The best things to do in Osaka's Minami district, including Namba, Dotonbori and Shinsaibashi

The massive Namba Parks shopping and entertainment complex was designed to inject some greenery into the city’s concrete jungle, with the lush terraced rooftop garden offering a much needed respite from the bustling streets. In 2023, the facility expanded with a new area on the south side. Here you’ll find a varied mix of restaurants and two new hotels, one of which is Centara Grand Hotel Osaka, Japan’s first hotel by a Thai luxury brand.

Just five minutes’ walk from Namba Parks is Osaka’s most distinctive shrine. The imposing 12m-tall lion head building is said to be able to bestow good luck on worshippers by engulfing any evil bothering them.

With approximately 150 shops, the covered Kuromon Market is Osaka’s largest food market, full of street eats and local specialities. In between the mom-and-pop greengrocers and sundry shops are dozens of places to sample everything from grilled oysters and dipping noodles to seasonal fruits. Besides strolling around with a skewer or plastic plate in hand, you’ll want to plonk yourself down in any of the sushi restaurants, or just pick up a bag of pickles – it’s bound to taste good.

Sushi might not be the first thing that comes to mind when thinking of essential Osaka eats, but the city’s energetic, casual and value-conscious dining culture actually lends itself well to showcasing a style of cuisine that developed from street food during the Edo period (1603–1867). Tokisushi has been turning fresh seafood from area fishing ports into delectable nigiri and rolls since back when the now-bustling streets just east of Namba Station were lined mainly with warehouses.

Sitting pretty in a narrow alley just off the kitchenware-focused Doguyasuji shopping arcade is what we’re confident calling one of Osaka’s leading ramen shops. Menya Joroku recently celebrated a decade in the business of serving up Takaida ramen, a locally born style characterised by an almost black – but plesantly mellow – shoyu soup and extra-thick chewy noodles.

Iconic popsicle shop Hokkyoku has been hawking its simple but oh-so-satisfying iced treats in the Ebisubashisuji shopping arcade since 1945. While select varieties of their dainty pops can usually be found at some department stores and various event stalls, the full selection of 10 flavours – from milk, cocoa and pineapple to azuki beans – is available only here. These bars sell by the thousands year round, with the longest lines of course forming during Osaka’s blazing summer.

Tucked away in a quiet street south of the ever-chaotic Namba Station, ‘Monkey Coffee’ is just the spot for a laid-back break over a cup of expertly brewed speciality joe. Osaru Coffee serves around eight house-roasted varieties at all times, with light and medium roasts usually making up the bulk of the selection. Coffee starts from ¥650, while the breakfasts (‘morning set’; available until 11.30am) are a steal at ¥750.

Bunraku is Japan’s traditional form of puppet theatre. Developed by townsfolk during the Edo period (1603–1867), it assumed its modern form in Osaka in the early nineteenth century and remains closely associated with the city. The National Bunraku Theatre’s performances aimed at first-timers and visitors who don’t understand Japanese are a great way to get an introduction to the art form.

Sitting pretty on Otaku (‘Ota’) Road in the tech-geek wonderland of Den Den Town, Naka isn’t exactly hard to find, what with all the garish electronic signboards advertising the shop as a ‘sound vault’ packed with ‘rare treasures’. You’ll find a wide and occasionally unwieldy variety of vinyl here, but the focus is on kayokyoku (Showa-era Japanese pop), enka and domestic rock.

Sennichimae’s Doguyasuji cookware arcade is the ideal home for this quirky fake food specialist, run by a company that’s been producing plastic replicas for display in restaurant windows for decades. Catering to the tourist trade since 2011, the shop’s keyrings, magnets, phone straps and other accessories are heavily geared towards essential Osaka eats such as takoyaki and make for nice souvenirs.

This renowned covered shopping street spans approximately 600m in length. There really is everything here, from designer labels and trendy boutiques to kimono shops and countless restaurants. The arcade is also within walking distance from Dotonbori and Amerikamura, making it easy to explore all three in one day.

Takoyaki – the ubiquitous savoury ball of batter encasing a piece of octopus – is an Osaka staple. One of our go-tos for this addictive snack is Takotako King, a lively pub with multiple outlets in the Minami area. Here you can try takoyaki in a variety of flavours including shoyu, ponzu, mentaiko mayo and garlic salt. It also serves other Kansai classics such as okonomiyaki.

