work-friendly cafe, also a perfect place to chill and hang out. There are power sockets and free WIFI available. There is also an outdoor smoking dining area that overlooks the inside of the station.

The cafe offers a rich menu of rice bowls, pasta, soups, sandwiches, desserts, and various drinks. Set meals are also available.

The cappuccino was not how I liked it. It was somewhat bland, and the taste of the milk was overpowering. I am sorry to say I did not enjoy it.

The nachos came with beef sauce, sour cream, lime, corn, tomato, and lettuce. The nacho chips, paired with the beef sauce and sour cream, were delicious.

The clam chowder soup set came with bread, ham, and salad. The clam chowder was decent. I would say this was an average dish.

The cafe offers a variety of interesting rice bowls. I ordered the white gravy hamburger steak combo. I was impressed that it had a good balance of protein, carbohydrates, and vegetables. The potato chips were good; they had a natural potato sweetness to them. The vegetables were lightly sauteed and seasoned with salt. The white gravy wasn’t too rich; it went well with the rice, egg, and steak (that’s how I ate it).

Some dishes here are good; I would recommend the rice bowls. The atmosphere is definitely a plus.

Wired cafe

Website: https://www.cafecompany.co.jp/brands/wiredcafe/#shop8

Opening hours: Daily 11:00 a.m. – 20:00 p.m.

Telephone: +81 661511329

Address: Japan, 〒530-8217 Osaka, Kita Ward, Umeda, 3 Chome−1−3 7F LUCUA

Marufuku coffee (Sennichimae branch)

Marufuku Coffee is one of the oldest coffee shops in Osaka. I found this place by chance. I was getting some groceries the night before at Life Foods Market near Namba Walk. Before heading to the cashier, I stopped by the pudding section to pick up some. A particular one stood out – Marufuku coffee pudding. What caught my attention was “since 1934”, and I thought, “Let’s see how good this pudding is.”

I tried the coffee pudding the next day after lunch and absolutely loved it. It was creamy and sweet, with a hint of bitterness from the coffee. I looked up more information about the brand and discovered that it has a long history, and they have coffee shops in Osaka. My sister suggested we try it, and I quote, “We’d be a fool not to try it.” We went to the main branch in Sennichimae.

Marufuku Coffee Shop is a short walk from Dotonbori and Namba station. When we entered, we were greeted by a strong presence of cigarette smoke. There is no non-smoking area in the shop. I would have walked straight out if I weren’t adamant about trying the coffee. The interior was old French cafe style.

My sister ordered a set with a cup of blended coffee, coffee pudding, and two kinds of cake. I ordered the Ice Cafe au lait (milk coffee) and the cheese toast (Marufuku’s specialty). The blended coffee was sharp and strong. It had a kick to it. The iced cafe au lait had a well-balanced flavor – smooth, fragrant, and bittersweet. The cheese toast was a delight! The bread was ultra-soft and fluffy. It had the right amount of cheese that did not overpower the natural flavor of the bread. The bill came to slightly over 3,000 yen.

If you enjoy coffee and want to try something different, visit this cafe. I am sure you will enjoy it as much as I did.

Marufuku coffee

Website: https://marufukucoffeeten.com/store/sennichimae/

Opening hours: Daily 8:00 a.m. – 23:00 p.m.

Telephone: +81 0662113474

Address: 1 Chome-9-1 Sennichimae, Chuo Ward, Osaka, 542-0074, Japan

Fukiageya (Oyakodon), Osaka station

My sister and I had lunch at the Fukiageya restaurant. Fukiageya is located on the 12th floor of the Hankyu Umeda Main Store at the Osaka station. This restaurant serves various Oyakodon (chicken and egg rice bowls) with high-quality locally bred chicken. It was stated on the menu what type of chicken they use and where it is bred, but I can’t remember the name.

We did not have much time to fully enjoy our meal as we had to catch a bus to the airport. We ordered whatever stood out for us on the menu, and below was what we ordered.

Chicken breast katsu Oyakodon set for 1,450 yen.

The chicken cutlets were fried to perfection! It was fragrant and delicious, and the inside was succulent.

I would definitely make a trip back just for those chicken cutlets 🙂

Yuki no Sakurajima Oyakodon set for 1,550 yen

This dish is also one of their famous dishes, and I can see why. I have never seen a dish quite like it – rice topped with chicken and egg white meringue.

I have to say, though, that’s a lot of eggs in one dish ..haha.

Fukiageya (permanently closed)

Tsuruhashi Koreatown

Tsuruhashi Koreatown in Osaka is the largest Koreatown in Japan. You can pretty much find anything Korean there. It was not part of my itinerary to visit this place because there are many Korean shops and restaurants in the city where I currently work (Beijing) due to the large population of Koreans working and residing there. I would prefer to explore more local places. My sister, who currently lives in Malaysia, craved Korean food. So I said I will take her there for dinner. We got to Koreatown around 6:30 pm, and many shops (except the restaurants) were already closed. It was raining, so we couldn’t really explore either. We just found a random restaurant to have dinner. We also got to sample various Korean pickles. My favorite is kimchi, and there was a store with pretty good and spicy kimchi, so I bought some to take home.

For those unfamiliar with or enjoying Korean food, this is a good area to visit.