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From famous restaurants to hole-in-the-walls, 10 Osaka curry enthusiasts enthusiastically explain
2024.03.28
Osaka is known as the city of “kui-daore,” or eating til you drop. Curry culture continues to evolve here in its own unique way. “What’s Your OSAKAMANIA?” is an in-depth exploration of Osaka’s charms, featuring guests who are each obsessed with a little part of Osaka culture. In this article, we will introduce some of the Kansai Curry Care Center team’s favorite curry restaurants.
Osaka’s borderless, genre-less, and freestyle curry is born from the city’s spirit of over-the-top service and respect for diversity, as well as its “dare to be different” attitude. Curry is now frequently featured on TV and in magazines as one of Osaka’s specialties along with takoyaki and okonomiyaki, and the city has become a curry mecca visited by fanatics from all over the country.
These curries are sometimes lumped together under the term “spice curry” to distinguish them from Japanese-style curry. However, they are so diverse that, when asked to define Osakan curry, one can only answer, “I can’t say, because every store is different.” The interesting thing about Osakan curry is that it goes beyond simple arrangement and is, in fact, a form of self-expression that everyone can enjoy.
Several pioneers set the stage for today’s Osaka curry scene.
There’s the legendary Kashmir, which has greatly influenced the next generation of curry makers since its establishment in 1992, as well as Kyu Yamutei, which is now synonymous with Osaka spice curry, and Buttah, which has spread curry culture through events and goods. There’s also Roddagroup which spread the Sri Lankan style of mixing and eating curry, and Taniguchi Curry, which popularized renting space in other businesses. And we cannot forget the classic Osaka favorites Jiyuken and Indian Curry, which evolved from Japanese-style Western food.
The Kansai Curry Care Center is a team established by Kansai people who love curry and work to protect this treasure of both Osaka and the larger Kansai region. Let’s hear from three Osaka-based KCCC members about some of their favorite curries.
To be honest, we would like to introduce 100 selections, but to give you an idea of the wide range of genres, we have picked 10 curry stores to introduce. They encompass long-established to up-and-coming restaurants both within and outside of Osaka City.
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Tatsuya MishimaChairman of Kansai Curry Care Center. Self-proclaimed Curry Big Boss. Presides over the curry community “Kuchiguse wa Curry (Curry’s the Word)”. He has worked at Nippon Curry Alterna and now produces Dramatic Curry Golden Nakazaki.He is also involved in a wide range of activities such as curry creation, spice menu development for izakaya, hosting curry events, and cooperating with various media to develop the food culture of Osaka spiced curry under the moniker “Mishima Never-end”.
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Rie TomimotoBorn in Tokyo and currently lives in Osaka. Editor-in-Chief at the company Ningen,inc. Spice fanatic who eats 400 servings of curry a year. She supervises and writes curry features for the magazine Meets Regional and appears on the Asahi Television Broadcasting Corporation program “Narumi and Okamura no Sugiru TV.”
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Maiko KozukaFreelance TV personality and writer from Nara. She became addicted to curry in her teens and devotes most of her time, money, stomach, and free time to curry. She also supervises the production of boil-in-bag curries.
5 recommended curries in Osaka City
(1) Columbia8
The epicenter of the spiced curry boom!
Their motto is “spoon in my right hand, shishito pepper in my left.”
Columbia8 is a pioneer in Osaka spiced curry, having created a buzz as soon as it opened in 2008. It’s already legendary, being the first curry restaurant to be named a Bib Gourmand in the Michelin Guide Kyoto Osaka 2018.
The restaurant’s signature dish is keema curry, which is eaten while biting into a shishito pepper held in the left hand. Grapefruit juice plays an important supporting role as a palate cleanser, with its bitter and sour taste interspersed to create a calculated contrasting effect that enhances the flavor and aroma of the curry. This is further accented by the finishing touch of spices, nuts, salted green beans, and raisins and a texture that seems to burst in the mouth. All this together with the aroma that spreads through the mouth creates a complex, multi-layered culinary experience.
