15 Izakaya Where You Can Enoy Delicious Sake in Osaka Discover Oishii Japan -SAVOR JAPAN -Japanese Restaurant Guide-

Update-date: Jun 16 2020

Author: SAVOR JAPAN

15 Izakaya Where You Can Enoy Delicious Sake in Osaka

As you have traveled all the way to Japan, you can't miss this opportunity to taste some authentic sake (Japanese alcohol) that go divinely with Japanese cuisine and seafood dishes. Check out this collection of 15 izakayas (Japanese pubs) in Osaka that serve delicious food accompanied by the best sake.

See full listings of Izakaya restaurants found in and around Osaka.

1. Nakamura

Anago is a type of saltwater eel very similar to unagi (eel) and is often eaten as tempura or as a sushi topping. Here you can enjoy a large variety of anago-based dishes that go perfectly with sake. The restaurant's specialty is the [Anago no Sukiyaki Nabe (1,580 JPY)], which consists of sliced anago quickly passed through a lightly flavored soup and dipped in egg right before you eat it. The tender texture of anago meat complements the firm and crunchy texture of the skin and the meat. Another recommended delicacy is the [Anago no Tsukuri Assortment (1,280 JPY)] that includes 3 types of sashimi: scorched with the skin on, parboiled, and raw.

Nakamura

Open: Lunch 11:30 am - until sold out, Dinner 6:00 pm - 11:00 pm
Closed: Irregular
Average price: [Dinner] 5,000 JPY
Address: 3-3-14, Tenjinbashi, Kita-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka

2. Danran-ya Osaka Umeda Branch

Head here to taste delicious sake along with "Houjuton", a brand of pork raised meticulously in Nagasaki Prefecture. If you need a recommendation for their pork dishes, try their umami-rich (Japanese savory taste) [Thickly Sliced Pork Belly Shioyaki (580 JPY)]. Also, don't miss the [Danran-ya Special Yaki-shabu Konabe (980 JPY)], which consists of thin slices of meat parboiled in a hot pot and seasoned with a delicious sauce. They also boast a rich seafood menu that goes well with sake. For example, the nitsuke (ingredients boiled in soy sauce) which is infused with the flavor of dashi (broth), genuine sashimi that truly enhances the flavor of fish, and the fragrant scorched fish, are all great pairings for alcohol.

Danran-ya Osaka Umeda Branch

Open: [Weekdays] Lunch 11:30 am - 2:00 pm, Dinner 5:00 pm - 12:00 am
[Saturday, Sunday, National Holidays] 5:00 pm - 12:00 am
Closed: Irregular
Average price: [Dinner] 3,500 JPY / [Lunch] 800 JPY
Address: B1F, New Plaza Bldg., 2-21, Taiyuji-cho, Kita-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka

3. Yoichi Namba Branch

This restaurant offers over 50 types of sake from all over Japan and allows you to enjoy rare brands by the glass (90cc). To enhance the deliciousness of sake, they serve dishes with both meat and fresh seafood. If you're here for a full meal, order the [Gyu Harami Steak (980 JPY)]. Harami is the outside skirt steak (the diaphragm meat), and is popular for its mild aroma and taste, making it easy to eat. Enjoy it with their refreshing Japanese-style sauce. If you prefer seasonal fish, their sashimi is the best. Don't miss the [Otsukuri 5-kind Assortment (1,380 JPY)].

Yoichi Namba Branch

Open: 12:00 pm - 12:00 am (L.O. 11:00 pm) *Lunch L.O. 3:00 pm
Closed: None
Average price: [Dinner] 3,000 JPY / [Lunch] 1,000 JPY
Address: No.3, 1-2F, Koisan Center Bldg., 1-8-5, Dotonbori, Chuo-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka

4. Wa Bar Kai

At this restaurant, you can order 1 glass of any of their rare sake brands from all over the country for 480 JPY, or 1 goh (180cc) for 850 JPY. They're pretty cheap, so it's the most suitable place for those who want to taste and compare different brands. As for snacks, their dishes made with jidori (local chicken), directly delivered from Miyazaki Prefecture, are highly recommended. It lacks the typical smell of chicken meat, so you can enjoy it as sashimi as well. You can complement the chicken with seasonal fish as well. A super popular delicacy, which is seasonally limited, is the [Dappi Shitate no Kani no Marugoto Itame (850 JPY)], which is a stir-fried freshly molted whole crab that you eat it with the shell on.

Wa Bar Kai

Open: [Monday - Thursday] 6:00 pm - 2:00 am
[Friday, Saturday, Day before National Holidays] 6:00 pm - 3:00 am
Closed: Sunday
Average price: 3,500 JPY
Address: 1F, Katies Bldg., 1-19-19, Higashi Shinsaibashi, Chuo-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka
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5. Kuturogi

Enjoy this restaurant's creative Japanese cuisine, which consists mainly of seafood dishes made with fresh vegetables and seafood. Their drink menu comprises of 50 types of sake, as well as a wide selection of other alcoholic drinks from various areas of the country. Their seafood specialty is definitely their sashimi from a wide range of fish and is the perfect snack to go with sake. Enjoy it by ordering the [Assortment]. Another luxurious option is the [Kobore Uni Ikura Gunkan (5 pieces 1,200 JPY)], sushi literally overflowing with ikura (salmon roe) and uni (sea urchin). During the cold season, warm yourself with their nabe (hot pot) dishes, made with seafood like monkfish and longtooth grouper.

