I’m often asked “where can we get omakase in Japan?” and I do just need to clear up any confusion with the meaning of omakase (whether you are looking for omakase style courses that are kid-friendly or not.)
Omakase in Japanese literally translates to “I’ll leave it up to you (to choose).”
So, of course, in a restaurant setting, it means that you are leaving the course options and ingredients (and way it’s all cooked or not cooked) completely up to the chef.
Omakase is then referring to a style of course within a restaurant’s menu.
It is not a thing to “go to an omakase restaurant “-which may be why google led you here after you tried googling “omakase restaurants in Osaka,” for example.
For these above reasons, I strongly encourage you to not only look for omakase style sushi options while in Japan. Omakase isn’t the only way to have good food in Japan. I’d also like to discourage you from looking for “the best” sushi. It’s Japan. If it’s a popular sushi establishment (and isn’t a sushi train) it will most likely be some of the best sushi of your life. No need to be obsessed with finding “omakase” in Japan.)
I think it is also worth noting that “omakase” in Japan almost always means it’s at a high end restaurant – and the prices are in line with that too.
Please note : OMAKASE IS NOT FOR FUSSY / PICKY EATERS.
OMAKASE SUSHI IS FINE DINING AND THE CHEF CHOOSES THE MENU. THAT MEANS YOU WILL LIKELY GET SUSHI ITEMS LIKE FISH EGGS, SQUID, FISH SPERM, SEA URCHIN ETC. YOU CANNOT CHOOSE WHAT YOU DO AND DON’T LIKE. THAT IS OMAKASE. IT MEANS THE CHEF CHOOSES.
You don’t have to eat everything on your plate. You don’t even have to try everything. You are the customer. But you don’t get to choose the menu.
Japanese people do dislike food wastage (don’t we all?!) and so I recommend that, if you are not the type to want to try lots of new and wonderful delicacies – then I don’t think omakase style is the best choice for you. Go for a restaurant where you order the dishes you want to eat (a la carte or tanpin as it’s called in Japan.)
Here are a whole lot of my personal tips on dining etiquette in Japan.
Teppanyaki with kids in Osaka
Teppanyaki restaurant Minami in Osaka welcomes children. This is high end dining so I’d be sure to save it for a special occasion. Please note that lunch is literally half the price of dinner here. Also please read my post here on how teppanyaki in Japan is a bit different to how you may be used to it in your home country. This restaurant is on the 10th floor. Minami accepts most major credit cards.
This restaurant won「The 2023 World Luxury Restaurant Awards for “Best Luxury Farm to Table Restaurant – Global Winner”, “Best Locally Sourced Produce Menu in Asia” and “Best Teppanyaki-style Cuisine in Asia.”
Minami is entirely non-smoking. For lunch here, I would budget 7000-8000 yen per person and more than 14,000 yen at dinnertime.
See here for the kids menu at Minami, Teppanyaki restaurant.
See here for the vegetarian menu.
MINAMI TEPPANYAKI RESTAURANT
大阪市中央区難波5-1-60
10F, SWISSOTELL NANKAI OSAKA, 5-1-60 NAMBA, CHUO-KU, OSAKA
OPEN FOR LUNCH 11:30AM-3PM (LAST ORDER 2:30PM)
OPEN FOR DINNER 5:30PM-9PM (LAST ORDER 8:30PM)
OMAKASE SUSHI IN OSAKA WITH KIDS
If you are interested in trying a kid-friendly Omakase sushi experience in Osaka, I recommend Misuji. Children must be 6 years old or older. This is a high end experience so I recommend only visiting with kids who enjoy sushi and sashimi (and not just the egg and vegetable kind) AND are big enough to stay seated for the whole experience. They do sell a small number of tempura ingredients on their a la carte menu. If you have kids who are too small to take along – I recommend buying their takeout chirashi sushi bento for 5000 yen. It’s incredible. They accept most major credit cards. Customers are asked to not wear any perfume or cologne. They have an English menu – see the full Misuji menu here. The view from this restaurant at night is also lovely. This restaurant is 10 mins by cab from Osaka Station but it’s probably easiest to take the train from Nishi-Umeda to Higobashi Station instead as it’s just one stop. You could also walk from Osaka Station – takes approx 14 mins. See pictures of the restaurant and the dishes on the Misuji instagram account here. Make a reservation for Misuji here. At lunch, I recommend budgeting for 8000 yen per person. At dinner time? 15,000.
MISUJI
大阪市北区中之島3-2-4 中之島フェスティバルタワー・ウエスト 2F
2ND FLOOR, NAKANOSHIMA FESTIVAL TOWER WEST, 3-2-4 NAKANOSHIMA, KITA-KU, OSAKA
OPEN FOR LUNCH 11AM-3PM (LAST ORDERS 2PM)
OPEN FOR DINNER 5PM-10PM *10% service charge added to the bill at dinner time.
OMAKASE TEMPURA DINING IN OSAKA WITH KIDS
If you would like to try a high end tempura experience with kids, I recommend Numata So. It is 4 mins walk from Naniwa Station. You will need to make a reservation as the restaurant is small and with small children you will need to book a private room (which will add an additional 10% to your bill at the end.)
For lunch or dinner, please budget for between 20,000 -30,000 yen per adult (they do also have a kid’s menu.) They are also happy for you to bring a stroller.
They accept most major credit cards. The entire restaurant is non-smoking. You can make an online reservation in English for Numata Sou here.
NUMATA SOU
大阪市北区西天満4-7-7 サン・システム西天満ガストロプラザ 3F
3RD FLOOR, SUN SYSTEM NISHI-TENMA, GASTROPLAZA,4-7-7 NISHI-TENMA, KITA-KU, OSAKA
LUNCH FROM MIDDAY
FIRST DINNER SITTING AT 5:30PM
SECOND DINNER SITTING AT 8:20PM
Another suggestion:
This is not an Omakase restaurant but it is a Michelin Star restaurant in Osaka that accepts children 10 years and older.
The restaurant is called Hajime. The cuisine is high end French fusion. There is a dress code here so you must all be wearing dress shoes and jackets. No casual clothing like t-shirts, sneakers or shorts allowed. A reservation is a must here. Please note that the budget here is 80,000 yen per person to dine here. Courses here are known to take as long as 5 hours so please make sure your child is a big foodie too.
If notified in advance, Hajime are able to make their michelin star menu gluten free.
