Osaka Food Tour: 15 Delicious Dishes & 3 drinks at 5 Eateries

Had an amazing experience. Food was great and tour was informative.

Very Nice tour with good food at places you never get on your own Eat where the locals meet

Our tour guide was phenomenal. Very knowledgeable and outgoing. All of the spots we visited were super delicious. Highly recommend this tour

I really wanted to enjoy this experience, and our guide, Knox, was kind and personable. Unfortunately, the tour itself bore very little resemblance to what was advertised. The description promises a local guide, hidden eateries, specialty restaurants, and an opportunity to experience Osaka’s food and culture. Instead, our guide was a 29 year old American who has lived in Japan for seven years and openly acknowledged that his Japanese should be much better. While living in Osaka certainly gives him familiarity with the city, this was not what I understood “a local guide” to mean when booking a food and culture tour. More importantly, we did not visit hidden eateries or specialty restaurants. We stayed within roughly a 100 yard area and visited establishments that felt very tourist oriented. There was little sense that we were being introduced to places we would not otherwise discover on our own. For a tour specifically marketed around hidden Osaka eateries and local food culture, this was extremely disappointing. The tour also seemed to focus far more on our guide’s personal stories than on the food, restaurants, or Japanese culture. Some of the conversation felt particularly inappropriate given that my 17 year old son was with us. Our guide spoke repeatedly about drinking and smoking, told us about a friend taking acid before visiting the aquarium, and discussed how much his girlfriend smokes. He was also extremely loud in the restaurants, which made the experience feel even less connected to the Japanese culture the tour claims to showcase. Another frustration was the way drinks were presented. Several times our guide said that our drinks were “on him,” even though drinks were included in the tour we had already paid for. He also mentioned that he lives off his tips, which came across as an uncomfortable reminder that we were expected to tip at the end. Again, Knox was friendly and clearly enjoys meeting people. My criticism is not that he was unkind. The problem is that this was marketed as an immersive Osaka food tour led by a local, featuring hidden eateries and specialty restaurants, and that simply was not the experience we received. For the price and based on the description, I expected to learn about Osaka’s food culture, visit interesting local establishments, and come away feeling that we had experienced something unique. Instead, it felt like a very small walking loop through tourist establishments accompanied by a personable guide telling stories about his own life. I would strongly encourage the tour company to either revise the description to accurately reflect the experience being offered or ensure that its guides and itinerary actually deliver what guests are paying for.

Taka was amazing! All the places had the best food. The group was amazing as well.

Taka was an amazing guide! Had such a great time! So many amazing treats.

It was really fun with Bryan. Glad he let us taste new things we didn’t dare to try before.

Bernie was the man! He moved it like Bernie! Bernie is the goat!

Bernie did a great job showing us around and explaining different unique quakes of Osaka culture and history.

Our Guide Mr Taka was a wonderful host! He was very friendly, considerate and knowledgable. Food experience was great and location very interesting. I highly recommend this food tour for anyone who wants to feel and tune into the “Osaka vibe”