Halal food is hard to come by in Japan, which makes the experience more memorable and sweet. It is great to see Japan committed to meet this growing demand, as I look forward to explore more of Japan after Covid-19.
Refer to itinerary here.
Osaka
- Ayam-ya Namba
This ramen shop looks small on the outside, but it has two stories with wifi and a prayer area. Located near DenDen Town, the restaurant was crowded during lunch time, especially the seats in front of the chef.
You can choose between various soy-based broth and spicy ramen. The spicy ramen should suit a Malay’s taste, as my mum who dislikes Japanese food gave it a thumbs up.
And they also by far had the best chicken karage! We wanted to order more, but it was sold out. Speaking of ordering, the fun part was ordering at their old school ticketing machine by the door. You press the button, then slot in your money and receive a ticket stub. You then pass it to the chef, and head to your seat to wait for your meal.
Food Status: Halal
Address: 1-10-7, Nippombashihigashi, Naniwa-ku Osaka-shi, Osaka 556-0006
Opening Hours: 11:30am – 2:30pm, 6pm – 9.30pm
- Ramen Honulu
We visited this place for dinner. It is a small, cosy space with seats in front of the counter, so we can see everything that the chef does.
You also use a machine to order your food and then pass it to the chef before taking a seat. A lot of Malaysians and Indonesians who are working or studying in Japan eat there.
It is a bit of a walk and the neighborhood is quiet at night. I believe it is because it is situated near small offices, and hidden in the alley, away from the main street.
Food Status: Halal
Address: 1F, 2-5-27 Motomachi, Naniwa-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka 556-0016
Opening Hours: Mon-Sat 11:30am – 2:30pm (lunch) and 5pm – 9pm (dinner)/ Sunday 5pm- 9pm (dinner)
- Creo-Ru Takoyaki & Okonomiyaki
Osaka is well known for their takoyaki and okonomiyaki, and they are indeed different from the ones in SG! We found this place along the busy streets of Dotonbori. The takoyaki is sold in front of the restaurant like a street food. We joined the queue when we spotted some Muslims queuing. They were kind enough to explain that not all the flavours are halal, but the seafood ones are safe to buy.
Food Status: Seafood option available
Address: 1 Chome-6-4 Dotonbori, Chuo Ward, Osaka, 542-0071, Japan
- Kuromon Market!
This is definitely the best market!! The seafood are all really fresh, and oh my lord, their crabs are humongous and filling and smooth, and at a good price!! Much cheaper than in SG and really worth it.
We just asked them to grill it without any sauce. The man we bought from was very nice, and asked us every time before adding the condiments, even salt when grilling.
They have so many options including grilled squid, prawns and even pumpkin. Sea urchins and sashimi are also up for grabs. Roasted chestnuts are plenty too.
It was so good and fresh, we even bought some king crab back to our accoms to make tom yum seafood soup, urgh, so good.
Besides seafood, we also tried their fruits, like fresh orange juice and strawberries! Their strawberries are expensive, but huge and real sweet.
Absolutely worth it.
Food Status: Fresh Seafood! Just ask them not to add their soy sauce and such when grilling to be safe. Juices and snacks to your own discretion.
Address: 2 Chome-4-1 Nipponbashi, Chuo Ward, Osaka, 542-0073, Japan
Opening Hours: 9am – 6pm daily
- 3te cafe
Because I really wanted to try Kobe beef, we made sure to visit this place. They serve full-course Kobe beef meals, complete with appetizer and dessert. We had to tell them in advance (the night before) if we wanted this set. The meal was really filling and the Kobe beef was juicy!
The waitress was friendly, and had an Indonesian accent. Besides Kobe beef, they also sold a variety of dishes, like ayam goreng (fried chicken), beef bowl, and curry.
This cafe was relatively easy to find, and it is near Amerika-mura. You can spot the shop logo on the board. It is obvious they are committed to being part of the community and to serving a comfortable experience. Brochures and maps were available beside the entrance, together with a sofa for people to wait and relax.
Food status: Muslim Friendly Menu
Address: Shinsaibashi Poporo Bldg 2F, 1 Chome-10-17 Nishishinsaibashi, Chūō-ku, Ōsaka-shi, Ōsaka-fu 542-0086, Japan
Opening hours: Daily 11am – 4pm, and 6pm – 10pm
Contact: minamisako@3tecafe.com
- Bulls Honolulu – Unfortunately Bulls has closed down as of Apr 2019
You have to facebook message them to reserve a table, and make sure they reply you before heading down! We mistakenly went over without confirming and was turned away because reservations were full 😦 So we quickly booked for another day to try out the sukiyaki buffet.
