Picture this: You’re visiting Osaka, checking out the famous Glico Man and exploring the vibrant sights and shops at Namba. Then, your stomach starts to growl. The question is… where do you go for food?
For an authentic experience of Japan’s culture, head to Kuromon Market, a mere 10-minute walk away from Namba Station. With its rich heritage of over 170 years, this market, with its narrow alleys and multiple shops, offers a sensory feast.
As you navigate the 600-meter stretch of covered walkways, you’ll be immersed in the pure energy of Osaka, with the boisterous calls of shopkeepers selling fresh seafood, the enticing aroma of grilled meats, and the vibrant colours of Japanese produce.
And with that, we have scoured the market grounds to curate a list of 11 foods to savour at Kuromon Market in Osaka. Be sure to visit early, as it tends to get very crowded in the afternoon.
1. Oden (Kashin Sohonten)
Believe it or not, I first spotted oden not in Japan, but at a 7-Eleven store in Taiwan. It looked like just a bunch of ingredients boiling in stock and seemed too healthy for my taste. Well, I took a leap of faith and decided to give it a shot that day— and I’m glad I did.
We discovered Kashin Sohonten near the back entrance, which had a sit-down area for enjoying your food. Various individual ingredients are available like Radish (¥218), Egg (¥218) and Whale Roller (¥748).
Apparently, the oden here is served with whale soup stock. Like, what?!
We ended up getting the Five Varieties of Oden (¥989), where the staff picked the ingredients on our behalf. It consisted of konjac, radish, chikuwa, fried fish cake with burdock, and deep-fried tofu.
The konjac may have had a neutral taste, but I was in love with its bouncy texture. The radish and fried tofu absorbed the umami-richness of the whale broth, which was savoury and had a strong bonito infusion. The fishcake was soft and smooth, and the stuffed burdock added a subtle herby flavour.
Overall, the heartwarming dish won me over with its simplicity and variety of textures— call me an official fan!
1 Chome-21-1 Nipponbashi, Chuo Ward, Osaka, 542-0073, Japan
+81 6 6105 1894
Daily: 9am – 4pm
2. Rice Bowl (Kashin Sohonten)
Also at Kashin Sohonten (similar to spot #1), we chanced upon 9 varieties of rice bowls that included Seared Eel Rice Bowl (¥1,738) and Salmon Rice Bowl (¥1,408). The owner personally procures the variety of seafood served here daily. That goes to show that the sea treasures offered are nothing but the best.
After much contemplation, we decided on the Assorted Seafood Rice Bowl (¥1,539) that featured salmon roe, 2 cooked prawns, and a variety of sashimi: scallop, salmon and tuna. It was also served with a hot bowl of miso soup.
The sashimi in Japan is on a league of its own compared to what we consume in Singapore. The scallop was naturally sweet and melted like butter in my mouth, while the tuna and salmon slices were fresh and paired really well with the mini bursts of ocean goodness coming from the ikura— perfection in a bowl.
1 Chome-21-1 Nipponbashi, Chuo Ward, Osaka, 542-0073, Japan
+81 6 6105 1894
Daily: 9am – 4pm
3. Takoyaki (Takoyaki Wanaka)
Takoyaki Wanaka, known for its delicious octopus balls, has a few branches around Osaka, and we spotted one at Kuromon Market. The takopachi comes in a set of 8; perfect for sharing among a group of 2 to 4 people, or you can indulge in them all by yourself (no one’s judging).
The menu features options like Original (¥600) and Spring Onion (¥650). After the octopus balls are plated, you can select the sauce you wish to have: soy sauce, spicy sauce, Wanaka original sauce and salt.
We went for the Spring Onion with Wanaka original sauce and it was drizzled with mayo, dried nori and dried bonito flakes. The spring onions added some crunch and a mild pungent onion flavour to the delicate octopus balls.
Each bite offered a multi-dimensional taste experience: the creamy mayo, the bonito’s umami richness, the octopus’s chewiness, and the savoury notes from the sauce.
1 Chome-21-2, Nipponbashi, Chuo-Ward, Osaka, 542-0073, Japan
+81 6 6586 9688
Daily: 9am – 6.30pm
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4. Seafood (Fresh Fish Kawasaki 鮮魚川崎)
There are several seafood stalls around Kuromon Market and one that stood out was Fresh Fish Kawasaki 鮮魚川崎. There was an impressive display of seafood starting with Hokkaido Oysters at ¥1,000 each and XXL “Big” Oyster at ¥2,500 per piece.
I opted to have the Hokkaido Oysters raw instead of grilled, and boy, was it an excellent choice! The plump and juicy flesh, coupled with the briny and creamy notes of the oyster, sent me to heaven and back in a flash.
I’ve always had uni served from a box, but the idea of savouring the Sea Urchin (¥2,800) straight from the thorny shell was so cool. Each bite was decadent with its rich and delicate flesh.
The XL Big Fresh Scallop (¥1,000) was fragrant and not overcooked, while the XL King Crabs (¥4,800) were delicious.
2 Chome-3-3, Nipponbashi, Chuo Ward, Osaka, 542-0073, Japan
+81 6 6643 3332
Daily: 10am – 5pm
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5. Strawberry Daifuku (Otafukudou)
The eye-pleasing, vibrant red hues from the TV screens on top of the stall named Otafukudou attracted us to check it out.
