Food and drink at Time Out Market Osaka

Ayamuya is the first restaurant in Osaka to receive a Michelin star for its yakitori, or grilled chicken skewers. Now you can get a taste of this award-worthy fare at Time Out Market, where the restaurant serves up familiar favourites such as fried chicken and chicken cutlet sandwiches.

Critters Burger started out as a humble food truck back in 2008 and has since grown into one of Osaka’s most-loved burger joints. Founded by chef Kenjiro Kurita, Critters cooks up chunky wagyu beef patties and serves them in homemade buns baked with Hokkaido wheat and natural yeast.

Dig into authentic Hong Kong-style kettle-roasted meat at this eatery run by Yoshiyuki Wei, the chef-owner of acclaimed Chinese restaurant Ichino Funairi in Kyoto. Cooked in a purpose-built oven, the meats served at Gihan Siumei include crispy pork, roast duck and char siu pork. There are also a range of dim sum options available.

While Japan’s savoury delights have conquered world cuisine, its sweet treats remain relatively under the radar. Gion Tokuya may be about to change all that. The original branch opened in Kyoto, reviving the city with wagashi – dainty, traditional Japanese sweets made to accompany tea – and kakigori, mountains of shaved ice with toppings such as tea or azuki beans.

Julian♡Sucré♡Acid is a mash-up of three popular Osaka sweets purveyors that have come together to create ice cream just for Time Out Market. Masuhiro Yokota, owner of Julian Ice Cream, has teamed up with Osaka’s leading bakery Le Sucre Coeur and pâtisserie Acid Racine for this unique concept. One must-try is described as the ‘modern take on a popular Japanese coffee shop dessert’, featuring pie crust with soft serve ice cream and sweet sauces.

Bringing a taste of Korea to the city since 1979, Kankokushokudo Iru is an institution with recipes by its founder Park Sam-soon carefully passed down through the generations. Its ginseng chicken soup is the stuff of legend.

Kitaro Sushi specialises in sharikoma, a unique type of sushi characterised by its small balls of vinegared rice which make it easy to snack on. The rice is topped with fresh fish sourced from markets all over Japan and the sushi is crafted right in front of your eyes. The restaurant also offers other dishes created with seasonal ingredients.

If you’re looking to enjoy a fresh take on Osaka staples like okonomiyaki, yakisoba and takoyaki paired with great wine, then the Time Out Market outpost of Koala Shokudo is for you. A popular establishment in the Tenjinbashisuji shopping street, Koala Shokudo offers a menu of teppan specialities made with carefully selected ingredients including black pork, wagyu beef tendon and fresh vegetables. Menu highlights include the kurobuta pork belly yakisoba and the tonpeiyaki featuring pork wrapped in a fluffy omelette.

Kushiage001 raises the humble Japanese pub food of deep-fried skewers to an artform. The sister restaurant of Kushiage 010, a winner of consecutive Michelin Bib Gourmand awards, the Time Out Market outpost cooks up creative kushiage that showcase the best Japanese seasonal ingredients alongside creative skewers inspired by cuisines from around the world.

Inspired by Australia’s coffee culture (the Mel is short for Melbourne), Masahiko Fumimoto’s coffee shop has been caffeinating Shinmachi since 2012. Now Time Out Market-goers can enjoy the fruits of the team’s obsessive eye for detail.

Run by a butcher-cum-chef, Nikutoieba Matsuda has been dazzling wagyu-lovers in neighbouring Kashihara since 2020. Now Osaka can join in the party with Matsuda’s delicately prepared Yamato beef available in the city for the first time.

This noodle shop is an offshoot of Jonetsu Udon Sanshu, a highly regarded restaurant championed by Osaka’s udon lovers. At the Market, owner Tatsuya Kubo crafts authentic Sanuki udon, known for its chewy texture, paired with an eclectic range of toppings from local beef to seasonal tempura.

This pizza joint is run by chef Masaaki Fujita of Osaka’s renowned restaurant Lacerba, where he cooks up everything from regional Italian cuisine to Neapolitan pizza. With hopes of creating ‘neo-pop’ pizza that suits the creative spirit of Osaka, Pizza Timewarp ∈Lacerba serves up orthodox Neapolitan pies along with creative renditions such as pizza with black pork, Okinawan brown sugar and cacao.

An outpost of Mexican fine dining restaurant Milpa in Osaka’s Horie district, Saboten Taqueria is helmed by chef Willie Monroy, who has also been with Noma Kyoto since 2023. Monroy strives to make food that Mexicans would be excited to taste, conjuring up dishes like tacos and ceviche with seasonal Japanese ingredients.

This popular Osaka pâtisserie was founded back in 2014 by chef Seiichiro Nishizono, who has only upped his innovative sweets and desserts game since. At Time Out Market Osaka, Nishizono serves up a new parfait using a unique combination of flowers, herbs and spices which represent Japan’s four seasons.

Chef Osamu Watanabe cooks up his distinctive style of curry, made with a combination of Japanese sea bream and chicken soup stock along with Sri Lankan spices. A menu highlight is the classic chicken curry, but you’ll also have to try the original Watanabe curry, which mixes chicken and mutton keema.

Zagin Diversity’s concept is to embrace, well, diversity by whipping up creative bowls of ramen for noodle fiends using flavours from around the world. Highlights include the beef hakubutsu soba made with beef bone broth and the vegan soy sauce soba.