You’ll find excellent Kansai-style spice curries at this tiny lunchtime-only shop. Though the chef uses a hefty dose of different spices, the overall heat level is less fiery than average, so the subtler aspects of each dish shine through. There are three daily curries on offer. As usual with spice…
This compact cafe serves a full range of espresso-based beverages as well as coffee-based cocktails. Coffee beans are imported every week from legendary Seattle roaster Espresso Vivace. Pastries and hot dogs round out the menu. The shop’s decor is vaguely Seattle-themed, and they are officially the museum cafe for the…
Fish is known for their three-curry combo plates, which come with your choice of a main curry (pork, chicken, extra-spicy chicken, and various weekly specials) paired with a mixed-bean curry and a keema. The recommended pork curry is particularly fiery, with a good mix of spices, while the three-bean curry…
Yokohama’s beloved curry shop Marumasara more than lives up to its stellar reputation, serving some of the best spice curry we’ve ever eaten. Curry plates are artfully presented, and the spacious dining area looks like a cross between a chic cafe and someone’s atelier. A recording of chirping cicadas playing…
Sobameshi is a unique local dish that originated in the Nagata district of Kobe in the 1950s, and it’s one of the specialties of this shop. The name describes a mix of yakisoba (fried wheat noodles) and yaki-meshi (fried rice), which are chopped up and prepared together on an iron…
This stylish dining bar offers excellent seasonal Japanese cuisine with an emphasis on Kansai-style dishes, plus a diverse selection of craft sake. The kitchen turns out a mix of well-executed izakaya standards and original creations, with both seasonal dishes and plenty of daily specials. One specialty of the house that…
We’d love this place even if it weren’t for the gorgeous bayside view. They serve great food and inspired original cocktails, and they run their own craft brewery, coffee roastery and gin distillery on premises. When the weather is nice you can enjoy the fresh ocean breezes out on their…
Good-quality sushi doesn’t always entail sitting at a brightly lit counter and dealing with formal service – Sushi Maru’s down-to-earth setting and convenient tablet ordering system are much more relaxed. You can order a few pieces at a time as the mood strikes you, then watch it being prepared in…
Filled with colorful mismatched sofas and comfortable chairs, this all-day cafe is a fun place to relax over a cup of coffee, a slice of pie or a burger. The smash burgers here are meaty and coarsely textured, served with sauteed onions, shoestring fries and optional toppings (including macaroni and…
Offering a lovely view of the Tosabori River and Nakanoshima Island, this is a very pleasant space to relax with a cup of coffee and perhaps a pastry. The shop specializes in light-roast single-origin beans, and offers both hand-drip and espresso-based beverages. You are encouraged to drink your coffee black,…
Scandinavian-inspired open-face sandwiches are a novel lunchtime offering, and Smorrebrod Kitchen assembles them in three varieties – roast beef, shrimp and egg with roast vegetables, and chicken with roast vegetables. All sandwiches come with soup, salad and a drink for a fully balanced meal, with mini desserts and seasonal fruit…
This lively dining bar specializes in smoked foods and smoky cocktails, and stocks a good selection of whiskies. Homemade smoked items like bacon, cheese, chicken wings and quail eggs are skillfully prepared in the bar’s custom smoker, while zucchini fritters, fries and similar dishes are served with the bar’s own…
Our favorite dish at Rosemary’s is the Porchetta – slow-roasted, boneless slabs of premium pork infused with garlic, herbs and spices. It’s properly fatty to bring out the full flavor of the meat, and served with a colorful spread of roast vegetables. Add a couple of seafood appetizers, some fresh-baked…
Open Air Kobe Motomachi: Motomachi Open Air Kobe Motomachi Motomachi: Beer bar Run by Kobe craft brewery Open Air, this central-Motomachi taproom serves a dozen of their beers on tap plus a lineup of canned beers. They’re open all day, and the spacious upstairs dining room serves…
Tempting skewers of grilled meats and vegetables – often smothered in cheese or paired with bacon – are the draw at this very casual yakitori shop. Popular favorites include grilled camembert cheese wedges, shiitake mushrooms with butter-soy sauce, “kujo negi” Kyoto green onions with cheese, and bacon-wrapped asparagus spears. They…
Basque cuisine is the unusual specialty at Etxola and sister shop Gastroteka Bimendi. Etxola is the slightly fancier of the two, and they turn out beautifully presented prix-fixe menus based on top-quality seasonal ingredients. Some highlights from an autumn five-course lunch were excellent roast seasonal vegetables in tximitxuri sauce, grilled…
With glowing reviews in all the architecture magazines, this first Osaka branch of Blue Bottle is a stylish space in which to enjoy a serious cup of coffee. The upper level is illuminated by a virtual skylight displaying a blue sky with fluffy white clouds. During the evening the entire…
First-rate South Indian cuisine is served at this very popular neighborhood shop, with a nice variety of mutton and other curries, griddle-grilled Tawa dishes, kebabs and nearly a dozen dosas. Deep-fried pani puri spheres, served here without yogurt, make an excellent amuse-bouche. Drinks include unusual items like beet lassi (sweeter…
