osaka foodie tour

Osaka Food Tours

We have four unique and internationally awarded tours:

Backstreet Osaka Tour – Deep Osaka Food Tour  – Fisherman’s Market Tour  –  Hotspots & Hidden Gems of Osaka Tour  

Japan’s #1 food tour & “Top 20 Food Tours In The World in 2022” according to Trip Advisor for OUR tour business!

Our goal is to provide an amazing experience… EVERYTIME!

Why book with Osaka Food Tours?

• Our 5 unique tours are more than your standard food tour: mixing history, traditional Osaka food & drinks, fun facts and very local insights.
• We focus on fun and memorable food tours which you will rave about to your friends and family when you get home
• The perfect tours for those who want to become a true Osaka foodie
• We guarantee entertaining and insightful tours, blending historical info with quirky facts about Osaka and Osakan food culture 
• Our guides are enthusiastic, passionate & always add a dose of humor
• You’ll go to authentic eateries and hotspots rarely visited by tourists which you are likely to miss on your own

Our Internationally Awarded Tours

Hotspots & hidden gems osaka tour.

3rd most popular tour Osaka Airbnb (466 reviews) 4.88

・Featured on Britains channel 4 program “Jane McDonald: Lost in Japan”

・Kickstart your Osaka adventure with both the buzzing hubs & secret spots

・Discover the frenetic canal side entertainment district in all its glory

・Modern Osaka meets evocative, traditional hidden alleys

・A comprehensive guide of central Osaka in 3hrs with local recommendations

・Great value: comes with a drink, guidebook, snack & a friendly guide

Deep Osaka Food Tour

 #1 Food Tour in Japan  2022/23 Viator (827 reviews)

・Mentioned on 7th season of the uber famous foodie Netflix show “Someone Feed Phil”

・Eat & drink at some of the most flavorsome, authentic, stalls & restaurants

・Dive into pockets of deep Osaka where street food is alive & brimming

・Check out a world where Osaka cuisine & beverages meets local history

・Taste the entire range at street stalls, markets, izakayas, restaurants etc

・ Get a massive 10 dishes to savor over: Delicous, quality & authentic

Backstreet Osaka Tour (With Dinner)

 #1 Overall Experience in Japan on Trip Advisor  2022/23 (911 reviews)

・Featured on Youtube’s Reformatt show, 1.6 million views 

・Delve into a network of old, twisting, alleys full of charm & character

・Hear historic facts & encounters of a region controlled by the yakuza

・Venture into the intriguing ghetto area with a controversial past

・Explore a unique Taisho Era preserved historical red light district

・One hour at a traditional Izakaya, 5 dishes served. The “soul food” of Osaka din 

Local Fisherman's Market Food Tour

5th most popular tour Osaka Airbnb (358 reviews) 4.85

・Endulge in a myriad of Osaka food specialties:  10-13 unique items. 

・Sensory experience: sights, smells and tastes come alive in these markets

・Enjoy first class seafood to tea to local snacks and dessert sweets

・Come with an empty stomach…a gastronomic experience awaits

・We’ll give a detailed explanation of every dish…know what you eat

Things to know about our tours

• Tours are available everyday of the week. However tours on Friday, Saturday and Sunday fill up quick so please book early
• Our walking tours are not difficult however you will be walking for around 1km-4km depending on the tour so please bring comfortable shoes
• Vegetarian and pescatarian food options are available, however dairy free & vegan options are unfortunately not available 
• Both Alcohol & soft drinks are available. Just let our knowledgeable guides know which drinks you prefer
• If there is unsuitable weather we will notify you 3 hours before your tour starts and refund your pay in full
• Private tours can be booked by filling out the form below to contact the team
• Solo travelers are welcome! Over 50% of people come alone
• Local Japanese and foreign tourists alike are welcome however all tours are in English
• Children are also welcome, however the following tours might not be suitable: Deep Backstreets Osaka tour & Dinner With a Reformed Yakuza

Our professional guides have extensive knowledge of Osakan food, drinks, history and culture while adding a touch of humour and personality to each tour

Latest News

Our Osaka Food Tour on Netflix’s “Someone Feed Phil”

We received #1 & #2 experience in the whole of Japan, 2022

2 page article in Sydney Morning Herald

Contact Us: Osaka Food Tours, Inc.

Did you want a Private Tour? It’s available for all our tours. Did you have any other questions?

• Deep Backstreet Osaka Tour
• Osaka Food & Drinks Tour
• Hotspots & Hidden Gems Tour
• Kuromon Fisherman’s Market Tour
• Others / Private Tour

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Food Tours Japan

Eat, Drink & Cook in Japan

15 Best Osaka Food Tours [2024 Update]

Osaka is a city obsessed with food, and there’s no better place to experience Japanese food and local specialities. Enjoying an Osaka food tour is the best way to savour the fantastic food and soulful vibes of this gourmet city fondly known as ‘Japan’s Kitchen’.

I’ve hand-picked the best Osaka food and drink experiences by comparing each tour and highlighting what’s important. Why should you trust me?

Living in Osaka for nine years, I’ve taken many tours and discovered the most delicious dishes and best culinary neighbourhoods. After reading this, you’ll find an experience right for you.

Here are the 15 best Osaka food tours.

If you’re in a hurry, jump down to my at a glance comparison guide .

Osaka Food Tours: Quick Links

• Osaka Food Tour at Shinsekai with 13 Dishes
• Osaka Street Food Tour
• Osaka Night Bites Foodie Walking Tour
• Ura Namba Food Tour: Eat Like a True Osakan
• Osaka Bar Hopping Night Tour in Dotonbori and Namba

Compare Osaka Food Tours: Quick Comparison Guide

• Kuromon Market Food Tours – eat your way through Osaka’s gourmet market

Osaka Food Tour: Best of the Best Experiences

‘  Savour deliciously addictive Osakan soul food around the famous Dotonbori and Namba area on tour 1 . Wash it down with sake and craft beer in backstreet bars on an Osaka street food tour.

Eat authentic Osaka food until you drop in Shinsekai’s secret spots on highly-acclaimed tour 2 . Thirteen dishes, two drinks and fun and friendly guides make it excellent value.

Explore Osaka’s vibrant food scene and nightlife culture on fascinating tour 3 . Enjoy local and Japanese dishes at standing bars in off-the-beaten-track hipster hangout Temma.

Discover trendy Ura Namba, one of Osaka’s best-kept culinary secrets, on tour 4 —an eclectic mix of restaurants and bars in a maze of narrow streets away from the tourist crowds.

Experience magical neon lights and hidden alleys bar hopping on this Namba and Dotonbori food tour. Get a taste of Osaka’s food and drink culture and meet the locals on tour 5 .  ’

Price per person based on two people attending a tour: $ = up to $89; $$ = between $90 & $129; $$$ = over $129. Some experiences offer discounted rates for groups of more people.

1. Osaka Street Food Tour

Discover the city’s best cuisine on this unforgettable private and personalised Osaka street food tour.

• Savour Osaka’s delicious soul and street foods, like kushikatsu (deep-fried skewers), takoyaki (octopus balls) and okonomiyaki (savoury pancakes)
• Explore the lantern-lit narrow streets and alleys of Namba in the heart of Osaka’s food scene
• Eat and drink like a local and learn about Osaka cuisine
• Sample different places to eat, like izakaya (Japanese-style pubs), street stalls and liquor stores
• Includes: A private and personalised tour, 6-8 dishes of Japanese and Osakan food, 2 drinks (alcoholic or soft), a walking experience and hotel meet-up (on request)
• Location: Dotonbori and Namba
• Duration and start time: 3 hours, flexible start time

Book Osaka Street Food Tour >>

2. Osaka Food Tour at Shinsekai with 13 Dishes

Enjoy an unforgettable gastronomic journey with passionate and fun-loving locals.

• Savour 10 delicious Osaka specialities like kushikatsu (deep-fried skewers) and takoyaki (octopus balls), plus karaage (fried spiced chicken), gyoza, dessert and more
• Experience retro Shinksekai’s neon-lit streets and hidden alleyways.
• Visit five local places to eat: Izakaya (Japanese-style pub), tachinomiya (standing bar), restaurant, market and backstreet stall
• Choose from Japanese drinks like sake, beer, chuhai (shochu and lemon) and highball (whisky and soda)
• Includes: 13 dishes from 5 places, 2 drinks (alcoholic or non-alcoholic) and a guided walking tour
• Location: Shinsekai and Nishinari
• Duration and start time: 3 hours, 5.30pm

3. Osaka Night Bites Foodie Walking Tour

Enjoy a fun and memorable night on this highly-rated small-group Osaka night food tour.

• Savour local delicacies like tonpeiyaki (pork omelette) and kushikatsu (deep-fried skewers), and dote nikomi (slow-cooked beef in miso)
• Hang out with and chat with the locals over drinks at three tachinomiya (standing bars)
• Get off the beaten track and discover two distinct neighbourhoods
• Learn about food culture on one of the best food tours in Osaka
• Optional upgrade: 100g (around 3.5 ounces) of premium Kobe wagyu beef
• Includes: A whole dinner’s worth of food tastings from 3 restaurants, 3 drinks, a cultural walking tour and a train ticket
• Location: Kyobashi and Tenma
• Duration and start time: 3 hours, 6pm

4. Ura Namba Food Tour: Eat Like a True Osakan

Don’t miss this opportunity to uncover Osaka’s delicious food culture on a private and personalised tour.

• Discover local specialities like okonomiyaki (savoury pancakes) and Osakan udon noodles, and fusion cuisine in this lively neighbourhood
• Explore this super-cool and buzzing area of Osaka to see how the locals entertain themselves
• Visit izakayas (Japanese-style pubs), tachinomiya (standing bars) and quirky bars
• Choose places to eat or leave it to your guide’s recommendations
• Includes: Private and personalised experience, 6-8 dishes of local food, 2 drinks (alcoholic or soft), walking tour and hotel meet-up (on request)
• Location: Ura Namba (area between Osaka-Namba and Nippombashi stations)

Book Ura Namba Food Tour >>

5. Osaka Bar Hopping Night Tour in Namba

Discover izakaya (Japanese-style pub) food and drink culture with a local guide.

• Enjoy tasty food and drinks among Dotonbori’s bright neon lights and less-visited Ura Namba
• Try local specialities like kushikatsu (deep-fried skewers) and takoyaki (octopus balls), and classic Japanese drinking snacks
• Visit three different izakayas with a knowledgeable local guide
• Meet fellow travellers on this fun food and bar crawl
• Includes: 8 deep-fried skewers, 1-2 dishes, 3-4 alcoholic or soft drinks, 3 izakayas and a walking tour
• Location: Dotonbori and Shinsekai
• Duration and start time: 3 hours, 6pm and 7pm

Book Osaka Bar Hopping Tour >>

Now you’ve seen my top recommendations, let’s continue the best Osaka food tours, including Kuromon Market.

To help you decide the right tour for you, here’s a quick comparison of what’s included, where you’ll go and the price.

All Osaka food and drink experiences include walking tours with English-speaking guides.

6. Osaka Deep Backstreets Tour with Dinner

Discover Osaka, off-limits to tourists, learn about local history and enjoy a post-tour meal.

• Explore parts unseen, including a red-light district, gambling dens, yakuza strongholds, a fishing restaurant, dimly lit gritty Osaka backstreets and more
• Devour delicious Osaka soul food like nikudofu (slow-cooked beef) and tonpeiyaki (pork omelette), plus karaage (deep-fried chicken) and yakitori (chicken skewers) — with dinner option
• Taste local snacks, takoyaki (octopus balls), and gyoza from street food stalls
• Select the ‘Tour with Dinner’ option for an authentic meal
• Includes: A full dinner of 5-6 dishes, 2 snacks and a deep Osaka walking tour with a professional guide
• Duration and start time: 3-3.5 hours, 5.30pm
• Location: Shinseakai and nearby South Osaka neighbourhoods

Book Osaka Backstreets Tour >>

7. Osaka Night Food Tour

Enjoy a perfect adventure for food lovers to see Osaka at night.

• Savour Osaka’s tasty kushikatsu (deep-fried skewers) and takoyaki (octopus balls) from a Michelin-rated street food stall
• See Dotonbori’s dazzling neon lights and the Glico running man sign
• Visit an izakaya (Japanese-style pub) for regional and Japanese cuisine
• Meet the friendly locals for a beer or nihonshu (sake)
• Includes: Multiple dishes from four food stops, one drink and a guided walking tour
• Duration and start time: 3 hours, 5pm

Book Osaka Night Food Tour >>

8. Osaka Local Foodie Tour in Dotonbori and Shinsekai

Savour Osaka’s soul foods on this great-value culinary journey.

• Eat delicious kushikatsu (deep-fried skewers) in their birthplace – Shinsekai
• See the shimmering neon lights and narrow streets on the Dotonbori food tour leg
• Tuck into takoyaki (octopus balls) and okonomiyaki (Osaka-style savoury pancake)
• Visit a Buddhist temple and Shinto shrine and get insights into Japanese culture
• Includes: 6 skewers and two dishes (vegan menu available), 1 drink and a guided tour
• Duration and start time: 3 hours, 4.30pm and 5.30pm

Book Osaka Local Foodie Tour >>

9. Eat, Drink, Cycle: Osaka Food and Bike Tour

Enjoy the thrill of cycling and a food trip on the road less travelled.

• Savour melt-in-your-mouth grilled wagyu beef in Osaka’s ‘Korean Town’
• Sample delectable dishes like sushi, skewers, udon and chijimi (spicy pancakes)
• Learn about Osaka’s knife-making history and treat yourself to a chef’s knife souvenir
• Enjoy the serenity at one of Japan’s oldest Buddhist temples
• Includes: Lunch (multiple food stops), 1 bottled water, cycle hire and a guided bike tour
• Location: Shinsekai, Tennoji and Tsurushashi
• Duration and start time: 3-4 hours (approx.), 9.30am

Book Osaka Food & Bike Tour >>

10. Osaka Backstreet Night Tour

Enjoy a fun-packed evening and the raucous atmosphere of Osaka nightlife.

• Eat dinner at a local izakaya (Japanese-style pub) and get to know your group
• Savour Japanese food like fresh sushi, grilled yakitori (chicken skewers) and takoyaki (octopus balls)
• See Dotonbori’s neon lights before heading off to some backstreet bars
• Meet friendly locals and have more drinks (not included) until late
• Includes: Dinner, 1 drink, introductions to more bars and a guided tour
• Location: Namba and Dotonbori
• Duration and start time: 3 hours (approx.), 6pm

Book Osaka Backstreet Night Tour >>

11. Ultimate Kansai Region Food Experience

Experience Kansai’s food and drink specialities from the regional gourmet hub of Osaka.

• Try Osaka cuisine like fugu (pufferfish) prepared by professionally trained chefs
• Sample Kyoto culinary delights such as wagashi (confectionery), sake, and green tea
• Savour the mouth-watering taste of marbled Kobe wagyu beef
• Discover the origins and cultures of the dishes you eat and the local drinks
• Includes: Private and personalised experience, 6-8 dishes, 2 beverages, walking tour and hotel meet-up (on request)
• Duration and start time:   3 hours, flexible start time

Book Ultimate Kansai Food Experience >>

Kuromon Market Food Tours

‘  Known as ‘Osaka’s kitchen’, Kuromon Market is a lively place full of delicious food stalls and restaurants. You’ll find all manner of seafood, meat and vegetables along its 580 metres length.

Experience Kuromon Market and eat local and Japanese dishes until you drop on great-value tour 12 . Discover Osaka’s extraordinary food culture and see six different food markets on unique tour 13 .

On tour 14 , you’ll explore the market and sample tasty food before visiting a shopping street for kitchenware. Enjoy Kuromon Market and its delicious dishes on budget-friendly guided tour 15 .  ’

12. Kuromon Market Food Tour

Sample 10-12 Kuromon Ichiba (Market) foods on an excellent-value experience.

