Located right next to the Dotonbori area of Osaka lies Kuromon Ichiba, a lively market spanning over 500 meters offering locals, tourists, and even professional chefs with some of the freshest ingredients Osaka has to offer. It’s my first morning here in Osaka, and with the market being right where I was staying, it would’ve been foolish of me if I didn’t have a go at it. So after a (somewhat) early rise, we headed towards Kuromon to try out some of their local cuisine. Now that I’m here, let’s see if this place is worth coming to. How Good is Kuromon Ichiba Actually?
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🐟 What’s at Kuromon Market? 🐟
Kuromon Market is jam-packed with different stores selling a variety of fresh fish and produce. From seafood caught first thing in the morning, to seasonal fruits and vegetables. If you have a kitchen at your hotel, a quick stop at Kuromon and you have all the necessary ingredients for a great home-cooked meal.
But unless you really enjoy cooking, you’re probably here to try out some of Osaka’s local cuisine, and this place has a lot to offer.
If you want to wander around and experience as much as possible, Kuromon Market is home to a collection of local street foods and stalls, with offerings ranging from fresh-caught seafood, Takoyaki, and Mochi. But for something more substantial, there is also a selection of sit-down restaurants for you to choose from.
We were here relatively early in the morning, so my friend and I decided to grab a proper meal to start off the day. Here’s an overview of the two places we went to.
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🍱 Echizen Kani Shokunin Kouragumi 🍱
For our breakfast, we decided to stop by Echizen Kani Shokunin Kouragumi, a restaurant specializing in crab and sashimi bowls. It’s quite the popular restaurant, with a mix of locals and tourists lining up for a meal. We showed up at around 11A.M., and had to wait around 15 mins before we finally got a seat. Here’s what we got.
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🍱 Mixed Bowl (¥2,000) 🍱
For a little bit of everything not named Salmon and Tuna, we have their Mixed Bowl – a combination of Uni, Amaebi, Kani Miso, Ikura, and shredded Kani. If you’re like my friend and want to experience a little of everything they have to offer, then this mixed bowl offers just that.
There’s also a bunch of different combos available, including ones with Salmon and Tuna.
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🍱 Salmon “Oyakodon” (Mixed Salmon Bowl) (¥1,800) 🍱
A quartet of Salmon options served on a bed of rice. There’s the standard Salmon, the richer Salmon Belly, and Ikura (Salmon Roe) 2 ways – fresh and marinated. A simple bowl that covers everything salmon-related.
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🍱 Negitoro Bowl (Half Size) (¥600) 🍱
A half-sized bowl of rice topped with Negitoro – chopped Tuna with Scallions. Negitoro was invented to utilize tuna cuts near the bone and other ‘offcuts’, hence this being the cheapest item on the menu. I’m a big fan of Negitoro, so it being cheap was a big plus. The rich texture of Negitoro is much different from the other Kaisendon options, but if I had to recommend one, this would be my choice.
Side Note: All options here can be ordered in Standard Size or Half Size. The price discount between the two isn’t that substantial (~25% discount), so I’d suggest you just grab the standard sized option unless you want multiple bowls (Even then, I’d still consider getting 2x the standard bowl)
The Negitoro bowl is the only exception, since the difference is at 40% (¥1,000 vs ¥600). Still a better idea to grab the standard one, but since I ordered another bowl AND a side dish, I went for their smaller bowl today.
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🐟 Unagi Kushiyaki (Grilled Eel) (¥800) 🐟
There’s also a bunch of grilled seafood options here, and for sides, I went for the Unagi Kushiyaki. It’s not bad, but it’s exactly as advertised – a skewer of Unagi grilled with some Kabayaki sauce.
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🦀 Zuwai Sashimi (Snow Crab Legs) (¥500) 🦀
A 3-piece dish of Snow Crab Legs, sashimi-style. Very budget-friendly if you want to try some Snow Crab.
Side Note: If you prefer your seafood cooked, there’s also a few grilled options here, including King Crab, Tiger Prawns, Scallops, Squid, and Oysters.
