Eating Through Kuromon Ichiba, the Paradise Seafood Market in Osaka — *Kuromon Ichiba Market is the best place in Osaka to get fresh seafood street food!*

The port city of Osaka is known for many things, It’s modern architecture, it’s nightlife, and even Universal Studios Japan. But for me, and probably for you, Osaka is known for 2 things: Dotonbori, and the location we’ll be talking about today, the seafood paradise of Kuromon Ichiba Market.

Located in the heart of Osaka, Japan, the Kuromon Ichiba Market is a bustling street food marketplace that has been attracting locals and tourists alike for over a century. Often referred to as "Osaka's Kitchen", this market offers a tantalizing array of fresh seafood , meats, produce, and other food items that are sure to delight any food lover's taste buds.

Kuromon Ichiba Market is a must-visit destination for anyone looking to experience the vibrant food culture of Japan, and being Japan, of sushi fame, you can expect to find the BEST seafood you’ll ever have right here in Kuromon Ichiba.

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Exploring the Kuromon Ichiba Market

The Kuromon Ichiba Market is large, it covers a stretch of 600 meters, with many intersections, twists, and turns. 600 meters might not feel like long but remember, you’ll likely be stopping at every stall and slowly waddling your way through the crowd.

Although the market’s layout is somewhat linear, it can really feel like a maze at times, you could get lost if you aren’t paying attention to your surroundings.

As soon as you enter the market, you'll be greeted by the sights and smells of countless food stalls, You can browse through an army of vendors offering everything from the typical Sushi and Sashimi to luxuries like Giant King Crab. You'll also find stalls selling traditional Japanese sweets and snacks like Taiyaki and Strawberry Daifuku

And the atmosphere, the atmosphere is invigorating, lively, and energetic, with vendors calling out to customers and shoppers haggling over prices.

Let’s Get to Eating at Kuromon Market!

a street at kuromon ichiba market — *Be careful not to get lost here, there is just so much to see and eat!*

Kuromon Ichiba Seafood Market is large and confusing to navigate, you might miss out on some highlights if you didn’t thoroughly explore the area.

That’s why I highly recommend you go with an activity tour group such as this Kuromon Market Food Walking Tour which includes a local English speaking guide that will bring you to try all the incredibly delicious foods at Kuromon Market.

Book a private tour now at the link above!

Alright, enough with the introductory talk, there is so much to go through and so much food to gush over, let us explore the foods of Kuromon Ichiba Market and let’s get to eating!

A list of what foods are in this blog post:

Grilled King Crab
Grilled Giant Scallops
Sweet Potato Chips
Strawberry Daifuku (mochi and red bean dessert)
Wagyu Beef
Fatty Tuna Sashimi and Sushi
Taiyaki (fish shaped filled pancakes)
Grilled Eel
Japanese Rolled Egg
Giant Chestnuts
Traditional Japanese Snacks, Modern Japanese Snacks
Iced Coffee
Sugar Glazed Strawberries

If none of the items on that list gets you excited then wait until you see the pictures below…

Grilled Giant King Crab and Shrimp

Giant king crab legs — *These are literally the size of my arm, and as thick as both of my arms put together!*

Somewhere in the middle of the market there is an intersection full of stalls selling grilled seafood, here you’ll come across some of the largest crab legs you’ll see in your life. These are the legendary Red King Crab also lovingly referred to as the “King of Crabs” and rightfully so.

The crabs are cut into half and are on full display for customers to see, when walking past you simply cannot resist ordering one of these for yourself.

While the highlight is definitely the King Crab, there are also other seafoods on offer, mainly shrimp, and even the shrimp here are massive!

I’m from Thailand, over here the city of Ayutthaya is known for their large grilled shrimps, the ones I saw at Kuromon Ichiba are even bigger! And it’s not just at this particular store, every single store here sells really big seafood creatures.

giant shrimp and king crab being grilled — *Such a tiny grill for such large pieces of shrimp and crab.*

There are a few sets to choose from all with different quantities of crab and shrimp, ranging from a few thousand yen to ten’s of thousands of yen.