• Savour Osaka delicacy fugu (pufferfish) and soul food classics okonomiyaki (savoury pancakes) and takoyaki (octopus balls)
• Try Japanese food favourites like sashimi, sushi, scallops, wasabi cheese and sakura mochi (rice and red bean confectionary)
• Learn about the market’s history and culture on this Osaka food market tour
• Experience a working Japanese food market and see foods you didn’t know existed
• Includes: 10-12 food tastings (lunch), coffee or tea, unique traditional chopsticks and a guided walking tour
• Location: Kuromon Market (meet at Nippombashi Station)
• Duration and start time: 1.5 hours (approx), 2pm

Book Kuromon Market Food Tour >>

13. Osaka Food Markets from Local to Luxurious

Osakans say ‘ kuidaore ’, which means ‘to ruin oneself by extravagance in food’, and you’ll see why during this fascinating experience.

• Explore six diverse food markets where people shop and eat
• Visit the famous Kuromon Market and the locals alternative Tenjinbashi-suji
• Savour wagyu beef yakiniku (grilled meat) at ‘Korean Town’
• Sample dishes and whatever takes your fancy on this unique Osaka food tour
• Included: 6 Osaka food markets guided English-speaking tour and food recommendations
• Location: Namba, Temma, Tenjinbashi-suji, Tsuruhashi, Kuromon Market and Doguyasuji
• Duration and start time: 4 hours (approx.), 9am or 2pm

Book Osaka Food Markets Tour >>

14. Osaka Kuromon Market Food Tour with Tastings

Experience Kuromon Market like a local on this engaging tour.

• Enjoy various dishes from five market food stops
• Sample fresh sushi, wagyu beef skewers and local treats
• Learn about Osaka’s food culture and way of life from a local guide
• Visit Osaka’s ‘Kitchen Town’, Sennichimae Doguyasuji, an ideal place to pick up a Japanese knife
• Includes: Various dishes from 5 food stops, 1 drink and an English-speaking guided tour
• Location: Kuromon Market and Doguyasuji
• Duration and start time: 3 hours, 9am

Book Osaka Kuromon Market Tour >>

15. Kuromon Market Walking Street Food Tour in Osaka

Explore Osaka’s culinary culture and discover unusual dishes you’ve never seen before.

• Sample tasty treats like fresh seafood, hotpot and street food
• Try Osaka’s most renowned soul food, takoyaki (octopus balls)
• Learn about the history, culture and cuisine of Kuromon Ichiba (Market)
• Uncover Japanese kitchenware and tableware for a souvenir to bring home at Doguyasuji
• Includes: 4-5 food samplings and a walking tour
• Duration and start time: 2 hours, 11 am

Book Kuromon Market Street Food Tour >>

Well, that’s a wrap! Please, don’t miss out on an opportunity to take an Osaka food tour. Its rich gourmet heritage makes it the perfect place to experience local, seasonal, and Japanese cuisine.

Images: kimishowota ,  Alexander Smagin

The 9 Best Food Tours in Osaka You Need To Try In 2024

Osaka is globally and locally considered the kitchen of Japan, so what better way to explore this incredibly fascinating city, with its numerous alleyways of izakayas and streets lined with food stalls, than to hop on a food tour?

Of course, there is a fantastic degree of flexibility involved when creating your own exploring itinerary. However, the excitement of being taken someplace off the beaten path, with a chance to rub shoulders with locals, while being guided by a knowledgeable and engaging local is just too great of a deal to pass on – and we highly, highly recommend this option.

Below we’ve curated a fantastic list of the top 9 best food tours in Osaka for you to discover.

1. Osaka Food Tour (10 Delicious Dishes, 5 Hidden Eateries)

Keen to discover the food scene of Osaka like a true local? This all-encompassing Osaka food tour will take you to deep corners of this dense city and have you learning about the eateries that only true locals will know about and frequent.

The tiny bars and small few-seated restaurants can be quite intimidating for some to enter, especially if you feel like your language skills are limited. However, on this tour, your friendly guide, who is a well-known local, will introduce you to some hidden gems that will welcome people from all walks of life.

This entire food tour will have you stopping at five different places to sample 10 different Osaka traditional dishes. You’ll also be guided on which drinks to pair with your food, from alcoholic beverages such as chuhai and plum wine to Japanese soda.

Highlight :

• Visit 5 restaurants to sample 10 different dishes at hidden and authentic Osaka eateries
• Visit pockets of Osaka that are normally frequented only by locals
• Learn about the history of Osaka’s food and culture

2. Engaging, Immersive Osaka Foodhood Tour (15 Foods, 3 Drinks)

If you consider yourself a massive foodie, this immersive Osaka Foodhood tour is a fantastic option for you!

Dotonbori and Shinsekai receive an enormous amount of love from tourists, and rightfully so. They’re both super engaging, exciting, and fun-filled areas that are as fascinating as they are memorable.

However, many areas in and around Osaka offer just as much character and adventure and are often without crowds.

Tenma and Kyobashi are two such areas, and this food tour gives them the amount of attention that they deserve. Deep in the Osaka suburbs, these two neighborhoods are brimming with overwhelmingly fascinating food culture and nightlife.

Tenma is home to a huge shotengai, whereas Kyobashi is a watering hole that’s a diamond in the rough – often overlooked and not nearly as crowded as other food streets.

In this food hall tour, you’ll be discovering Osaka by night, skipping your way through tiny standing bars and traditional Japanese restaurants. By the end of the tour, you’ll be full of the likes of sashimi, kushikatsu, seasonal grilled vegetables, and much more.

• 3-hour food tour of underrated foodie neighborhoods in Osaka
• Experience a full dinner as well as 3 additional drinks!
• Learn about the history and culture of Osaka

3. Deep Backstreet Osaka Tour

Fancy witnessing the nittier, gritter side of Osaka? This backstreet tour of Osaka will introduce you to Kevin, a knowledgeable Japanese-Australian who won’t hesitate to tell you more about the unfiltered side of Japan.

You will experience some of the most authentic Japanese eateries in Osaka whilst learning about the history of the region that’s not normally portrayed in blogs. Gain insights into taboo topics and truly deep-dive below the surface level of Osaka as a region.

The eateries you will be taken to will likely not appear on any ‘lists’ online; they’re only frequented by locals and are considered ‘hidden’ – what a treat! Fill your stomach up with 8 different delicious Japanese foods, and then arrive at the final destination, which is an izakaya, for a course meal to finish off the fantastic food tour.

• Indulge in 8 different authentic Japanese dishes
• Learn about the history of the region; facts commonly unknown
• Stoll through the red light district from the Taisho era (optional)

4. The Ultimate Osaka Night Tour

Exploring Osaka by day is one thing, but exploring the neon-lit city by night is just a whole new experience.

In this ultimate Osaka night tour, you’ll get to witness this vibrant city come to life at night, dining at some of the best pubs that Osaka has to offer, and discover some hidden gems that you wouldn’t otherwise know about.

The guide is a well-versed local, knowledgeable and passionate about what the nightlife and food culture of Osaka has to offer. You’ll start the tour off at an izakaya, where you’ll get to eat an authentic Japanese pub-style dinner.

From there, you’ll be walking the streets of Namba, but not as you know it. Follow your guide through the quiet, unknown alleys of Namba, away from the crowds and noise, and into the joints of the locals.

You’ll finish off at the party center of Shinsaibashi and Amemura, but not before grabbing a selfie at Dotonburi.

• Discover a different side of Osaka – the party side
• Enjoy a full dinner at one of Osaka’s best local izakaya restaurants
• Explore the backstreets of Namba like a local
• Tour includes your first drink at every post-dinner venue!

5. Half Pint Craft Beef in Osaka

Craft beer is a long-time passion of Japanese people and this tour of the best craft beer in Umeda will expose you to a side of Japan that you probably didn’t know existed!

For craft beer enthusiasts, this is the dream tour. It will focus on specific Japanese craft beers and their respective breweries, led by a Certified Beer Server who boasts extensive knowledge of the industry.

For those who are not craft beer enthusiasts, this is still quite a fun tour to engage in. You will come across a wide range of Japanese beers and gain interesting and valuable insights into the world of Japanese craft beer. You may even discover a new favorite beer!

• You are entitled to a half-pint at each location!
• Get insight and exposure to several craft bars in downtown Osaka
• The guide is a certified beer server with extensive knowledge on craft beer

6. Osaka Night Life: Eating and Drinking

This food tour focuses on the neighborhood of Tenjinbashi, one of Osaka’s most famous food streets. If you’re a Netflix fiend, you might even recognize this street from the popular “Street Food” series!

Despite the global attention it received, Tenjinbashi is still relatively low-key, frequented by locals, and devoid of crowds.

This tour will take you deep into the crevices of Tenjinbashi, through its narrow alleys of hidden bars and restaurants, and introduce you to some of the most welcoming hosts you’ll ever come across.

Expect to experience some of Japan’s most authentic dishes, including takoyaki, Wagyu beef, sushi, and ramen!

• Experience nightlife in Osaka, led by a local
• Eat quintessential Japanese dishes at authentic Japanese restaurants

7. Osaka Kuromon Market and Kitchen Town Tour

The Kuromon Ichiba Market is Osaka’s version of the Tsukiji Markets, and, coming from the city that’s known as Japan’s kitchen, you just know that the market will be good!

Taking you through is a knowledgeable local guide who won’t hesitate to point out the best places to sample fresh seafood, sashimi, and produce. You’ll be spoilt for choice, as Kuromon Ichiba boasts a whopping 39 fishmongers, 10 grocery shops, 12 butchers, 7 candy shops, and 24 restaurants!

After you’ve had your fill, head to Sennichimae Doguyasuji, a place where you can witness the model plastic Japanese foods being made. Known as Osaka’s ‘Kitchen Town’, Sennishimae Doguyasuji is also an area you can purchase Japanese ceramics, dinnerware, knives, and the like.

Don’t forget to bring extra cash for all the souvenirs you’ll be purchasing for your home!

• Explore the Kuromon Ichiba Market like a local
• Get insights on the most high-quality seafood at the market
• Visit and learn more about Sennichimae Doguyasuji, Osaka’s ‘Kitchen Town’
• Shop for souvenirs

If you want to visit similar places in Osaka, make sure you check out our article about the best street food spots in Osaka .

8. Nostalgic Shinsekai Osaka Street Food Tour

The gorgeous neighborhood of Shinsekai is as stunning during the day as it is at night, and the best thing about this tour is that you can opt to do it during the AM or PM!

Shinsekai offers a nostalgic, vintage atmosphere to all those who visit it; references to the early 1900s and 1960s can be found along the colourful streets through its architecture, exterior and interior decor, and signage. Despite its neon-lit facade, the retro vibes truly shine through.

In this food tour, you’ll be introduced to some famous Osaka street foods, including kushikatsu (battered and fried skewers), and takoyaki (octopus balls), at restaurants that operate on a 24-hour basis.

You’ll discover some authentic hole-in-the-wall joints that would otherwise be overlooked, and learn more about the food culture of Osaka than you would if you were exploring on your own.

Shinsekai is exciting and bustling during the day, but at night, it truly comes alive with lit-up lanterns and neon signs.

• Discover 5 different food stops with authentic Japanese foods
• Immerse yourself into a retro-style neighborhood in Japan – plenty of photo opportunities!
• Experience the local cuisine, such as kushikatsu

9. Backstreets of Osaka Food Tour at Night

Osaka at night is nothing short of amazing – the frisson in the air as you explore this crazy beautiful city cannot be replicated anywhere else in the world, and Dotonbori is located right in the center of all the excitement.

If you think you know Dotonburi, think again.

This food tour that will take you through the backstreets of the vibrant Dotonburi entertainment area will expose you to a side that you’ve never been to before.

You’ll still get to experience the frenzy of the street, but instead of fighting your way through the crowds, you’ll explore the windy little alleyways, which will eventually bring you to the other side of Osaka.

Sample local dishes such as kushikatsu, cram yourself into a tiny izakaya, clink beers with the locals, and finish up with some delicious local dessert.

• 4 different food stops with street food and local restaurant experiences (including kushikatsu, takoyaki, and seasonal dishes)
• Explore the smaller alleyways of Dotonburi
• Discover Osaka’s retro drinking alleys

Endeavoring to sample all that Osaka, Japan’s Kitchen, has to offer is a big feat. We know because we’ve tried.

It’s an impossible task because there is just so much on offer in this eclectic, vibrant, food-fueled city!

However, these top 10 best food tours in Osaka will not only expose you to the best side of Osaka’s food scene but will take you deeper than the surface level and allow you to learn how it all came to fruition.

We hope you enjoyed reading about these food tours in Osaka, and if you’ve decided to explore the city through any of them, let us know how your experience goes!

If you want to know how to make some of Osaka’s specialities, make sure you also join one of the 5 best cooking classes in Osaka !

Wanna join food adventures in Tokyo and Kyoto too? Check out our selections of the best food tours in Tokyo and the best food tours in Kyoto .

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10 Excellent Osaka Food Tours and Cooking Classes

Make the most of your time exploring Osaka's food scene with a guided tour or a Japanese cooking class. Each of these 10 food tours brings you unique encounters with Osaka cuisine, from staple dishes like takoyaki and kushikatsu, to advanced tea blending techniques and more!

Often described as the kitchen of Japan, the area around Osaka is a culinary playground for visitors looking to sample a wide range of Japanese cuisine.

From food that nourishes body and soul to luxurious meals from the food markets, there are numerous opportunities to savor Osaka's culinary delights. Selecting just 10 favorites was a challenging task!

Explore Osaka's Food Scene

1. Osaka Food Tour: 13 Delicious Dishes at 5 Local Eateries 2. Osaka Local Foodie Walking Tour in Dotonbori and Shinsekai 3. Osaka Nighttime Food-n-Fun with Locals 4. Osaka Cuisine Cooking Class 5. Ramen and Two Types of Gyoza Dumpling Cooking Class 6. Deep Dive: Osaka Food Markets from Local to Luxurious! 7. Retro Osaka Street Food Tour in Shinsekai 8. Japanese Tea Blending Workshop in Osaka 9. Osaka Sake Tasting with Takoyaki DIY 10. Absolute Osaka Food Tour

1. Osaka Food Tour: 13 Delicious Dishes at 5 Local Eateries

Photo courtesy of Viator This popular Osaka Food Tour was inspired by the Netflix show "Somebody Feed Phil." Follow in the footsteps of the series as you uncover hidden culinary treasures featured on the show.

Visitors will get a chance to savor a variety of Japanese dishes from the ever-popular takoyaki to some more common but expertly prepared dishes such as udon and soba noodles! Immerse yourself in the authentic flavors of Osaka with two carefully chosen beverages—one alcoholic and one non-alcoholic—that perfectly complement your culinary exploration.

This small group tour ensures personalized attention from your guide and the chance to delve deeper into the local food culture. Ask questions, learn, and truly savor the essence of Osaka through this unforgettable culinary journey!

2. Osaka Local Foodie Walking Tour in Dotonbori and Shinsekai

Photo courtesy of Viator

Osaka's Dotonbori and Shinsekai are the best places to start exploring local street food. Join the Osaka Local Foodie Walking Tour to enjoy local Japanese cuisine while uncovering the cultural and historical treasures of the area.

Dotonbori is a haven of street food places where you’ll sample steaming bites of takoyaki and okonomiyaki (savory pancakes). Then you’ll set off to Shinsekai and sample the delights of kushikatsu, deep-fried morsels of breaded ingredients.

Explore hidden alleys, temples, and secret spots known only to locals, gaining a deeper understanding of Osaka's vibrant culinary scene.

Whether you're a first-time visitor or a seasoned traveler, this small group food tour promises an unforgettable experience that will leave you craving more of Osaka's delectable delights.

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3. Osaka Nighttime Food-n-Fun with Locals (6 or less!)

Photo courtesy of Viator Delve into the vibrant local culture as you join a small group of no more than six fellow food enthusiasts on this nighttime food tour !

Led by an expert guide, wander through the atmospheric streets of Tenma and Kyobashi, where hidden gems and authentic eateries await. Sample a variety of local dishes, savoring the flavors of Osaka's culinary scene while enjoying a few drinks along the way.

Some of the culinary highlights of this tour include Dote Nikomi - Osaka style slow cooked beef in a miso sauce, Tonkatsu - deep friend pork with a delicious twist, kushikatsu skewered cuisine, Tonpeiyaki - another classic Osaka dish made with pork, egg, sauce, and dried fish flakes, and more!

