There are so many things to see and do in Japan, hundreds of temples and shrines, parks and gardens, sky towers with incredible views, centuries old fish markets, Michelin-star restaurants, tons of izakayas. You name it. Japan has it. But for me, the star of the show is one single street in Osaka: Dotonbori.
Dōtonbori is one of the principal tourist destinations in Osaka. It runs along the Dōtonbori canal from Dōtonboribashi Bridge to Nipponbashi Bridge in the Namba district of the city. And it is packed full of bars, restaurants, and street food purveyors.
It’s not a huge area. It covers only about 8 blocks. But it is absolutely jam packed with restaurants, food stalls and street vendors selling every type of food specialty Japan is known for (start with these 5 must-try foods).
Why Visit Dotonbori Street
Around 5pm, Dotonbori Osaka turns from a fairly quiet, mostly deserted street into a bustling and utterly jam-packed food metropolis with lines of hungry people queued up to buy trays of hot-off-the-grill yakitori, yakisoba, takoyaki, okinomiyaki, sukiyaki…. YAKI EVERYTHING!
If you can eat it, they are selling it. On Dotonbori food is king! Watch our quick video to see what Dotonbori is like!
How to Experience Osaka’s Dotonbori Street
You will know you’ve arrived at the right place when you see the famous Glico billboard of the runner crossing the finish line. An apropos beginning to your Dotonbori food journey.
If you take the train to Shinsaibashi Station, you can walk along the shopping street south until you get to Dotonbori street. Once you arrive at Dotonbori street, you will be completely mesmerized.
The street gets more and more animated as the sun goes down. Massive lines begin to form at the most popular food stalls, so we knew the most popular spots. For takoyaki, we found the most popular place to be right next to Ichiran on the back side of the canal. The line was always incredibly long there.
Not to downplay the line at Ichiran, which is a very popular tonkatsu ramen restaurant with its own extreme line. We were loving the angry chef who kept trying to bully us into buying his kushikatsu.
Avoid Lines Where Possible
If you only have one night on Dotonbori street, you’ll want to maximize the time you have.
We did stand in a few long-ish lines, but for the most part, we found that we didn’t really need to stand in any of the long lines to get really good food. There are so many options. If you find a place selling takoyaki with a huge line, you will likely find another a few feet away with a smaller line.
For instance, one part of the street is well known for gyoza and you will find multiple stands selling it. You might not choose the absolute best one, but it will definitely still be very good. (Want to learn how to make gyoza at home? We have the recipe!)
Okonomiyaki
The one line we stood in that was totally worth it was for okonomiyaki. This is a Japanese pancake that is a specialty in Osaka. It’s one thing that you want to get at one of the top restaurants. On Dotonbori, one of the top restaurant for Okonomiyaki is Mizuno.
They have a 6-seat teppanyaki grill upstairs and some tables with grills downstairs. We didn’t wait very long and for a busy evening, we expected to wait longer – maybe like 15 minutes.
We ordered outside while we were still waiting, so they had our okonomiyaki already cooking on the grill when we sat down. If you’re not familiar with this dish, it’s a flour, egg, cabbage, type of pancake with typically either seafood or pork topped with bonita, sweet sauce, mayo and seaweed flakes. It’s really good.
We were not at all disappointed with the one we had at Mizuno. It was really good. We spent about 3 hours walking around the main street of Dotonbori, sampling our way around, as well as weaving through the smaller side streets. We even went back a second night to do a bit more.
It was a great place to grab dinner, both quickly and cheaply in Osaka, so if we’d had more nights to spend, we probably would have gone back more times.
Dotonbori – When to Go
I highly recommend adding it to your itinerary. Just remember that it doesn’t really get going until at least 5pm. The later you go, the more enjoyment you’ll get out of it. And don’t even think about eating before you get there. An empty stomach, and an open mind, are absolutely required.
Don’t worry about not knowing any Japanese either. If you find a place where no one speaks English and there is no English menu, pointing to what you want is easy enough. If you want to try best izakaya food and drink near Dotonbori in Osaka, try this Osaka Bar Hopping Food Tour with Magical Trip.
You’ll get to experience authentic Osaka foods and drink by pub crawling through local izakaya bars that travelers normally wouldn’t find. When you’re done walking around, you can hop on the subway at Namba and head back to where ever you’re staying! Staying in Osaka and looking for a great place to stay?
