This ever-popular eatery in the Shin-Umeda Shokudogai restaurant corridor, underneath the sprawling complex housing the Osaka and Umeda railway and metro stations, is considered the birthplace of Osaka-style Sanuki udon. A power-packed pairing of Kagawa prefecture’s thick and chewy wheat noodles and rich and flavourful Osaka-style dashi broth, the dish is perfect for those who find regular Sanuki udon a little too bland.
Kamatake serves its artisanal udon with a wedge of lemon, freshly ground ginger and chopped scallions – a topping combination that brings out the gentle texture of the noodles and tempers the punchiness of the broth. The basic dish can be complemented with tempura (we like the chikutama, a combo of egg and chikuwa fish cake) or fancier ingredients such as wagyu beef (ask for niku bukkake). You get to choose the size of your dish from small (300g of noodles), medium (400g) and large (800g).
Note that the shop is open only for lunchtime and attracts lengthy queues practically every day.