Vegetarian options are also available! These include tofu, cucumber with miso paste, simmered vegetables, and other dishes.

You’ll gain valuable insights into the local food scene and culture as your guide shares fascinating stories and insider tips.

4. Osaka Cuisine Cooking Class

Photo courtesy of Viator Get hands-on with the rich culinary heritage of Japan as part of a traditional cooking class in Osaka. Visitors get the opportunity to join a small group of fellow food enthusiasts and embark on a journey of culinary discovery led by expert instructors.

Learn the art of preparing popular Japanese dishes, including the savory delights of takoyaki (fried balls of batter and octopus) and the hearty comfort of okonomiyaki (savory pancakes).

You’ll wash it all down with a soothing warmth of miso soup. Expand your culinary repertoire and gain valuable insights into traditional Japanese cooking techniques.

Indulge in the fruits of your labor as you savor the dishes you've created during the class, tasting the authentic flavors of Japan firsthand.

Don't miss this opportunity to master the art of Japanese cooking in the heart of Osaka. This cooking class promises to delight your senses and ignite your passion for Japanese cuisine.

5. Ramen and Two Types of Gyoza Dumpling Cooking Class

Photo courtesy of Viator Take part in cooking a foodie favorite with this hands-on ramen and gyoza cooking class in Nishinomiya. Join a small group of fellow food enthusiasts for an intimate culinary experience led by expert instructors.

Under the guidance of a skilled ramen cook, you'll learn the secrets of crafting authentic ramen from scratch, mastering the delicate balance of flavors and textures that define this beloved dish.

Discover the art of making two types of gyoza dumplings, perfecting your folding techniques and filling combinations for a satisfying culinary adventure.

With a maximum of six participants, this small-group class ensures personalized attention and ample opportunities to ask questions and refine your skills.

After the cooking session, you'll sit down with your fellow classmates to enjoy the fruits of your labor, savoring the delicious ramen and gyoza you've prepared together.

6. Deep Dive: Osaka Food Markets from Local to Luxurious!

Photo courtesy of Viator Enjoy a deep culinary dive through the bustling streets of Osaka and discover why it's hailed as a food lover's paradise. Visitors on this foodie tour are treated to an insider's perspective on the city's vibrant culinary scene, delving into local food culture rarely experienced by visitors.

Follow your knowledgeable guide to four different foodie locations, including a department store marketplace, the renowned Kuromon Market, Korea Town, and a historic neighborhood brimming with culinary delights.

Along the way, indulge in tastings of regional specialties and surprising delicacies, expanding your palate and immersing yourself in the flavors of Osaka.

Choose between morning or afternoon tours to suit your schedule, allowing for flexibility in your exploration of Osaka's culinary treasures.

You’ll leave this tour with a newfound appreciation for Osaka's rich culinary heritage and the skills to explore its food scene independently.

7. Retro Osaka Street Food Tour: Shinsekai

Photo courtesy of Viator Explore the authentic charm of Osaka's Shinsekai district on our immersive guided tour, offering a glimpse into the heart and soul of this retro neighborhood beloved by locals.

Leave the crowds behind and discover the real Osaka as you delve into the fascinating history of Shinsekai, a vibrant area steeped in tradition dating back to the 1900s.

Say goodbye to language barriers as your guide navigates menus and shares insider tips on the best dishes to try at different shops along the way.

From delightful morsels of takoyaki to the addictive bite-sized fun of kushikatsu, there’s a myriad of delights to try!

Whether you're a food enthusiast or a curious traveler seeking an authentic local experience, our guided tour of Shinsekai promises an unforgettable journey through the flavors and traditions of Osaka's beloved neighborhood.

8. Japanese Tea Blending Workshop in Osaka

Photo courtesy of Viator Delve into the wonderful world of Japanese tea and bring back some blends, recipes, and drinks that you’ll want to make every night of the week!

Using traditional Japanese techniques, participants on this tour will learn how to brew tea like a master using locally sourced organic Japanese tea leaves.

But why stop at just brewing tea? With this class, you’ll also learn how to mix the robust flavors of Japanese tea with fruit and syrup. And even get fancy results out of unique “tea cocktail” creations!

This hands-on workshop that takes you through all the steps is a wonderful blend of modern and traditional techniques and will have you experiencing this ancient drink in totally new ways.

You’ll be able to try all of this along with a beautiful selection of Japanese snacks to also sample along the way. This makes this tour a great way to spend an afternoon or downtime day on your Osaka trip!

9. Osaka Sake Tasting with Takoyaki DIY

Photo courtesy of Viator Visitors to Osaka always fall head over heels for the region’s famed street food takoyaki . These delightful bite-sized balls filled with pickled ginger, crunchy tempura bits, and tender octopus are a staple sight in the city.

Now why not elevate the experience and try takoyaki along with some of the most flavorful Japanese sake as part of this tasting experience in Osaka?

To add to the wonderful experience you’ll get to be the one to make your own takoyaki and you’ll even incorporate some less common ingredients such as cheese and Wagyu beef!

The in-house sommelier will help pair your beautiful creations with your favorite sake and we promise that you won’t forget this amazing food experience any time soon!

10. Absolute Osaka Food Tour

Photo courtesy of Viator This guided food tour was designed for both first-time visitors and Japanese cuisine enthusiasts alike. Say goodbye to navigating with a map and let a local guide lead you through the vibrant streets of Dotonbori and Namba, sharing insider tips on the best places to eat in this bustling district.

You'll be visiting four different eateries to sample their offerings and also pass through Osaka landmarks such as Kuromon Market and Hozenji Yokocho, a nostalgic alley lined with izakaya bars.

From savory street snacks to mouthwatering specialties, each stop offers a unique culinary experience that will tantalize your taste buds.

Capture unforgettable memories with a photo opportunity of the iconic Glico Man sign, a symbol of Dotonbori's vibrant atmosphere and bustling energy. Immerse yourself in the sights, sounds, and aromas of this dynamic neighborhood as you explore its hidden culinary gems.

Enjoy the Culinary Delights of the Osaka Area

Osaka has long held the title of “the nation’s kitchen” in the Japanese consciousness. And it continues to hold onto that reputation through to the modern day.

So go out and take advantage of this storied culinary history and seek new and exciting experiences through our partners at Viator.

Main image by Pixta

Travel writer and assistant editor at MATCHA with extensive travel around the Osaka, Kyoto, and Wakayama areas. A Kansai insider who knows their Akashiyaki from their Takoyaki, Iain enjoys getting authentic stories from traditional craftspeople and interesting creators. Particularly fond of temples and shrines, Iain delves deep into the crossroads of tradition and modernity in his eight-plus years living and writing about Japan.

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Inside Osaka

Your Osaka Travel Guide

1-Day Osaka Foodie Itinerary

This one-day Osaka foodie itinerary takes you through some of the highlights of Osaka’s vast culinary scene. It includes the famed Kuromon Market, fabulous mochi and takoyaki, killer okonomiyaki, and glorious Japanese beef.

Osaka Foodie Itinerary Notes

• If you do wish to take photographs, ask first, and be discreet and respectful about it. If there’s a sign that says don’t take photographs, respect it!
• Grazing and snacking at many different places is going to generate a lot of plastic waste. Circumvent the plastic wherever possible. Bring your own cutlery and handkerchief, and ask the shop staff not to give you any. Refuse the plastic bags that each and every snack will be put in. Forgo your straws and forget the lid on your takeaway latte. Even better - ask them to put it in a cup and have it in store. Every little bit helps.
• We’ve put directions to each location in this itinerary AFTER the location to avoid cluttering things up.
• We’ve put all of the places listed here, and the walking routes in each area, on a special map of this itinerary. Scroll down to the end of this itinerary to view the map.
• You could theoretically do this itinerary alone. But this is best done with a friend to maximize eating opportunities.

Eating Osaka: A Preamble

It is a cliche to begin with this observation which is nevertheless true: Osaka is the city of kuidaore, or to eat until you fall over or go broke. While Tokyo may boast over 300 Michelin stars and counting, Osaka deserves just as much love, if not more, for its cuisine. Osaka has no shortage of high-end restaurants, but where it excels is in B-grade cuisine - no-frills, hearty, rib-sticking dishes that don’t require you to sell a kidney and half your liver just to fund a day’s worth of food.

Osaka Holiday Essentials

• Where To Stay In Osaka: See our guide to the best areas and the best hotels to stay in Osaka .
• Things To Do In Osaka: Check this overview of Osaka activities with links to all the key information.
• Flights To Osaka: Find the cheapest flights to Osaka and flight times from scores of airlines with Skyscanner .
• Osaka Packing List: Don’t forget to take any of the essentials with our comprehensive Packing List For Japan .
• Travel Insurance: World Nomads offers simple and flexible travel insurance. Claim online anywhere in the world.

There is so much more to this city than a single day of eating can cover. But this itinerary isn’t a bad place to begin. Call up your best eating buddy and hit the streets: you’re going to eat Osaka.

The Full 1-Day Osaka Foodie Itinerary

9:00am kuromon market.

If you’re going to wake up early to eat your way through Osaka, there are few better places to begin than Kuromon Market.

Affectionately nicknamed “Osaka’s kitchen,” Kuromon Market consists of around 170 stores across a 600-meter stretch, with several entry points along the way. Many of shops here cater to professional chefs who arrive before the tourists do to pick up ingredients for the day’s work - fine meats, vegetables, fruits - and there are other sundry shops hawking everything from socks to slippers, giving Kuromon a relatively local feel. After 10am tourists begin pouring in, so you will want to visit the market before this. Kuromon is far more pleasant when you are not navigating the space along with several hundred other people coming in and out.

What can you eat here? Anything and everything. I think it might even edge out Tsukiji in terms of the sheer lavishness of its displays. There are the obligatory skewers of grilled prawns, scallops in their shells, Styrofoam trays of sashimi in thick, obscene slices, jewel-like rows of pink and green rice cakes, sizzling plates of stir-fried noodles. Welcome to gustatory Stimulation Nation. As a place to visit, it has everything the first-time visitor to Japan could ask for.

Eating seafood here can be hit or miss. Kurogin Maguroya has an outpost here where the tuna bowls and rolls are, as in Tsukiji Market, worth any stomach space you wish to spare. But by and large, most of the seafood offerings are overpriced for what they are. True, even the cheaper trays of sashimi are leagues above what you get in most European or North American sushi shops. But you’re in Japan and better off eating it somewhere else . Most sashimi on offer is fresh but of middling quality, and hardly improved by the acrid, metallic-tasting soy sauce accompanying the fish. Serious eaters wanting to try some sashimi nonetheless should perhaps consider BYOS, or bringing your own shoyu.

Though it might not be everyone’s cup of tea, it’s worth trying a slice of grilled melon at the booth outside Sennariya. They sprinkle each wedge with sugar before torching the surface until it’s covered with lacy, crackly, caramel. Do as I didn’t and skip taking a photo: you will want to eat this as quickly as possible, while it’s hot and darkly sweet on the outside, cold and juicy on the inside. I suspect the melon will be even better in summers than winters.

Wandering around Kuromon Market is fun, but can be so much gastronomic distraction. Now, I would make a sojourn to Kuromon Market for two items alone.

One is a cup of warm soy milk from Takahashi Shokuhin, which has been in operation for the last 93 years. It looks entirely unremarkable and unprepossessing in its paper cup, but you should know that the neighbourhood tofu shop is a dying breed in Japan, and not every tofu shop makes unsweetened soy milk worth drinking. JPY70 nets you a rich, creamy drink that’s a far cry from any of the vile, vanilla-clogged cartons in most North American supermarkets. Imagine a soy version of full-cream Jersey milk, a non-dairy glass of Sainsbury Gold. Once you begin to appreciate the natural sweetness of good soybeans, drinking soy milk sans sugar will become your new normal. It’s almost enough to make me forgo a morning cup of coffee. Almost.

The only other thing I want to eat in Kuromon is oden from Ishibashi Shokuhin. Describing oden to the person who hasn’t eaten it before is a little tricky. Think items like tofu, fishcakes, daikon radish, and konjac jelly, simmered and bathed in a sweet-savoury dashi broth. You’ll know it when you see it, for example, at the counter in convenience stores. Some people have told me that they don’t get oden. I think it is a matter of trying the good stuff, and Ishibashi Shokuhin is a very decent place for a first oden experience.

I often wish Ishibashi Shokuhin were in my neighbourhood so I could have their oden for breakfast most mornings. You might want everything bubbling away in the pot - chunky triangles of tofu, circles and hollowed-out tubes of fishcake, fist-sized hunks of daikon radish. Everything has soaked up the broth but retains its texture. The beef might be challenging for most people first thing in the morning but everything else is gorgeous. It must all be eaten while still hot enough to burn your mouth. Lukewarm oden is a disappointment, like a Tinder date who doesn’t resemble their photos.

Eat while standing to the side of the shop, warming up slowly with each bite. You might strike up a conversation with the 23-year-old Osakan girl standing next to you, who lives in Tokyo but hates big city life, who misses the taste of Osaka. “You just don’t get this in Tokyo,” she tells you, biting into a hunk of daikon. “Everything there tastes like seasonings straight out of the bottle.” You may commiserate with her as the both of you eat. You’ll drink the broth down to the last drop before wishing you had space for more.

Directions: Take Exit 10 from Nippombashi Station. Once you’re above ground, walk straight (do not cross the road) - you know you’re going the right way if you see UCC Coffee Plaza on the opposite side of the road on your right. The entrance to Kuromon Market is just ahead on your left. Takahashi Shokuhin is a few doors away from the entrance of the arcade to your right.

For Ishibashi Shokuhin, walk straight after Takahashi Shokuhin and turn right when you reach the intersection in the middle of the market. Ishibashi Shokuhin will be on your left a little after the first block of shops. Look for the teal-green awning.

10:30am Coffee at Marufuku Coffee

By this point, you will want to escape the tourists congregating in Kuromon Market for overpriced sashimi and Kobe beef skewers. If you haven’t already had coffee, this is the time for one. Forget the hipster cafes and head to a kissaten, an old-fashioned coffee house where the brews err on the side of dark, black, and strong. Kissaten are a dying breed in Tokyo, and can be a little precious at times because of that rarity. But in Osaka, they are still very much part of the downtown shopping street landscape. Thank goodness for that.

Marufuku Coffee in Sennichimae is veritable Osakan institution. In operation since 1934, it’s counted luminaries like post-war jazz singer and “Queen of the Boogie-Woogie” Kasagi Shizuko and rakugo comedian Shofukutei Shokaku among its clientele. Here, there are stained glass panels above the glass cabinets and the floors are dark brown wood. The background music is a questionable mix of easy listening island Calypso and mediocre covers of top 1750s piano hits. The elderly lady behind the counter looks as though she could tell you a juicy story or ten about the patrons here. You will still find elderly men and women here, dapper in their berets and suits. They might be reading paperback novels or newspapers over their coffee, perhaps nibbling at one of Marufuku’s gorgeous little cakes, or a plate of sandwiches cut into dainty rectangles.

Their black coffee is in the classic kissaten style - dark, strong, rich, and almost certainly too burnt for most aficionados accustomed to lighter, juicier third-wave coffees. You will almost certainly want the tempering presence of a tiny thumb-sized pitcher of milk, if not also the sugar. Sip slowly. Recalibrate. Contemplate your next work of art.

Marufuku is accustomed to non-Japanese speakers popping in, as evidenced by the free WiFi and English-language menu. It’s near enough the central shopping areas to be convenient, but just far removed enough to feel a little hidden and not completely packed with tourists. It is distinctly out of sync with modern times, and that’s exactly how I like it.

Directions: Make your way back to the starting point where you entered the market. Cross the road to UCC Coffee Plaza. Turn right, walk straight, and then turn left at the corner. Walk straight until you encounter a traffic light and a crossing leading to the right. There’ll be a highway above, and a covered shopping arcade (相合橋筋 Aiaibashisuji) across the large street. Cross the road and enter the arcade. Marufuku Coffee is on the corner of the first turning to the left.

