Kiji

If you only have time for one okonomiyaki restaurant in the city, make it the Michelin Bib Gourmand-rated Kiji in Umeda. The constant queues in front are testament to its excellent dishes.

[Kiji - image © Florentyna Leow]

Osaka has hundreds if not thousands of okonomiyaki restaurants across the city, but Kiji continues to be a favourite with locals and tourists alike. It’s a great introduction to the art of okonomiyaki. While we’d take the Michelin Guide with a heavy pinch of salt, Kiji’s Bib Gourmand status is well-founded given its consistently excellent food over the years. That it continues to be a cheap and cheerful meal doesn’t hurt, either.

Kiji serves Osaka-style okonomiyaki. The word literally means ‘as you like it,’ and as that suggests, pretty much any ingredient is fair game. Pork? Squid? Cream cheese? It’s all good. ‘Okonomiyaki’ is often translated in English as ‘Japanese pizza,’ but this is a bit of a misnomer. It’s more like a thick, grilled pancake, with all kinds of ingredients held together by a nagaimo (mountain yam) and wheat flour batter. They also serve modanyaki, which is a variant stuffed with plenty of noodles.

[Kiji - image © Florentyna Leow]

One of the secrets - of which there are no doubt many - to Kiji-style okonomiyaki - is the addition of ooba or perilla leaf, which gives it a refreshing and lightly zingy flavour. Okonomiyaki can be pretty hearty and heavy, and using this herb gives it a wonderful lightness.

Besides the main restaurant in Shin-Umeda Shokudogai, Kiji also has a branch in the Umeda Sky Building basement called Kiji Sky. It’s as tiny as as the original branch, and serves the same excellent okonomiyaki. Kiji Sky does see more tourists due to its proximity to the observatory. If this is something you’d rather avoid, consider heading over to the original branch. Eating okonomiyaki while hearing the trains rumble by right above you is a unique experience.

For more Osaka okonomiyaki choices, see our Best Okonomiyaki in Osaka page.

English name:
Kiji

Japanese name:
きじ

English address:
Shin-Umeda Shokudogai, 9-20 Kakuda-cho, Kita-ku, Osaka-shi, 530-0017

Japanese address:
〒530-0017 大阪市北区角田町9-20 新梅田食道街

Opening hours:
11:30am-9:30pm
Closed Sunday

Price:

Non-smoking section:
No

Reservations:
No Reservations

Nearest Transport:
Train and Subway: Directly connected to Umeda Station.
Train: 3-minute walk from the Midosuji exit of Osaka Station.

Telephone:
+81-6-6361-5804

Website: Official website (Japanese)

Customer Reviews:
Read customer reviews of Kiji on TripAdvisor.

Near To Here:
Kiji is located in Osaka’s Kita and Umeda district. See our complete list of things to do in the Kita and Umeda district, including places to eat, nightlife and places to stay.

Best Osaka Restaurants
See our list of the best Osaka restaurants for even more ideas about great places to eat in Osaka.

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