What is the no. 1 must-do thing in Osaka? Eat!
Eat what? Takoyaki and okonomiyaki of course!
For two days, I stuffed myself with them. No regret. I’m glad nobody in my group complained because when we visited Tokyo later, I got request for more takoyaki and okonomiyaki. Haha
I’m a BIG fan of takoyaki. Yes, I ❤️ takoyaki. Having sampled many right in my home country and even cook my own takoyaki, I thought I won’t be surprised by it anymore. Wrong. Osaka’s version of takoyaki is really different; taste and texture wise.
I visited Takoyaki Doraku Wanaka main shop (main shop is called 本店 honten in Japanese) on my first night in Osaka. It’s less than a minute away from Sennichimae Doguyasuji (Osaka’s version of kitchen street). If you’re not in that area, do check out their website (http://takoyaki-wanaka.com/en/04_tenpo.html) for other branches.
Freshly made takoyaki! Sorry, I have to blur your face handsome guy.
I ordered their standard takoyaki for snack. Each person had 2 pieces since we’re having a proper dinner in less than half an hour time.
We ordered to go and then only realized they have seating area at the back and on first floor. It was drizzling at that time. So we went and sat the back area with piping hot takoyaki to feed our stomach on that cold night.
Takoyaki with Wanaka’s original sauce (8 pieces) for 450 yen. Two pieces are missing from this photo. Hehe
I only have that one shot above of the takoyaki since the rest came out blurry. I was in a hurry to eat the takoyaki plus the low light didn’t helped. Update: I found another good photo of Wanaka takoyaki in another camera. See it here.
Since it’s freshly made, the takoyaki are steaming hot! Beware of burning your tongue. The takoyaki is real crispy on the outside and soggy (yup!) inside. Really not what I’m used to. Taste wise, it was quite salty. Overall, not bad actually. I can’t really give it the best or the worst yet at that moment as it were my first taste of Osaka’s version of takoyaki. But I can tell you (secretly), after sampling two other takoyaki shops the next day, I like Takoyaki Doraku Wanaka the most. 😉
Takoyaki Doraku Wanaka honten can be easily spotted since it’s located at the corner with bright red lanterns.
Address:
たこやき道楽 わなか 千日前本店 Takoyaki Doraku Wanaka (main shop/honten)
11-19 Nambasennichimae
Chuo-ku Osaka-shi
Osaka
or
大阪府 大阪市中央区 難波千日前 11-19
Tel: +81-6-6631-0127
Opening time: 10am-11pm (Mon-Fri), 8:30am-11pm (Sat, Sun & public holidays)
Nearest station: Namba
Map:
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