12pm Okonomiyaki at Yakizen

It would be sacrilegious to visit Osaka and leave without eating okonomiyaki. Translating to ”grilled as you like it,” okonomiyaki is not pizza, as it is mistakenly referred to at times. It’s more like a cross between a frittata and a pancake. You begin with masses of shredded cabbage held together by a batter of grated mountain yam, wheat flour, egg, and dashi broth, along with the add-ins of your choice. Pretty much anything goes: shrimp, squid, pork, innards, ginger, cheese. Top it all with lashings of tangy brown sauce - de rigueur in this dish - and a scattering of fragrant green seaweed. A fistful of skipjack bonito flakes dancing in the heat wouldn’t go amiss either.

Competition is stiff for okonomiyaki specialists in Osaka. The Namba and Dotombori areas are home to so many: Fukutaro, Chibo , Ajinoya , and Kiji , just to name a few. To follow coffee at Marufuku, though, I like Yakizen a great deal - a short hop and skip away in Hozenji Yokocho .

Once a relatively hidden slice of central Osaka you had to stumble upon, Hozenji Yokocho is much more prominent on the tourist trail these days for the dozens of restaurants crammed into a narrow strip of street. The lush, moss-blanketed Fudō Myō-ō statue in Hozenji Temple nearby doesn’t hurt either. It’s worth returning at dinner when the lanterns transform the narrow, cobblestone-paved streets into a scene from several centuries hence. But for now, you’re at Yakizen for lunch.

Like any good okonomiyaki place worth its sauce, Yakizen’s menu is reasonably extensive, and features a special stuffed silly with ingredients. You may as well order that. The Hozenji-yaki special is crammed full of squid, pork, prawns, and scallops. Those with seafood allergies, you have been warned. I love Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki more (Osaka-style is usually too heavy for my tastes) but Yakizen’s version makes me seriously question my loyalties - viscerally and loudly at the counter with every bite.

If you are here with a friend, you should also order the negiyaki. Negi are Japanese leeks, something like a cross between scallions and Welsh onions. If you love them, you love them - they have a green, aromatic, peppery bite like nothing else. There is something magical about a fuckton of chopped negi held together by the barest amount of batter, griddled until crusty on the bottom, but soft and pillowy within. This negiyaki is also studded through with sweet, tender stewed beef tendons, though you wouldn’t know it without prior warning. It works: the freshness of the negi removes any potentially off-putting offal-y odour.

For negi lovers like my dining companion, this is the sort of dish that sends you into a rapturous silence. But it is also the sort of dish that will take time to arrive at your table. Do not expect instant gratification: you cannot rush Maillard reactions, and it needs a slow burn on the hot plate to form that beguiling crust.

Directions: Exit Marufuku Coffee, turn left and walk straight until you reach a covered shopping arcade. This is the Sennichimae Shopping Arcade. Turn right. Walk straight and take the third turning on the left into Hozenji Yokocho - it’s a narrow slip of an alley between Yakko and Ichibazushi (with a white lantern outside). Yakizen is on your left about halfway down the alley.

3:00pm Daifuku Mochi at Shizuku

With a space that’s all gray and white concrete, Shizuku is the kind of space more reminiscent of a sleek cocktail bar than a Japanese sweets spot. Even the background music reinforces this impression. Imagine the kind of low-key electronic music playing in a bar populated by beautiful models turning their heads slowly as the camera pans across the room, and you’ll have an idea of what it’s like entering Shizuku.

3 in the afternoon is oyatsu time, as they say here in Japan - that time of the day for a sweet little pick-me-up. Many things would fit the bill. But today, mochi rice cakes at Shizuku make a beautifully posh counterpoint to a day of street-style B-grade gourmet eating. To call what Shizuku serves “mochi,” though, is like referring to Tiffany’s jewelry as “baubles.” These daifuku are not your average supermarket rice cakes, as tasty as those might be. These are of a more rarefied ilk, a glorious blend of Japanese technique and Western dessert flavours.

Take the framboise daifuku mochi. How can one resist something so delightfully pink? It sparks joy even before you taste it. Beet juice gives it that pinkness; no artificial colourings to be found here. Inside a thin, tender, elastic mochi shell is rum-spiked white bean paste, which in turn conceals an almost effervescent sweet-tart raspberry center. I dislike red bean paste, finding it too heavy and stodgy, but white bean paste has a comparative lightness that adzuki beans just cannot match.

One mochi is not enough, of course. You may also wish to try the water chocolate daifuku. The same elastic mochi shell is stretched over a chocolate ganache - a whipped chocolate filling - that’s at once rich and light. It is water-based rather than cream-based, giving it a clarity of flavour one doesn’t get when dairy fat muddles the taste of chocolate.

A cup of whisked matcha, grassy and lightly bitter, is the ideal accompaniment to these snacks.

Directions: Exit Yakizen and turn left, walking straight to leave Hozenji Yokocho. Turn left when you’ve exited the alley. Turn right after the Kamigata Ukiyo-e Museum and walk straight. Keep walking straight until you reach the main road, and take the nearest underground entrance to Namba Station. Board the Midosuji Line train and ride it to Shinsaibashi Station. Alight and take Exit 3. Once you’re above ground, walk west for about 500 meters along Nagahori-dori Street. You’ll know you’re going the right way when you pass Hair Salon iBaco, capsule hotel a-STYLE, and a Lawson’s on your right. You’ll reach a fairly nondescript looking street on your right, with a dark grey building on the right and a building called Grand Square on the left. Turn right into this street. Walk straight for about 200 meters, passing a pizza restaurant on your right. Shizuku is on the corner of the building block ahead.

6:00pm Yakiniku in Tsuruhashi

Decision paralysis is a real problem when contemplating dinner in Osaka. Fine-dining options in the city abound, but when I’m here, all I want is something unpretentious, satisfying and rib-sticking. There is no better food than yakiniku, or Korean barbecue, and in Osaka there is no better place to head to for this than Tsuruhashi .

Tsuruhashi is Osaka’s K-Town. Straddling the borders between Tennoji and Ikuno wards, it’s largely populated by residents of Korean descent who run shops in the covered shopping arcade hawking everything from kimchi to K-pop calendars. There’s more than a hint of weather and age in the narrow shotengai, and it feels like Shinsekai before the authorities began cleaning it up in preparation for the influx of tourists. Chat up the lovely ahjummas and sample some of their kimchi if you have time, but don’t forget the real mission. You’re here for grilled beef.

Just beyond the shopping arcade is a warren of yakiniku restaurants, lining alleyways just wide enough for three or four to walk abreast. You will have smelled them as you exit the station. The smoky whiff of grilled beef parts permeates the air, enveloping you in a bovine olfactory cloak of sorts. This is a promise of good things to come.

You could walk into most of these places and have a perfectly reasonable dinner of grilled beef. However, not all yakiniku restaurants are created equal. Here are a few words of advice for the adventurous: wander into the restaurants without a member of staff standing outside, cajoling you indoors with a menu in hand. Walk into a place that’s at least half-full. If you can’t see what’s going on inside, don’t be afraid to slide the door open and poke your head in. (I fully endorse this. They will not remember you the next day.) If you like the vibe, try your luck. You have nothing to lose.

If you’re feeling particularly adventurous, you could try a place like Sora. It’s perpetually busy and it might be worth making a reservation. You’re not here for the finest melt-in-your-mouth wagyu, which would cost you three times as much as what you’ll pay here. You’re definitely not here for the functional, at times patchy service; nor are you here for the non-existent decor, which consists of fluorescent lighting and little else. In fact, if you swapped out the grills and overhead ventilators, this could be an office space.

What Sora does have is a wide, no-nonsense selection of beef and pork parts. It also has smoke, verve, and atmosphere in spades. I come here for a down-to-earth dinner, where the meat arrives in puddles of sweet-salty sauce on metal trays and the beer in large flagons. The beef doesn’t taste like it hd spent its life being massaged into mindless oblivion. It bites back. It tastes like it had a life outdoors. I love watching the oil and juices drip into the fire, the flames licking strips and squares of fat-ribboned meat.

A yakiniku restaurant is the place to be adventurous with meat parts. Kalbi (short ribs), harami (skirt steak), and rosu (shoulder/back meat) are all safe choices; but try venturing into other parts of the cow and order some tan (tongue), liver, or jo-mino (first stomach; intestine part). The pork neck is my personal favourite - meaty and hearty, striated with just enough fat, walking the line between tender and resilient. You will walk out of a place like Sora with your clothes reeking of beef, which, frankly, is not a bad way to go home at all.

Directions: Walk back to Nagahori-dori Street the way you came. When you reach the main road, turn right. Take the first entrance you see underground to Nishi-Ohashi Station. Take the Nagahoritsurumiyokuchi Line (the lime green line) towards Kadoma-Minami Station for 6 stops. Alight at Morinomiya Station. Transfer to the JR Osaka Loop Line and board the local train going clockwise. Ride it two stops to Tsuruhashi Station. Take the Central Exit. Walk straight into the warren of yakiniku restaurants. Sora’s main branch is on a narrow road just parallel to the main road at the end of the alley.

9:00pm Takoyaki at Wanaka Takoyaki in Namba

If you have just one night in Osaka, this is the only reasonable way to end a full day of eating in the city: with an order of takoyaki from Wanaka.

Takoyaki are golf ball-sized balls of gooey batter liberally studded with octopus bits, tenkasu (crispy tempura), and, depending on where you are, pickled red ginger. I realise takoyaki might be a hard sell for some first-timers, but it pushes all the same textural buttons as mac and cheese. There is also a palpable difference between takoyaki elsewhere and takoyaki in Osaka. Maybe it’s terroir, but there’s just an extra soupçon of magic that comes with eating takoyaki in its birthplace. You don’t even have to eat at Wanaka - you could head to shops like Yamachan, Kougaryu, or Takohachi. Your night is perfect as long as you’re eating takoyaki.

What you want at Wanaka is the お入りO-iri, a takoyaki sampler with four different toppings. You have the classic brown sauce, tangy and sweet and salty. There’s one dusted with Okinawan sea salt, heightening the umami in the batter. Another is drenched in dashi and soy sauce with a dusting of fragrant aonori (green laver) powder on top. Lastly, there’s one with a scattering of bonito fish flakes on top. A flagon of beer alongside is optional but highly recommended.

Directions: Return to Tsuruhashi Station. This time, take the Kintetsu Nara Line bound for Osaka-Namba Station. Alight at Osaka-Namba Station. Find your way to Exit 11 (this will require some walking). Once you’re above ground, walk straight and take the first right. You’ll be inside a covered shopping arcade. Wanaka is located just before the first intersection inside the arcade.

About the author: Florentyna Leow is a writer and photographer based in Tokyo. When she's not eating or roaming the streets for food, she can be found with a book and pen in hand. Her work has appeared in Lucky Peach, Roads & Kingdoms, and Kyoto Journal. Her newsletter can be found here and her photographs can be found at @furochan_eats , @doorwaysofasia , and @lovemeleafme on Instagram.

Osaka Foodie Itinerary Map

The Osaka Foodie Itinerary map shows the location of each of the places mentioned - you can view a full screen version too.

Where Are These Places Located?

• Open the Osaka map
• You will see the list of places on the left hand side. (Click the 3-line icon in the top left corner if not). Scroll down or use the map search (the magnifying glass icon) to find the place you want.
• Click the name of the place in the list. Its location pin will be highlighted on the map.
• Map pins are color coded - BLUE: Hotels / Ryokan / Guesthouses | VIOLET: Ryokan | PINK: Places to Eat | GREEN: Shops | YELLOW: Things to See and Do
• If you're using the map on your phone, open the map and then search for the name of the place. The map will then zoom in on its location.

Osaka Vacation Checklist

• For all the essentials in a brief overview, see my First Time In Osaka guide
• Check Osaka accommodation availability and pricing on Booking.com and Agoda.com - often you can book with no upfront payment and free cancellation
• Need tips on where to stay? See my one page guide Where To Stay In Osaka
• You can buy shinkansen (bullet train) tickets online from Klook - popular routes include Tokyo to Osaka , Osaka to Kyoto and Osaka to Tokyo
• You can buy a Japan SIM card online for collection on arrival at Osaka's Kansai International Airport. Or rent an unlimited data pocket wifi router
• Compare flight prices and timings to find the best Japan flight deals
• If you're visiting more than one city, you might save money with a Japan Rail Pass – see if it's worth it for you
• World Nomads offers simple and flexible travel insurance. Buy at home or while traveling and claim online from anywhere in the world

Osaka District Map

• Shin-Osaka Area
• Central Osaka Area
• Minami Area
• Tennoji Area
• Osaka Castle Area
• Osaka Bay Area

15 Best Osaka Food Tours and Experiences for 2024

What is Osaka best known for? Its food of course!

Osaka is popularly known as the culinary capital of Japan, and for good reason. Spend even a few hours walking its streets, and you’ll get a sense of the strong foodie culture and culinary pride here.

With so many bars, restaurants, izakaya, and food stalls offering Osakan staple dishes such as okonomiyaki, takoyaki, kushikatsu, and yakiniku, it’s difficult to know where to begin searching for good local restaurants and trying as many dishes as possible!

The easiest and best way to get a feel for the city’s food culture and maximize your time here while eating and drinking as much as possible is to take a food tour off the beaten track. They’re convenient, and fun, and you’ll get to learn fascinating insights and tips from your tour guide that only locals know about.

If you’re looking for something more hands-on then why not try a Japanese cooking course? Cooking Japanese cuisine isn’t as hard as it looks, and you’ll get to enjoy the fruits of your own hard work.

First time in Osaka? Check out my Ultimate 1-day Osaka itinerary for first-time visitors . Or, if you’re looking for somewhere special to stay, try these 15 Osaka ryokan with private onsen in 2024 .

Daytime Tours

• Night tours

Hands-on Food Experiences

• Eat Like the Locals

Cooking Experiences

Top 3 picks: best osaka food tours, #1 top pick.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Nightlife Osaka Food Tour ✔️ Benefit from local knowledge ✔️ Taste real Osaka street food ✔️ Discover eateries off-the-beaten-track

Locals’ Osaka All-in Food & Culture Deep Dive ✔️ Smaller group ✔️ Avoid the busy tourist traps ✔️ Enjoy local specialty dishes

Instagrammable Osaka-style Food Tour ✔️ Enjoy colorful sweet and savory dishes ✔️ English speaking guide ✔️ Includes up to 8 different dishes

This page contains affiliate links. If you choose to purchase after clicking a link, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you .

1. Osaka Shinsekai Street Food Tour (Daytime)

Duration: 3hrs | Location: Shinsekai District | View on Arigato Japan

Check prices and availability for the Osaka Shinsekai Street Food Tour

This old neighborhood close to downtown Osaka was developed in 1912 and modeled after parts of New York and Paris. Since its boom in Japan’s post-war Showa era, the area has become known for its local feel thanks to the many inexpensive food options available.

In this 3-hour tour of the district, you will make 5 stops at various eateries where you’ll get to try different drinks and local cuisine. As you move through the neighborhood, your guide will point out various shopping and entertainment hotspots as well.

The tour departure time is 10:30AM and runs until 1:30PM and is also available in Spanish .

“ I loved the local vibe on this tour. So MUCH delicious food and stuff we would have never found on our own .”

– ARCHIE

2. Osaka Dotonbori Daytime Food Tour

Duration: 3hrs | Location: Dotonbori Neighbourhood | View on Arigato Japan

Check prices and availability for the Osaka Dotonbori Daytime Food Tour

Dotonbori is one of Osaka’s hotspots for tourists, known for its neon signs, Gilco Man sign, and huge choice of street food. When the sun goes down and the bright signs light up the main streets, crowds flock to the restaurants and bars to enjoy the atmosphere. The daytime is an excellent opportunity to make the most of the taste of Dotonbori without battling the crowds.

This three-hour tour will take you through the Dotonbori and Namba neighbourhoods where you’ll try takoyaki (fried octopus balls), kushikatsu (deep fried meat and vegetable skewers) in tucked away places you would definitely miss without a guide.

“Highlight of Our Trip? This Tour in Osaka! We had so much fun trying local flavors with our guide!”

– GABE

3. Osaka Market Tour (Daytime)

Duration: 3hrs | Location: Nipponbashi Chuo Ward | View on Arigato Japan

Check prices and availability for the Osaka Market Tour (Daytime)

Kuromon Market is a popular food market street that reaches more than 600 meters through the Minami area of Osaka. Known mostly for its seafood, you’ll also find stalls selling meat, produce, sweets and even restaurants. Many of the stalls sell street food but be careful not to block the aisles as the market can become busy.

