Osaka, known as the "Kitchen of the Nation" and the "City of Kuidaore" (eating until you drop), has developed its unique food culture. There are many street foods and gourmet dishes that originated in Osaka or consider Osaka their true home, such as takoyaki. Additionally, Osaka has several famous areas where these gourmet shops are concentrated.
Osaka is the second-largest central city in Japan after Tokyo. It has long been a place where people, cultures, and ingredients from all over Japan converge. It has a large population and is home to many foreigners.
Since the 1950s, after World War II, many foreign residents began to gather in Osaka. As a result, several districts developed reflecting the characteristics and atmosphere of their respective countries.
In particular, Korean towns and Chinatowns that had attracted people since before the war exist in various parts of Osaka.
In this article, we will introduce the Tsuruhashi Korean Town, which has also become a tourist attraction. We'll explain what the Korean Town is like and recommend some gourmet shops, so please use this as a reference when you visit.
Tsuruhashi Korean Town: A Gourmet Street Where You Can Enjoy Authentic Korean Food While in Japan
Tsuruhashi is known as the city with the largest Korean town in Western Japan. The Korean Town has over 150 shops lined up. There are various types of stores, including those selling K-POP related goods, Korean miscellaneous items, apparel, and cosmetics.
Moreover, Tsuruhashi is also a gourmet street where you can taste authentic Korean cuisine while in Japan. There are rows of shops where you can enjoy Korean food, including yakiniku (grilled meat) restaurants, food stalls selling kimchi, food carts, and stylish cafes.
This article compiles some of the most recommended shops in Tsuruhashi Korean Town, where many Korean restaurants are gathered.
We will introduce shops recommended for food hopping and those where you can enjoy traditional Korean cuisine. Please use this as a reference when visiting the Korean Town.
What is Korean Cuisine?
The characteristic of Korean cuisine is the abundant use of garlic and red pepper. "Kimchi," a representative menu of Korean cuisine, and "Bulgogi," stir-fried beef and vegetables, also use plenty of garlic and red pepper.
Another feature is that it's very healthy.
A significant difference from Japanese cuisine is the number of dishes. In Japanese cuisine, there are at most 2-3 side dishes. However, in Korean cuisine, more than 3-5 side dishes are served.
Korean food eaten in Japan often uses less garlic and red pepper compared to that in Korea, and the spiciness is often milder. When eating Korean food in Tsuruhashi, it's also recommended to enjoy the difference between the taste unique to Japan and the taste of authentic Korean cuisine.
Why Does a Korean Town Exist in Japan?
In the early 20th century, many Korean people who came to work from Korea, which was under Japanese colonial rule, lived in Osaka. Especially around Tsuruhashi, there were many employment opportunities, so people naturally gathered there.
Today's Korean Town was formed by the convergence of the Tsuruhashi shopping street, which developed after the war, and the Korean community.
Previously, people visited it as a place where they could eat authentic Korean cuisine. In recent years, it has attracted more young people who love Korean culture and many others. Currently, it is bustling as a tourist spot in Osaka.
Enjoy Tsuruhashi Korean Town! Delicious Korean Gourmet Food for Food Hopping
Che-obasan's Kimchi
Che-obasan's Kimchi is one of the most popular kimchi shops in Tsuruhashi, where Korean restaurants lineup. It's characterized by its gentle taste of fresh pickles. While maintaining the authentic Korean taste, it's made with a not-too-spicy flavor for the Japanese palate.
Adhering to natural flavors, they use high-quality Japanese cabbage. Also, no preservatives or artificial additives are used at all. Its high nutritional value is also a popular point.
There's also an eat-in space with three seats. There, you can eat orthodox Korean dishes like Japchae and Dolsot Bibimbap. The Dolsot Bibimbap is an exquisite dish, piping hot with a strong sesame oil flavor.
This is the first shop we can recommend to those who want to eat delicious kimchi or standard Korean dishes in Japan. When you go to Tsuruhashi, be sure to get the hugely popular kimchi as a souvenir.
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- Address: 3-15-1 Higashi-Kobashi, Higashinari-ku, Osaka
- Closed: Wednesday
- Phone number: 0669722188
- Business hours: 9:30 AM - 8:00 PM
- Official website: https://cheobasannokimuchi.com/
Jongno Yataimura
Source: Official website
Jongno Yataimura is a shop where you can enjoy hotteok made with fresh ingredients.
Hotteok is a standard street food in Korea, referring to a cheese-filled hot dog. The sight of the hot cheese stretching long and long is fun and has become a big topic on Japanese social media.
Jongno Yataimura's hotteok is not greasy, and the cheese has a light taste. They use fresh mozzarella cheese, which is a charming point with its gentle flavor.
You can freely add sugar, ketchup, and mustard at the time of purchase. The combination of sprinkled sugar and mustard creates an exquisite sweet and salty taste that's delicious.
