Kushikatsu Daruma Dōtonbori

Until I visited Japan, I haven’t even heard of the food group called Kushikatsu, which apparently is deep fried everything. deep fried meats, vegetables, and seafood. The concept is that you have a «community» sauce bucket, so they stress to you not to double dip as the sauce is there for the rest of the night. The whole time I’m eating and thinking… what if the previous diner sneezed in the sauce bucket, but I guess that’s part of the experience lol. With your fried skewers, they also provide you with a plate of cabbage. The whole point of that is to cut the fat and also to use it to scoop extra sauce onto your skewers (prevent double dipping). I went to a few of these kushikatsu joints and I have to say that this chain of Kushikatsu was definitely the cleanest of them all. Prices were cheap and they offer sampler platters so you can try everything at a reasonable price.
I’m still pondering how everyone is not overweight in Japan haha
4 stars.

Great food and tasty. There were five of us. We ordered the assorted skewers first and then the ones we like the most… definitely the beef. Chicken gizzards and hearts were good also. Pricing was reasonable and service was good. Must try.

Osaka is known for okinomiyaki, takoyaki, and kushiage. Since we already had the first in Kyoto and saved the second for snacks, we went for kushiage as our last dinner in Osaka.
We decided to go with the most popular chain in the city — kushikatsu. We checked out 3 locations before settling in the biggest branch (most only seat 4 ppl max). We shared 4 combo sets with 2 additional wagyu beef sides. Since my father in law has shellfish allergy and all items looked identical on the platter, we had to ask our server to walk us through each item. We were pleasantly surprised by our server’s patience and willingness to translate item by item. He did it again and again as more items were brought to our table.
Taste — The batter was good. The crunchiness was spot on. However, fried foods are fried foods. Any food fried has a positive baseline of tastiness.
Overall — quite pricy. One to two bites per stick and each stick costs about $ 1-​$ 2. After sharing 4 platters and 2 sides, none of us were particularly full. Since we were surrounded by incredible street eats, we decided to wrap up our time in kushikatsu.

Super fast (once you get in), super tasty, try everything! great experience.

A very satisfying meal always. My 10^th time here and always get the respect and courtesies from the staff even bring from Out of town. Always fast. So if theirs a line, no worries you will be eating in 10 mins! Order the set menu then add if you need more. Also MUST try their Doteyaki. Just try it you’ll like it. A high recommend !

This was definitely one of the most interesting eating experiences we had in Osaka. Everything was pretty much deep fried with a nice crust. The beef tongue did not have a crust but was very good. They sat us upstairs, and the staff helped us orient to the tablet that helped us order in English. However, it took a bit of figuring out to do everything right. Before you start, they show you in your language what to do, including the most important rule which is not to double dip in the sauce because they reuse the sauce during the day. On the tablet, you can order up to 4 things at a time. Once you complete the order, it doesn’t take much time for the food to come to you. The food comes on a pair of «trains» that arrive via the track adjacent to your table. The deep fried goodies are on top of a stainless steel tray. The first time, we made the mistake of removing the stainless steel tray from the «train». Do not do this. When the train arrives, remove your ordered items and place them on the hotplate in front of you, leaving the stainless steel tray behind. After you remove your goodies, hit the red button on the track below the trains. This will send the trains back to the deep frying people. At this point, you can then dip your order into the sauce next to the hotplate and enjoy.
We tried a variety of deep fried goodness (beef tongue, deep-​fried chicken, chicken gizzard, chicken skin, chicken meatballs, shrimp and more). They were all good but the beef tongue and deep-​fried chicken were outstanding. When you are done, there is a small wooden container to place your used skewers. It was really a fun experience especially with the train bringing the food to you. The sauce is sort of a thinner version of the Japanese worcestershire based tonkatsu sauce. It is salty, a little bit sweet and a bit tart. There are several of these restaurants around the Dotonbori area. There is one in the main Dotonbori area which always seems to be crowded, so we elected to come here and were quickly seated.

Don’t be a tourist and sit upstairs, do yourself a favor and ask for a counter seat. You can BS with the fryer dude and he’ll throw in a freebie if you make him laugh. There’s a ton of options to choose from, any of the sets are good starting points which include 10+ different sticks to try. My favorite is the original beef and pork cutlets. Four of each will feed a grown boy.

Hard to argue with deep fried skewers of meat! My assessment: delicious, but nothing special. The wife and I were full to bursting from all the eating we’d been doing in Osaka so we just shared one of the combo sets. The best was the classic beef. Next time I’d just get like 10 of those. Really fun atmosphere and I loved the katsu delivery system (alone worth the price of admission!).
Remember, no double dipping!

You get there at night and there is a lineup out the door with a gap in between but it goes fast and line inside is short. But I really like how efficient they are, communicating to the lineup to move up or come in. Then they give you a menu, and while in the lineup they take your order. Then they take you to the seat and soon enough the food comes out.
One rule to follow: Don’t dip twice
So for all the fried skewers they give you, there is also this bucket of sauce for you to dip. You take your skewer and dip in the sauce. Don’t dip twice.
One thing I didn’t like was for our table of four, the skewers came out all mixed. I mean the stuff is fried so how can I tell what it is? They tell us with the second batch but how do I remember all the items?
The second floor are table where you sit on the ground. First floor appears to be seats at the counter for most part.
After you leave, they scoop out any bits left in the dip sauce from previous sitting.
The best skewers, asparagus, beef, lotus root. For most part though they all tasted good!
Also, count your sticks. We were one stick short and it was the priciest prawn. They did change for it, luckily we counted. They were nice enough to take it off the bill.