In this daytime tour of the market, you’ll have the opportunity to try many of Osaka’s most famous street food dishes including okonomiyaki. From the market, you visit Osaka’s ‘Kitchen town’. You’ll see where restaurants go to buy their plastic food samples and may even be able to pick up a souvenir.

“Toshi as a guide is beyond 5 stars and these two tours were the highlights of our trip.”

– DAVE

Night Tours

4. osaka shinsekai street food tour (evening).

Check prices and availability for the Osaka Shinsekai Street Food Tour (evening)

As you stroll through the Shinsekai district you might get a sense of its retro reputation due to its Showa-era style buildings and storefronts which come alive at night with bars, restaurants and izakayas brimming with locals and tourists looking for something to eat and drink.

In this night tour you will follow a local guide through the glowing streets into hidden gems where you will discover the colorful history of Shinsekai street as it comes alive through local dishes.

The three-hour tour includes stops at five different sites where you can try the different local food and drinks, each with a connection to the area’s long history.

“Sae was an amazing tour guide! She knew so much history and fun facts about the city! She was also just so fun to spend a night exploring Osaka with! Would 100% recommend.”

– JESS

5. Nightlife Osaka Food Tour

Duration: 3hrs | location: dotonbori, chuo ward | view on arigato japan.

Check prices and availability for the Nightlife Osaka Food Tour

Japan’s third largest city has as much to offer at night as in the day, as you will discover on this nightlife tour through the busy streets of Minami.

Starting in the well-known Dotonbori area, you’ll learn about your surroundings as you are guided past the bright neon signs and commercial restaurants trying to tempt you inside, and taken to smaller establishments you might otherwise miss.

You’ll taste some of the foods Osaka is best known for such as yakitori (grilled chicken and vegetables on skewers), takoyaki (deep fried octopus balls), and okonomiyaki (a savoury pancake dish). Then top-off your night in an izakaya with a beer or sake (rice wine).

“ The Osaka Food Tour was such a memorable evening that we decided to backtrack to Kyoto (which we had already visited) solely to do another food tour with Toshi. “

– C FORNEY

6. Evening Food Tour of Osaka

Duration: 3hrs | Location: Dotonbori, Chuo Ward | View on Viator

Check prices and availability for the Evening Food Tour of Osaka

This evening food tour of Osaka also begins in the Dotonbori area but places a little more of an emphasis on its nightlife. In a group of 10, you’ll see this electric district at night like you’ve never seen it before.

Sample Japanese staples such as sushi or sake, or try your hand at making your own takoyaki with help from a local chef. Eat and drink with the locals at an izakaya and enjoy a drink with some kushikatsu, one of Osaka’s most famous dishes.

The tour is designed to help you explore the Kansai region through its soul food and drink in Osaka’s unique night-time environment.

“ Sae was an amazing tour guide! She knew so much history and fun facts about the city! She was also just so fun to spend a night exploring Osaka with! Would 100% recommend .”

– TRIP ADVISOR REVIEWER

7. Evening Street Food Hopping Tour in Downtown Osaka

Duration: 3hrs | Location: Kita Ward | View on Viator

Check availability of the Evening Street Food Hopping Tour in Downtown Osaka

A must-see for Japanese food lovers. You won’t want to visit Japan’s culinary capital without exploring the downtown area at night. In this three-hour tour you will be guided from bars to food stalls where you will get a taste of local life along the way, including grilled seafood, okonomiyaki, kushikatsu, gyoza, and a unique style of pizza.

As you move from food stall to bar, take in the local atmosphere with a glass of sake, rice wine or beer before moving on to the next stall for another local specialty. This tour has a 6PM departure time and includes pickup from your hotel if you need it.

“ Was a fun evening and tried a great deal of the street food. Some of it was a new taste experience but most of it was wonderful. The guide was very knowledgeable and had a lot of energy .”

– JANET

8. Eat, Drink, Cycle: Osaka Food and Bike Tour

Duration: 3-4hrs | Location: Kita Ward | View on Viator

Check availability for Eat, Drink, Cycle: Osaka Food and Bike Tour

Ever wanted to explore Osaka by bicycle as you discover its culinary delights? Well, this might be the tour for you.

A short walk from Temmabashi station, you’ll meet your guide at 10:30AM and be taken around the city, stopping at some of its best-known attractions. Stops include Japan’s oldest temple, sushi at a small locally run shop, tasting real wagyu beef at a busy market, and trying some Osaka specialties including okonomiyaki, chijimi pancakes, and udon.

The tour will include lunch, a knowledgeable guide, and soft drinks. When you’re finished, you’ll be taken back to the starting point to hand back your bike.

“ I enjoyed learning about the different types of authentic Osaka food, and getting to see Osaka Castle was a bonus! On a scale of 1 to 10, our guide Matt was an eleven! ”

– MARJORIE

9. Instagrammable Osaka-style Food Tour

Duration: 3hrs | location: osaka city | view on klook.

Check prices and availability for Instagrammable Osaka-style Food Tour

A modern and creative tour with the added benefit of making the most of the weird and wonderful colors and styles of food you are bound to encounter on your travels.

Indulge your sweet tooth with multi-colored cotton candy or a bright green milkshake, or taste some of Osaka’s best known and beautiful dishes such as okonomiyaki or takoyaki.

This three-hour private tour can accommodate groups as large as 8 and includes tastings of up to eight different Instagram-worthy dishes. You’ll also receive a glass of sake, wine, highball, or soft drink as your English-speaking guide navigates you through Osaka’s busy streets.

10. Osaka Food Tour: 13 Delicious Dishes at 5 Hidden Eateries

Duration: 3hrs | Location: Nishinari Ward | View on Viator

Check prices and availability for Osaka Food Tour

Enjoy ten different dishes from around Osaka including gyoza, udon, takoyaki, and more, at five eateries you won’t find on the busy streets.

You’ll begin your tour at Dobutsuen-mae station, close to downtown Osaka, at 5:30PM. From there, your guide will take you to some of the best food stalls, restaurants and izakaya, carefully chosen for serving traditionally ‘Osakan’ food and rarely visited by tourists.

Then, take in the local culture and bustling atmosphere while you enjoy a cup of sake or a beer at a local bar or izakaya to finish the night off.

“ This tour was awesome! Had a great group of fun people from Australia and the guide, Andie, was entertaining. Food was terrific. Ate lots of new dishes that I wouldn’t have ordered or found on my own. ”

– ANNA

Eat Like The Locals

11. locals’ osaka all-in food & culture deep dive (small group), duration: 3hrs (approx.) | location: kita ward | view on viator.

Check prices and availability for Locals’ Osaka all-in Food & Culture Deep Dive

This three-hour walking tour of Osaka will take you away from the tourist traps and chain restaurants and into the foodie districts and smaller independently run places to eat.

You’ll see your guide at 6:00PM at the meeting point just outside Temma station before your group of six will head to the Tenma and Kyobashi districts for some local specialty dishes to sample. This includes Dote Nikomi, a slow-cooked beef in miso sauce, kushikatsu, tonpeiyaki, a combo dish of port, egg, and dried fish flakes, to name a few.

Finish the night with a few local drinks a standing bar in Kyobashi before heading back to the station.

“ Dominic really knew his stuff and took us on a great tour. We visited pubs and eateries that we wouldn’t have found by ourselves. The food was fabulous and ‘outside the box’ of what you would normally expect in Japanese food. ”

– SALLYANN

12. Kuromon Market Food Tour

Duration: 1hr 30mins (approx.) | Location: Chuo Ward | View on Viator

Check prices and availability for Kuromon Market Food Tour

Kuromon Ichiba Market has been a hub of food and culture near the heart of Osaka for more than 200 years. With countless shops, bars and gourmet restaurants, this covered market cannot be missed if you’re visiting Japan’s ‘food capital’.

Your tour begins in the early afternoon outside Nipponbashi station in downtown Osaka. From there your guide will show you handmade local food and fresh seafood, as you walk and eat your way through more than ten different dishes and desserts, including dried okura, sushi, giant scallops, okonomiyaki, Sakura-flavoured mochi, and many more.

This is a walking and eating tour so be prepared to eat on the go!

“ Great tour with a great guide, Andy was amazing. It was fun! Learned a lot about the local food and also about the food culture. ”

– HAMID

13. Osaka Cooking Class

Duration: 2hrs 30mins (approx.) | Location: Higashinari Ward | View on Viator

Check prices and availability for Osaka Cooking Class

A great experience for anyone who finds their fun getting stuck-in. In this cooking class, you’ll learn about Osaka’s culinary history while trying your hand at some traditional Japanese cooking techniques.

Discover the careful process of preparing green tea, the simplicity of making takoyaki (fried flour and octopus balls), and the fun of attempting your own okonomiyaki savoury pancake. When you’re done, enjoy the fruits of your hard work over a glass of sake or beer.

For dessert, learn how taiyaki is made (a popular fish-shaped sweet cake, as your English-speaking instructor tells you about the history of some of Japan’s most popular dishes.

“ Great class Yayo wonderful Very organized food fantastic loved it a chance to see a Japanese home highly recommend this experience. ”

– SUSAN

14. Three Types of Ramen Cooking Class

Duration: 2hrs 30mins (approx.) | Location: Nishi Ward | View on Viator

Check prices and availability for Three Types of Ramen Cooking Class

You haven’t tried ramen unless you have made it yourself, in Japan. This simple yet incredibly popular dish can be found on the menus of almost any restaurant in Japan, yet with so many variants to choose from it can be a bit confusing knowing what to choose.

In this 2.5-hour cooking class, learn about the different types of ramen, from salted with pork and seaweed, to soy sauce-based ramen with cabbage and vegetables, and miso ramen with chicken and eggs.

Learn about the traditional techniques that go into creating these dishes and try for yourself by making not one, or two, but three different types in a single class.

“ Fumi-san is very welcoming and pleasant to everyone in class. She provided tips on how to make good ramen which was useful. Recommended if one is looking for something different from sightseeing. ”

– STEPHEN

Check prices and ava i lability for Three Types of Ramen Cooking Class

15. In-Home Cooking Lesson with Local Japanese Mother

Duration: 3hrs (approx.) | Location: Kawanishiikeda Station | View on V iator

Check prices and availability for In-Home Cooking Lesson with Local Japanese Mother

A truly unique and rewarding experience. There’s nothing quite like a home-cooked meal, and with this private in-home cooking lesson with a Japanese mother you’ll enjoy a meal that you will remember for years to come.

Visit the home of an Osaka local and enjoy first-hand the culture and cuisine of Osaka. Choose from either lunch or dinner and learn to prepare up to five different dishes such as teriyaki chicken, a bento box, okonomiyaki, and gyoza in Yoshiko’s kitchen.

The cooking and preparation portion of the experience lasts about an hour before you sit down to eat. Afterward, Yoshiko will print all her recipes for you to take home.

“ A very good experience with a local mother. Well served and enjoy it very much. You must have a try. ”

– SUKI

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10 Best Food Tours in Osaka for Foodies in 2024

Impatient to book one of the best food tours in Osaka, Japan? I got you covered! This guide highlights the 10 best Osaka food tours for you to dive into the local cuisine and make the most of your trip.

Osaka is considered one of the coolest cities in Japan , it is famous for being the “Nation’s Kitchen” and its countless restaurants. The motto of the city is “Eat yourself broke!”, so if Japanese cuisine is your cup of “matcha” you need to add Osaka to your Japan itinerary.

Taste the best food in Osaka with the top food tours that Osaka has to offer. Let’s discover local flavors, try authentic recipes, and eat through Japanese cuisine. That is the true essence of Osaka and you don’t want to miss out!

*Disclosure: This article contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase after clicking one of these links, I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Don’t have time to read about all the food tours in Osaka?

The best tour in Osaka is the Osaka Food Tour with a constant 5-star rating. It has a Badge of Excellence and it offers the best of the Japanese kitchen.

Other top-rated Osaka food tours:

• Osaka food tour with the vegan menu available: Osaka Bar Hopping Food Tour
• Vegetarian-friendly food tour in Osaka: Deep Backstreet Osaka Tours
• The best affordable food tour in Osaka: Kuromon Market Food Walking Tour in Osaka
• Hands-on experience: Osaka Cooking Class
• Best food tour for party lovers: Osaka Backstreet Night Tour

10 best Osaka street food tours

Osaka food tour.

Rating: 5 | Tour Length: 3 hours | Check rates and availability

Join one of the best food tours in Osaka and let the local guide take good care of you and your taste buds. During the tour, you will visit 5 hidden eateries and try 10 different dishes. Basically the best of what Japanese cuisine has to offer.

You will explore some of the hidden gems of Shinsekai and blend in with the locals. If you ask me, Shinsekai is one of the best areas for food in Osaka, however, it is filled with tourist traps. This tour will help you avoid those traps and experience only the best local eateries in Osaka.

Food that you will get to try:

• kitsune udon
• 2 local drinks and more.

Other things to note:

• all food and drinks are included in the price
• group of max 8 people
• not suitable for fine dining lovers
• skip snacking before the tour because you will be eating A LOT!

“Awesome tour! Our guide, Deuce, was extremely knowledgeable and engaging with the group, helping us experience a night on the town in Osaka like true locals. Touring different food spots we got information and history on each dish, as well as a brief overview of the drink selections offered.”

Osaka Backstreet Night Tour

During this Osaka food tour, you will be able to join the local residents for a fun night out and make some new friends. You will visit Namba, Shinsaibashi, and Amemura, where you can sample local food and drink throughout the evening.

At the dinner, you will be able to try some local delicacies, however, there is more to come once the food is finished. Who knows, you might learn some survival drinking Japanese or sing your heart out at the karaoke bar – just like the locals would!

• Japanese pub specialties
• sushi 
• alcoholic beverages.
• one drink is included in the tour price
• great for party lovers
• Osaka Pub Passport gives you up to 3000 Yen of discounts to use on your trip.

“The tour was amazing, we covered so much ground from hidden gems to unique spots for food and drinks that you would clearly miss on your own. The best part was definitely our tour guide, Laila! She went above and beyond to make the experience memorable.”

Deep Backstreet Osaka Tours

If you are looking for a food tour with a twist, this should be your number one choice. Not only you can taste some of the best food in Osaka, but you get to explore local neighborhoods and even a historical red-light district.

The whole tour is very unique, fun, and informative. Your tour guide will take you beyond food tasting and introduce the side of Osaka that tourists usually miss. When it comes to food, you will get to try delicious local food at two different street stalls.

• soul food of Osaka
• yakitori & includes desserts.
• vegetarian friendly
• not suitable for families with kids
• group of max 13 people.

“This tour was amazing! Hands down one of the best tours I have ever taken. We learned a lot and Jamie, the tour guide, was not only knowledgeable but hilarious as well! I would 100% take this tour again and would recommend it to everyone! You will not be disappointed!”

Sushi Cooking Class in Osaka

Rating: 5 | Tour Length: 2.5 hours | Check rates and availability

If you have done some of the best food tours in Osaka and want to try something different yet still food-related, a cooking class is the best option for you. And what is more Japanese than sushi?

Learn to roll sushi under the guidance of a licensed chef and impress your friends back home with an organized sushi night. If you ask me, it is the best way to keep the memories alive once you are back home dreaming about your time in Japan.

And the best reward is the dinner that you can enjoy together with other guests and your guide. If you’d like, upgrade to include a local drink to wash it all down. The tasting includes either six sakes or four sakes and one bottle of beer.

• Japanese omelet
• Sake and beer (optional)
• this is a cooking class so it is a hands-on experience
• alcoholic beverages are not included but can be requested.

“Quaint, delicious, and incredibly homely – Yayo was welcoming, full of knowledge and anecdotes. The class was equipped with little touches that we didn’t know we needed! We had a wonderful time. Highly recommended!”

Osaka Cooking Class

While other cooking class focuses on sushi, this offers a wide variety of food. It is the same chef who hosts the previously mentioned sushi master class, so you are in good hands.

Expand your Japanese cuisine knowledge and best of all, you get to eat your creations when you’re finished. This small-group course, limited to just eight participants, also includes a guide, a cooking instructor, and an optional sake and beer tasting.