Jongno Yataimura is a popular shop with three stores in Tsuruhashi Korean Town. If you like cheese snacks or want to try hotteok, be sure to visit Jongno Hotteok.
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- Address: 5-7-1 Momodani, Ikuno-ku, Osaka
- Closed: Irregular holidays
- Phone number: 0667771913
- Business hours: 10:00 AM - 7:00 PM
- Official website: https://jongnoyataimura.jp/
Muginoie
Source: Official website
Muginoie is a shop where you can eat a wide variety of kimbap and jeon. Kimbap is a Korean dish where white rice and ingredients such as vegetables, eggs, and meat are rolled in seaweed.
Muginoie's kimbap is characterized by its wide variety and thick rolls. The popular menu item, "Bomb Kimbap," is rolled with an extra-thick fried egg.
The egg has a distinctly sweet taste. The flavor of the sesame oil mixed with the white rice enhances the umami.
Avocado and cream cheese kimbap are also popular. All kimbaps are quite voluminous and satisfying. It's a popular shop often talked about on social media, and there can be a line even in the early morning hours.
If you want to eat kimbap in Tsuruhashi, be sure to visit Muginoie. Find your favorite among the many kimbaps.
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- Address: 3-8-16 Momodani, Ikuno-ku, Osaka
- Closed: Wednesday
- Phone number: 0667168508
- Business hours: 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM (or until sold out)
- Official website: http://www.borizip.com/
Sunchan CAFE
Source: Tabelog
Sunchan CAFE is a cafe where you can eat trendy Korean sweets that are perfect for social media.
Especially popular is a candy called Kkultarae, which looks very similar to cotton candy. Kkultarae is a traditional Korean royal court confectionery made of thread-like candy. It's made from honey-infused starch syrup and contains nuts. It has a taste that's not too sweet and easy to eat, making it perfect for food hopping. Kkultarae is sold on sunny weekends and holidays except for midsummer.
There are also many sweets with colorful and photogenic appearances, such as colorful drinks and soft serve ice cream.
The pop soda water in the shape of a light bulb is also popular, making it a recommended shop for families with children. Why not buy some delicious and fun sweets at Sunchan CAFE and enjoy food hopping in Tsuruhashi Korean Town?
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- Address: 3-7-13 Momodani, Ikuno-ku, Osaka
- Closed: Tuesday
- Phone number: 0667115599
- Business hours: 11:00 AM - 5:00 PM
- Official website: https://sunchancafe.com/
MAMACARON
Source: Tabelog
MAMACARON is a shop where stylish and cute Korean sweets are extremely popular.
The signature menu item, macarons, are characterized by their mild sweetness and easy-to-eat taste. Their cute appearance is also a point. It's fun to choose from the showcase as they're colorful, have faces, or are shaped like bears, making it recommended for families.
The popular menu item, croffle, is a new sweet that originated in Korea and is also popular in Japan. It's made by pouring croissant dough into a waffle maker and baking it.
MAMACARON's croffle has a crispy texture, and you can clearly taste the sweetness of the sugar sprinkled on the surface.
There's no eat-in space, only takeout, so it's perfect for food hopping. It's highly recommended for those who are sensitive to trends and want to eat the latest stylish and cute Korean sweets.
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- Address: 3-18-8 Higashi-Kobashi, Higashinari-ku, Osaka
- Closed: Wednesday
- Phone number: 05037001236
- Business hours: 11:00 AM - 6:00 PM
- Official website: https://www.instagram.com/mamacaron_osaka/
5 Recommended Korean Restaurants to Enjoy Traditional Korean Cuisine and Drinks
Hakkakuban
Source: Retty
Hakkakuban is a restaurant where you can enjoy new-style charcoal-grilled samgyeopsal.
The characteristic of Hakkakuban is meat aged in water. In the shop, there's a water tank, and instead of fish, it contains beef. This is a cooking method called water-aging samgyeopsal, which is popular in Korea.
This cooking method allows you to eat special samgyeopsal that remains tender even after time has passed. Hakkakuban's samgyeopsal is not only soft but also characterized by its lack of odor. It's not greasy and has a light mouthfeel.
Pay attention to the octagonal grill used to cook the meat. This octagonal shape is a combination of the round grill of Japanese-style yakiniku and the square grill of Korea. It embodies the shop's wish to be a bridge between Japan and Korea.
It's a shop where you can feel the fusion of Korean and Japanese cultures unique to Tsuruhashi Korean Town. If you want to taste tender samgyeopsal, be sure to visit Hakkakuban.
