Popular restaurants inside the venue are bound to require reservations and long lines!?

About a month and a half has passed since the start of the Kansai/Osaka Expo. The venue is bustling every day, and many popular restaurants are known to require reservations or have long lines, leaving many visitors wondering where to eat. For those in need of recommendations, we suggest checking out “local favorite spots” just a short distance before the Yumeshima station, the closest station to the Expo site. Local food writer, Shigeru Nekoda, who resides in Osaka, shares his top picks.

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A treasure trove of affordable and delicious eats:
【Bentencho & Kujo】Enjoy a quick daytime drink before the evening game!

Since it’s hot during the day, the popular nighttime ticket, available after 5 PM for ¥3,700, seems to be a favorite. (PHOTO: Kyodo News)

Ramen for ¥2,000, hot dogs for ¥1,980. The food at the Expo venue is expensive, the lines are long, and on top of that, the venue is so vast you’ll probably panic trying to figure out where to eat. If you try to grab a bite before entering, you’re stuck because there’s literally just the station at Yumeshima, and places like Umeda and Shinsaibashi are packed.

For those feeling lost, here’s a pro tip: “Eat and drink around Bentencho and Kujo.” These areas, along the same Chuo Line as Yumeshima Station, are known for being a treasure trove of affordable, tasty food. From lunch and daytime drinks to spicy curries and budget-friendly bakeries, let me guide you through!

Four stations before Yumeshima Station, it’s also a transfer station on the JR line.

First, let’s talk about Bentencho. This area, with its large hotels and office buildings, is home to many business people working in the bay area. At the same time, it’s packed with factories, meaning there are also many people working night shifts. In other words, it’s a place filled with affordable, delicious spots where you can enjoy day drinking.

The Holy Land for Diner Drinks! Wrapped in Maternal Love at Izu Shokudo (Bentencho)

Founded in 1933! Opened during the time when it was a dock.

First, head to Izutsu Shokudo, which is about a 10-minute walk from the station. While the location is a bit inconvenient, the restaurant has been gaining increasing exposure on media and social media recently. Perhaps due to its location along the main road lined with factories, the spacious interior is always bustling with energy.

They offer everything from Japanese to Western and Chinese dishes. Depending on the season, you can even find seasonal options like kasu-jiru (a sake lees soup) or stew.

The system is self-serve, where you can freely choose your side dishes. The prices are so cheap that you’ll do a double-take: Pork piccata for 350 yen, meat and potato omelet for 250 yen, and boiled shishito peppers for 180 yen. It feels like stepping into early 20th-century Japan.

A rare dish: Nikujaga omelette. They also serve regular nikujaga (meat and potatoes stew).

As you’re piling plates on your tray according to your desires, the lady behind the counter quickly asks, “Should I heat that up for you?” and brings it to your table after microwaving. When you try to take your dishes back to the counter, she stops you with a friendly, “Leave it there!” It’s a self-serve style with the warmth of a mother’s hospitality that makes you feel like you’re at home.

Both the meat and potato stew omelette (nikujaga omelette) and the pork piccata (pork piccata) are seasoned perfectly, offering a sweet-savory flavor that workers crave. Instead of just piling on soy sauce and sugar, the depth of flavor comes from a proper use of broth, providing a natural richness.

I ordered a large bottle of beer, and with everything, it only came to about 1400 yen, which felt almost too cheap for what I got.

The clientele around me was wonderfully diverse: office workers during lunch break, grandparents with their grandkids, people enjoying a drink after their night shift, and even groups from various clubs. The food orders were just as eclectic—huge servings of curry, simple bowls of soba, bottle beers with inari sushi, rice topped with meat and tofu, and even people making their own meat tofu bowls with rice. It made me think how great it must be to live near a place like “Izu Shokudo.”

30 Seconds from the Station! A Showa-Style Pub with Delicious Fish – “Nakamoto” (Bentencho)

If you’re not up for a long walk, I recommend the conveniently located “Nakamoto,” just right next to Bentencho Station. It’s another spot where you can enjoy day drinking!

The exterior, with its neon lights, really brings to mind Super Tamade. Is this a standard look in Osaka? The font, which looks more like something you’d see on an electronics store than a bar, really draws you in. The restaurant’s official website features catchy phrases like “Going straight into gritty, cool izakaya” — it seems they’ve got a great sense of style in writing as well.

The island-style counter is like Starbucks, making it easy for solo diners to use.

The interior is surprisingly spacious (210 seats!), featuring an island-style counter, a counter with an open kitchen, tables, and a second-floor tatami seating area. The well-worn, vintage atmosphere really gets me excited. The list of menu items on the long, narrow cards is so photogenic. During the day, they offer set meals ranging from 600 to 900 yen, with about 20 different options. Every time I see a hearty dish like a pork cutlet bowl or the daily set being served, I can’t help but stare at them eagerly.

Today’s recommendation is also on a separate board.

However, this restaurant is particularly good with seafood, featuring fresh, seasonal fish and shellfish delivered daily from the central market. So, a sashimi platter for 950 yen, avocado tuna for 650 yen, and a nice sake would be perfect. The sashimi includes tuna, sea bream, yellowtail, and octopus. The tuna is so fresh that you can immediately tell it’s live, with a refreshing, deep flavor of the red meat that fills your mouth. The octopus is also plump and juicy. At first, I thought, “The portion’s small,” but considering the quality, it’s totally worth the price!

Assorted sashimi 950 yen. Double the price of what you would pay at a Japanese restaurant!

At the table in the middle, a Chinese waitress was wrapping gyoza dumplings. When I said I wanted to try them, the waiter frankly refused, saying they were not ready yet, so I gave up.