We highly recommend the Osaka Marriott Miyako Hotel. It’s in a convenient location for transportation, it’s right above a mall with lots of restaurants, and it’s got an insane view and really comfortable rooms. (Read reviews of the Osaka Marriott on Trip Advisor.)
Don’t want to do the planning yourself? Try a guided tour
If you’ve been wanting to plan a trip to Japan, but don’t know where to start, we recommend looking into a guided tour with Japan and More. They offer anywhere from 7-21 day trips to discover all the best parts of Japan with a very small group, and the planning is taken care of for you.
PRO TIP: If you’re planning on visiting another destination in Japan besides Osaka, I highly recommend looking into the Japan Railpass, specially priced for tourists. If you’re going to travel to more than 2 destinations in Japan, it’s definitely the way to go, as you’ll save a bunch of money over buying separate tickets. Just one round trip from Tokyo to Osaka pays for the ticket. Every other ride you take is free.
Planning your trip to Osaka?
Below are some of our top picks to help you plan!
Where to Stay in Osaka:
- Intercontinental Osaka – 5-star luxury hotel close to Umeda Sky Building and Osaka Castle with roundtrip airport shuttle
- Conrad Osaka – 5-star luxury hotel near Kyocera Dome Osaka
- Courtyard by Marriott Shin-Osaka Station – 4-star hotel with 2 on-site restaurants
Best Tours and Experiences in Osaka:
- Osaka Food Tour – 10 delicious dishes at 5 hidden eateries
- Osaka Full-Day Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide – 6 hour tour
- Osaka Bar Hopping Night Walking Tour in Namba
Map of Hotels in Osaka
Frequently Asked Questions About Dotonbori
Is Dotonbori Street Safe?
While there is a high crime statistic in this area, you can safely explore Dotonbori as a tourist by taking the right precautions. Anytime you’re in unfamiliar surrounds you should be extra vigilant for crime and scams happening around you. Don’t carry expensive items, don’t be a blatantly obvious tourist, and keep your wits about you.
What are the best things to eat on Dotonbori Street?
There are a ton of iconic foods you should try while strolling around on Dotonbori Street. Many of them have huge signs outside beckoning you in. While we usually skip obviously places like that, many of these shouldn’t be skipped. They include Kushikatsu At Angry Chef, crab at Kani Douraku, takoyaki at Acchichi Honpo, Mizuno Okonomiyaki, and gyoza at Osaka Ohsho.
What’s the best time to go to Dotonbori?
The best time to be there is late at night. It doesn’t open until 5pm and around that time there are very few people wandering around, so it’s not a very vibrant and exciting scene. Around 8-11pm is a great time to be there in the middle of the action.
Be Prepared For Travel
Planning is the most important part of any successful trip. Do it the easy way:
🧳 Travel Packing List | ✔️ Why You Need Travel Insurance | ✈️ What to Do Before You Leave Home
- Find and book the best hotel (our favorite booking site is Expedia)
- Research flight options (our favorite tool is Skyscanner)
- Book a tour (we always use Viator to find the best tours)
- Rent a car through Discover Cars (they search the best deals for you!)
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Laura Lynch, creator and writer of Savored Journeys, is an avid world traveler, certified wine expert, and international food specialist. She has written about travel and food for over 20 years and has visited over 75 countries.
I clearly made a couple mistakes when I visited. A) I went during the day. B) I ate right before. It didn’t stop us from sharing some takoyaki though! It’s such a fun street and I love the huge food decorations along it.
The huge food decorations are awesome, definitely! I guess next time you know to go on an empty stomach, but as you mention, the takoyaki is always available there, day and night!
I have been itching to visit Japan for quite a while now, and after reading this post, I am wanting to book a flight immediately! So much food and it all looks delicious! Thanks for making me hungry 🙂
It’s so much fun eating in Japan. Eight blocks of eateries definitely sounds like a place for foodies. The okonomiyaki looks delicious.
My husband, daughter and I were just talking about our plans to visit Japan next summer, so I showed them your video. We can’t wait to visit and eat all that delicious street food! Thanks for sparking out travel dreams to Osaka.
That’s awesome that you spent most of your time on one street. Looks fascinating and sounds amazingly delicious. The okonomiyaki, with the green sauce looks interesting. Glad to hear that it was delicious. Can’t wait to visit Japan!! Great read.
Loving your post on Dotonbori. I had one night in Osaka (will get back there again), and I was on business. All I wanted to do was spend the night in Dotonbori. Instead we were taken to a German Beer House style restaurant and had sausages…….. Gahhhhhhhh
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