You pick the platter that looks the best and then the chef will cook them on a little grill for you. No extra seasoning or sauces are added, this is all about appreciating the delicate pure flavor of the seafood.

a plate of grilled giant shrimp and king crab — *The amount of shrimp and crab meat on this plate is unbelievable, this all came from half a crab!*

I was travelling with my family at the time so we ordered a pretty big portion. Ours came with half a King Crab and one large shrimp.

We waited quite a long while until our food was ready, every time a waiter walks by with a plate of grilled King Crab I was salivating hoping that that plate was ours.

Finally our order came and, I don't know about you guys but I’ve never had King Crab before so I didn’t know what to expect. What I for sure was not expecting was that there was soooo much meat! Both the crab and the shrimp, even the size of the shrimp head was already impressive.

giant king crab meat — *This single piece is larger than my thumb.*

There 2 dipping sauces: a sour ponzu type sauce that helps balance the sweetness, and a dollop of Japanese sweet mayonnaise. I prefer the mayonnaise especially with the King Crab as it adds a creamy richness. The ponzu sauce was light but I feel that the sourness clashes too much with the saltiness of the crab meat.

The shrimp was a bit too tough for my liking, they overcooked ours, but the crab was delicious. The King Crab was a bit firm but still tender and bouncy. The sweetness was also mild yet pronounced, I didn’t think a crab could be this naturally sweet.

This is a must try when you come to Kuromon Ichiba Market, there is simply nothing as delicious a Giant King Crab, it can be a little pricey but it is oh so worth it!

Fresh Grilled Giant Scallops

giant scallops being grilled — *I have never seen a scallop of this size, it’s just insane.*

On the topic of grilled seafood, another common item you’ll find are these fresh grilled giant scallops. These aren’t your regular scallops that you can eat in one bite, oh no, these are massive, about the side of a CD!

In addition to straight up grilling them on the metal grill, the chef blazes them with intense heat from a torch, this makes sure that the scallop is cooked all throughout, plus, you’ll get some charred bits that add to the textural experience.

After the scallops are done cooking, the chef with cut them up into bite sized pieces with scissors.

grilled giant scallop — *I know it looks kind of gross but don’t judge a scallop by it’s cover.*

Much like the previous crab, there are no extra seasonings or sauces, however the scallop is bathing in it’s own juices so be sure to slurp that up once you are done eating.

There are condiments available, mainly soy sauce and Japanese sweet mayonnaise. I added a little bit of both and to be honest, I still prefer the mayonnaise, I guess I just like creamy sweet things?

The scallops were cooked perfectly the flesh is sweet and the juices were salty, the texture was bouncy yet firm. You might noticed from the pictures that the roe (or actually the reproductive organ) is cooked as well. The roe is soft, not creamy like you might think, it’s like biting into a baked potato kind of soft.

There is one stall right the middle of one of the intersections, sadly I don’t know the name but you’ll see it when you’re there, it’s impossible to miss as it’s literally the only food stall right in the intersection.

Thinly Sliced Crunchy Sweet Potato Chips

japanese sweet potato chips — *I would like to say this is healthier compared to your regular chips but I would be lying, it’s worth it though.*

Yaki Imo (Baked Japanese Sweet Potato) is a popular snack in Japan, so it only makes sense that the natural evolution of this snack is fry it, Introducing, Sweet Potato Chips.

These chips are cut length wise, we all know it’s still the same thing if the sweet potato was cut width wise but it just wouldn’t taste as good.

Nevertheless, these sweet potato chips are crunchy not too oily, the natural sweetness from the potato lends itself well here, for me personally it can be a little too sweet as the frying process removed the moisture from the potatoes and concentrated their flavor.

It’s still a good snack though and for 500 JPY you can’t go wrong

Interlude - Street Food Eating Etiquette

What, there’s etiquette about eating street food?? Well yes, one tiny little thing.

You’ll notice that Japanese people will stand by a stall and eat their food instead of walking while eating, this is because in Japanese culture It is considered bad manners to do any physical activity while eating as it shows you are not fully appreciating the food that the chefs have prepared for you.

Just a little tidbit to remember when you’re in Japan.

