4 Best Restaurants in Kita, The Kansai Region

The city's premier hotel restaurant serves extremely good French food. The elegant yet relaxed atmosphere, seasonal menus, and extensive wine list make La Baie an excellent choice when you're in the mood for European-style fare. With its high ceiling, 18th-century paintings, and dark-wood accents, the interior is impressive and the service is impeccable. The weekday lunch courses are a good way to sample some of the best French cuisine in Osaka.

It may look like a hole-in-the-wall from the outside, but this tiny cash-only restaurant serves up some of Osaka's finest akashi-yaki, a much fluffier and more delicate take on the city's famous grilled octopus. The staff are friendly and helpful. In addition to akashi-yaki, the shop also serves up excellent gyoza (fried meat-filled dumplings) and ika-yaki (grilled squid). It also carries a good selection of local sake.

In the basement of Kita-Shinichi's Aspa (Takagawa Umeda) Building, the hip, low-ceilinged Bat-ten Yokato serves a wide selection of very good yakitori (skewered meat and vegetables) in a fun, cozy atmosphere. Sitting at the long bar, you can watch the cooks work and call out requests. In addition to the quality of the food, the fact that the staff is obviously having a good time makes this an excellent place to try one of the most popular foods in Japan.