When I ordered tofu salad, potato salad arrived by mistake. It was 400 yen. 400 yen. Cheap!

The menu is a miscellany of more than 150 items, which is strange because once you get used to it, you can see the words that you couldn’t see before. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I found “Shukumeruri” among the strips of paper. It was the one I saw at “Matsuya” for a moment. Without hesitation, I ordered it.

I wondered if my uncles would understand this dish.

It is a one-pot dish of stewed chicken, sweet potatoes, etc., simmered in a stew roux and cheese melted on the griddle. The garlic flavor is also authentic. I looked it up and found that it is in Georgia. Of course, I have never been there.

At “Nakamoto”, among the ordinary izakaya menus, there are hidden exotic dishes such as spam rice balls, pizza, chili con carne, and so on, as if you were looking for some kind of mistake. The owner, Ms. Nakamoto’s sister loves to cook, and she has been adding various dishes by hand.

It is a big tobacco izakaya, so it is too comfortable to be left alone, and you may lose interest in going to the Expo or something like that, so be careful!

Osaka-Origin Spice Curry Recommended for Beginners: “Bumbun Spice” (Kujo)

It’s located in the Kirara Kujo shopping street, just outside Kujo Station.

Not only taverns, but also many famous spice curry spots can be found in Osaka. Especially in “Kujo,” it’s known as a hotspot for curry lovers. Places like Shichibankan (no interview), Aaberu Curry, Asian Kitchen Cafe Hyakufuku, and Lodda Group are some of the top names. However, some of these places are only open for lunch or dinner, making it a bit tricky for travelers. That’s why Bun Bun Spice, which operates both during the day and night, is perfect for a visit around the Expo period.

As soon as the night service starts, a few solo customers quickly arrive, all with the look of people who decided this morning, “After work, I’m going to Bun Bun.” It’s clear they have many loyal fans.

I ordered pork and chicken keema (1100 yen) with spiced egg (150 yen) and mussel achar (450 yen). Since it was the Expo, we splurged!

It’s also great that the menu and prices remain the same for both lunch and dinner. The board lists the classic Bun Bun Pork Curry and two daily specials. Today’s specials are Spicy Mutton and Cashew Nut Chicken Keema. On other days, they offer unique combinations like Marucho Vindaloo, Spicy Mapo Keema, Chicken Thigh and Tenderloin Massaman Curry, and Duck Ginger Keema. All of them have interesting and creative twists.

The achar oil is a perfect flavor changer, so it’s definitely something you should order!

The curry is crisp and easy to eat, blending smoothly into the less viscous jasmine rice. The pork has a sour taste up front, and the pork is melt-in-your-mouth like rouleau. The plate comes with lentil curry, daikon radish achar, and spicy pol sambol (furikake) by default, so mix these with the curry as needed. You can enjoy the different combinations of sweet, spicy, and sour, so you will never get bored.

The price for one type of curry is 1,000 yen. I think this is one of the cheapest spice curry restaurants in Osaka!

Spiced curry restaurants have the same image as ramen restaurants in terms of having difficult or peculiar owners, but there is no need to worry even if you visit here at first sight, as the manager is surprisingly down-to-earth. That is why tourists can stop by without worry.

Kujo is a bread town buy some bread to prepare for the Expo lineup!

Lastly, a bonus tip. At the Expo, bread is an essential item that you can easily eat while waiting in line. In fact, Kujo is a battleground for bakeries. Let me introduce two of my absolute favorite spots.

From 6:00 p.m., you may have to wait in line for a sale.

The first one is “PIN-PON-PAN. It is so inexpensive and has such long business hours that I suspect it is the best in Japan. They are open from 7:00 a.m. until 24:00 p.m. with an afternoon break (!). The shop is open from 7:00 am to 24:00 pm with a break in the afternoon. Croissants 88 yen, cream buns 110 yen, 4 butter rolls 120 yen. This is still a price increase.

The photo was taken a while ago, so it is slightly cheaper than now.

Not only is it affordable, but they also use high-quality ingredients like Yotsuba butter and carefully selected fresh cream and milk from top brands, ensuring no compromise on taste. “We make sure everything sells out to avoid waste, which allows us to offer it at a low price,” says the owner, Minagawa. It’s a strange yet intriguing system that’s hard to fully grasp!

The exterior of Sankeiya. It’s a bit intimidating to enter (laughs)

Bread is sold by the loaf. It depends on the kind, but it’s about 400 yen.

The other store is “Sankeiya,” which is mainly for wholesale and business use. I discovered a theory in my coverage of coffee shops that “most stores that make good bread buy it from Sankeiya. It is quite a common theory in the industry. In fact, the bread is also sold at the factory, and anyone can purchase it, although it is a bit difficult to do so.

It’s just a stone’s throw away from PIN・PON・PAN, so be sure to stop by!

For those who might feel a bit awkward munching on a loaf of bread at the Expo, there’s Sankeiya Chiyozaki Shop nearby, which works like an antenna shop. You can grab some fan-favorite croissants, bagels, scones, and more. Just be careful not to overbuy, or you might find yourself carrying bread around the Expo!

And don’t worry, there are plenty of delicious meals at the Expo that you can enjoy without waiting in long lines. Just do a little research beforehand, and you’ll be all set!

■ SHOP LIST

Izutsu Shokudo] 5-14-22 Benten , Minato-ku, Osaka City

Nakamoto] 3-9-6 Namikaze, Minato-ku, Osaka City

Bunbun Spice] 2-7-17 Kujo, Nishi-ku, Osaka City, Osaka

PIN-PON-PAN] 2-7-11, Chiyozaki, Nishi-ku, Osaka City, Osaka

Sankeiya] 2-6-14, Chiyozaki, Nishi-ku, Osaka City

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