Best Sushi Restaurants in Osaka: Top 5 Places

What we know today to be sushi was, until quite recently, a type of sushi that traces its roots back to Tokyo. Stalls on the Tokyo Bay waterfront gave rise to the enduring legacy of Edomae sushi, the Edo-period “fast food” that would become the basis of sushi not just in Japan, but outside it as well.

Of course, while Edomae sushi may not be the only type of sushi, it certainly remains the most popular and well-known type in recent times. Osaka does indeed have its own varieties of sushi, but they never quite enjoyed quite the same popularity as Tokyo’s own Edomae.

As such, many people aren’t familiar with sushi from the Kansai region, which contains prefectures like Osaka and Kyoto. Kansai-style sushi is characterized by its greater use of sugar instead of vinegar in the shari rice, the occasional use of konbu kelp to flavor the rice, and a greater emphasis on the use of fresh fish, as opposed to the preserved kinds in Edomae sushi. 

(That’s not even getting into the traditional hakozushi — literally “box sushi” —  from Osaka, sometimes known as “pressed sushi.”)

Due to Edomae sushi’s popularity and prevalence, visitors to Osaka will find that most sushi restaurants here still adhere to the Edomae tradition, as they do almost everywhere in Japan, but with slight variations due to the availability of regional fish. Kansai enjoys an abundance of white-fleshed fish, or shiromi-zakana, and as such it appears much more commonly in Kansai sushi.

Here are some of the best sushi restaurants in Osaka: 

There are several places to go for late-night sushi in Osaka’s Shinsaibashi shopping and nightlife district — where the party never stops — but sushi diehards know to go to Sushi mahoroba. 

Mahoroba is an archaic Japanese word meaning “wonderful place,” and wonderful it certainly is. Running until 3 am every night (except for Sundays and public holidays, which is when it closes at midnight instead), those nursing a late-night omakase sushi craving will find their salvation at its wooden counter, which seats 12. 

The chefs serve up all the best kinds of nigiri that you would expect, including the otoro fatty tuna belly and vinegared mackerel, as well as small, snacky bites like firefly squid — the perfect accompaniment to some sake. 

But maybe the best thing about Sushi mahoroba is its perfect balance of atmosphere: it’s not particularly casual — given the excellent quality of its sushi and the immediacy of its service, many choose to dine at its counter for special occasions. 

But at the same time, the chefs are warm enough that you won’t feel too inappropriate about making it your group’s choice for a second stop (or third, or fourth) on a night out drinking.

Find out more: The Best Nightlife Spots in Osaka

The rising star Sushi Taiga, on the other hand, looks on first appearance to be more austere. Sushi mahoroba draws people in with its unmistakably warmer, more traditional aesthetic, while Sushi Taiga’s shades of industrial gray and L-shaped counter of white Hinoki cypress (200 years old!) give it an almost Scandinavian take on Japanese interior design.

Yet Chef Kanekuni Taiga fills the space with warmth. He started his career in Tokyo’s Roppongi before moving to Singapore to start his own restaurant, Taiga Dining, then in fall 2024, returned to Japan to resume making sushi in Osaka’s Kitashinchi district.

As such, his service is the perfect mix of pastoral Kochi hospitality — where he was born and raised — and Osaka’s characteristic disarming friendliness. Visitors from all over the world will find themselves stunned by the array of languages that they will be welcomed in: between Chef Kanekuni and his wife-turned-proprietress, they speak Japanese, English, Mandarin, Cantonese, Hokkien, and Malay. 

And that’s not even getting to the quality of the food. Chef Kanekuni isn’t just particular about the quality of his seafood, which is flawless. But it’s his rice that gains particular attention: treated with a mixture of red and white vinegar, Chef Kanekuni makes sure each nugget of sculpted shari has that ideal balance of stickiness and sweetness.

Perhaps there’s something to be said about the mystery of a location adding to its popularity. If you’ll notice, running a search for Hozenji Sushidokoro Nakatani turns up few results, even on Google Maps.