• okonomiyaki
• lunch or dinner options are available

“This has easily been the most fun I’ve had on my trip so far. Yayo san was so welcoming and kind. Letting us into her home, showing us her incredible cooking techniques, and telling us stories about how and why Japan uses the ingredients they do. I learned a lot, I laughed even more, and I got to taste some delicious food. Thank you Yayo san, you are a wonderful host!”

Kuromon Market Food Walking Tour in Osaka

If you are looking for the best budget-friendly things to do, Kuromon Market Food Walking Tour in Osaka is the most affordable food tour in Osaka. And considering consistent 5 stars on Viator and other platforms, it manages to bring quality and fun to the tour.

The highlight of the tour is visiting Kuromon Market with a local guide where you will be able to taste multiple dishes and choose your own preferences from traditional Japanese cuisine.

• 4-5 food samplings including Takoyaki
• Japanese food from Kuromon Market.
• the tour starts at 11 am, so unlike other evening tours, this is perfect for early birds
• family-friendly food tour in Osaka
• a small group of max 5 people.

“Our guide was so nice and friendly. She told me all about Osaka and the food. We really enjoyed the takoyaki, oden and sweet dessert. She took us walking around the market, buying sushi and souvenirs, and also recommended us another interesting place to visit.”

Osaka Local Foodie Walking Tour in Dotonbori and Shinsekai

This food-focused tour in Osaka takes you to Dotonbori and Shinsekai neighborhoods to taste some of the Japanese specialties. You will have the chance to learn more about the city and connect with other guests as it is a small group.

Also, this is a hands-on experience and you will get to cook your own okonomiyaki, which is a cool and practical way to know more about Japanese cuisine. Unlike other tours, this one starts quite early and one of the best things to do in Osaka with kids.

• food and drink samples are included, plus some to take away
• group of max 7 people
• it is quite a walk from Shinsekai to Dotonbori, so be prepared.

“Amazing tour, got more out of it than we were expecting! She took us around Osaka to see some shrines and temples to get a better understanding of some local history before taking us to some amazing restaurants and photo spots! Even got to make our own okonomiyaki which was super fun! The food was amazing and ending the trip in Dotonbori was perfect!”

Nightlife Osaka Food Tour

Rating: 4.5+ | Tour Length: 3 hours | Check rates and availability

You will be exploring the beautifully lit areas of Namba, which is one of Japan’s most famous entertainment districts. The tour includes 4 food stops and one of the stops will be at the traditional Japanese pub where you will be able to try some seasonal goodies.

Apart from that, you will try many other typical dishes from some of the best local street food stalls. You will end a tour by visiting a famous building full of hidden unorthodox bars and sampling a traditional Japanese street dessert.

• izakaya stop and seasonal Japanese dishes
• draft beer or Nihonshu.
• dietary requirements can be accommodated
• a copy of the passport information is required for every participant aged 10 and over
• a minimum of 2 people is required per booking.

“Gabi and Akiko were really friendly and made a nice job the tour was fun interesting and informative. We had really much fun with this group, thank you.”

Osaka Bar Hopping Food Tour

Osaka Bar Hopping Night Tour explores three hidden local bars in Namba – Osaka’s most lively nightlife district. Enjoy eating delicious local food and drinks at hidden food alleys on this great 3-hour night tour.

The tour includes 4 drinks, 1 dish, 8 skewers, or 3 drinks, 2 dishes, and 8 skewers. At the end of the tour, you will hop on to other bars in an area called Ura-Namba, where hidden traditional and delicious restaurants are located. 

• grilled vegetables
• sushi, takoyaki, Okonomiyaki
• beer, Sake, and Shochu
• more traditional food at the Izakaya bar.
• a vegan menu is available upon request.

“My wife and I had a phenomenal time on this tour! Our host and host-in-training were super friendly, spoke great English, and provided great background and information on all the food and drinks we consumed. We also really enjoyed the company of the other 3 people on the tour with us. By the end of the night, we were all great friends! I would highly recommend this experience to anyone looking for a solid introduction to the Dotonbori food and drink scene!”

All-Inclusive Night Foodie Cultural Extravaganza

This Osaka food tour will take you to Temma and Kyobashi, which are true gems of Osaka and are often missed by tourists. However, the locals love it and it is such a lively place to visit at night. If you want to explore a less touristic side of Osaka, this is your go-to!

You will get to visit 3 different local “tachinomi”-style restaurants and taste a lot of local dishes that other tours don’t offer. On this evening tour, you’ll absorb light lessons about the history and culture of the food and life in Osaka.

This tour includes a short train ride, but the train ticket is included in the price.

• dote nikomi
• various vegetable dishes prepared with traditional cooking techniques
• up to three drinks (one at each stop), alcoholic or non-alcoholic.
• this tour is not recommended for children
• group of max 6 people
• the Kobe Beef add-on is not available for bookings made less than 24 hours before the start of the tour
• dietary restrictions can be accommodated if the local partner is notified in advance.

“This was a fun way to try out local food. Includes an informative tour.”

Further reading for the best food tours in Osaka

• 15 Best Photo Spots in Osaka That You Can’t Miss

• How to Plan a Day Trip to Himeji: Travel Tips and Things to Know Before Visiting

• Osaka Itinerary: How to Spend 3 Days in Osaka

14 Days in Japan: Japan Golden Route Itinerary For First Timers

13 Best Tokyo Tours: Fun and Unique Experiences in Tokyo

13 Best Ryokan in Kyoto with Private Onsen That Will Blow Your Mind

Travel tips for Kyoto:

• 25 Best Photo Spots in Kyoto That You Must Visit
• How to Rent a Kimono in Kyoto: Detailed Process with Prices
• Complete Kyoto Itinerary: How to Spend 3 Days in Kyoto
• Best Kyoto Tours: Unique Experiences in Kyoto That You Don’t Want to Miss
• 18 Best Free Things to Do in Kyoto + Kyoto Budget Tips
• Where to stay in Kyoto? Hotel Review of Mimaru Kyoto Nijo Castle
• 15 Best Places to Photograph Cherry Blossoms in Kyoto

Travel tips for Osaka:

• 12 Best Ryokans in Osaka with a Private Onsen

Travel tips for Tokyo:

• 13 Incredible Hotels With Tokyo Tower View In Tokyo
• 15 Epic Hotels with a Mount Fuji View in Japan

Or read more about Kyoto | Osaka | Tokyo | Himeji | Nara | Uji | Japan

Other useful tips for visiting Japan

🏠 Need a place to stay? Browse Booking or Agoda 💃 How about fun experiences? GetYourGuide , Viator , and Klook have it all 🚗 Considering renting a car in Japan? Use Rentalcars 🚂 If you need transfers, bus or train tickets, check 12Go 🔒 Don’t forget about travel insurance from HeyMondo

In conclusion…

This is the end of the best food tours in Osaka and I am sure you have found one tour (or more!) that you will join during your time in Osaka. Make sure you secure your spot and book now because these Osaka top-rated food tours sell out fast!

I would love to hear your thoughts, so if you have any feedback or additional tips, leave a comment below. Also, check out my Instagram for regular travel videos and travel inspiration. Or explore other destinations on this travel blog.

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THE 10 BEST Osaka Food Tours

Food tours in osaka.

• Walking Tours
• Cultural Tours
• Historical & Heritage Tours
• Sightseeing Tours
• Up to 1 hour
• 1 to 4 hours
• 4 hours to 1 day
• 5.0 of 5 bubbles
• 4.0 of 5 bubbles & up
• 3.0 of 5 bubbles & up
• 2.0 of 5 bubbles & up
• Likely to Sell Out
• Special Offers
• The ranking of tours, activities, and experiences available on Tripadvisor is determined by several factors including the revenue generated by Tripadvisor from these bookings, the frequency of user clicks, and the volume and quality of customer reviews. Occasionally, newly listed offerings may be prioritized and appear higher in the list. The specific placement of these new listings may vary.

1. Osaka Food Tour (13 Delicious Dishes at 5 Local Eateries)

2. Osaka Local Foodie Walking Tour in Dotonbori and Shinsekai

3. Osaka Bar Hopping Night Walking Tour in Namba

4. Eat, Drink, Cycle: Osaka Food and Bike Tour

5. Kuromon Market Food Walking Tour in Osaka

6. 6 Hours Private Foodie Tour from Osaka Castle & Kuromon Market

7. Osaka Street Food Tour with a Local Foodie: Private & 100% Personalized

8. Absolute Osaka Food Tour

9. Osaka Food Walking Tour with Market Visit

10. Evening Street Food Hopping Tour in Downtown Osaka

11. Osaka Market Food Tour

12. Osaka Dotonbori Daytime Food Tour

13. Retro Osaka Street Food Tour: Shinsekai

14. Explore the Hidden Local Bars and Foods in Night Osaka -3.5 Hours

15. Osaka Food Crawl W KUNI-Osaka Private Food Tour

16. Discover the Hidden Gem of Osaka's Private Walking Tour

17. Luxuary Osaka Taxi Tour w/Govt Licensed MBA Guide & Photographer

Keep the fun going with other experiences in the area.

3 Hours Kyoto Insider Sake Experience

Sushi Making Experience in KYOTO

Home style Ramen and Homemade Gyoza from Scratch in Kyoto

Private Tea Ceremony and Sake Tasting in Kyoto Samurai House

Sake Tasting at Local Breweries in Kobe

Kyoto Sake Brewery & Tasting Walking Tour

1.5 Hours Kyoto Insider Sake Experience

Izakaya Style Cooking Class

Sushi - Authentic Japanese Cooking Class - the best souvenir from Kyoto!

Bento Box Cooking Class

Kyoto near Fushimiinari:Japanese Cooking Class & Supermarket tour

Experience a tea ceremony in an authentic tearoom, in Kyoto!

A Unique Antique Kimono and Tea ceremony Experience in English

What travellers are saying.

• Osaka Food Tour (13 Delicious Dishes at 5 Local Eateries)
• Tea Ceremony Experience in Osaka Doutonbori
• Osaka Bar Hopping Night Walking Tour in Namba
• Osaka Kickstart: Hotspots & Hidden Gems Tours(Private or Group)
• Deep Backstreet Osaka Tours
• HungryOsaka Tours
• All Star Osaka Walk
• Cycle Osaka
• Inside Osaka Tour
• Spirits of Japan
• Taste Osaka
• Magical Trip - Osaka
• Osaka Food Tours
• Beating Heart Osaka

10 Best Osaka Food Tours For 2024

By: Author Lora

Posted on Last updated: May 4, 2024

Looking for the best Osaka food tours? You came to the right place.

The vibrant city of Osaka is commonly referred to as the “Kitchen of Japan” and so is the ideal city to embark upon a food tour, sampling the delicious offerings of Japanese cuisine in the city. 

The best Osaka food tours can be found here for you to enjoy some of the best Japanese food available.  

There is a really good chance that this post contains affiliate links. If you click one of them, we may receive a small commission (for which we are deeply grateful) at no extra cost to you.

Table of Contents

In a Hurry? Here We Share an Overview of The Best Osaka Food Tours

Best Food Tours in Osaka

Best Osaka Food Tours

Going on a food tour is perhaps one of the best ways to truly enjoy Osaka. 

Osaka food tours are popular with tourists, both first-timers and seasoned travelers to Japan. 

Here are some of the best Osaka food tours you can take on to get the full authentic experience. 

Osaka Food Tour (10 Delicious Dishes at 5 hidden Eateries)

One of the hardest parts of looking for places to eat while traveling is finding the local favorites, the true hidden gems of an area. 

This Osaka food tour helps eliminate that difficulty by taking visitors to five “diamond in the rough” eateries in the Shinsekai area of Osaka. 

Shinsekai is well-known for its retro atmosphere and preservation of buildings and cultural icons of the 20 th Century. 

It is also the birthplace of a number of popular Osaka food delights. 

This tour moves among the marketplace and city streets of Shinsekai, giving visitors the opportunity to enjoy a variety of food in a number of different settings, ranging from traditional street food to lively izakayas and more. 

10 different dishes are covered involving a number of food, such as gyoza (Japanese dumplings), oden (a traditional winter hotpot dish), and Takoyaki (one of Osaka’s claims to fame). For a list of more healthy Japanese food, click here.

Two drinks, alcoholic and non-alcoholic, are also included.

• 10 dishes at 5 different eating places 
• 2 drinks 
• Participants will be met at a nearby train station by the guide 

Pros & Cons

• All food and drink included in the price so you don’t need to worry about additional charges
• It can accommodate a maximum of 8 people, perfect for a friendly atmosphere
• Accessibility has been considered and the tour is wheelchair accessible

• Only two drinks are included despite visiting 5 places, so if you want anything to drink elsewhere it will have to be purchased separately.
• This tour covers ‘off-the-beaten-track’ local restaurants so it may not work for visitors looking for a more a more luxurious, high-end experience

Conclusion  

This tour is great for visitors looking to experience a range of local and authentic eating places. 

From street stalls to izakayas to the marketplace, this tour will provide a variety of experiences in a fairly short time without the uncertainty of navigating Japanese-only menus or unfamiliar food names. 

Check prices and availability: Viator

Deep Backstreet Osaka Tours

This tour is predominantly a walking tour with some stops at street food stalls along the way. 

There is also a post-tour dinner option that introduces visitors to Osaka’s “soul food,” meaning food that is filling, tasty, and served fast. 

The Deep Backstreet Osaka tour covers a range of different areas with a strong focus on the backstreets of Osaka. 

This includes red-light districts, abandoned districts, and areas that are not in any common guidebooks or tour itineraries. 

Here you can find all our Osaka itineraries:

• Best 2 day Osaka itinerary
• Amazing 1 day Osaka itinerary
• Hidden gems in Osaka

The guides provide interesting information about these areas and the history behind them as well as their place in current Japanese culture. The tour is quite informal with a casual atmosphere. 

This is exemplified through the end of tour planning. 

The dinner plans are quite flexible and it is completely optional as to whether you join or move on to other activities you may have planned. 

• Very friendly and informative guides able to provide interesting information about backstreet areas 
• Maximum 12 people per group
• Stops at street food stalls and optional soul food dinner after the walking portion of the tour 
• Unique insight into interesting parts of Japanese culture and history
• Able to explore areas that some visitors may not feel comfortable visiting alone
• Try street food and soul food
• Doesn’t cater to all ages
• Less focus on food so may not work for those looking to experience a wider range of cuisine
• Not a standard tourist experience, which could be a pro or con for different travelers

As this tour is more focused on drinking and nightlife, it may be best suited for those who are looking for a night out after an izakaya dinner. 

It is also not suitable for children. 

The flexibility of this tour makes it good for those who are open to whatever the night brings.

Osaka Backstreet Night Tour

This evening tour is centered on the popular downtown areas of Namba, Shinsaibashi, and Amemura. 

These areas are home to some of Osaka’s top bars, restaurants, and more, making it ideal for exploring the nightlife of this city. 

Highlights  

This Osaka Backstreet Night Tour starts at an izakaya, a traditional Japanese pub-style restaurant, to sample some popular food. 

These include yakitori (chicken skewers), takoyaki (fried octopus dough balls), and sushi. 

From here, the guide introduces visitors to a backstreet, ‘off-the-beaten-path’ bar where meeting locals and friendly conversation happen easily. 

• Best things to do in Osaka
• Best things to do in Osaka at night

The tour also passes by the famous ‘Glico running man’ sign which is a popular photo spot. 

These are the main pre-decided points of the tour. After this, the itinerary becomes more flexible and is up to the group to decide. 

Common follow-ups include various bars or small, local karaoke bars. 

One alcoholic drink is included. Any other drinks beyond that must be purchased separately. 

• Izakaya dinner 
• One drink 
• Small group – maximum of 8 people 
• Introductions to a number of interesting and unique bars 

Pros & Cons 

• Introductions to local bars and Japanese bar culture
• Dinner at a traditional izakaya – a staple of Japanese restaurant culture
• Friendly and welcoming guides
• Only one drink is included despite visiting multiple drinking venues
• Mostly drinking-focused, only one food venue

The flexibility of this tour makes it good for those who are open to whatever the night brings.  

