Eating in Osaka

Tourists enjoy takoyaki on Dotonbori Street.  (Steve Dolinsky / Chicago Tribune)

Iwakaw is a kappo (a restaurant with counter dining) worth visiting.  (Steve Dolinsky / Chicago Tribune)

Kushikatsu (skewers) ready for cooking at Kushikatsu Daruma.  (Steve Dolinsky / Chicago Tribune)

A cook dips a skewer into dashi-laced batter at Kushikatsu Daruma.  (Steve Dolinsky / Chicago Tribune)

Making takoyaki on Dotonbori Street.  (Steve Dolinsky / Chicago Tribune)

A waitress at Mimiu assembles udon-suki at the table.  (Steve Dolinsky / Chicago Tribune)

Chef Junya Suzuki makes takoyaki at Takoriki, where it is served without toppings.   (Steve Dolinsky / Chicago Tribune)

A little Champagne pairs nicely with the takoyaki at Takoriki.   (Steve Dolinsky / Chicago Tribune)

At the tachinomi stalls in the Ura-Namba section of Osaka, you eat and drink while standing.  (Steve Dolinsky / Chicago Tribune)

A cook makes okonomiyaki at Fukutaro.   (Steve Dolinsky / Chicago Tribune)

Udon-suki at Mimiu, a 200-year-old restaurant. Homemade udon noodles in a dashi broth are mixed with seasonal vegetables for the dish.  (Steve Dolinsky / Chicago Tribune)

Dotonbori Street is a chaotic, neon-lit pedestrian mall packed with tourists looking for cheap snacks.  (Steve Dolinsky / Chicago Tribune)

A canal in Osaka, near Dotonbori Street.  (Steve Dolinsky / Chicago Tribune)

Cooks make takoyaki on Dotonbori Street.  (Steve Dolinsky / Chicago Tribune)

Takoyaki is topped with katsuobushi (smoked-and-dried fish), left, and shreds of nori (dried seaweed), right.  (Steve Dolinsky / Chicago Tribune)

Okonomiyaki are made on a busy griddle at Fukutaro.  (Steve Dolinsky / Chicago Tribune)

A cook makes okonomiyaki at Fukutaro.  (Steve Dolinsky / Chicago Tribune)

Cooks working the griddle at Chibo.   (Steve Dolinsky / Chicago Tribune)