This is because even though his restaurant held a Michelin Star in the Michelin Guide Osaka from 2018 to 2020, Chef Nakatani Hiroyuki is famously private; even more than his phenomenal sushi, the most famous thing about him is that he doesn’t allow photographs of the sushi or interior of his restaurant. There are a few pictures of his sake collection and the fresh ingredients, but the sushi is notably absent.

Chef Nakatani only opens reservations 30 days in advance, and there’s a strict 100% cancellation policy from the moment of reservation, meaning that the moment a guest makes a reservation, they’ll have to pay the full price if they cancel — even if it’s on the same day.

Is it really worth going to such a strict restaurant? According to testimonials, yes. Like most omakase sushi restaurants, there’s no fixed menu, but Chef Nakatani departs from tradition by allowing guests to make requests. Tell him your preferences, and he’ll make you something that suits them — almost like a cocktail bar in its customizability. 

Due to its location on Hozenji Yokocho, one of Namba’s major cultural attractions, visitors making a pilgrimage to Hozenji Temple often try to swing by and snag a former Michelin-starred omakase sushi meal. Availability is limited, so the odds are low — but that definitely hasn’t stopped hundreds from trying every week.

Think you can do better than the masters? You’re certainly welcome to try. That’s exactly what you can do at Daiki Suisan Sushi Seminar Dotonbori. 

A far cry from the formal, high-class omakase sushi experiences, Daiki Suisan Sushi Seminar in Dotonbori is a kaitenzushi restaurant — a conveyor belt sushi establishment that lets hungry guests snag what they want off the belt as it trundles past their seat.

However, the real highlight — and what gives it the “Seminar” name is the fact that it truly does offer sushi seminars. Aspiring sushi chefs can book themselves a sushi-making class, where they’ll be taught the basics of sushi-making, from filleting and slicing the fish to making the sushi rice, ensuring that the ratios of vinegar and sushi are all correct. At the very end of it, you’ll even receive a certificate of participation. 

Of course, if you’d rather just sit back and let the chefs do the work, that’s fine too. But if you don’t give it a shot, who knows? You might never find that hidden talent for shari-sculpting within yourself waiting to be uncovered. 

Situated in the upscale district of Kitashinchi, the Michelin-starred Sushi Ohata is perhaps the most “Osaka” that one might hope for on this list — and even then, it’s still unmistakably Edomae. 

But this combination of culinary styles is precisely what Chef Ohata is gunning for. He explicitly names his sushi style “Kansai-style Edomae,” aiming to “perfect Edomae sushi the way only a Kansai native can.”

It’s a bold statement, but Chef Ohata pulls it off with aplomb. The Edomae technique is immediately evident in his more traditional nigiri like boiled conger eel and marinated tuna — maguro-zuke — but those used to the more conventional order of service will be surprised by the use of freshwater fish like Biwa trout, fished fresh from the nearby Lake Biwa. 

A great lover of culinary research, Chef Ohata also experiments with different ratios of vinegar mixtures and rice cultivars for both subtle and stark variations in mouthfeel. A single service at Sushi Ohata might have guests be served six to 10 different types of shari, formulated from various combinations of white, red, and rose vinegar, and Chef Ohata’s carefully selected rice. 

For more sushi in the city, explore our selection of affordable omakase and best omakase sushi in Osaka. Heading to the capital? Try the most affordable omakase in Tokyo, or discover sushi in Shibuya and Shinjuku.

Osaka is more famous for its popular street food, such as takoyaki and okonomiyaki, but Osaka is known for a specific type of sushi: box sushi. This particular type of sushi uses vinegared rice and fresh toppings, both of which are pressed in a square wooden mold.

You can find most types of sushi in Osaka, but the sushi they’re famous for is oshizushi, a type of sushi that is dense and rectangular after between pressed in a traditional wooden mold.

Osaka is best known for takoyaki, grilled octopus balls that are surrounded by a piping hot, squishy batter made with tempura flakes, pickled ginger and green onions. From there, it’s smothered in a sweet-salty takoyaki sauce and topped with bonito flakes.

The most eaten sushi in Japan is nigiri, topping vinegared rice with premium seafood, fresh veggies and other tasty options.