Aju — Restaurant in Osaka

We went at night near 20:30 and we were the only diners at the restaurant without needing to wait for a table. The chef is one man band, he looks bery serious but he’s indeed very friendly.

⬇️Food The food taste geeat overall but are more on the salty side to my taste. My personal favourite is the Deep Fried Shiitake Mushroom. Then crunchy bites are just on the point without feeling too oily; Yakitori looks great but the seasoning was quite strong in my opinion; Carbonara Udon tastes just right but would be great if the sauce can be a bit more creamy.

⬇️Payment Accepts all major froms of payments including cards (Visa, Mastercard, Amex, JCB etc.).

⬇️Parking No onsite parking but there are paid street parking at the near shopping streets.

⬇️Points to note No phone number for the restaurant, so no reservation. Seats are limited (4 tables only) and chef doesn’t accept any parties over 4 people. If you want to order or need anything, press the button on the table and the chef will come. Don’t do anything extra. Utensils and water are...

Food was great, not the healthiest but seeing as ever other vegan place is always organic and healthy it was really nice to have a bit more indulgence finally. Chef has done his best to make everything easy for you (English speaking tourist) by having cards out explaining stuff.

We made of point of arriving as he opened, food was quick and tasty. Online it implies there is only space for 4 people but the place seats 11 but no tables bigger than 4 will be accepted which I think is reasonable seeing as it's a one man operation.

Best thing was the chance to enjoy some veganised version of Japanese/Osaka cuisine. Okonomiyaki seems to be a stuffed savoury pancake and the skewers which I've forgotten the name of were lovely.

From our experience it was quick and tasty which is great. He does begin to warn people when the wait gets longer etc but if you ever go anywhere operated by only one person and get annoyed with a wait that's on you buddy.

For all my vegans in Osaka you should give this a try and I doubt you'll be...

2023 update: it’s been 6 years since I visited and it’s changed a lot. Menu is more limited, the yakitori was dry and not so flavourful, the fake salmon was good. I liked some of the vegan grocery items they had available! Service was so-so. I thought it might be busy so we went when they opened, but nobody was there the whole time and he seemed not too interested. ———————————— Highly recommended! I feel like this place is one of the best 'all rounders' you'll find in Osaka. There's loads of options, atmosphere is nice, music is good, friendly fast service, and good prices. Less than a minute walk from Nakazakichō station! We had the cheese fondue (incredible!!), 'yakitori', avocado fritters and dumplings. All the flavours were awesome, and unlike other places, didn't leave us feeling too full. Which is a huge plus when you want to try the ice cream! And we did....