Sweet and Juicy Strawberry Daifuku

strawberry daifuku mochi red bean — *There is a reason Japan is famed for their strawberries, the strawberries in Japan are next level, you need to try one.*

Do you love strawberries? Well the strawberries here in Japan are on another level, extremely juicy, sweet, and a citrus-y. When it’s strawberry season you’ll find all sorts of desserts but my favorite has to be the Strawberry Daifuku.

Daifuku is filled mochi and usually the filling is either red bean or… red bean, the Japanese love their red bean. In the case of Strawberry Daifuku you can guess that the filling is the usual red bean AND a plump and juicy strawberry.

You’d think the flavor combo would be weird but it actually works pretty well, only because you can’t really taste the red bean. The mochi of course tastes good, and the strawberry overpowers the red bean with it’s sweetness and sourness. It’s only when you finish the strawberry that the red bean flavor becomes more pronounced.

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All the Premium Wagyu in the World

wagyu beef on skewers — *Wagyu beef is the last thing you’d expect to see in a seafood market but here they are.*

Kuromon Ichiba Market is just about seafood, I’d say there is also equal importance to the meat, albeit only beef, you won’t find chicken or pork here. Waddling your way through the market you’ll encounter a surprising number of stalls selling high quality Wagyu, most of the time on skewers.

A little clarification, Wagyu translates directly to “Japanese Beef”, it doesn’t necessarily mean the beef is high quality, you can find rice bowls that uses regular sliced beef and it can be considered Wagyu as long as the cow was bred in Japan. Wagyu has become more of a marketing term rather than a categorization of beef, so don’t be fooled when you see Wagyu beef on the menu and it doesn’t taste as good as you hoped, you might’ve come across a cheaper or everyday variant of Wagyu.

The thing you should look out for when ordering Wagyu is the grading, the grading system is a bit confusing but just look out for Wagyu that’s graded from A3-A5, that means the texture is fine and tender.

Or you could just look at which piece of beef has the most intramuscular fat, that’s probably easier.

various cuts of wagyu beef — *Up for some surf and turf anyone? You get the king crab and I’ll get the Wagyu.*

You can find all sorts of cuts, from sirloin to chuck, but one thing to note is that all the cuts are sliced very thin or into bite sized chunks, even steak cuts are thin. This is because Wagyu can be very greasy and fattening, and eating too much will certainly make your stomach churn.

My favorite cut is the tongue, yes it’s weird (or maybe even gross) but trust me, once you’ve eaten a good piece of grilled beef tongue, and you will definitely eat a good one at Kuromon Ichiba, your meat world will change.

When you are in Kuromon Ichiba Market, aside from the seafood, you definitely need to introduce your taste buds to the wonderful world of Wagyu.

Insanely Delicious Grilled Wagyu Skewers

2 skewers of juicy grilled wagyu beef — *Don’t let the simplicity fool you, this wagyu meat skewer can change the way you look at steaks forever.*

I ordered the tongue and sirloin skewer. I loved the way the chef cooked it as well, he first put them on a griddle and then after a few minutes, he scorches the skewer with a torch to create some charred bits.

The skewers, of course tasted excellent. Imagine the juiciest and most tender piece of meat you’ve ever had, and the funny thing is it’s just a skewer! This skewer is seriously better than a lot of steaks I’ve had in restaurants.

Melt in your Mouth Chutoro Medium Fatty Tuna

a piece of chutoro medium fatty tuna — *They call this medium fatty? This looks even fatty more than full on fatty tuna.*

If you come to Japan and you don’t eat the Sashimi or Sushi then what are you doing??? Kuromon Ichiba is filled to the brim with raw fish, mainly Tuna, actually only Tuna. Every corner you turn and everywhere you look I guarantee you there will be a stall selling either Tuna Sushi or Tuna Sashimi

Japanese Tuna Sashimi comes in many different cuts but the main ones are Akami, Chutoro, and Otoro which means lean, medium fat, and very fat.

And I can guarantee you that the tuna you are getting is the freshest that is available because you can see the chef skillfully slicing the tuna as you order.

I opted to go with the medium fatty tuna, the Chutoro, and for something called “medium fat” this tuna is so oily. The Tuna literally melts in your mouth coats your tongue in a thin film of fatty oils.