Vegetables, tofu, and mushrooms are all free flow which is great. And like all shabu-shabu, just place it in the soup for 3 seconds and it’s ready to eat. Apparently, you should dip the meat into egg before putting it in the soup for a nicer taste.
This steak set was so juicy and tender, my brother ordered two servings! It was simply good beef.
Food Status: Halal
Address: OCAT Mall 5F, 1-4-1, Minatomachi, Naniwa-ku, Osaka
Opening Hours: 11am – 3pm, 5pm – 10pm daily
- Bab-ul Hayat – Unfortunately they have closed down
Food Status: Halal ingredients used, serves alcohol in premises
Address: Tempozan Market Place 3F, 1 Kaigandori, Minato-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka 552-0022
- Fish Shaped Taiyaki
Our accommodation was nearby this taiyaki shop. Taiyaki is a small waffle-like filled cake with filling and cooked in a waffle-like mold. There were a few flavours, but red bean was the most familiar to us. Nice to eat as a snack in cold weather.
Food Status: Own discretion
Address: 2-chōme-1-1 NanbanakaNaniwa-ku, Osaka, 556-0011, Japan
- St Marc Cafe
Their croissants are delicious. To be safe, we just bought the plain or almond croissants. They were my brother’s go-to snack whenever we spotted one. Wished i tried their cakes though cause the display looked mouth watering!
Food status: Own discretion
Address: Japan, 〒530-0017 Osaka, Kita Ward, Kakudacho, 5−15 HEP FIVE 7F (Can be found in many places, but stated the one we sat and dined in)
- Mother Moon Cafe Tempozan
We popped by this cafe to get some dessert. We tried out their chocolate drinks and ice cream. Japan’s ice cream has an extra milky taste compared to Singapore’s.
Food Status: Own discretion
Address: 1 Chome-1-10 Kaigandori, Minato Ward, Osaka, 552-0022, Japan
- Quickly Japan
Found this precious bubble tea shop in Amerika-mura. Many youths were in the queue. Bought a hot milk tea with pearl, which felt so good when drinking it in a cold environment, the exact opposite experience in Singapore!
They also sell many fruity flavours, soy milk tea and such.
Food Status: Own Discretion
Address: Japan, 542-0086 Osaka, Chuo District, 11, 2-11-19 Nishi Shinsaibashi APT Building 1F
Opening Hours: 11am – 10pm daily
- Fried Maple Leaf
To be honest, I did not know there was such a thing till I did my research for my Japan trip. I was very keen to give these a try. The batter itself tastes like the sweet goreng pisang batter, but the leaf itself was a little bitter I think. A unique taste, but definitely palatable.
They can be easily found at Minoo along the shophouses before the Minoo Falls trail starts. Apparently, maple leaf tempura can’t readily be found in other parts of Japan, which makes it a must-try item if you’re visiting Osaka.
Food Status: Own Discretion
Address: On the way to the Minoo Falls trail
- Fresh Cream Specialty store “Milk”
Apparently, this is Japan’s first fresh cream specialty shop, and of course the milk is from Hokkaido, a well known dairy specialty.
Food Status: Own discretion, it sells soft serve, parfaits and shakes.
Address: Main building 1F, Nanba CITY, 5-1-60, Nanba, Chuoku, Osakashi
- Universal Studio Japan
Since Universal Studio Japan has Harry Potter World (and SG does not), it doesn’t make sense if you don’t try out the butter beer! After doing some online research, it says that the butter beer does not contain alcohol, which I’ve also confirmed with the staff when ordering. The hot one doesn’t taste that good. I think the cold one is better.
We ate a margaherita pizza, corn and churros in USJ as there are no official halal food inside the attraction. However, I heard that there are new halal spots near the attraction now!
Also could not resist trying out these cute food! The minions macaron sandwich was a little too sweet for me, but it still made me happy because they are so cute.
Food Status: Own discretion
Address: 2 Chrome-1-33 Sakurajima, Konohana Ward, Osaka, 554-0031, Japan
Kyoto
- Ramen Factory
I think they are smart to choose a location near a temple where a lot of tour groups pass by and is situated in a food street area, so it is a crowded spot during lunch.
Their ramen is not too bad at all! I think the spicy ramen is quite spicy, but pretty good.
They also have many other amenities like a prayer space, a basket to place your bags, a sink to wash your hands, and even ramen classes. I think they have a good marketing strategy.