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- Address: 2-9 Shimomebaru-cho, Tennoji-ku, Osaka
- Closed: Irregular holidays
- Phone number: 0643034002
- Business hours: 11:00 AM - 2:30 PM, 5:00 PM - 10:00 PM
- Official website: https://tsuruhashi-hatkakuban.owst.jp/
Yakiniku Sosomon
Source: Tabelog
Yakiniku Sosomon is a Korean-style yakiniku restaurant where you can enjoy Japanese Black beef and lean meat. It has many repeat customers and is especially popular among female customers.
Sosomon's recommended menu items are marinated kalbi and marinated harami, which are marinated in their original sauce. Kalbi and harami are parts of the cow's belly. The texture is soft, and the special sauce is so delicious that you'll get addicted after one taste. It's their proud menu item and the reason for the shop's high repeat rate. The sauce also pairs perfectly with alcohol, and it's also recommended to pour it over white rice.
The Sosogu, which allows you to enjoy rare cuts of Japanese Black beef, is also a popular menu item. Pay attention to the unique interior using oil drums. It's a recommended shop for those who want to eat high-quality, original yakiniku in Tsuruhashi Korean Town.
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- Address: 19-19 Funabashi-cho, Tennoji-ku, Osaka
- Closed: Irregular holidays
- Phone number: 0667779141
- Business hours: 11:30 AM - 3:00 PM, 5:00 PM - 10:30 PM (9:30 PM on Sun, Mon, and holidays)
- Official website: https://829sosomon.com/
Daecheol is Hungry
Source: RECOTRIP
Daecheol is Hungry is a samgyeopsal specialty restaurant where you can enjoy unique interiors and all-you-can-eat meals.
The menu is basically an all-you-can-eat course, and you can eat meat and seafood such as samgyeopsal, kalbi, shoulder loin, and shrimp in a self-serve style. There are also many side dishes such as chive jeon, kimchi jeon, tteokbokki, and jjigae. There are even cup noodles like Shin Ramyun and station lunch boxes sold in Seoul.
The samgyeopsal meat is thick and characterized by its healthy taste. One of its attractive points is that you don't feel heavy even if you eat a lot because it's not greasy. Moreover, the biggest point is its overwhelming cost performance. You can eat until you're full with the 2,500 yen all-you-can-eat course.
The interior of the restaurant is designed to resemble the Seoul subway. It's recommended for those who want to enjoy delicious Korean cuisine at a reasonable price in a fun space.
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- Address: eKOREATOWN 1F, 3-8-38 Tsuruhashi, Ikuno-ku, Osaka
- Closed: Irregular holidays
- Phone number: 0667967997
- Business hours: 10:00 AM - 8:30 PM
- Official website: http://www.tabekorea.com/tabekorea.osaka/menu.html
Happiness Shokudo
Source: Official website
Happiness Shokudo is a restaurant where you can taste warm Korean home cooking while in Osaka.
The recommended menu item is the cartilage set meal. It's an original menu item of Happiness Shokudo, with pork cartilage prepared in a stone-grilled bibimbap style. You can clearly feel the spiciness and the texture of the cartilage. While it's quite spicy, it's also mild, so even those who are not good with spicy food can enjoy it deliciously. Try eating it with the side dish of bean sprout namul. The kimchi side dish is characterized by a slightly strong sour taste.
Also, the bright and friendly personality of the Omoni is one of the reasons for its popularity. Omoni means "mother" in Korean.
It's a shop where you can feel both Korean and Osaka cultures with its warm, lively, and friendly atmosphere. When you go to Tsuruhashi Korean Town, try to feel happy at Happiness Shokudo.
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- Address: 2-5-24 Tsuruhashi, Ikuno-ku, Osaka
- Closed: Wednesday, Thursday
- Phone number: 0667104948
- Business hours: 11:00 AM - 10:00 PM
- Official website: http://siawase.jacklist.jp/
Fukuichi
Source: Tabelog
Fukuichi is a restaurant where you can enjoy voluminous authentic Korean cuisine that will fill your stomach.
Especially popular is the shop's specialty, jeon. Jeon is similar to Osaka's gourmet dish okonomiyaki, which is why it's popular among Japanese people too. Fukuichi's jeon is characterized by its crispy texture on the outside, as if it's been fried, while the inside is elastic and soft. It's famous for its very thick batter, and it's packed with vegetable ingredients.
Other dishes are also incredibly generous in portion. The popular menu item, abalone porridge, is also filled with plenty of abalone. It has a subtle flavor of liver and is generally mild in taste but provides a nice accent.
It's recommended not only for those who want to eat Korean cuisine to their heart's content but especially for those who love jeon. Please experience the locally popular Fukuichi's jeon and Korean food in Tsuruhashi Korean Town.
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- Address: 5-8-3 Momodani, Ikuno-ku, Osaka
- Closed: Tuesday
- Phone number: 0667120229
- Business hours: Mon-Fri 5:00 PM - 10:00 PM, Sat, Sun, Holidays 11:30 AM - 3:00 PM, 5:00 PM - 10:00 PM