Kushikatsu Kotetsu Dotonbori

Kushikatsu is a guilty indulgence. Part of the holy trinity of Osaka’s most famous street foods, flanked by okonomiyaki and takoyaki, these satisfying skewers of breaded meat and vegetables are the perfect companion for a tall, cold glass of draft beer. The thing is, kushikatsu is the perfect example of how one can have too much of a good thing. A single stick isn’t much. So it’s only too easy for stick after stick to slowly fill the bamboo cup provided for disposal — and only after having eaten too many helpings of golden brown, deep-fried breaded goodness does the regret start to set in. Not so with the kushikatsu at Kushikatsu Kotetsu Dotonbori. A fixture of the downtown Dotonbori district, the batter here at this restaurant is said to be famously light — the kind that doesn’t sit heavy in the stomach, the restaurant promises. This is because each of the components that goes into the kushikatsu is carefully chosen, from the oil that it’s fried in, to the flour of the batter, to even the sauces that it’s served with. For those who find the thick, sweet sauce that usually accompanies kushikatsu too cloying, Kushikatsu Kotetsu Dotonbori thoughtfully serves it with salt and dashi soy sauce as alternatives. It’s not just kushikatsu that visitors will find here at this restaurant — popular items on the menu also include such high-end offerings as melt-in-your-mouth Kobe beef steak from neighboring Hyogo Prefecture, and a medley of grilled seafood like scallops, squid and prawns. At just a 3-minute walk from Namba Station, it’s no surprise that even in spite of the wealth of popular kushikatsu restaurants around, Kushikatsu Kotetsu Dotonbori remains one of the most-frequented, thanks to its good location and excellent reputation.