Check prices and availability:

GetYourGuide

Eat, Drink, Cycle: Osaka Food and Bike Tour

This is a unique tour concept as it combines two of the most popular types of tour – cycling tours and food tours. 

The tour starts with bike rentals and moves through the retro area of Shinsekai. 

It makes a stop at Japan’s oldest temple, Shi-Tennoji then through Osaka’s Koreatown in Tsuruhashi. 

It finishes at one of Osaka’s most famous knife-making workshops.

The Eat, Drink Cycle Osaka tour is done relaxed in Shinsekai, with casual exploring and the first food of the day before really starting the cycling. 

There is then a stop at Shi-Tennoji, one of the first official Buddhist temples in Japan. 

This temple was established in 593 and has a number of beautiful views, ranging from the temple itself to the unique 5-storied pagoda, up to the accompanying gardens. 

After this, the tour will move on to Tsuruhashi, the Koreatown of Osaka. This area is well-known for its food culture, including Japanese food, Korean food, and fusion food. 

The tour will also explore the fish market in this area. 

Some of the food include locally made sushi, wagyu beef, yakitori, and more. 

The tour also includes a consultation at Tower Knives, one of the largest bilingual knife factory shops in Japan.  

• Bike rental 
• Lunch 
• Bottled water 
• Small group – maximum of 7 people 
• Visits different areas and food venues
• Incorporates some tourist spots as well
• Combines food tours and cycling tours, allowing visitors to do one tour instead of booking one of each
• Participants need to be fairly fit to keep up with cycling for a length of time – not suitable for young children, elderly people, pregnant people, people with medical conditions that may affect their ability to do the bike tours
• Some visitors may not like alternating a lot of exercise with a lot of food.

This tour would be ideal for visitors looking to experience Osaka in a different way. 

By combining a cycling tour and a food tour, visitors are able to enjoy a range of places, food, and scenery. 

It is recommended that participants have at least a moderate level of physical fitness.  

Osaka Local Foodie Walking Tour in Dotonbori and Shinsekai

This tour explores the popular downtown areas of Dotonbori and Namba, as well as the retro area of Shinsekai.

It combines a walking tour and a food tour to provide the best of both worlds.

The Osaka Local Foodie Walking Tour moves through Shinsekai and the famous tower of Shinsekai, Tsutenkaku Tower. 

This tower was once the tallest in Asia and was considered a symbol of the “new era” of Japan. 

It then moves into the Dotonbori district and along the Dotonbori canal, one of the busiest areas of Osaka. 

It also walks through Shinsaibashi-suji, one of the largest shopping streets in Osaka. 

It also includes a stop at the Glico running man sign, another of the symbols of Osaka. 

This journey gives participants a chance to try local Osaka food including takoyaki, okonomiyaki (a type of savory pancake), and kushikatsu (breaded and fried skewers). 

Participants are able to sample these foods as well as take some away for later. 

The tour also stops at a secluded temple along the way. 

• Takoyaki, okonomiyaki, kushikatsu 
• 1 drink (alcoholic or non-alcoholic available) 
• Friendly and informative guide 
• Good combination of walking and food-based venues
• Variety of tourist destinations
• Food to sample as well as take away
• Only 1 drink included
• Only three types of food

This tour would be great for visitors looking to explore some of the most popular areas of Osaka with a knowledgeable and informative guide. 

The food included in the tour is very well-known as Osaka specialties, making this tour a true Osaka experience. 

Eat like a Local Street Food Tour

This tour provides a unique and personalized experience for each booking. 

Rather than joining a pre-decided itinerary, each participant is matched with a local guide based on personality and interests. 

The guide will then put together a variety of places to visit while keeping these interests in mind. 

The itinerary will include a selection of both local specialties, hidden gem food places, and venues that match well with the participant’s interests. 

This itinerary is flexible and open to changes even on the actual day of the tour. 

This Eat Like a Local Street Food Tour is a private and unique experience. You don’t have to work around anyone else or worry about food or venues you aren’t necessarily interested in. 

Six food tastings are included in the 3-hour tour. 

The tour takes place predominantly in the bustling Dotonbori district.

• 6 food tastings 
• 2 drinks (alcoholic or non-alcoholic) 
• Personalized itinerary 
• Private local guide 
• Personalized experience
• Private tour
• Catered to your individual interests
• For those who like the social atmosphere of tours and meeting other travelers, this tour may not work
• More communication needed ahead of the tour in order to provide information on personality and interests

This tour is perfect for those who feel their interests are often not catered to in standard tours or who are looking for a truly personalized experience. 

A private tour allows you to specify any definite inclusions or exclusions you want without worrying about affecting the experience of others. 

Check prices and availability: GetYourGuide

Nightlife Osaka Food Tour

This tour provides a good mix of nightlife venues and food venues. 

Finding the right balance between bars and restaurants can be difficult but this tour manages to combine the two well.

The Nightlife Osaka tour centers around the busy area of Dotonbori but focuses on the small side streets of the area rather than the loud and flashy main thoroughfares. 

A variety of dishes are included in this tour with four different food venues. 

This tour gives participants the chance to try kushikatsu, takoyaki, yakitori, and tempura.  

This is a good combination of local Osaka specialties and general Japanese cuisine. 

One drink is included (alcoholic or non-alcoholic) and the guide can direct you to local drink specialties to try as well. 

The food venues also vary in type, from street food stalls to izakaya.  

When it comes to bars, the tour visits one of the many buildings which houses many small and unique bars. 

The bars in these buildings can seem endless with many bars on each floor of a multi-floor building. 

Visiting some of these bars is a unique and interesting experience, and a great way to experience Japanese nightlife.

• 4 food venues 
• 1 drink 
• Dessert 
• Visits to a number of bars 
• Well-balanced tour
• Variety of food and food venues included
• Unique bars
• Stays in one area

This tour would be a great choice for visitors who want to experience both the food culture and nightlife culture of Osaka. 

The tour is well-balanced and well-designed and should be suitable for most adults.  

Osaka 2-hour Kuromon Market Walking Street Food Tour  

This walking tour focuses on Kuromon Market, the true centerpiece to Osaka’s title “Kitchen of Japan.” 

The market has been in place since the Edo Period (1693 – 1867) and consists of around 150 various shops and stalls. 

Many of these businesses have been in place for multiple decades and have been passed down through families. 

Kuromon Market was once the main place for Osaka’s restaurants to buy their produce, meat, fish, and more. 

Nowadays, it still serves a number of restaurants but is also popular among consumers. 

There are many street food sellers in the area and shops selling various types of kitchenware. 

This tour consists of a casual stroll through the market while learning about the historical and contemporary context of Kuromon Market. 

It also includes 4-5 food samplings with the guide assisting participants in deciding which food stalls they would like to stop at. 

The guide will provide information and recommendations on which foods are interesting, unique, or special.  

• 4-5 food samplings 
• Tour photos 
• Advice on food and souvenirs from a local guide 
• Participants can choose which food they would like to sample
• Casual atmosphere
• Location has historical and cultural significance
• Shorter than most other tours
• Some participants may prefer more structure

This tour is best suited for visitors who are interested in the food culture in Osaka in a range of contexts. 

It is also best for those more interested in street food and food stalls rather than sit-down restaurants.

Osaka Bar Hopping Food Tour  

This tour takes participants around the areas of Dotonbori and Namba while introducing them to the quieter, more relaxed backstreets of these areas. 

A number of these side streets are full of izakayas, restaurants, and bars commonly frequented by locals. 

This allows participants to get a more authentic experience of food and nightlife culture in Japan.

The Osaka Bar Hopping Tour visits a number of izakayas before moving on to some bars toward the end of the day. 

The foods included are mostly standard izakaya food as well as some local Osaka specialties. 

This includes kushikatsu, yakitori, sushi, takoyaki, and more. 

Food is included in the price; however, it is recommended that you bring cash so you can purchase more if you want to. 

This is also applicable to buying drinks. 

• 8 skewers, 1 dish, 4 drinks OR 8 skewers, 2 dishes, 3 drinks 
• Authentic izakaya experiences
• Visits small izakayas enjoyed by locals
• Range of food and bars
• Multiple drinks included
• This tour is largely focused on izakayas, so visitors hoping to experience street food and other types of food may be disappointed
• Not much of the food is included in the price

This tour would be a good choice for visitors who are mostly interested in the izakayas of Japan.  

If you’re looking to experience the izakayas and bars that locals regularly choose, this tour is for you.  

Osaka All-inclusive Night Foodie Cultural Extravaganza  

This tour covers two areas that are commonly skipped in most tourist recommendations – Tenma and Kyobashi. 

These areas are largely commercial areas with Tenma also being home to one of Osaka’s largest shrines, Osaka Tenmangu Shrine. 

The Osaka All-Inclusive Tour will visit 3 different ‘tachinomi’ bars. These are standing dining bars. 

Both food and drink are served but the customers stay standing. 

This type of bar-restaurant is rarely visited by tourists, making this a unique and authentic experience. 

The tachinomis serve a variety of food, including local specialties and common Japanese favorites. 

Some of the food included in this tour are sashimi, traditional vegetable dishes, kushikatsu, and dote nikomi (slow-cooked beef). 

There’s also an option to add Kobe beef to your orders. 

Three drinks are also included. 

The guide is able to provide interesting information about the area and culture along the way. 

Participants are able to meet and socialize with locals. 

• 3 restaurant visits 
• 3 drinks (alcoholic or non-alcoholic), 1 at each stop 
• Train fare between the two areas 
• Informative local guide 
• Unique authentic experience
• Two different areas, three different restaurants
• Three drinks included
• Some visitors might prefer the sit-down aspect of standard restaurants or izakayas
• As the tour covers two areas, there is a short train journey as well

This tour provides a unique experience as tachinomis are often skipped in food tours and the areas of Kyobashi and Tenma aren’t considered tourist hotspots. 

The stalls visited are small, local businesses with great care put into the food. 

This is a great tour for experiencing a range of food in an authentic setting.

Here you can find all our Osaka accommodations posts:

• Where to stay in Osaka
• Best ryokans in Osaka
• How to find the best Airbnb in Osaka

Conclusion 

With thousands of restaurants offering a huge variety of different food, it can be hard to narrow down which places to visit to have the best Japanese food experiences. 

Trying to locate authentic eating places while making the most of both local specialties and general Japanese cuisine can be overwhelming for even a seasoned traveler. 

Taking one of Osaka’s best food tours is a perfect way to get a range of experiences and try various Japanese food in an interesting setting. 

If you are looking for an overview of delicious Japanese street food, click here.

Here you can find all our Japan posts.

14 Unique & Fun Osaka Food Tours to Enjoy in 2024

Often hailed as Japan's kitchen, Osaka is famous for its diverse and delectable street food, traditional dishes, and modern culinary innovations. We've handpicked sensational food tours that offer a deep dive into the city's rich gastronomy. From bustling street food to traditional delights and innovative cuisine, sample the flavors of Osaka with us, one unforgettable tour at a time. (Main Photo: Viator)

Osaka Private Night Tour: Dōtonbori & Ura Namba, 4 Hours With A Local

Osaka is a city that buzzes with energy all night long! Whether you're exploring the vibrant Namba entertainment district or seeking out culinary delights in the bustling lanes of Dotonbori , a magical night in Osaka is always on the cards. For a tailor-made nightlife adventure, the Osaka Private Night Tour is your perfect companion. A knowledgeable local guide will lead you on a four-hour escapade through the heart of Dotonbori and Ura Namba , the epicenter of Osaka's electric nightlife . You'll wander the nostalgic Ukiyokoji streets, savor late-night ramen , belt out tunes at Jankara karaoke , and hop from bar to bar , immersing yourself in the authentic nocturnal pursuits of the locals. Within 24 hours of your booking, you'll receive a questionnaire to capture your interests and preferences. Your responses will help pair you with a compatible guide who will craft the perfect itinerary for you. The tour is designed with flexibility in mind, allowing you to choose the meeting spot and accommodating last-minute tweaks to ensure your night is exactly what you've dreamed of.

• Great opportunity to experience how Osaka locals spend their nightlife.
• This tour is a private tour so you can enjoy the activities at your own pace.
• Itinerary is flexible and customized based on your preferences.

Hidden Osaka - Yukaku Red Light Tour & Culinary Adventure

Osaka is a city of contrasts, embodying the duality of Yin and Yang. By day, it radiates positive vibes, but as dusk falls, a more secretive side emerges, illuminated by the glow of neon in the nightlife districts. Dive into this lesser-known aspect of Osaka with the "Hidden Osaka - Yukaku Red Light Tour & Culinary Adventure." Your local guide will escort you through the enigmatic after-hours scene in two significant districts: Tobita and Shinsekai . Over the course of three hours, you'll venture to places like Tobita Shinchi and Tsutenkaku, areas seldom seen by tourists. The adventure is interspersed with visits to anime -inspired buildings, playful attempts at Enichi festival games , and a jaunt through Izakayas to sample Osaka's quintessential street food. Take the opportunity to explore the nocturnal heartbeat of Osaka and uncover the roots of its enduring energy.

• Explore off the beaten path of Osaka with a local English-speaking guide.
• Take a dive into Osaka's deeper side with insider perspectives.
• Experience a nightlife that is more eccentric than your ordinary night tours.

Osaka Food Market Tour

Osaka has earned its nickname "the city of Kuidaore," which translates to "eat until you drop," for good reason. Culinary delights are woven into the very fabric of Osaka's culture, and every street corner offers an array of mouth-watering local fare. For food enthusiasts eager to get to the heart of this epicurean excitement, the Kuromon market is an absolute must-see. To truly savor the Kuromon Market, consider joining the Osaka Food Market Tour. Spend three flavorful hours with a local guide who will weave you through the bustling stalls, introducing you to local delicacies that may include Michelin-rated octopus, sizzling yakisoba, and exquisite tuna sushi . Alongside the tastes, you'll be treated to engaging stories about the market's history, its culture, the Osakan lifestyle , and of course, the food. After indulging at the market, the tour continues to Osaka's "kitchen town," where you'll have the chance to meet local chefs. They'll share insights on essential cooking tools needed to prepare authentic Osaka dishes—perfect for those who wish to bring a slice of Osaka's culinary magic into their own kitchens. And don't miss out on the impressive display of plastic food samples, a unique and artistic representation of the local cuisine that's sure to capture your imagination.

• Get a taste of Osaka's delicacies at its best at the city's most famous market.
• Receive insights and recommendations on what to eat and where to find them.
• Meet with locals and get an insight into their perspectives on Osaka's food culture.

Osaka Shinsekai Evening Street Food Tour

While Namba and Dotonbori dazzle with their modern cityscape, to truly experience the heart of Osaka's past, a visit to Shinsekai is essential. Developed in the early 20th century, Shinsekai blossomed as a hub for Osaka's entertainment scene, particularly in the postwar Showa period. The nostalgic ambiance of that era still lingers in the district, with shops and eateries that have served generations of locals. To immerse yourself in Shinsekai 's unique atmosphere after dusk, consider joining the Osaka Shinsekai Evening Street Food tour. Over the course of three hours, a local guide will lead you through the alleyways and backstreets of this retro neighborhood, sharing insights only known to residents. You'll pause at five different food spots and savor six traditional local foods and drinks, each with its own place in the tapestry of Osaka's rich culinary heritage. This tour not only fills your stomach with delectable bites but also fills your soul with the genuine spirit of old Osaka.

• Stress free navigating around the deeper side of Osaka with an English speaking local guide.
• Enjoy some of Osaka's delicious street foods and drinks recommended by a local.
• Find hidden gems of Osaka only locals know about.

Osaka Local Bar & Izakaya Crawl Evening Tour in Uranamba Area

DEEP DIVE OSAKA NIGHTIME FOODIE TOUR

Osaka deep dive nightime foodie tour.

Great local foods and a night-time foodie walking tour exploring Osaka’s culture. Not a pub crawl, not non-stop eating, but a harmonious balance of walk-eat-drink. All in groups of no more than six guests, and never a "take it or leave it" food selection.

Osaka Food Tour

Explore osaka’s culinary landscape with pinpoint traveler.

Looking for a unique Osaka night tour experience that goes beyond the usual? Pinpoint Traveler offers just that – a distinct Osaka foodie tour that blends cultural insights with mouth-watering local delicacies. While we quench your hunger, we also aim to enrich your understanding of the vibrant city of Osaka – a place we deeply cherish and call home.

