Best Udon in Osaka: 4 Shops Worth Trying

Udon are thick wheat-flour noodles served in hot broth or with a cold dipping sauce. They are milder than ramen and inexpensive, so they are easy to fit into a travel day. Osaka is known as a city that takes its udon broth especially seriously, and it is where dishes now eaten all over Japan, such as kitsune udon and niku-sui, were born. This guide covers four shops that are essential to understanding Osaka udon: Usami-tei Matsubaya, credited with inventing kitsune udon; Imai in Dotonbori, running since just after the war; Chitose, the birthplace of niku-sui; and Tsurutontan, open almost all night.

Kitsune udon and niku-sui were born in Osaka

Kitsune udon, topped with sweetly simmered fried tofu, is credited to Usami-tei Matsubaya in Osaka’s Senba district. Founder Yotaro Usami, who had trained at a sushi shop, is said to have come up with the idea of serving the seasoned fried tofu used for inari-zushi together with a bowl of udon. Since opening in 1893, the restaurant has kept a short menu built around that dish, and its fried tofu still comes from Kyoto. Eating kitsune udon at the place credited with inventing it is an experience you can only have in Osaka.

Another Osaka original is niku-sui, essentially niku udon without the noodles: a beef broth soup credited to Chitose Honten in Namba Sennichimae. Versions are now served at other Osaka eateries too, but at the original shop you can have niku-sui as well as niku udon made with the same broth.

In Osaka, udon is about the broth

At Osaka udon shops, the broth is as much the star as the noodles. Dotonbori Imai Honten has kept its signature kitsune udon unchanged since opening in 1946, built on a dashi made from Hokkaido kelp and Kyushu dried fish. Topped with generous sweet-simmered fried tofu, it is considered a representative bowl of Osaka-style kitsune udon. Take a sip of the clear broth first, then work through the noodles and tofu, and you will understand how Osaka thinks about udon.

The broth is often lighter in color than the dark soy-sauce broths of the Tokyo area, but that does not mean it tastes weak. It puts the savory depth of kelp and dried fish up front, in a typically Osaka way. If you want to compare udon around Japan, pay attention to the broth first in Osaka.

How the four shops differ

Reading the menu at an Osaka udon shop

Some words on Osaka udon menus are confusing if you come from elsewhere. “Kitsune” means topped with sweet-simmered fried tofu, the classic of classics at Osaka udon shops. “Tanuki” means different things by region: in the Tokyo area it usually refers to udon or soba topped with crunchy tempura bits, but in Osaka “tanuki” usually means soba topped with fried tofu. “Niku-sui” is the beef broth of niku udon without the noodles, which many people order with a bowl of rice. “Su-udon” is a simple bowl with few toppings, good for tasting the broth itself. If in doubt, order the house specialty first, taste the broth, then choose your next bowl.

Location and access

Three of the four are clustered in the Minami area: Imai Honten in Dotonbori 1-chome, Tsurutontan in Soemoncho, and Chitose in Namba Sennichimae, all within walking distance of Dotonbori and Namba Station. Usami-tei Matsubaya is in Minami-Semba (3-chome, Chuo Ward), just north of Shinsaibashi, so it pairs well with shopping on the Shinsaibashi-suji arcade. All four are easy to reach if you are staying in Minami.

Choosing by time of day

The four keep very different hours, so choose by the time of day. In the morning to early afternoon, have niku-sui at Chitose, which opens at 10:30. From lunch to early evening, have kitsune udon at Usami-tei Matsubaya or Imai. Late at night or early in the morning, Tsurutontan, open until 8:00 AM, is the one to rely on. Chitose can close early when it sells out, Usami-tei Matsubaya is closed on Sundays and holidays, and Imai on Wednesdays, so check the day as well.

Budget and how to choose

Usami-tei Matsubaya, Imai Honten, and Chitose are all in this site’s budget range of up to about 1,000 yen per person: kitsune udon is about 650 yen and niku-sui about 800 yen. Tsurutontan is in the 1,000 to 3,000 yen range, and besides udon it serves side dishes such as vegetable sushi and Kobe Tajima beef menchi-katsu, plus alcohol, so it also works for a group dinner or a meal with a drink. For a quick solo meal, Imai, with counter seats, and the small Chitose are easy to walk into.

To compare Osaka udon in a single day, try kitsune udon at the shop credited with inventing it for lunch, and one of Tsurutontan’s more inventive bowls late at night.

How to order and eat

At all four, you sit down, choose from the menu, and tell the staff. Kitsune udon and niku-sui are the house specialties, so if in doubt, order the dish the shop is known for. Slurping udon is not rude, and it is fine to lift the bowl and drink the broth directly. Many shops keep shichimi (seven-spice chili) on the table, so you can add a little partway through to change the flavor. To compare with other cities, see our guides to the best udon in Tokyo and the best udon in Kyoto, and our udon guide for udon itself.

Frequently Asked Questions