Taiyoken Fukushima — Restaurant in Osaka

I had time during my last trip to Osaka and Taiyoiken (or Taiyoken) was about a 15 minute walk from my hotel. There was a line of several people ahead of me but it moved pretty quickly. I had seen videos of this place and its famous karaage so that’s what I got. Folks, this set meal did not disappoint one bit. I could see it was full of locals and regulars cause this was a great deal. I placed my order and it arrived in a few minutes. I made small talk with a few salarymen seated next to me and they recommended I try the Chinese mustard paired with the (shoyu) dipping sauce. It was SUPERB and made the chicken taste even better. It was piping hot and crispy on the outside but moist and juicy on the inside, all good signs of a well made karaage. The tofu, pickles, and soup all made the meal more than its price a mere 850 yen ($6!). You would NEVER find these kind of deal in the US. I’d like to try their champon next time as I’d gladly eat at Taiyoiken the next time...

Located near Fukushima station, this small restaurant is very crowded with locals. They are always full during lunchtime and dinnertime, the guests are mostly office workers. They serve Japanese-style Chinese dishes. And they are very good.

However, since they are mostly visited by locals, there is a lack of information for tourists. The menu is all in Japanese, so prepare your translation app.

Make sure to order the karaage and fried rice. The portion is big. The noodle is also good, enough for 2-3 person.

The place is small (as is with most restaurants in Japan), so best not to visit in a large group. During dinnertime, they are usually filled with office workers drinking and having dinner with their colleagues, so the queue may be long. However, their food is good, will definitely go back when...

The food was good and inexpensive!

My friend asked me to go here and try it for him! It was kind of hard to find since it’s in an alleyway but it was definitely worth it.

I was honestly a little bit nervous because I was the only woman customer and also a foreigner but the waitresses were very nice!

I’m glad I went out of my way to try and find it after a long day!

I got the spring rolls, the chashu and karaage which the menu said was their most...