Kuturogi

Open: 6:00 pm - 3:00 am
Closed: Irregular
Average price: [Dinner] 5,000 JPY / [Lunch] 2,000 JPY
Address: 201, Mitoori Art Bldg., 1-9-19, Higashi Shinsaibashi, Chuo-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka
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6. Kai Main Branch Kamosu

This place serves both super rare and seasonally limited wines and sake. You can pair them with seafood and charcoal grilled dishes. The [Kai no Otsukuri Assortment (from 1,280 JPY)] allows you to eat delicious fish as is, or lightly scorched or marinated with kombu (seaweed) overnight, or in any other elaborate preparation that brings out the fish's original umami. Additionally, be sure to try their umami-rich chicken, pork or beef charcoal grilled at high temperatures, and whose juicy flavor will excite your taste buds from the first bite to the last. Alternatively, most regulars order the [Since 1999 - Kai's Special Grilled Ripe Tomato (880 JPY)], in which perfectly ripe tomatoes are carefully grilled.

Kai Main Branch Kamosu

Open: [Weekdays] Lunch 11:30 am - 1:00 pm, Dinner 5:00 pm - 11:30 pm (L.O. 10:30 pm)
[Saturday] 5:00 pm - 11:30 pm (L.O. 10:30 pm)
Closed: Sunday, National Holidays
Average price: [Dinner] 4,500 JPYN / [Lunch] 800 JPY
Address: B1F, Dohama No.2 Bldg., 1-1-15, Dojimahama, Kita-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka
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7. Kitahama Urara

This place only uses local ingredients for its dishes, with the main focus on products made in the "Senshu area", the south-west part of Osaka. This region offers a large variety of products and has played an important role in the evolution of Osaka's food culture since ancient times. As for alcohol, they stock a selection of sake that has been carefully chosen by the owner who also manages a liquor store. If you find sake a bit difficult to drink, you should try their sweet cider made with sake. When the weather is nice, enjoy your premium sake and authentic Japanese food, which makes the most of the local ingredients, on their beautiful terrace.

Kitahama Urara

Open: 5:00 pm - 11:00 pm (L.O. 10:00 pm)
Closed: Sunday *Open on National Holidays for large group reservations only
Average price: 6,000 JPY
Address: Y'S Bia Kitahama, 1-1-12, Kitahama, Chuo-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka

8. Toha

This restaurant offers over 100 different types of alcohol. The proprietress is a certified sommelier, so she can recommend the best wine and sake to pair with your food. Order the [Marriage Set (2,800 JPY)] to enjoy this service. It consists of an omakase (chef's recommended) course with the best matching drinks (3 glasses of different wines or sake). In their dishes, they only use vegetables free of pesticides, delivered straight from their contract farmers. With their [Yasai no Tempura (1,000 JPY)] you'll get to enjoy the genuine umami and the strong flavor of vegetables.

Toha

Open: 5:00 pm - 12:00 am (L.O. 11:00 pm)
Closed: Sunday, National Holidays
Average price: [Dinner] 6,000 JPY / [Lunch] 1,500 JPY
Address: 5F, Nippo Dojima Center, 1-3-9, Dojima, Kita-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka
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9. Honori

In this restaurant, first-class Japanese dishes made with fresh ingredients are skillfully combined with delicious sake stocked from several regions. Their unique tableware is the work of a talented ceramist, among which the drinking vessels are particularly elaborate. Customers get to pick their favorite "guinomi", a type of sake cup, to drink their alcohol. If you want to complement your drinks with food, order the [Kisetsu no Course (4,800 JPY)]. The menu is established by the chefs, who decide on the methods of preparing the seasonal ingredients procured on the day, with the aim of getting the most flavor out of each ingredient.

Honori

Open: [Monday] Dinner 5:30 pm - 11:00 pm (L.O. 10:30 pm)
[Tuesday - Friday] Lunch 11:30 am - 2:00 pm (L.O. 1:30 pm), Dinner 5:30 pm - 11:00 pm (L.O. 10:30 pm)
[Saturday] Dinner 5:30 pm - 11:00 pm (L.O. 10:30 pm)
Closed: Sunday, National Holidays
Average price: [Dinner] 6,000 JPY / [Lunch] 1,000 JPY
Address: B1F, 3-3-14, Minami Hon-machi, Chuo-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka

10. TERU Umeda Branch

The owner of this restaurant is a huge sake fan and allows you to taste his reasonably priced sake selected from all over Japan. Including rare brands that cannot be found easily, you'll be able to choose from over 50 different types, so it's no wonder this is many sake-lovers' favorite place. Their most popular menu items are sashimi and sushi made with fresh fish and tender beef meat dishes. Their beef sushi, where the vinegared rice of sushi is topped with beef, is not to be missed. The most recommended items are the [Gyu no Uniku Sushi (2 pieces 580 JPY)] which is sushi rice rolled in fresh beef and topped with uni, and the [Aburi Gyu Sushi (3 pieces 580 JPY)], which consists of sushi rice topped with an umami-rich seared slice of beef.

