In Osaka but Feels Like Korea: The Korean Town in Tsuruhashi and Ikuno! [Food Edition]

📍 Osaka · 👁 974 reads

Namaste!

I'm Manju from Nepal. I've been living in Osaka for 2 years. I love exploring every corner of Osaka! Today, I'd like to introduce the Korean Town in Ikuno and Tsuruhashi, where you can experience a Korean atmosphere right in Osaka.

It's about a 15-minute leisurely walk from Osaka Metro Tsuruhashi Station.

"Baekje Gate" is the entrance to Ikuno Korean Town. Passing through the gate, the scene before you is completely Korea! About 120 shops line both sides of a street that stretches roughly 500 meters east to west. This sudden shift in scenery is really fun!

Various aromas drift from all directions, making me stop in my tracks every time! Many shops prepare food right at the entrance, so you can enjoy piping-hot, freshly made treats while strolling—super fun♪

I was drawn to a glutinous rice snack shop and ordered "Hotteok" (sweet syrup-filled pancake). The texture is like a crispy donut, so delicious! I feel like I could get addicted☆

The shop owner recommended "Gim-mari" (seaweed rolls with glass noodles), saying they can only be found here, so I tried them! They taste like spring rolls wrapped in seaweed. The seaweed flavor is wonderfully aromatic!

Everything I saw was so novel; I wanted to try it all!

There's a kimchi specialty store, rows of pork trotters, tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes), and Korean pancakes… The Korean vibe, rarely seen elsewhere, naturally gets me excited!!

Next, I went to "Sun chan CAFE". The pop-art-style cute food instantly caught my eye.

A soft serve ice cream adorned with pastel-colored rice cake toppings💛 It looks like something from a dream world—so adorable! With one bite of the rice cake, it melts in your mouth, full of flavor—absolutely amazing!

A must-try classic street snack: cheese corn dog!

Even though I just ate, I headed to "Jongno Hatogu", a place I'd been wanting to visit, and ordered the potato mozzarella cheese rice flour corn dog!

Corn dogs are a classic Korean street snack. Their signature feature is the chewy outer coating made from rice flour.

A girl behind me taught me, "Sprinkle some sugar, then dip it in ketchup and mustard!" So I had to try! The sweetness of sugar, the tang of ketchup, and the mild spiciness of mustard—this is devilishly good!!

After filling my stomach, I slowly strolled while shopping, heading back toward Tsuruhashi Station and then to the Tsuruhashi Shopping Street next to the station. That's right, this area is also a Korean town! Even though I had eaten a lot, temptations kept popping up. Many shops offer takeout, so I bought some souvenirs to bring home!

The atmosphere feels like a Korean market. I had a lively chat with a friendly auntie who struck up a conversation.

When you mention Tsuruhashi…! The street lined with countless yakiniku (Korean BBQ) restaurants is famous♪ The aroma of grilled meat is mouthwatering. I just had to eat again before leaving!!

For BBQ, I went to "Yakiniku Samsong". Their value lunch is available until 4 PM☆ The quality of lunch BBQ is the same as dinner, so you can enjoy delicious grilled meat at an affordable price—what a joy! The recommended premium course includes popular Korean pancake, kimchi, premium beef tongue, premium short ribs, premium loin, salad, and unlimited rice and soup. Even at lunch, you can grill on a wire mesh—so blissful~!

BBQ is definitely more fragrant when grilled over charcoal, but the smoke can be a concern. The best part of this restaurant is its smokeless charcoal grill, so you don't have to worry about smelling like smoke—what a relief!

This is the first Japanese BBQ restaurant I've seen that addresses the issue of smoke from grilling. I was truly impressed. Among the Tsuruhashi BBQ street, it's rare to find another restaurant that combines charcoal grilling with a smokeless grill.

Also, be sure to check out "Kizuna", a sister restaurant specializing in grilled offal nearby!

Even though I ate so much, there are still so many delicious things I want to try in the Korean towns of Tsuruhashi and Ikuno. I'll definitely come back!

Travel Diary Directory

1. Follow the aromas, snack while walking—endless fun in Ikuno Korean Town♪

2. Cute and tasty sweets galore☆

3. When you think of Korea, you think of cheese corn dogs

4. Finish with a late lunch of BBQ. Is that common sense in Tsuruhashi?!

Travel Information