Business hours: Monday-Friday 11:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.
Closed: Saturday, Sunday, and holidays
Phone number: (+81) 6-6203-7788
Official Site
*In addition to the Kitahama main store, there are also stores in Sakaisuji Honmachi, Uehonmachi, Eki Marché Osaka in Umeda, the Yaesu underground mall in Tokyo, and Naha in Okinawa.
(2) Sosaku Curry Tsukinowa
A representative of “bold umami” born from Osaka’s dashi culture!
Miso soup-like spice curry that pierces the Japanese heart
The chef of this curry house was a hired chef at “Curry & Cafe Warung” from 2012 before opening his own restaurant, “Sosaku Curry Tsukinowa” in 2016. Influenced by “Kyu Yamutei Tei,” he was one of the first to create an original spiced curry with dashi broth, and is a representative of curry with particularly intense umami flavor. The spices pack a strong punch that perfectly harmonize with the umami and richness of the soup stock made from kombu (kelp), dried bonito, and dried sardines, as well as the secret ingredient: miso. The resulting concept is a miso soup-like spiced curry that pleases the Japanese palate.
Business hours: 11:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m. (last order 3:30 p.m.)
Closed: No regular holidays
Phone number: (+81) 6-6265-8336
Instagram
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(3) iloilo
Vegetable-loving spice evangelist
A simple yet satisfying dish of happiness
Introducing iloilo, a popular curry plate with lots of vegetable side dishes that is easy on the body.
It opened in 2013 in Sakaisuji Honmachi (between Sakaisuji Honmachi and Tanimachi 4-chome) and moved to Nakatsu before relocating again to Tamatsukuri in 2021. The store is packed with many things: it sells spices and sundries and houses both a gallery and a café. At the time of opening, it was rare to find a store where you could buy specialty spices, and many people must have made their first authentic curry with iloilo’s spices. Iloilo offers vegan-friendly “veggie” curry plates in addition to their “non-veggie” plates.
Business hours: 12:00 p.m.-5:00 a.m. *Confirmation of SNS required
Closed: No regular holidays
Instagram
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(4) Ganso Tonkatsu Curry Katsuya
Cultural Heritage Level! The original and ultimate ……
Three-year-aged roux designed for tonkatsu
Founded in 1959, Ganso Tonkatsu Curry Katsuya is a long-established restaurant that specializes in developing its own curry that goes well with tonkatsu (pork cutlets), unlike the curry rice topped with tonkatsu commonly served in Western-style restaurants. Their special roux is made by concentrating a paste of fried aromatic vegetables and maturing it for about three years. In 2023, the restaurant was relocated from its aging building to a new storefront nearby.
Business hours: 10:30 a.m.-7:00 p.m.
Closed: Tuesday and Sunday
Phone number: (+81) 6-6631-8988
(5) M Cassé
An explosion of Osaka’s “too-much” spirit!
Subversive, creative curry created by a French chef
This is a supreme curry prepared by a French chef who trained in France and worked at a French restaurant in Kyoto’s Gion district. The restaurant became famous for its rich blue crab bisque curry, which was featured on the cover of a curry feature in Meets Regional magazine. The restaurant gets its name from the chef’s French nickname “Mr. Cassé,” which means “Mr. Destroyer.” This chef is a magician who arranges traditional French dishes into curry one after another with delicacy and panache.
*This menu is available from January 4-14, 2024 (please check the restaurant’s SNS account for the weekly curry).
Business hours: 11:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. / Take-out 3:00 a.m. – 6:00 a.m. (closed when sold out)
Closed: Mondays
Language: only Japanese
Phone number: (+81) 6-6654-5104
Instagram
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5 recommended curries outside Osaka City
(1) Higashi-Osaka City: Hakkai
A 40-year-old Chinese restaurant takes the curry world by storm.
Chinese spice curry with a fusion of Szechuan and Indian flavors.