Echizen Kani Shokunin Kouragumi – Kuromon Store
🗺 Map: https://goo.gl/maps/Zw8MUCFmviRN4EhR9
⏰ Opening Hours: 10A.M. to 5P.M. (Last order 3P.M. on Wednesdays)
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🐚 Uofuku 🐚
After wrapping up our meal, we also stopped by Uofuku for a little side snack (read: my friend wanted to try this place. I was full from the two bowls I had earlier). It’s a small shop (with only a few seats), specializing in two things – Grilled Scallops and Fresh Uni.
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🐚 Grilled Hotate with Butter and Soy Sauce (¥800) 🐚
Here we have their grilled scallop, cooked on a charcoal grill, seasoned with butter and soy sauce.
It’s a simple dish, full of complex flavors from the sweetness of the scallop to the rich butter and soy sauce combo. My friend’s recommended dish. Also available in a few sizes, with extra large varieties available in February and March.
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🐚 Uni (Sea Urchin) (¥1,500 / ¥2,000) 🐚
Uofuku also serves Uni, freshly cracked to order. It’s usually served as-is, but you can also opt for a charcoal-grilled version if you’d like. We didn’t actually grab some today, but it looked amazing, so it’s worth the mention.
Uofuku
🗺 Map: https://goo.gl/maps/Tsvm2UdQfMqgRn1HA
⏰ Opening Hours: 9A.M. to 4P.M.
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⭐VERDICT⭐
So how good is Kuromon Market actually? If you’re shopping for fresh seafood, seasonal produce, or to try out the local cuisine, Kuromon has just about everything you need. Japan’s seafood markets really have their own unique culture and atmosphere to it, so if you ever travel to Japan, I highly recommend you visit at least one of ‘em during your stay. The “explore the local cuisine” part is obvious, but you also get a nice walk out of it as well!
As for the individual restaurants I visited, Kouragumi was quite alright. There’s a bunch of options to choose from, and the quality of the fish was pretty great. Overall a nice place, although the price might be a little towards the higher end.
As for Uofuku, based solely on my friend’s experience, the place was very nice. The scallop was surprisingly delicious with their mix of butter and soy sauce. The Uni also looked really fresh, and he’ll probably have a go at that whenever he shows up again.
But, of course, Kuromon is home to way more stores than this, so have a look and see what interests you. After all, the whole point in visiting a market is to check out the local offerings and trying them out. So if you want to experience a taste (no pun intended) of what Osaka’s markets are like, while also enjoying their local cuisine, then Kuromon Market is the place to head to.
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🚗HOW TO GET THERE 🚗
Kuromon Market is located right around the Dotonbori area. If you’re arriving via metro, take the Sennichimae line to Nipponbashi and leave through Exit 10. From there, Kuromon is only a 3-5 minute’s walk away. (If you’re starting from the Midosuji line, transfer to the Sennichimae line through Namba station [1 station]).
If you’re visiting or staying around Dotonbori, the best way to get to Kuromon Market is probably via walking. Dotonbori sits in between a couple of stations, and it takes roughly the same time to get there by metro or on foot (~10-15mins starting from the Glico Sign), so I recommend you go for the walking option. Besides, any bit of time not in the metro means you get to actually explore Osaka – always a plus in my book! Head down to Nipponbashi station, and the market’s a 3-5 minute’s walk away.
In any case, I would also recommend a morning visit if you plan on exploring Kuromon Market. Most stores are open early in the morning with their produce for the day (and close earlier in the afternoon), so if you want to have the widest selection of stores to choose from, consider dropping by around 9A.M. to 12P.M.
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Kuromon Market
🌏 Location: 2 Chome Nipponbashi, Chuo Ward, Osaka, 542-0073, Japan
🗺 Map: https://goo.gl/maps/tDS7b5ZNMERG72ZQ9
⏰ Opening Hours: Varies by store (Generally open in the morning until late afternoon)
💻 Website: https://kuromon.com/en/