It almost taste a little fruity too because the meat was unbelievably sweet.

fatty tuna stushi — *Don’t judge the supermarket packaging, these are all made fresh the day they are sold.*

I gush a lot about the Sashimi but if want some rice with your fish there are also Sushi options available, the same procedure goes here, you choose your desired level of fattiness and you enjoy.

I know the packaging looks like the ones you find in the Asian supermarket but I guarantee you that this one is made fresh.

Taiyaki Oozing with Cheese

taiyaki being filled with cheese — *Taiyaki is a classic snack but I’ve never seen one with cheese before.*

A popular Japanese snack, the Taiyaki, is a fish shaped pancake filled with a variety of fillings, with the traditional filling being red bean. Nowadays you can find custard, Nutella, and even cheese fillings.

I happen to find a stall that sold a “Cheese on Cheese” version, a Taiyaki stuffed with a block of processed cheddar cheese and mozzarella cheese.

I also want to point out that the lady selling the Taiyaki was very kind and friendly, even apologizing for the long time it took to fully cook the Taiyakis. Japanese kindness and hospitality at its finest.

cheddar and mozzarella cheese oozing from taiyaki — *The melting cheese is too artificial tasting for me, but it looks great.*

While the shop lady was spectacular, I regret to inform you that the Taiyaki was not, The pancake part was fine, a crunchy outer shell and a soft fluffy interior, it’s the cheddar cheese that I have a problem with.

It was hot and melty sure, but the cheddar cheese was so blatantly processed and salty that it ruined it for me, it even has this weird artificial aftertaste. The mozzarella was nice though.

If you happen to be find this stall, stick to the red bean filling.

Soooo Much Fresh Seafood

various sea critters clams shrimp fish squid — *If I lived in Osaka, I would come here everyday to buy fresh seafood.*

By this point you’ll already know that Kuromon Ichiba market is a fish market, but aside from fish and tuna, you’ll find various other species of shrimps, clams, oysters, and so on.

If you are getting bored of al the fatty premium stuff then these critters might be for you.

kani miso and shrimp — *Do not skip on the kani miso, enjoy it with rice and beer.*

The cool thing is that at most stalls once you have purchased your seafood delicacy they’ll grill it right there for you!

On thing that you must try is the Kani Miso, the innards and non fleshy parts of the crab is boiled to form a rich and delicate paste, despite it’s name there is no miso within the paste. The paste is then put back into the crab’s head and the whole thing is grilled for you to enjoy.

Kani Miso exhibits a strong and pungent seafood-y crab flavor, there is a little hint of iron somewhere in there as well, my description might not be appetizing but it’s honestly not bad at all, it’s an acquired taste for sure.

You can enjoy Kani Miso by itself but what I like to do is I would eat this with Japanese rice where the decadent and rich paste is coating every single grain of that thick hearty rice. This helps to mellow out the salty sea flavor a bit.

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Saucy Grilled Eel with Tamago Sweet Rolled Egg

japanese rolled egg with grilled eel unagi — *The eel is just glistening with beautiful sauce, am I the only one that is excited here??*

If you’ve been following me for a while you would know that I very much love eggs. From boiled and sunny side up, to scrambled and poached. You would also know (maybe you don’t) that I love Unagi (Japanese grilled eel)!

So when I saw this stall selling Tamagoyaki (Japanese rolled omlette) topped with glistening chunks of grilled eel, you know I had to get myself an order.

And guys, this has to be the best Tamagoyaki I’ve ever had, the thing about Tamagoyaki is, it has layers, and those layers are thin and delicate with air pockets between them, this makes for a really fluffy and tender omelette.

The Unagi was no joke either, if you’ve never had eel imagine the softest piece of fatty fish, minus the fishiness and saltiness. The eel is grilled and then torched giving parts of it a crunchy texture, the whole eel is then brushed with a delicious sweet glaze.

If you prefer to try the eel separately then they also have that option as well.

Definitely a must try!

Smokey Roasted Chestnuts

If you look closely you might see a steaming basket full of roasted chestnuts. This is a weird one because I haven’t seen this snack sold in Japan before, in Thailand however, these are common.