The owner, Suehiro, opened a Chinese restaurant at the young age of 20. While gaining popularity as a neighborhood Chinese restaurant, he also studied spice cuisine because of his love of curry. In 2021, when the building was demolished, he relocated within the same Higashi-Osaka area. The timing of his 60th birthday was a major turning point for the restaurant, when it was renewed as a spice-focused Chinese restaurant.
Opening hours: 12:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. approx. / 6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. approx. (closed when sold out)
Closed: Monday and Tuesday
Phone number: (+81) 6-6781-8807
Instagram
(2) Fujiidera City: Spicy Curry Retete
After eating, you will feel refreshed and invigorated!
“A sauna you can eat” attracts addicts one after another
The famous restaurant, which was popular in Sakai City until 2014 returned to Fujiidera City in 2019 after a 5-years hiatus. Curry fanatics frequent the restaurant, and once you try their highly addictive spicy curry, you will never forget it. The Keema Classic is topped with chopped nori seaweed, which has a strong presence next to pickled onions and carrots, in the Retete style. Be careful: this creative limited edition curry sells out quickly.
Business hours: 11:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m. (last order 3:30 p.m.) / Fri. 6:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m. (last order 8:30 p.m.)
Closed: Wednesdays and irregular holidays
Language: only Japanese
Phone number: (+81) 80-1467-5913
Instagram
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(3)Toyonaka City: Spice&cafe Sid Mid
Unlimited customization!
A hearty soup curry with a big impact
Introducing a restaurant specializing in soup curry that boasts unwavering popularity in the Osaka neighborhood of Shonai, a hotly contested curry battleground. Sid Mid has four standard menus and two seasonal menus, as well as a choice of three soups (basic, creamy, or coconut) and a wide variety of toppings to customize your meal as much as you like. The most popular item is the Chicken Leg curry. Spice curry is offered on weekends and holidays only. Kids’ curry is also available.
Business hours: Weekdays 11:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. (last order) / Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays 11:30 a.m. til sold out *Open irregularly in the evening
Closed: No regular holidays
Phone number: (+81) 6-7161-5879
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(4) Yao City: soratobukaori
Carefully selected ingredients with care and attention to detail.
A dish of love wrapped in the tenderness of potage
Soratobukaori has continued to evolve through a number of rented out and brick-and-mortar shops.
Since 2023, a collaborative menu of coffee and curry has been available approximately once a week at Cuddle Day Coffee in Yao.
The dish, masterfully prepared with curated ingredients and a lot of time and care, is a combination of main spiced curry, spiced potage, and dukkah (mixed spices and nuts crushed together). After dinner, enjoy a drink from Cuddle Day Coffee.
*Check Instagram for days and hours of operation.
Instagram
(5) Sakai City: Kumanomi
Punching power that blasts off into another dimension
An izakaya secret menu surpasses specialty restaurants
Located near Oshoji Station on the Hankai streetcar line, Kumanomi is an izakaya that serves an abundance of sashimi, tempura, stir-fried dishes, and alcoholic beverages, as well as udon noodles and fried rice for the end of the meal. The izakaya’s secret menu features curry of a quality surpassing that of specialty restaurants. You can also customize it with an omelet or fried egg. In addition, there is a menu of snacks using spices, such as keema curry pizza and fried mutton with cumin.
Business hours: 6:00 p.m. – 2:00 a.m. the next day
Closed: Wednesday
Language: only Japanese
Phone number: (+81) 72-247-7698
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Osaka’s curry is fascinating!
How was it? We have introduced 10 curry restaurants in Osaka, ranging from long-established establishments to developing curry shops.
Osaka’s curry scene has made great strides in the past decade, establishing various new genres, such as curry with dashi broth unique to Osaka, creative local curry, fusion with Chinese and French curry, and high quality curry perfect for capping off the night. Now, you can find European-style curry, soup curry, or any other type of curry that’s full of Osaka flair.
There are still many interesting curry restaurants in Osaka. We hope you’ll try Osaka’s curry, which continues to evolve in its own unique way.
Information presented here is current as of 2024. Please check the websites of the individual shops and facilities for up-to-date information on business hours.