Sumiya Kobako — Restaurant in Osaka

Updated: I got food poisoning from eating here.

Similar to the many other reviews, this business DISCRIMINATES AGAINST FOREIGNERS. I am Vietnamese. The food safety guidelines are also NOT adhered to. They are VERY UNSANITARY in their food handling and preparation. For example, the food is prepared with BARE HANDS. The SAME BARE HANDS handle credit cards, cash, cell phones, the cash register, and the dirty table rags. The main menu item is chicken served in different ways. The chicken is served RAW INTENTIONALLY (when ordering GRILLED chicken, NOT sashimi chicken). I assumed the chicken was purposefully UNDERCOOKED for FOREIGNERS because the staff treated my 2 request to recook for longer as normal. It felt as if they drive FOREIGNERS away so that they NEVER return.

Owner/Manager please know that FOREIGN customers PAY for their food, service, and dining experience THE EXACT SAME PRICE as your Japanese customers. They do NOT beg for free food, nor do they ask for discount. They should receive the EXACT SAME SERVICE as the locals.

I have never had a more unpleasant and uncomfortable dining experience in my life. I've been on Osaka for over 2 weeks and dined out a lot and this was my first experience that was completely miserable from beginning to end.

Sayuri, my young lady server is very talented. She goes from being the aggressor and the victim within minutes.

Sayuri insisted I sit all the way at the end of the bar near the bathroom, although there were many seats available, both at the bar and at the tables. It was barely at 1/2 capacity.

Then she pushed that I order a drink because I had ordered 5 food items and water. She proceeded to tell me that water is free, but 1 menu-priced drink order is required per person. I looked over the menu and was not interested in having any of the listed drinks with my meal. She goes to tell me it's a "good" rule because there is no table charge at this establishment, so there is a 1 food and 1 drink item minimum per person. I disagreed telling her it's a bad rule to apply for ALL CUSTOMERS because I exceeded the 1 food item requirement by 4 food items and paying MORE IN TOTAL than the cost of 1 food and 1 drink item requirement.

Then while eating I was RUSHED to order remaining food items I wanted because she CLAIMED that there was a 7:30pm reservation for the SEAT AT THE BAR that I sat in. It was barely 7:05pm and I was almost done eating anyways.

Throughout the night, I had calmly asked that she stopped making me uncomfortable as I was dining, while she left other Japanese customers to dine peacefully. It felt like harassment and I repeatedly asked her to leave me alone and reminded her the time I still had before the supposed 7:30pm bar seat reservation. Every time, she seemed to twist reality and blame the bad experience to my lack of understanding of Japanese culture and my impatience with her lack of English speaking skills. To top it all off, she kept reading my Google translate messages to her and then bad-mouthed me in Japanese across the entire restaurant to get sympathy from other Japanese customers and her coworkers that I was indeed mistreating her. When it was time for me to pay, she crouched down as if she were bullied and refuse to get me my bill. I then demanded my bill because it was merely minutes before my 7:30pm cut-off As I mentioned before, she is an amazing aggressor and just as equally amazing victim.

All this unnecessary drama at an establishment that has good tasting food (when it is fully cooked). If you aren't Japanese, I highly recommend that you avoid doing business here. For your own sanity and health, steer clear of...

Found this place from Matsuda's YouTube channel. For those who aren't fluent in Korean or Japanese, ordering might seem daunting, but fear not—utilize Google Lens for a seamless ordering experience. A must-try appetizer is the chicken skin with ponzu sauce; it's fragrant and boasts a delightful texture that sets the tone for excellent yakitori. Opted for the omakase yakitori and received a lineup from left to right in the second photo: heart, chicken skin, breast, intestines, and bongjiri (similar to beef rump). Additionally, I tried two karaage options: chicken karaage and cartilage karaage. Both offer intriguing textures; slightly salty yet perfect with a drink. In the second yakitori picture: chicken gizzard, heart, neck, and skin—all seasoned with salt (shio). The chicken gizzard is chewy yet bursting with flavor, without any unpleasant smell. Lastly, the grilled onion with butter was mind-blowing—juicy, sweet, and moist. Simply sensational! Thanks for the...

This was the very first yakitori spot we stumbled upon on our first day in Osaka—and what a lucky find it was! It’s a pretty popular place, so we thought we wouldn’t get in without a reservation. But to our surprise, we were seated right away. Total luck!

The restaurant is small but cozy, with both bar seating and tables, making it a great option even for families. My wife prefers her yakitori with just salt, while I’m a fan of the tare sauce. Luckily, most of the items were available with both options—super convenient and thoughtful.

What really blew us away was the price. We had more than enough to eat, plus a couple of draft beers, and the total came to only about $45. And since there’s no tipping in Japan like in the U.S., it felt like an amazing deal!

We later found out that you can even book a table through Google Maps—so no need to wait in line next time. Highly recommend this gem if you’re...