Ōsaka Kushikatsu Ten-ya Wan-ya is nestled in the backstreets just between Shin-Okubo and Okubo station and is another one of these great places that are almost impossible to find. Actually, if our friend had not brought us here we would never even have known of its existence…
It’s a tiny Kushikatsu Restaurant and well known with locals, which makes it a busy little shop. Therefore better be prepared to wait a little, but it’s well worth once you get your food. As it was full when we arrived, we took the only outdoor table. Although it was a hot and humid summer night it was nice. We got the feeling as if this could be anywhere in southeast Asia, but Japan.
They have an English menu which made ordering so much easier and we tell you why. The way it works is, you write down what you want on a little paper and pass it to the counter. The guys then prepare your order in small batches, for you to be able to start enjoying as it is freshly made. So writing down your order in Japanese would have been quite the challenge.. ..maybe next time :p
As with Kushikatsu, cabbage is served on the side. Its something you will often see with fried foods here, it is served with the purpose to help with digestion. Pretty smart right? Also, you will be given a small tin of sauce for your skewers to dip at the start. Now there only really is one rule: no double-dipping!
What did we order?
We came to have more of a snack with drinks and got 5 skewers each and a drink, which brought us to a total of 1200¥ per person, that is pretty decent we think. Sure if your starving you can mix and match or follow their 20 item taster menu. Just tell them when to stop. As for our small selection of skewers, our friends must-eats were: Ume Chicken, Miso Katsu and the Negi Ponsu (Scallions with Ponzu sauce). The last one we could not even see on the menu, but if you go just add it anyway.
Our opinion? To be honest, everything was pretty tasty! Definitely a great place to start off your night or have a few snacks and drinks for dinner with friends!
Web
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Address
〒169-0073 Tōkyō-to, Shinjuku City, Hyakuninchō, 1-chōme−14−3
Opening hours
- Monday to Friday 5 pm-1 am
- and weekends 5-11 pm
