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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.
Guide
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Chairman 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”.
Born 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.”
5 recommended curries in Osaka City
①Columbia8
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.
The owner, Ogimir☆, is a genius innovator who has been layering the five tastes of Japan (sweet, sour, bitter, salty, and delicious) in a single dish before anyone else. His evergreen classic keema curry is an immortal masterpiece in which spices and tastes weave together endlessly and profoundly like a mandala. It’s truly a three-dimensional flavor experience.
②Sosaku 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.
The curry produced by Suga-chan, the owner of the restaurant and a musician, has an excellent stability of the bottom (bass) flavor range! The kelp and dashi broth in this dish incorporate “wa,” the Japanese concept of harmony; taken together with the texture of powdered spices on the tongue, they create an experience representative of Osaka dashi curry. It’s a favorite of Japanese comedian Kamaitachi Hamaya.
③iloilo
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.
This is a curry plate that will fill your stomach but lighten your body. The organic brown rice is surrounded by elaborate side dishes and a rustic, delicious dal. And then, there’s the non-veggie curry that raises the level of everything as if it were a spice in itself. I pay my respects to the staff every time, thinking of the hard work that goes into preparing these curries. It is also a standard ritual for me to drink a cup of chai to calm down after my meal—I’m always sad to see it gone.
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.
Every time I eat this curry, I am deeply moved—I reflect on who I was when the aged roux was first made three years ago.? Even though it’s a heavy curry with fried tonkatsu, the wholesome vegetable base makes it easy on the stomach. This is a treasure of Osaka that should be recognized as a piece of cultural heritage! The price varies depending on the part of the meat, but if you want to try it first, choose “B (top loin)”! Ten minutes after you finish eating, you will want to eat the same thing again.
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).
The chef of this restaurant is a subversive creator who keeps pushing the limits of curry. This ultimate evolution of curry will make you shout out loud, “You’d go that far? At that price? Is that even possible?? No, no, it’s too much!!!!” After eating it, you will give it a standing ovation.
5 recommended
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.
The combination of mapo tofu and curry is not only a simple addition of two delicious tastes. When you eat it, you think “It’s curry and mapo tofu… but it’s still curry! No, it’s mapo tofu….” It’s great to be able to go back and forth between curry and mapo tofu in one bite! I also recommend the lamb spice stir-fry, which is worth the trip to Higashi-Osaka. The Chinese soup served at the beginning is also very delicious.
②Fujiidera 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.
This keema is sharp and spicy with black pepper, the chicken is hot and chili-based; after about the third bite your glasses start to fog up, and by the time you’ve eaten half of it you’re sweating. It is spicy but tasty, tasty but spicy…. repeatedly, and about halfway through, your brain stops thinking and you enter a mild trance. The kindness of the handsome owner and the after-meal chai sink in. It is a refreshing and invigorating sauna you can eat. We also recommend topping it with aji-tama (marinated eggs).
③Toyonaka City: spice&café 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.
This curry has a striking presentation with volume to match. The towering cone of rice and abundance of ingredients barely fit on the plate! No matter how much you eat, new ingredients just keep coming. You’ll leave this meal supremely satisfied. My topping recommendation: kebab balls.
④Yao 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.
The delicate balance of flavors and aromas in each spoonful is a work of art that goes beyond the boundaries of spice curry. Try the potage alone or mix it with curry. I enjoyed it so much that I didn’t notice when my plate was empty. Looking over the lovingly-crafted menu list while soaking in the lingering taste of spices is pure bliss.
⑤Sakai 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.
This is a great place to eat curry, even though it’s an izakaya in town. Be warned that you may not get to the curry because all the snacks are too delicious! The owner goes to Sri Lanka to study curry, and his curry is so good that it surpasses that of specialty restaurants! If you want to eat, drink, and be merry, this is the place to go!
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.
*This article was migrated from “Shittonka Osaka.” The information provided is current as of February 2024 and may differ from current conditions. Please check the official websites of each store or facility for the latest operating hours and details.