Food Status: Halal
Address: 814-18 Honmachi, Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto, 605-0981, Japan
- Yoshiya Arashiyama Honten
The restaurant itself is not halal, but they serve halal meals. This is often the case in the Kansai region, as compared to Tokyo that I suppose is more aware of halal choices? While their halal meals are limited in choice, I was glad to have a taste and sit around actual Japanese people in a restaurant.
Food Status: Halal Menu available
Address: 31-4 Sagatenryuji Tsukurimichicho, Ukyo Ward, Kyoto, 616-8384, Japan
- Nishiki Market
My friend recommended to try the Soymilk Donuts at the market. They were the only one selling it there, so it was easy to spot. The donuts had a lighter taste as compared to normal donuts.
Also, Bubble Tea!
- Freshly baked Melonpan
Hot, crispy, but soft on the inside. I was confident to buy it there because they only sell Melonpan, and nothing else.
Food Status: Own discretion
Address: ダイアモンドビル, 531-2 Higashigawacho, 中京区 Kyoto, 604-8046, Japan
- The market at Fushimi Inari – Potato Sticks
Food Status: I think quite safe to eat la hor, just don’t take the soy sauce type of flavour would do.
Address: 68 Fukakusa Yabunouchicho, Fushimi Ward, Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture
Nara
- PY Halal Kitchen
This was the first place that served brasmati rice, and not Japanese rice. The difference is that brasmati is long and thin and not sticky, while Japanese rice is short and stubby and has this odd scent (odd is subjective).
We found out that the shop owner is actually a Singaporean, who married a Japanese. He decided to move over to Japan and ended up opening this restaurant for a living. He was also very kind to sell us some brasmati rice to cook at our accoms because we couldn’t find any in Japan supermarkets!
Food Status: Halal
Address: 36 Hashimotocho, Nara, 630-8217, Japan
- Nakatanidou
Right in front of the shop, a crowd gathered. We all watched the dramatic mochi-pounding process, a tradition known as mochitsuki in Japanese. One person had to keep pounding while the other knead the dough in alternate manner at HIGH SPEED. Not only is this a treat for the eyes, the end product is a feast for all of us. Hundreds of pieces of mochi, fresh and warm from the pounding.
Food Status: Up to your own discretion, although I’ve seen this shop on quite a bit of halal/Muslim friendly lists.
Address: 29, Hashimoto-cho, Nara-shi, Nara 630-8217
Opening Hours: 10.00 AM – 7.00 PM
Kansai International Airport (KIX)
My flight was delayed by a few hours, so we had time to explore KIX. We spotted these shops, but only ate in one of them with our food vouchers from the flight delay.
- Oragasoba (I only tried this one)
I picked this because I just wanted to try their eggrolls and tempura, but I think they were more well known for their Japanese soba!
Food Status: Halal
Address: Aeroplaza 3F, Kansai International Airport, Senshukuko Kita1, Izumisano-shi, Osaka 549-0001
- Sojibo
Food Status: Halal
Address: Kansai International Airport Terminal Building 3F, 1-Naka, Senshu-kuko, Tajiri-cho, Sennan-gun, Osaka
- The U-Don
The U-Don features Sanuki udon from the Shikoku region. It has square shape and flat edges. The shop was easier to spot as compared to the other two.
Food Status: Halal
Address: Inside the Kuukou Minami Noren, Kansai International Airport Terminal 1 2F, 1 Senshukukoukita, Izumisano-shi, Osaka-fu 549-0001
Tip: Use food apps to locate halal food
Before the trip, I compiled a list of halal food and marked it on Google Maps. However, in reality, I was not near any of those places when we wanted to look for food. Doing this is good if you have a specific food you want to try, and if that place needs a reservation in advanced.
Instead, use a food app, Halal-Navi. With the app, I was able to select the nearest halal restaurant, reducing the amount of walking. For this particular app, content is user generated, so you can see recent comments if they mention the shop has closed to not make a wasted trip. It’s best to try out various apps, and choose the one that suits you most!
Some Food Culture Fun Facts
- Most restaurants have specific opening hours and are closed in between lunch and dinner.
- I’ve read that it is part of Japanese culture to slurp when you eat to indicate to the chef that the food is delicious. (This may be contrary to our own teachings, but quite an interesting concept!)
- If you received chopsticks in a paper cover, put them back as it was after use.
- It is rare to find a dustbin, so bring a small trash bag for when you travel around.
That’s it! Hope it serves as a useful starting point 🙂
Photos in this post belongs to Umi.
Uminsummer 
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