Shinsaibashi Parco transformed its second basement floor into a lively food hall called Shinsaibashi Neon Shokudo Gai. There are 25 well-designed eateries and bars including a Korean restaurant, a tantanmen specialist and a Japanese craft whisky bar.

This iconic purveyor of the classic Japanese comfort food of omurice, or rice wrapped in omelette, celebrated its centennial in 2022. Founded as an upscale restaurant dedicated to yoshoku, the Meiji-era Japanese interpretation of ‘Western’ food, Hokkyokusei is considered the birthplace of omurice, a dish reputedly coined here in response to a regular’s request and now the eatery’s sole focus.

Though it’s run by the comedian Tetsuji from the Osaka-based manzai duo Shampoo Hat, tsukemen eatery Miyata Menji is dead serious about its noodles. The shop offers a choice from two signature varieties of noods and one rotating special to go with its much-vaunted veggie potage soup, a rich concoction reminiscent of vichyssoise but with a seafood umami kick.

The self-taught, self-described ‘curry maniac’ behind this Shinsaibashi gem combines an array of familiar curry spices like cumin and turmeric with sour pickled plums, fermented and salted squid and other powerful flavours from Japanese cuisine. The results are spectacular, with curry fans making pilgrimages from far and wide to taste his unique creations.

Hidden away beyond the reach of the flashy neon lights illuminating its Shinsaibashi street, the refined Umineko is a tiny, standing-only bar dedicated entirely to Japanese craft beer, including a few house brews. Up to nine varieties are offered at all times and can also be ordered to go.

Audiophiles from all around Japan make pilgrimages to this record bar that stocks a collection of some 2,000 titles, from Brazilian beats and jazz to mellow hip-hop, including classics and new releases alike. Owner and bartender Keiji Maki picks every track himself, pulling records from the shelf one after the other and playing songs that match the moment’s atmosphere, all while conversing smoothly with patrons seated at the counter. Watching him work is all the entertainment you’ll need here.

Its streets lined with second-hand boutiques, Amerikamura should be any thrifty shopper’s first destination in Osaka. One of the most interesting stores in the neighbourhood is the dainty Juyonsai, which focuses exclusively on Japan-made clothing and other items from the late ’80s to mid-’90s – the beginning of Japan’s Heisei era – embodying the emerging genre of ‘Heisei retro’.

Artisanal hamburgers are far from a rarity in Osaka these days, but pickings were seriously slim back when Critters first set up shop in Amerikamura back in 2009. They’ve been evangelising for high-end beef burgers ever since, and finding a tastier specimen than their 160-gram Premium Wagyu Burger anywhere in the city is still a big ask.

Doing brisk business next to Triangle Park smack in the middle of Amerikamura since 1974, Kogaryu is one of Osaka’s most beloved takoyaki dealers – and in a city where the eateries dealing in these octopus dumplings number in the thousands, that’s saying something. Possessing that perfect duality of a crispy, light brown exterior and a runny inside that explodes with flavour in your mouth, these takoyaki are about as punchy as you’ll get without condiments.

The centrepiece of speciality coffee culture in Amerikamura, Lilo’s has been roasting beans and serving up artisanal coffee in pour-over, AeroPressed and American pressed forms since 2014. Employing colourful illustrations, their detailed menu lists more than 20 kinds of joe, complete with info on the origin and producers of the beans as well as tasting notes.

This enduringly popular three-storey club centres on a dancefloor with room for some 800 partiers, with a mezzanine above it and a VIP floor and rooftop terrace up top. The programming is eclectic: hip-hop and reggae nights alternate with house and techno events, complemented by the occasional party dedicated entirely to anime music.

Record store King Kong is an Amerikamura institution, having been part of the neighbourhood’s transformation into a hub for youth culture from the late ’70s onward. While still supported mainly by the local community, the shop has also become a destination for collectors from throughout Japan and overseas, who come to marvel at and dig through its 50,000-strong collection of records.

Sushi, curry, ramen, yakitori and more – eat your way through the 17 restaurants at Osaka’s tastiest food and cultural space