What is Osaka best known for? Its food of course!
Osaka is popularly known as the culinary capital of Japan, and for good reason. Spend even a few hours walking its streets, and you’ll get a sense of the strong foodie culture and culinary pride here.
With so many bars, restaurants, izakaya, and food stalls offering Osakan staple dishes such as okonomiyaki, takoyaki, kushikatsu, and yakiniku, it’s difficult to know where to begin searching for good local restaurants and trying as many dishes as possible!
The easiest and best way to get a feel for the city’s food culture and maximize your time here while eating and drinking as much as possible is to take a food tour off the beaten track. They’re convenient, and fun, and you’ll get to learn fascinating insights and tips from your tour guide that only locals know about.
If you’re looking for something more hands-on then why not try a Japanese cooking course? Cooking Japanese cuisine isn’t as hard as it looks, and you’ll get to enjoy the fruits of your own hard work.
First time in Osaka? Check out my Ultimate 1-day Osaka itinerary for first-time visitors. Or, if you’re looking for somewhere special to stay, try these 15 Osaka ryokan with private onsen in 2024.
Top 3 Picks: Best Osaka Food Tours
#1 TOP PICK
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Nightlife Osaka Food Tour
✔️ Benefit from local knowledge
✔️ Taste real Osaka street food
✔️ Discover eateries off-the-beaten-track
#2 PICK
Locals’ Osaka All-in Food & Culture Deep Dive
✔️ Smaller group
✔️ Avoid the busy tourist traps
✔️ Enjoy local specialty dishes
#3 PICK
Instagrammable Osaka-style Food Tour
✔️ Enjoy colorful sweet and savory dishes
✔️ English speaking guide
✔️ Includes up to 8 different dishes
15 Best Osaka Food Tours and Experiences for 2024
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Daytime Tours
1. Osaka Shinsekai Street Food Tour (Daytime)
Duration: 3hrs | Location: Shinsekai District | View on Arigato Japan
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This old neighborhood close to downtown Osaka was developed in 1912 and modeled after parts of New York and Paris. Since its boom in Japan’s post-war Showa era, the area has become known for its local feel thanks to the many inexpensive food options available.
In this 3-hour tour of the district, you will make 5 stops at various eateries where you’ll get to try different drinks and local cuisine. As you move through the neighborhood, your guide will point out various shopping and entertainment hotspots as well.
The tour departure time is 10:30AM and runs until 1:30PM and is also available in Spanish.
“I loved the local vibe on this tour. So MUCH delicious food and stuff we would have never found on our own.”
– ARCHIE
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2. Osaka Dotonbori Daytime Food Tour
Duration: 3hrs | Location: Dotonbori Neighbourhood | View on Arigato Japan
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Dotonbori is one of Osaka’s hotspots for tourists, known for its neon signs, Gilco Man sign, and huge choice of street food. When the sun goes down and the bright signs light up the main streets, crowds flock to the restaurants and bars to enjoy the atmosphere. The daytime is an excellent opportunity to make the most of the taste of Dotonbori without battling the crowds.
This three-hour tour will take you through the Dotonbori and Namba neighbourhoods where you’ll try takoyaki (fried octopus balls), kushikatsu (deep fried meat and vegetable skewers) in tucked away places you would definitely miss without a guide.
“Highlight of Our Trip? This Tour in Osaka! We had so much fun trying local flavors with our guide!”
– GABE
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3. Osaka Market Tour (Daytime)
Duration: 3hrs | Location: Nipponbashi Chuo Ward | View on Arigato Japan
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Kuromon Market is a popular food market street that reaches more than 600 meters through the Minami area of Osaka. Known mostly for its seafood, you’ll also find stalls selling meat, produce, sweets and even restaurants. Many of the stalls sell street food but be careful not to block the aisles as the market can become busy.
In this daytime tour of the market, you’ll have the opportunity to try many of Osaka’s most famous street food dishes including okonomiyaki. From the market, you visit Osaka’s ‘Kitchen town’. You’ll see where restaurants go to buy their plastic food samples and may even be able to pick up a souvenir.
“Toshi as a guide is beyond 5 stars and these two tours were the highlights of our trip.”
– DAVE
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Night Tours
4. Osaka Shinsekai Street Food tour (Evening)
Duration: 3hrs | Location: Shinsekai District | View on Arigato Japan
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As you stroll through the Shinsekai district you might get a sense of its retro reputation due to its Showa-era style buildings and storefronts which come alive at night with bars, restaurants and izakayas brimming with locals and tourists looking for something to eat and drink.
In this night tour you will follow a local guide through the glowing streets into hidden gems where you will discover the colorful history of Shinsekai street as it comes alive through local dishes.
The three-hour tour includes stops at five different sites where you can try the different local food and drinks, each with a connection to the area’s long history.