TERU Umeda Branch

Open: 5:00 pm - 3:00 am (L.O. 2:00 am)
Closed: Irregular
Average price: 3,000 JPY
Address: B1F, Watanabe Five Bldg., 1-12-14, Shibata, Kita-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka

11. Jizakekura Osaka

The 800 types of ji-zake (Japanese local alcohol) you'll find here are produced by 38 different breweries from all parts of Japan. Their menu of ji-zake changes periodically and allows you to enjoy 1 goh (180ml) for a bargain price. If you want to taste more than one type, you can order the 90ml half goh as well. In addition, every day there is a specific sake you can have for just 150 JPY per 90ml. To boost the deliciousness of the alcohol, try one of their dishes made with pork and chicken from Nagasaki Prefecture. Above all, the [Otoko no Karaage (1,280 JPY)], comprised of one half of an entire Tsushima jidori, is particularly recommended as it allows you to taste several different cuts of meat in one serving.

Jizakekura Osaka

Open: 5:00 pm - 12:00 am (L.O. 11:00 pm)
Closed: None
Average price: 3,500 JPY
Address: 2-8-80, Namba Naka, Naniwa-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka

12. Hitotsu

Here you can enjoy creative Italian dishes modified by a touch of Japanese tradition. Drinks are not limited to wines and include a wide offering of limited edition sake directly stocked from the breweries personally visited by the chef. For those who want to try different sake, there is a convenient 3-kind tasting menu (1,000 JPY, 1,500 JPY). As for food, a great option is their [Marugoto Ippiki Zakana no Acqua Pazza or Tomato Nikomi (from 1,580 JPY)], made with a whole fish directly delivered from the fisherman. It's a tasty and nourishing seafood dish sure to delight your palate.

Hitotsu

Open: Lunch 11:30 am - 3:00 pm (L.O. 2:30 pm), Dinner 5:30 pm - 11:30 pm (L.O. 10:30 pm)
Closed: Tuesday
Average price: [Dinner] 3,500 JPY / [Lunch] 1,000 JPY
Address: 3299, Fukaisawa-machi, Naka-ku, Sakai-shi, Osaka
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13. Binbiya

The word "binbi" in the restaurant's name, means "fish" in the owner's hometown dialect. So, Binbiya literally means "fish restaurant", and in fact their specialty is seafood cuisine made by the skillful chef with particular attention to the stocking of ingredients and season. His signature recipe is the [Iwashi Ume Ni (650 JPY)], a stewed fish dish. The [Tsukuri Assortment (small from 1,600 JPY, 2,500 JPY)] is also a must-have dish you won't regret ordering. The sake menu offers a variety of premium products that change on a monthly basis to match the season. Come here to enjoy great sake and great seafood.

Binbiya

Open: [Weekdays, Day before National Holidays] 5:00 pm - 1:00 am (L.O. 1:00 am)
[Saturday] 5:30 pm - 9:30 pm (L.O. 9:30 pm)
Closed: Sunday, National Holidays
Average price: 7,000 JPY
Address: 1-7-26, Sonezaki Shinchi, Kita-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka
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14. Tanmiya

The creative cuisine of this place goes beyond expectation by offering recipes from every country in the world: Japanese, Chinese, French, and Italian, to name a few. Their flagship menu item is the [Ika no Oroshi Mayonnaise (1,900 JPY)], wherein squid is charcoal grilled and let cool in ice water before being dressed with a special sauce made of grated daikon (radish) and mayonnaise. They also have lots of sake from various areas of Japan. Should you need a suggestion, try the world-famous "Dassai", made in Yamaguchi Prefecture. If you like it, don't miss "Dassai Yamaguchi Junmai Daiginjo" (1 glass 1,100 JPY), which is said to have the best balance between aroma and flavor.

Tanmiya

Open: 5:00 pm - 12:30 am (L.O. 11:30 pm)
Closed: None *Closed for Obon and around New Year
Average price: 6,000 JPY
Address: 2-6-9, Oyodo Naka, Kita-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka ()

15. Kaizoku

This restaurant specializes in shellfish directly delivered from various fishing ports around the country. Treat yourself to their specialty, the [Classic Hiroshima Kaki Yakanyaki (1,480 JPY - 3,680 JPY)]. It consists of shell-on oysters from Hiroshima steamed in a big kettle. After you eat them, there are two ways to enjoy the remaining soup enriched by the oysters' flavor: either drink it as it is or dilute it with hot alcohol by ordering the [Kaki Zake (580 JPY)], which is highly recommended. Of course, their sake menu, which consists of many brands from around the country, includes some that go well with shellfish. Enjoy them all together with delicious shellfish delicacies!