Eat in Nakanoshima and Kitahama, Osaka

Fujiya 1935 ★ 4.3

Two Michelin stars; fourth-generation chef Tetsuya Fujiwara fuses Osaka dashi tradition with French technique at a Yariyamachi counter since 1935.

Order: ['Seasonal degustation menu', 'Uni beurre blanc']

Green Earth Vegan Kitchen ★ 4.2

Osaka's longest-running vegan restaurant, serving brown-rice set meals, tempeh burgers, and house-fermented hatcho miso soup. No fish stock.

Order: ['Brown rice teishoku', 'Tempeh ginger stir-fry', 'House miso soup']

Northshore ★ 4.8

Osaka's most photographed riverside cafe, a Kitahama building with a terrace over the water, known for fluffy pancakes with bacon and fried egg.

Order: ['Souffle pancakes', 'Flat white', 'Egg Benedict']

Aoma Coffee ★ 4.4

A small standing coffee bar and roastery in the Semba office district near Hommachi Station, pouring single-origin filter and espresso from its own roast.

Order: ['Espresso', 'Latte', 'Colombian filter']

School Bus Coffee Stop ★ 4.4

An American-style specialty coffee stand in Kitahama by renovation firm SCHOOL BUS; rotating single-origin taps with precision latte art as a house strength.

Order: ['Latte', 'Pour-over']

Boulangerie Gout ★ 4.5

A Tanimachi 4-chome French boulangerie and cafe baking around 140 breads, most of them on domestic wheat, from croissants to long-fermented baguettes.

Order: ['Croissant', 'Seasonal chausson', 'Pain de campagne']

Aoma Coffee ★ 4.4

A small standing coffee bar and roastery in the Semba office district near Hommachi Station, pouring single-origin filter and espresso from its own roast.

How they serve: Espresso, Latte, Filter drip

Mashica ★ 4.2

A Higobashi counter bar where a sommelier owner pairs natural wine with handmade pasta and Italian small plates in one small, permanently busy room.

Wine focus: Natural wine, biodynamic

Order: ['Biodynamic French rouge', 'Obanzai pairing set', 'Skin-contact white']

Yellow Ape Craft ★ 4.2

A Kitahama craft beer bar pouring around 20 rotating draught taps shipped direct from breweries across Japan, in a narrow Imabashi corner room.

Signature drink: Yellow Ape IPA

Yellow Ape Craft ★ 4.3

A long-running Imabashi draught specialist with about 20 taps rotating through Japanese craft breweries, plus cans and bottles to drink in or take away.

Osaka Gourmet EXPO ★ 3.7

A multi-week outdoor gourmet festival held in an air-conditioned tent in Osaka Castle Park, gathering around 30 restaurants for takoyaki, teppanyaki, sushi.

Northshore ★ 4.8

Osaka's most photographed riverside cafe, a Kitahama building with a terrace over the water, known for fluffy pancakes with bacon and fried egg.

Order: ['Souffle pancakes', 'Eggs Benedict', 'Flat white']

Northshore Weekend Pancake Edition ★ 4.0

Northshore at the weekend, when the Kitahama riverside terrace fills for stacks of fluffy pancakes with bacon and fried egg alongside the fruit counter.

Order: ['Seasonal fruit souffle pancake', 'Specialty pour-over']