“Sae was an amazing tour guide! She knew so much history and fun facts about the city! She was also just so fun to spend a night exploring Osaka with! Would 100% recommend.”
– JESS
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5. Nightlife Osaka Food Tour
Duration: 3hrs | Location: Dotonbori, Chuo Ward | View on Arigato Japan
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Japan’s third largest city has as much to offer at night as in the day, as you will discover on this nightlife tour through the busy streets of Minami.
Starting in the well-known Dotonbori area, you’ll learn about your surroundings as you are guided past the bright neon signs and commercial restaurants trying to tempt you inside, and taken to smaller establishments you might otherwise miss.
You’ll taste some of the foods Osaka is best known for such as yakitori (grilled chicken and vegetables on skewers), takoyaki (deep fried octopus balls), and okonomiyaki (a savoury pancake dish). Then top-off your night in an izakaya with a beer or sake (rice wine).
“The Osaka Food Tour was such a memorable evening that we decided to backtrack to Kyoto (which we had already visited) solely to do another food tour with Toshi.“
– C FORNEY
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6. Evening Food Tour of Osaka
Duration: 3hrs | Location: Dotonbori, Chuo Ward | View on Viator
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This evening food tour of Osaka also begins in the Dotonbori area but places a little more of an emphasis on its nightlife. In a group of 10, you’ll see this electric district at night like you’ve never seen it before.
Sample Japanese staples such as sushi or sake, or try your hand at making your own takoyaki with help from a local chef. Eat and drink with the locals at an izakaya and enjoy a drink with some kushikatsu, one of Osaka’s most famous dishes.
The tour is designed to help you explore the Kansai region through its soul food and drink in Osaka’s unique night-time environment.
“Sae was an amazing tour guide! She knew so much history and fun facts about the city! She was also just so fun to spend a night exploring Osaka with! Would 100% recommend.”
– TRIP ADVISOR REVIEWER
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7. Evening Street Food Hopping Tour in Downtown Osaka
Duration: 3hrs | Location: Kita Ward | View on Viator
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A must-see for Japanese food lovers. You won’t want to visit Japan’s culinary capital without exploring the downtown area at night. In this three-hour tour you will be guided from bars to food stalls where you will get a taste of local life along the way, including grilled seafood, okonomiyaki, kushikatsu, gyoza, and a unique style of pizza.
As you move from food stall to bar, take in the local atmosphere with a glass of sake, rice wine or beer before moving on to the next stall for another local specialty. This tour has a 6PM departure time and includes pickup from your hotel if you need it.
“Was a fun evening and tried a great deal of the street food. Some of it was a new taste experience but most of it was wonderful. The guide was very knowledgeable and had a lot of energy.”
– JANET
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Hands-on Food Experiences
8. Eat, Drink, Cycle: Osaka Food and Bike Tour
Duration: 3-4hrs | Location: Kita Ward | View on Viator
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Ever wanted to explore Osaka by bicycle as you discover its culinary delights? Well, this might be the tour for you.
A short walk from Temmabashi station, you’ll meet your guide at 10:30AM and be taken around the city, stopping at some of its best-known attractions. Stops include Japan’s oldest temple, sushi at a small locally run shop, tasting real wagyu beef at a busy market, and trying some Osaka specialties including okonomiyaki, chijimi pancakes, and udon.
The tour will include lunch, a knowledgeable guide, and soft drinks. When you’re finished, you’ll be taken back to the starting point to hand back your bike.
“I enjoyed learning about the different types of authentic Osaka food, and getting to see Osaka Castle was a bonus! On a scale of 1 to 10, our guide Matt was an eleven!”
– MARJORIE
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9. Instagrammable Osaka-style Food Tour
Duration: 3hrs | Location: Osaka City | View on Klook
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A modern and creative tour with the added benefit of making the most of the weird and wonderful colors and styles of food you are bound to encounter on your travels.
Indulge your sweet tooth with multi-colored cotton candy or a bright green milkshake, or taste some of Osaka’s best known and beautiful dishes such as okonomiyaki or takoyaki.
This three-hour private tour can accommodate groups as large as 8 and includes tastings of up to eight different Instagram-worthy dishes. You’ll also receive a glass of sake, wine, highball, or soft drink as your English-speaking guide navigates you through Osaka’s busy streets.
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10. Osaka Food Tour: 13 Delicious Dishes at 5 Hidden Eateries
Duration: 3hrs | Location: Nishinari Ward | View on Viator
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Enjoy ten different dishes from around Osaka including gyoza, udon, takoyaki, and more, at five eateries you won’t find on the busy streets.
You’ll begin your tour at Dobutsuen-mae station, close to downtown Osaka, at 5:30PM. From there, your guide will take you to some of the best food stalls, restaurants and izakaya, carefully chosen for serving traditionally ‘Osakan’ food and rarely visited by tourists.