Nonetheless, roasted chestnuts are a special and unique treat due to their nutty aroma and rich flavor. When roasted to perfection, chestnuts will have a crisp outer shell that gives way to a warm, tender, and creamy interior which is why this snack is popular during the autumn and winter months.

I love the presentation of this stall, since the chestnuts have an orange-y brown color, they decorated a few sea urchin shells with them making it look like real uni (sea urchin gonads), if that’s not creativity then I don’t know what is. Not to mention the old traditional wooden design of the stall and the staff’s clothing is just so charming.

Traditional and Modern Japanese Sweets and Snacks

variety of traditional japanese snacks — *Traditional sweets look beautiful and they are hearty as well, I’d say that can be a full meal if you are not careful.*

One thing I like about Traditional Japanese sweets is that they aren’t all that sweet. Although I didn’t spot many traditional Japanese snacks at Kuromon Ichiba Market there was a single store that sold a bunch of different varieties.

The snacks are mostly assortments of sweet sticky rice balls, and mochi.

You’ll find them plain, wrapped in a shiso leaf, powdered with kinako (powdered bean), or drizzled on with a sweet syrupy soy sauce.

tokyo banana — *Tokyo Banana is my absolute favorite Japanese snack, every time I visit I buy half a dozen boxes.*

On the modern side of Japanese snacks, these can be very sweet. There is a tax free store right in the middle of Kuromon Ichiba Market that sells popular export snacks. Export snacks is a term I created to describe snacks or food items that tourists buy in bulk to bring back home.

Some snacks that I really recommend you try are:

Tokyo Banana - A cake filled with banana cream
Jaga Pokkuru - Essentially very crunchy french fries
KitKats - So many different and unique KitKat flavors like Sake or sour plum
Shiroi Koibito/Chocolat Blanc - milk/white chocolate sandwiched between 2 thin cookies
Nama Chocolate - the most decadent mass produced chocolate/fudge you’ll ever have
Chocolate Covered Potato Chips - Potato chips covered in creamy milk chocolate

Refreshing Ice Coffee Blend

iced coffee cafe infinity — *I actually had two of these, it was really refreshing after eating all that fatty seafood.*

While I couldn’t find many drink stalls at Kuromon Ichiba Market I did find a little coffee roaster selling a wide selection of coffee beans and blends.

If you are looking to buy a bag beans to take home, the coffee beans are displayed in huge sacks out in the open for you to choose, and you know you are going to get the freshest beans because they are all un-roasted!

Yes, when you pick your beans the seller will roast and package them fresh for you, the process takes a little bit of time about 20 minutes, but it is completely worth it, because when will you get another opportunity to get freshly roasted coffee beans?

If you just want a cup of coffee, the shop also sells a damn good cup of iced/hot coffee for you.

Sugary Glazed Strawberry

strawberry glazed with sugar — *What a perfect way to end the feasting, actually I had another one of these before I even started exploring the market…*

One last thing that you should definitely try at Kuromon Ichiba Market are the sugar glazed strawberries on a stick.

I’ll admit I’ve had 2 of these, the first time was on impulse, but after I finished my first on, I knew I had to get another.

You know Japanese strawberries are very tart and sweet, but these little guys have a crystalized crunchy sugary shell which adds so much to the strawberries.

I will say that it can be a bit too sweet for some including me, but guys, these are really good.

Details About Kuromon Ichiba Market, Osaka Japan

Kuromon Ichiba Market is the best street food eating experience I’ve had in Japan. Even though the market is a fish market there is just so much variety in foods you could try here from delicious mouth watering Wagyu meat to juicy and delectable strawberries.

Shops open at around 9:00AM but the closing time varies, activity picks up at around 11:00AM or lunch time, and usually dies down around 5:00PM

How to get to Kuromon Ichiba Market

Luckily, as with all of Japan, Osaka has an extensive public transport system. Kuromon Ichiba Market is located close to Nippombashi metro station, you can take Exit number 2 and walk for about 2 minutes.

Alternatively if you are at Dotonbori (another famous street food area in Osaka), you can take a 10 walk directly to Kuromon Ichiba.

Location: 2 Chome Nipponbashi, Chuo Ward, Osaka, 542-0073, Japan

Opening Hours: 9:00AM - 6:00PM | Mon - Sun

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