Kani Doraku Dotonbori Main Branch — Restaurant in Osaka

Kani Doraku – Dotonbori Main Branch (Osaka)

During our previous trip to Osaka, we had the pleasure of dining at the iconic Kani Doraku Dotonbori Main Branch, instantly recognizable by the enormous mechanical crab that moves its legs and claws above the entrance—a landmark as famous as the restaurant itself. Located in the heart of Dotonbori, this dining experience is a celebration of all things crab, from the freshest sashimi to indulgent hot pots.

The atmosphere inside blends the lively energy of Osaka with the refined precision of traditional Japanese dining. We were seated in a comfortable, private booth overlooking the bustling canal, a perfect setting to enjoy the meal while taking in the neon-lit streets outside.

The menu is a crab lover’s dream. We opted for a multi-course kaiseki-style feast that showcased crab in nearly every imaginable preparation—delicately sliced raw as sashimi, grilled to perfection, steamed, baked in creamy gratin, and simmered in a rich, flavorful hot pot. Each course was beautifully presented, highlighting the sweet, delicate flavor of the crab without overpowering it.

One of the most memorable moments was cooking fresh crab legs at our table on a small grill, the aroma filling the air as the meat turned tender and succulent. The miso crab soup, served near the end of the meal, was the perfect comforting finish before the final dessert.

Service was impeccable—polite, efficient, and attentive without being intrusive. The staff explained each course, offered tips for the best way to enjoy the crab, and ensured that our dining experience felt special from start to finish.

For photographers, Kani Doraku is a visual treat. From the famous animated crab sign outside to the artfully plated dishes inside, there are endless opportunities to capture both the charm of Osaka’s nightlife and the beauty of Japanese culinary presentation.

We enjoyed our 2024 visit immensely and are already thinking about returning in 2025. Kani Doraku Dotonbori Main Branch will be featured in our upcoming Photolator Guide to Japan, highlighted as one of Osaka’s must-visit dining destinations for travelers and photographers who want to experience the city’s seafood culture...

Overall: Food - very pretty and super instagrammable, but the taste was mediocre and overpriced (the quality and quantity of the ingredients are disappointing for a restaurant of this price point - although the dishes were crab themed, the amount of actual crab meat given was very limited.)

Atmosphere - the decor of the place was really pretty and the servers were dressed in traditional clothing which added to the overall immersion of the experience.

Service - the service left a lot to be desired however and was very disappointing frankly. It ranks close to the worst service we've encountered in Japan so far. When we reached the second floor of the restaurant, there was no one available to guide us to our seat and we had to stand around for about 20s. Our server also really detracted from the experience.

Other notable parts of our meal: The menu spread was good and the sets were interesting - offers a wide variety of crab prepared in different ways. We ordered the Rin and Sumire lunch sets and the boiled crab and crab sashimi were pretty sweet. Also ordered the crab sake which was interesting and worth a try if you drink. The sake should be left to sit for a while so the crab flavour can properly infuse into the sake. It became really sweet towards the end. The atmosphere and seating was good too as we were overlooking the bridge across the canal.

And the worst part of the experience was the service. Unfortunately, we happened to get a server who was unfriendly and unhelpful. One of the courses which was the mini hotpot took about an hour to boil because the fire was too small. We had to keep getting our server over to help change the fire and despite that, the soup still didn't boil. She even tried to get us to eat the uncooked ingredients but we insisted that the food wasn't cooked. In the end, it was another server that realised we were having issues and came over to help us.

We feel the conclusion is that we would have been better off eating some street food instead and we would definitely not make a...

Went here because its a staple of the Dotonburi area, but I feel like its way overhyped. The food was only so so bordering on not good, and for the price it was super underwhelming. Its not necessarily the restaurants fault and it wasnt so much a taste issue (although to be fair, the taste wasnt there either), but the textures of a lot of the food were really quite gross. I think maybe it was the type of recipes but I didnt have anything quite like this the whole rest of the time I was in Japan. Everything had kind of a...gooey mucus like consistency (even the crab itself). Crab is my favorite food ever, raw or cooked and this just didn't really hit the mark in my opinion, especially for the price.

The service was ok, they were nice, though I think the language barrier did cause some issues because they set rice to cook for Ochazuke on our table, but didn't tell us that. They just said wait for 20 minutes and that was the whole explanation. When they came back (almost 30 minutes later) we got scolded for having had some of the rice. Literally scolded... it was kind of funny at the time though. I speak enough Japanese that I could have understood had they simply attempted to explain simply. But if you tell someone "wait 20 minutes" and then leave... they are going to wait 20 minutes...and then eat it.

The portion sizes were pretty average for Japan so I expected that and that was fine. People will complain about the price but the same meal in America would have easily been double the price so I am not really going to complain. Although the drink sizes were definitely silly for the price. So tiny.

The matcha ice cream at the end was tasty.

Overall the experience wasnt awful, but the food just didn't make me happy and it put me off crab for the rest...