Osaka is big on konamon, flour-based foods, and takoyaki is perhaps its most well-known one. The Konamon Bar Rikyu is suchi an izakaya restaurant near Osaka Castle - right in front of the tenshu tower. It’s in the shopping mall Miraiza Osaka-jo on the first floor, making it the perfect place to pop in when you need a break from exploring Osaka Castle.

The secret to its popularity is how freeform the toppings are. They give you plain takoyaki, and from there you can put on whatever sauce or toppings you’d like, making your own original flavor.

You can put the sauce and toppings on your fries or chicken, too. As for drinks, they offer coffee, soft drinks, beer, highballs, and more. About 80% of the customers on weekdays are tourists, so they’re prepared to help you get the flavors you want without any need to speak in Japanese.

Their ice cream is also popular. Most popular among them is their matcha ice cream, decorated with gold foil to give it a pleasantly Japanese aesthetic.

Now, let’s take a look at a more grown-up izakaya, with a relaxed atmosphere befitting of the ladies and gentlemen who frequent it: Dynamic Kitchen & Bar -SUN- OBP Twin Tower Branch. You’ll find this restaurant near Osaka Castle on the top (38th) floor of Twin Tower 21, located among other high-rise buildings to the north of Osaka Castle.

The izakaya boasts a wonderfully scenic location, allowing diners to look down at Osaka Castle and the city below from a 150 meter-tall perch. The city glamorously lights up at night in a sight of Osaka you’ll never forget. That being said, window seats are really popular, so you might want to reserve them.

Though it may seem like a posh restaurant that mainly deals in course meals at first glance, it has plenty of standalone dishes as well. Most popular is the “Kuroke Wagyu Atsugiri Mizukemuri-mushi”, a Japanese black dish with the beef steamed before your very eyes, and the Japanese black sirloin steak. The carefully curated ingredients and dishes made by skilled masters is every bit as moving as the night scenery. There are English menus available with plenty of photos, too, so you don’t need to worry if you can’t speak Japanese.

There’s a lunchtime menu during weekdays that starts at a reasonable 1,000 yen (tax included) that’s worth checking out. The lunchtime menu, however, is only in Japanese.

Text by:kurashisa

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