Besides selling Sweet Potato Chips (¥500), the strawberry-centric spot also serves Dango (¥150 for 1 stick, ¥400 for 3 sticks), known as Japanese rice dumplings, and Strawberry Candy (¥500).
But ultimately, we were drawn to the 2 types of Ichigo Daifuku Mochi (¥500 each) instead. The white variety had Mashed Sweet Bean Paste while the light pink one was stuffed with Smooth Sweet Bean Paste.
For the uninitiated, daifuku is a traditional Japanese sweet made by stuffing mochi with various fillings. The strawberry was quite sweet and paired really well with the soft mochi and red bean paste. The Mashed Sweet Bean Paste had a rough and chunky red bean filling, while the Smooth Sweet Bean Paste was true to its name.
2 Chome-22-2, Nipponbashi, Chuo Ward, Osaka, 542-0073, Japan
Daily: 9am – 5pm
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6. Tuna Sushi (Maguro Ya Kurogin)
For maguro (tuna) lovers, a trip to Kuromon Market without visiting Maguro Ya Kurogin is just wrong. This stall serves fresh tuna in various cuts, and slices them depending on the customer’s choice: sashimi, sushi or rice bowl.
The prices of the tuna slabs range from around ¥5,000 to ¥9,000, but rest assured that you’re getting your money’s worth with their top quality and taste.
Call us lucky, but we passed by around 5pm, close to closing time, and they sold us 3 boxes of Tuna Sushi for ¥2,000 each instead of the original price of ¥3,500 per box— that’s a total of ¥4,500 saved!
It had 3 pieces of normal tuna sushi and 2 pieces of otoro (the fattiest part of the tuna). When dunked into the shoyu–wasabi combo, I had 4 words: ‘simply out of this world’— we wolfed down everything within minutes.
7. Yakisoba (黒門燒美人)
Our eyes were treated to a visual spectacle as the chefs at 黒門燒美人 stir-fried yakisoba atop a hot griddle right in front of us. This classic Japanese stir-fried noodle dish is sometimes stuffed in a baguette as well.
You can choose to keep it simple by ordering just the Yakisoba (¥700) or spruce it up with the Wagyu Beef Tendon Yakisoba (¥1,000).
Our Yakisoba was cooked to order and served to us piping hot. The noodles were savoury and slightly tangy due to the use of worcestershire sauce. It contained pieces of pork and crunchy cabbage. The portion was substantial for one person but I wished there had been just a little more.
2 Chome-11-5, Nipponbashi, Chuo Ward, Osaka, 542-0073, Japan
+81 6 4396 1777
Daily: 9am – 4pm
8. Meat skewers (黒門燒美人)
While waiting for our yakisoba to be ready at 黒門燒美人, we caught a glimpse of a handful of skewers available such as Beef (¥700), Pork(¥600) and Crabstick (¥400).
There was also a promotion where you could purchase a Beef and Pork skewer for ¥1,200 (O.P. ¥1,300) or Beef and Crabstick skewer for ¥1,000 (O.P. ¥1,100).
Since there was a special price for the Sendai Black Wagyu Beef Rank A5 skewer selling at ¥1,500 (O.P. ¥2,000), we thought, “What the heck, let’s get it then!” Shortly before the beef was ready, we were offered a choice of either shoyu (soya sauce) or black pepper to accompany it.
Choosing black pepper allowed us to fully savour the meat in its full glory. It was tender, fragrant and scrumptious with juicy fats, creating a paradise in every bite.
+81 6 4396 1777
Daily: 9am – 4pm
9. Tempura
We discovered a no-signboard tempura kiosk located just next to a kitchen knife shop. At the front, they had 8 varieties on display, with options like Mixed Vegetable Tempura (¥500), Crab Fishcake Tempura (¥500), Squid Tempura (¥400), Oyster Tempura (¥1,000) and Spiny Lobster Tempura (¥5,000).
After a long deliberation, I settled for the Shrimp Tempura (¥500) and the Scallops Tempura (¥500). The scallops came with 2 pieces, and I loved how firm and moist the flesh was. The prawn was also fresh and tasted decent. However, when the stall stated that it was freshly fried, it was a little misleading.
The chef simply took the tempura and refried them a 2nd time, resulting in the batter to be a little thick and too crispy— that was my only gripe.
10. Puffer fish sashimi (Minami Ltd. Co.)
While exploring Kuromon Market, watch out for Minami Ltd. Co. located at the corner of the cross junction (between 9-18 and 12-18). The pufferfish (fugu) is known to be deadly and requires an experienced chef to prepare it.
This popular yet intimidating delicacy is being served as sashimi, priced at ¥1,700 per plate, featuring both flesh and skin. I mean, since you are in Japan, it wouldn’t hurt to embrace a bit of adventure, would it?
The texture of the puffer fish isn’t soft like tuna and salmon, but a little chewy with a texture almost like jellyfish. In terms of taste, it’s mild.
2 Chome-3-20, Nipponbashi, Chuo Ward, Osaka, 542-0073, Japan
+81 6 6643 0373
Daily: 8am – 4.30pm
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