Our explorative journey largely covers the Tenma and Kyobashi neighborhoods, shedding light on their hidden tales and nuances. Our bilingual, expert guides are with you every step of the way to share entertaining stories and answer any questions. And while stories are an integral part of our Osaka food tour, the star of the show is undoubtedly the food.

Enjoy an Authentic Osaka Dining Experience

Our Osaka foodie tour is designed for those who want to step off the beaten path and taste Osaka’s true flavors. With an intimate group setting of no more than 6 guests, you get the golden opportunity to blend in and experience the city like a true local. The establishments we choose specifically cater to smaller groups, ensuring you receive the warm, familial hospitality that Osaka is known for.

Across the three meticulously selected restaurants on our itinerary, you’ll get to savor around fifteen distinct dishes. 

Surprisingly, many of our guests haven’t even encountered half of these delicacies before joining us. But fear not, our Osaka night tour isn’t about pushing you out of your comfort zone with unfamiliar or intimidating dishes. Instead, we aim to strike a balance by offering unconventional choices and beloved classics (while takoyaki is a must-try in Osaka, we encourage you to relish it independently). 

Rest assured, we have a diverse palette of culinary experiences waiting to be discovered with you!

Staying in the city for a few days? Check out all of our Osaka tours and explore more. Osaka and Kyoto are not far from each other, so check out our Kyoto tours to explore the differences between these close neighbors

Pinpoint Traveler  has an average score of  4.7⭐ across over  500  reviews on  multiple review sites . Below is a sampling of some of our most recent reviews for the  Osaka Night Foodie Tour 

Check out one of our more adventurous eaters

We had the pleasure of hosting the fabulous Shizuka Anderson on a private adventure through some of our favorite haunts and pleasures across Tenma and Kyobashi, the two neighborhoods our experience visits. Check out how much she enjoyed herself!

Why do an Osaka night foodie tour with us? 

Experience the authenticity of osaka with fluent guides.

Delving deep into Osaka’s vibrant streets requires not just knowledge but also linguistic fluency. At Pinpoint Traveler, every member of our team is not only native or proficient in Japanese but also boasts native or near-native English skills. 

Our genuine love for Osaka shines through in our tours – after all, our company proudly calls this city home. As you embark on our Osaka foodie tour, you’ll recognize this is an authentic experience when locals warmly interact with our guides and your group. And should any interpretation be needed, we’re right there to facilitate seamless cultural exchanges.

Savor the City’s Culinary Delights on Our All-Inclusive Osaka Night Tour

Our Osaka night tour promises a delightful mix of humor, rich cultural tales, and delectable food across three distinct restaurants. Spanning approximately three hours, we guarantee you’ll conclude your journey with a satisfied palate and a heart full of joy. 

While some tours claim to be all-inclusive, only to later hint at additional expenses, we remain transparent. The only time you might find yourself spending extra on our tours is if you wish to indulge beyond the three drinks included.

Join us and feel like an Osaka local for the evening, immersing yourself in an experience that stands apart from the rest.

Got any queries about our Osaka food tours? We’re always here to help, so feel free to reach out !

Historic Landmarks

Both the Tenma and Kyobashi neighborhoods are rich with history, blending the old and new.

Professional Guide

Real English, real skills, and great personalities. Our guides have the knowledge and expertise to provide you with interesting, fun, and memorable tours.

Fully-Narrated Tour

Our tours never leave you to wander about on your own. Your guide stays with you the whole time to answer questions, offer insights, and share plenty of laughs.

Easy Access

This tour starts just outside a rail station (and very nearby a subway station), making meeting up an anxiety-free experience.

Osaka Food Tour at Night — a Cultural Extravaganza

Take a peek at the experience that awaits you.

Osaka Foodie Tour Overview

We start our night foodie tour at McDonalds. Yeah, we know that sounds dreary, but fear not! We quickly depart from this easily-recognizable landmark and launch directly into our 45-minute cultural introduction to the Tenma district.The area was built so long ago that many of the streets weren’t even designed for bicycle traffic, which makes sense since they hadn’t yet been invented. Our path then takes us on to one of the most significant covered arcades (shopping streets) in Osaka: Tenjinbashi-suji. This is the longest such street in the country, in fact! Oodles of history, complete with a tie-in to Kyoto, and still a bustling, colorful sight today. You should know that there’s a lot of color to be experienced over the course of the evening, in all senses.We’ve got a few stops lined up before we get to our first restaurant. Some are food-related and some less so. We hate to ruin all the fun by dissecting the adventure here, but trust us when we say it’s a good time for all. And the leisurely walk gently works up the appetite, too.All the curiosities together represent modern city life in Japan and, as is the case with the rest of the evening, we see few other foreign visitors in the places we tread.

The Food Part of Our Osaka Foodie Tour

Over the course of the night, we spend around 1.5 hours walking around and exploring and about 1.5 hours eating. It’s a nice balance, if we do say so ourselves! 

Depending on the evening, all or some of the restaurants may be “ tachinomi. ” These are loosely translated to “standing bar” restaurants, but they’re lively social places that have super tasty homemade food, in addition to a bountiful drink selection. These are not bars in the drinking sense, but rather more akin to a place for tapas. And these delicious tapas are made to order in a full kitchen. Traditionally, these have been neighborhood stops where people go after work for their happy hour.

Like most other customers, we only spend around 30 minutes in each tachinomi , as we want to keep the scenery and flavors fresh over the course of the evening. 

About the Food on Our Osaka Night Tour

We absolutely never serve endangered species — we are very serious about this. We also don’t do raw chicken and there is no cat or dog meat either (Japanese don’t eat cats or dogs anyway).

If you are a vegetarian, vegan, or have another dietary restriction (or even simply an arbitrary dislike), ideally you could just let us know in advance and we’ll make thoughtful arrangements.

What about a Namba, Shinsaibashi, or Dotonbori tour?

When it comes to nightlife in Osaka, first and foremost on most visitors’ agenda is Dotonbori. If you know what you’re doing, there is some cool stuff to see there. But honestly, Dotonbori is not particularly local anymore. At least, not the parts that are generally accessible to foreigners (a curmudgeonly lot, that area’s owners can be!). 

Think of Dotonbori as a mini NY Times Square sort of spectacle. There’s even a Taco Bell. 

This is why we choose to show you Tenma and Kyobashi on our Osaka night tour, where there’s no pandering to tourist money. We were one of the original tour providers in the Tenma area. A few of us lived or still live in Tenma or nearby, and we knew the shop owners and local scene well before we even started showing people around.

Today, we are excited to continue offering an Osaka foodie experience with no cut-corners and no lesser food stops. We would love to have you join us!

Osaka Foodie Tour Itinerary

Explore this centuries-old neighborhood filled with shops and restaurants. Places and people both old and young, and an assortment of just generally interesting sights abound. We spend about 45 minutes walking around and talking about some of the more noteworthy ones.

With our 45-minute cultural endeavor behind us, it’s time for a drink and some food. Depending on the night, the restaurants we go to vary, but you can be sure there will be a variety of dishes to choose from. We’ll also explain the sights and sounds of the typical “ tachinomi ”, or standing bar-restaurant. We spend about 30 minutes here.

Part two of our Tenma walkabout takes us deeper into the restaurants and food markets area, where the streets are particularly narrow and atmospheric. This offers a great chance to see the locals out having a great time, since many of the restaurants are open to the street. This walk is about 15 minutes.

Probably still in Tenma, we’ll make sure the second food stop has different tastes and a different vibe than the first. We’ll spend about 30 minutes here.

After a brief train ride (your fare is included), we arrive at Kyobashi. We think a good Osaka night tour involves more than just one neighborhood! Kyobashi was once the primary gateway when coming from Kyoto, and it still is today, albeit to a less hectic degree. An entertainment district with a different breed of restaurants, our short walk around this area will show you things not found in Tenma, let alone somewhere like Dotonbori. Within about 30 minutes from when we departed restaurant #2 in Tenma, we’ll be heading to our final foodie stop.

We hope you’ve still got space, because we’ve got a third restaurant in store for you. Again, different food, different vibe. We’ll spend about 30 minutes here.

Quick Tips for Our Osaka Night Tour

There are a few things we’d like you to take note of before joining us.

• The legal drinking age in Japan is 20
• All participants must be 13+ to participate in this experience
• While not overtly risque, the tour includes commentary and content that may not be suitable for pre-teens
• Please come wearing comfortable shoes, and dress for some time both indoors and outdoors
• Unfortunately, we cannot wait for late-comers, so do plan on arriving a bit early

Inclusions:

• A dinner’s worth of food across three different restaurants
• Up to three alcoholic or non-alcoholic drinks (one at each stop)
• Train fare between our two neighborhoods

Exclusions:

• Drinks beyond the three provided (you can purchase more directly from the restaurant if you wish)
• Although the tour provides plenty of food to make a full meal of, for those wishing to dabble in some Kobe Beef (or nearby sourced), we offer a 100g (3.5 oz) add-on option at checkout. Why not taste what all the fuss is about, without the expenses and commitment of a full-fledged wagyu dinner?

Historic and Cultural Landmarks

Both the Tenma and Kyobashi neighborhoods are rich with history, creating a tapestry of old and new. Japan’s longest shopping street is here, as is the embarkation point for Kyoto and on to Tokyo along Japan’s most famous road, the Tokaido.

Our tour starts in front of the McDonalds that is right at Tenma (sometimes spelled “Temma”) Station. It’s also just a few minutes’ walk from the nearby Ogimachi subway station. The tour wraps up at Kyobashi Station, from where it’s easy to ride the JR Loop Line, the subway, or even Keihan Railway if you are heading to Kyoto. 

Did you know that Kyoto and Osaka are just 45 minutes apart? A night tour in Osaka is very easily done, even if you’re staying in Kyoto!

Would you like to have a guide come early and escort you to the tour start point? This is available for central Osaka addresses for 5,000 yen plus your train fare (which will be less than 300 yen/person). For pickup points beyond central Osaka, pricing may be higher. Please email us if you are interested in this service.

Our Tour Guides

We've got around a dozen guides at your service. Here we showcase a few of our most active ones.

Not profiled here are guides who speak Spanish (Kyoto, in addition to Dan in Osaka), French (Osaka, Kyoto, Tokyo), and German (Kyoto and Tokyo).

Pickup Point

Our McDonalds meeting point (don't be alarmed!) is conveniently accessible by both subways and the JR Loop Line.

10 Best Things To Do in Osaka at Night - Pinpoint Traveler

December 10, 2020

[…] Japan’s cuisine is almost unique in the world, and while everyone knows dishes such as sushi and sashimi, each of the country’s regions also has its own delicacies which should definitely be sampled. You can do it on your own, but we’d love to have you along on our super fun and interesting night tour! […]

Ultimate food tour of Osaka - SUITCASE AND I

December 14, 2020

[…] my final night in Japan, I had the absolute pleasure of embarking on the Deep Osaka Nighttime Foodie Tour. Exploring with Pinpoint Traveller was an immersion into the real culture and nightlife of this […]

Kevin Boynton

Thanks so much for the praise!

6 Best Osaka Food Tours

The kaleidoscopic city of Osaka prides itself on being Japan’s center of subculture. It also has a well-deserved reputation as one of the best foodie cities in the world. As a foodie, I’m sure you know that one of the most enjoyable ways to immerse yourself in the local culinary scene is to join a food tour. In the best Osaka food tours, you can discover lesser-known eateries, learn more about the food culture, and even make some new friends along the way! 

From hidden backstreets lined with unique bars to shopping lanes bursting with street food, you’ll be spoilt for choice. Be sure to embrace the spirit of kuidaore (“eat ’til you drop”) when trying iconic local dishes such as takoyaki (grilled octopus balls) and of course okonomiyaki (savory pancakes).

Foodies Must Join These Food Tours in Osaka

Here are our top six recommended food tours in Osaka:

• Backstreets of Osaka Food Tour at Night
• Nostalgic Shinsekai Street Food Tour
• Half Pint Craft Beer Tour in Osaka
• Osaka Kuromon Market and Kitchen Town Tour
• Osaka Namba and Dotonbori Tour
• The Ultimate Osaka Night Tour

1. Backstreets of Osaka Food Tour at Night

Explore the lively back alleys of Minami Osaka (South Osaka), the ideal place to experience some truly local hangouts.

Starting in Dotonbori, you get the chance to sample famous Osaka dishes, such as kushikatsu , takoyaki , and other seasonal specialties . This will be rounded off with a delicious regional dessert. Throughout the evening, you’ll be exploring the best drinking alleys and hole-in-the-wall izakayas, where you can really make the most of Osaka’s rowdy nightlife!

Book the Backstreets of Osaka Food Tour at Night >>

2. Nostalgic Shinsekai Street Food Tour

Immerse yourself in a wonderfully retro neighborhood that was inspired by both Paris and New York’s Coney Island! 

Built around the nostalgia-evoking Tsutenkaku Tower, you can choose to tour this charming area either during the daytime or after dark when the streets are aglow with multicolored lanterns. Either way, you’ll drop in at five different food stops to sample the city’s famous street food, including iconic dishes like kushikatsu (deep-fried skewers of meat, seafood, or vegetables). Also, there will be some time available for shopping, so you can find the perfect souvenir!

Book the Nostalgic Shinsekai Osaka Street Food Tour >>

3. Half Pint Craft Beer Tour in Osaka

If you’re a fan of craft beer , this is the Japan tour for you! Hop between several different craft beer bars in the bustling Umeda district to discover more about Japanese craft beer and the breweries that produce it. At each location, you’ll enjoy a half-pint of craft beer. If you get peckish, food will also be available to purchase.

Whether you like your beer hoppy, malty, crisp, or dark, there’s a brew for everyone here, and your expert guide – who is a Certified Beer Server – will be more than happy to make recommendations. Perhaps you’ll even find a new favorite!

Book the Half Pint Craft Beer Tour in Osaka >>

4. Osaka Kuromon Market and Kitchen Town Tour

This Osaka food tour takes you to two locations that truly embody the city’s foodie culture. First, you begin in Kuromon Ichiba Market, also known as “Osaka’s Kitchen” for being a sprawling arcade where both residents and restaurateurs go for culinary supplies. With around 150 stores selling everything from meat to confectionery, you’ll be surrounded by the sights, scents, and flavors of Osaka’s food scene. 

Then, it’s on to Sennichimae Doguyasuji, better known as “Kitchen Town,” where you can browse all manner of food-related merchandise. Admire the craftsmanship of razor-sharp cooking knives and beautiful ceramics, or pick up an intricate plastic “food sample” model used in restaurant windows for a really unique souvenir!

Book the Osaka Kuromon Market and Kitchen Town Tour >>

5. Osaka Namba and Dotonbori Tour

Explore Namba district’s culinary delights on this three-hour food tour in Osaka. First, you’ll stop by the popular Kuromon Market, which serves the freshest produce and ingredients as well as mouthwatering street food. After that, you’ll go on to Dotonbori, a neon-lit entertainment wonderland in the heart of the city. 

Enjoy delicious local dishes such as yakitori (grilled chicken), sushi , and okonomiyaki pancakes as you explore this famous entertainment district, while your English-speaking guide teaches you all about Osaka’s world-renowned food culture.

Book the Osaka Namba and Dotonbori Food Tour >>

6. The Ultimate Osaka Night Tour

In addition to its foodie credentials, Osaka is renowned across Japan for its wild nightlife scene. This tour will take you to the very best places to party the night away! Start the night with dinner at an authentic izakaya , before enjoying a walking tour of Namba’s coolest backstreets like a local.

Finally, you’ll hit up nightlight hotspots while surrounded by Dotonbori’s neon lights. It’s sure to be a night you’ll never forget!

Book The Ultimate Osaka Night Tour >>

From sampling unique local street food to heading out on late-night bar crawls, these culinary tours are a fantastic way to explore the gastronomic delights this vibrant and fun-loving city has to offer. So book one of the best Osaka food tours today, and ensure your visit to Japan is as delicious as it is exciting!

Want to find out more about what Osaka has to offer? Check out the Osaka guide for the newest trends in the area, popular attractions, and more!

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