Then, take in the local culture and bustling atmosphere while you enjoy a cup of sake or a beer at a local bar or izakaya to finish the night off.
“This tour was awesome! Had a great group of fun people from Australia and the guide, Andie, was entertaining. Food was terrific. Ate lots of new dishes that I wouldn’t have ordered or found on my own.”
– ANNA
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Eat Like The Locals
11. Locals’ Osaka all-in Food & Culture Deep Dive (small group)
Duration: 3hrs (approx.) | Location: Kita Ward | View on Viator
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This three-hour walking tour of Osaka will take you away from the tourist traps and chain restaurants and into the foodie districts and smaller independently run places to eat.
You’ll see your guide at 6:00PM at the meeting point just outside Temma station before your group of six will head to the Tenma and Kyobashi districts for some local specialty dishes to sample. This includes Dote Nikomi, a slow-cooked beef in miso sauce, kushikatsu, tonpeiyaki, a combo dish of port, egg, and dried fish flakes, to name a few.
Finish the night with a few local drinks a standing bar in Kyobashi before heading back to the station.
“Dominic really knew his stuff and took us on a great tour. We visited pubs and eateries that we wouldn’t have found by ourselves. The food was fabulous and ‘outside the box’ of what you would normally expect in Japanese food.”
– SALLYANN
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12. Kuromon Market Food Tour
Duration: 1hr 30mins (approx.) | Location: Chuo Ward | View on Viator
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Kuromon Ichiba Market has been a hub of food and culture near the heart of Osaka for more than 200 years. With countless shops, bars and gourmet restaurants, this covered market cannot be missed if you’re visiting Japan’s ‘food capital’.
Your tour begins in the early afternoon outside Nipponbashi station in downtown Osaka. From there your guide will show you handmade local food and fresh seafood, as you walk and eat your way through more than ten different dishes and desserts, including dried okura, sushi, giant scallops, okonomiyaki, Sakura-flavoured mochi, and many more.
This is a walking and eating tour so be prepared to eat on the go!
“Great tour with a great guide, Andy was amazing. It was fun! Learned a lot about the local food and also about the food culture.”
– HAMID
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Cooking Experiences
13. Osaka Cooking Class
Duration: 2hrs 30mins (approx.) | Location: Higashinari Ward | View on Viator
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A great experience for anyone who finds their fun getting stuck-in. In this cooking class, you’ll learn about Osaka’s culinary history while trying your hand at some traditional Japanese cooking techniques.
Discover the careful process of preparing green tea, the simplicity of making takoyaki (fried flour and octopus balls), and the fun of attempting your own okonomiyaki savoury pancake. When you’re done, enjoy the fruits of your hard work over a glass of sake or beer.
For dessert, learn how taiyaki is made (a popular fish-shaped sweet cake, as your English-speaking instructor tells you about the history of some of Japan’s most popular dishes.
“Great class Yayo wonderful Very organized food fantastic loved it a chance to see a Japanese home highly recommend this experience.”
– SUSAN
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14. Three Types of Ramen Cooking Class
Duration: 2hrs 30mins (approx.) | Location: Nishi Ward | View on Viator
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You haven’t tried ramen unless you have made it yourself, in Japan. This simple yet incredibly popular dish can be found on the menus of almost any restaurant in Japan, yet with so many variants to choose from it can be a bit confusing knowing what to choose.
In this 2.5-hour cooking class, learn about the different types of ramen, from salted with pork and seaweed, to soy sauce-based ramen with cabbage and vegetables, and miso ramen with chicken and eggs.
Learn about the traditional techniques that go into creating these dishes and try for yourself by making not one, or two, but three different types in a single class.
“Fumi-san is very welcoming and pleasant to everyone in class. She provided tips on how to make good ramen which was useful. Recommended if one is looking for something different from sightseeing.”
– STEPHEN
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15. In-Home Cooking Lesson with Local Japanese Mother
Duration: 3hrs (approx.) | Location: Kawanishiikeda Station | View on Viator
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A truly unique and rewarding experience. There’s nothing quite like a home-cooked meal, and with this private in-home cooking lesson with a Japanese mother you’ll enjoy a meal that you will remember for years to come.
Visit the home of an Osaka local and enjoy first-hand the culture and cuisine of Osaka. Choose from either lunch or dinner and learn to prepare up to five different dishes such as teriyaki chicken, a bento box, okonomiyaki, and gyoza in Yoshiko’s kitchen.
The cooking and preparation portion of the experience lasts about an hour before you sit down to eat. Afterward, Yoshiko will print all her recipes for you to take home.
“A very good experience with a local mother. Well served and enjoy it very much. You must have a try.”
– SUKI
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