Sakatomo Chūji

Don’t come here if you don’t speak and read Japanese. They will not serve you. Never ever experienced this anywhere in the world. Rude. The concierge at our hotel was appalled and embarrassed that they would not allow us to dine.

You may have heard that Osaka has not one, not two, but three Michelin-​starred restaurants that also happen to be Izakayas. You also might have heard that the best alcohol producing regions are all found in the West of Japan, of which Osaka is the indisputable culinary epicenter.
That being said, if you have time to try nothing else in Osaka, I would definitely recommend you go to one of their many critically acclaimed Izakayas (chances are you might even find some of the dishes you were looking for in Osaka in one of these very awesome Izakayas) and if you happen to find yourself in Minami, Sakatomo Chūji is probably your best bet.
Sakatomo Chūji is as local watering hole as it can get; word of mouth is your best friend for a successful dining experience at Chūji starting from locating the establishment (it’s tucked away in the corner between an alleyway and the main street coming off from Keihan Namba Station… you don’t even notice the store until you see a faint wooden sliding door with a worn out noren hanging from the outside with the character 忠) to actually ordering from its menu which is written half in sōshotai (Japanese cursive) and half in handwritten ink. The obstacles continue even after you manage to get into the establishment, squint your eyes and order your food and poisons of choice; the servers have a tendency here of letting their patrons know that as seating space is extremely limited, customers may be asked kindly finish up and pay if they are not actively engaged in eating, drinking, or ordering more of the either.
Assuming you get over the initial sturm und drang hooplah the rest of your experience at Chūji is smooth sailing ahead:
— They have a huge rotating selection of different premium nihonshū /​shōchū from Kagoshima, Nagasaki, and Miyazaki et al. Check what’s posted on the wall if you want something off the beaten path — they will also go out of their way to find one that will suit your taste; just be prepared to explain exactly what you like in a glass of fermented barley /​sweet potato /​rice.
— All the sashimi served here is off whatever is the fresh catch of the day; if you ask for a recommendation from the waitstaff here this is what you’ll inevitably end up with.
— You’ll find a wide array of health-​conscious choices here, probably geared more toward the female drinkers; their obanzai mori (4 Kyoto-​style appetizers, usually containing some sort of pickle), nebaneba zukushi (A sticky mixture of okra, natto, nameko mushrooms, jute, and a poached egg), and komochi konnyaku (shishamo roe stuffed into konnyaku) are all delectable, yet guilt-​free choices for those worried more about their waist line than their wallet
— Most importantly, their menu also caters to the fat kid in everyone: do not leave this place without having tried their ham katsu (a huge slice of ham deep fried in cutlet batter), their spam chikuwa (a chikuwa roll stuffed with… you guessed it.) their giant kamas (I think we were given a choice between tai and hamachi), their seared mentaiko (cod roe), choices between curry/​ojiya/​omelets as meal finishers, and so on and so forth.
If you’re looking for an authentic experience off the beaten path from the awfully tourist-​centric Namba, let Sakatomo Chūji be your drinking buddy for the night; just make sure to ask for directions often and not let the wait staff catch you slippin’.