Of all the famous foods in Osaka, this type — Kushikatsu probably appeals to me the least. I popped into this famous restaurant for lunch in the middle of the tourist strip to avoid the crazy dinner queues. I’m glad I didn’t queue as I would been terribly let down by the food. The little deep fried skewers just didn’t do it for me, I prefer the tempura batter more but that’s just my personal preference. The process is quite simple, order a variety of skewers and drinks. When they come out, dip once into the communal sauce and eat accompanied with some raw cabbage on the side. On a positive, the skewers are freshly deep fried to order so they’re hot and crunchy.

Kushikatsu Daruma 串カツだるま * クシカツダルマ is very famous in Osaka (you probably saw footage of one of the locations on Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations: Osaka), and outside this location in Dotonbori, is the statue of the owner/​founder holding up two deep fried skewers while almost crossing his arms, and looking very angry. Truth be told, it’s a little humorous, but at the same time, the Americano in me can’t help but wonder if he’s really holding up corn dogs, if the shade of brown was lighter…
And it turns out there are several locations, it is not even clear which one is the flagship, but this branch has at least two levels, and on certain times of day there is a line to get in. The owner was nowhere in sight during our food crawl visit.
Once you are seated, you will be given a menu which is in both English and Japanese (yep it’s a touristy place) but the skewers are quite affordable. Their signature is beef kushikatsu (deep fried skewer) but the others are just as good, such as wild shrimp. There is a container of community dip sauce per table (dip once only, George Costanza rule), and self help raw cabbage which works brilliantly with it (and perhaps a frosty mug of beer), just like a properly done tonkatsu (pork cutlet).
You do not have to go all pig out here, just try a few that you like and they are all good. Very simple deep frying technique (yet hard to accomplish back in the States). Always a juicy interior, and a good non tempura batter (and far more refined than regular panko exterior). There appears to be no minimum order, so if you are snacking before you «drop dead to the floor from over eating» (kuiadore), you are empowered to do so.
Oh yeah, you pick up the tab and pay at the cashier downstairs.
Even if this is a chain for tourists, it’s still a very good one by visitor’s standards.

I recommend this famous restaurant to the tourists, Shin-​sekai beginner, and first time guests.
This restaurant serves Kushikatsu, pieces of pork and vegetables fried on a skewer.
And it is very famous so in front of this restaurant, there is always long waiting people line.
Well their taste is good enough but it costs higher than the other same type restaurants I usually visit.
And the waiting people look at you from the outside, it makes you be irritable.
You should order set skewers menu than each piece, it is cheaper.
Draught beer and the other drink menus costs over 500 yen, it’s not the price in Shin-​sekai.
If you have any friends in Osaka, you should ask them to take other Kushikatsu restaurants they know well.
And you never follow the person who calls you to come in their restaurant.
観光客、新世界初めての方にお勧めの串カツ屋さんです。
有名店だけに長い行列ができていますので、30分ほど待つこともしばしば。
たしかに串カツは一定のレベルにありますしが、私が普段使いしているお店に比べると少々高め（それでも10­5円＋消費税ですけどね）です。
たまに衣が荒い串もあり、アルバイトの方が揚げているのかなと思います。
そして外に並んでいる人達の視線が気になりゆっくり食べられません。
個別に頼むよりセットを頼む方が安いですが、飲み物が生ビールでも500円以上と、新世界の価格を大幅に上回ります。
酎ハイも同じく高いです。
どてやき、串盛り合わせ、ビール3杯で3000円を超えるなら、他のものを食べに行きたいと思ってしまいます。
ここ以上のお店を、新世界を知らない人が見つけるのは難しいですし、あったとしても初めての人には入りにくい雰囲気でしょう。
なので、そういう方は、少々高くてもここで食べるのがいいと思います。
もし大阪の友達がいるならその人にお勧めの串カツ屋さんに連れて行ってもらう方がいいと思います。
ただし、周辺で客引きをしているお店には絶対に行ってはいけません。
高い上にまずい、ですよ。

Daruma is one of the most famous Kushikatsu places in Osaka. Their iconic entrance catches your attention. There is usually a line to get in but it goes fast.
Their skewer item starts from 120 yen. We got a few wrong order and I didn’t realize until I took a bite, since they look all so similar in shape and deep fried. My fav is of course the traditional katsu, mushroom and cheese. I also ordered a cocktail but barely tasted any alcohol in it.
If you are from overseas and have never been to these Japanese izakaya style places, it will be a fun experience for you. English, Korean and Chinese menu available.

This place is certainly an experience! Who doesn’t love a good deep fried meal? I’m not talking tempura, I’m talking seriously deep fried, corn dog style.
For the Americans reading this, no worries trying this place. The staff was extremely friendly and they had an English menu. A few of the waitresses even took it as an opportunity to practice their English, which was very humorous to them and to us.
Anyway, the food! Interesting concept. Choose your meat or vegetable. A few minutes later the deep fried goodies arrive on sticks on a small metal tray. From there dip the entire stick of food into this vat of sauce on the counter (no double dipping! They have special instructions on the table). Most of the sticks are 130 yen or so. Grab a beer and go to town. Don’t be shy on a second or third order.
The traditional beef was great, but the pork and asparagus were our favorites.