Takoyaki Museum (大阪たこ焼きミュージアム)

After a long day at Universal Studios Japan and exploring the wonders of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter the boyfriend and I were absolutely famished. So we decided to explore Universal City Walk. Takoyaki (fried octopus balls) are one of Osaka’s specialties and I had head that the ones at the Takoyaki Museum were not to be missed, so we headed there for a quick bite.

Now, when I heard there was a Takoyaki Museum I automatically assumed there would be displays, old relics and perhaps even learn about the history of takoyaki. Then maybe there would be a small takoyaki shop at the end. It wasn’t like that at all… not even close. In fact, it was so much better! What I found instead was a collection of 5 of Osaka’s best takoyaki restaurants and a few small gift shops thrown into the mix. It was like a food court, but with only takoyaki. It was glorious!

Everything smelled amazing! It was hard to decide which restaurant to eat at, especially since there was hardly any English on the menus. Eventually we settled on a place called America-mura Kougaryu (大阪アメリカ村 甲賀流) that offered a type of sample platter for 820 yen. You have to pre-pay for you’re meal at a food vending machine that’s all in Japanese and then take your receipt to the counter. We were lucky enough to have some nice people standing behind us who were happy to help us with this process.

The plate we got came with an assortment of 16 takoyaki balls: 4 Soy Sauce, 4 Original, 4 Citron and 4 Teriyaki. The balls were crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside, with very large pieces of octopus in the middle. All four flavours were really delicious, but I’d have to say that the citron takoyaki was the most unique. It was a bit sweet with a distinct, though not overpowering, citrus flavour. I recommend trying this one if you get the chance, since I couldn’t seem to find it anywhere else.

If you happen to visit Universal Studios Japan, you should definitely visit the Takoyaki Museum. It’s open relatively late so it’s the perfect place to drop buy for a snack after a long day that the park. On thing to keep in mind though, the vending machines you pay at only accept cash, so be sure to bring plenty with you especially if you have a big appetite!

• Hours
  • 11:00am ~ 10:00pm
• Address
  • 〒554-0024 4F 6-2-61 Shimaya, Konohana-ku, Osaka City
  • 〒554-0024 大阪市此花区島屋6丁目2番61号
    ユニバーサル・シティウォーク大阪™ 4F CITY SHOPS
• Phone
  • 06-6464-3080
• Website (Japanese Only)
  • http://ucw.jp/otm/about/