Osaka Food: Yokozuna

So not too long ago, the lovely Monica Ai in Kyoto requested that I write about some Osaka food. And I, being the completely basic person that I am, instantly went "like Okonomiyaki?? but everyone knows about that already..!" But she suggested something even better..!

Kushikatsu!!! :D She's so smart~~ :]
Thanks sooo much for the awesome suggestion Monica..! Hopefully you'll get to check this place out too, because it was pretty delicious :3
So, without further ado, let's introduce:

横綱法善寺店
<Yokozuna Hozenji shop>

I think this shop is probably one of the more gaudy of the kushikatsu places I've wandered pass, with tons of signs advertising the variety of food served.


Access Info:
〒542-0076 大阪府大阪市中央区難波1-6-22
542-0076 Osaka Prefecture, Osaka City
Chuo Ward, Namba 1-6-22
This shop is pretty close to the mainstreet in Namba (Ebisubashi) and you can find it to your right when heading north toward Shinsaibashi. You can check out some maps on Hot Pepper Gourmet or GuruNavi if you need a little more help since it doesn't seem this place has it's own webspace.
The nearest train stops would be Namba Station on the JR, Nankai, and subway lines, or Osaka Namba Station on the Kintetsu/Hanshin line. For the subway, you can take the Midosuji Line, Sennichimae Line or Yotsubashi Line. No matter which company you're riding with, you'll want to exit from Namba Walk, near Bic Camera but on the opposite side of the street, or at Exit #14 which takes you to Dotonbori and the Glico Man.

A view from an earlier blog post. Check out them signs!!

Though this restaurant is a bit off the beaten path, it is frequented often enough by foreigners to warrant English/Korean/Chinese menus, so no worries if you can't read kanji. :)
Also, this restaurant has 3 floors and seems to cater to large parties pretty well.

ALSO, I just realized I forgot to say what kushikatsu is. Oooops~
Well, it's basically fried food on a stick. They fry vegetables or meat, and it's then dipped into a special dipping sauce (Warning: Do NOT double dip. You will get yelled at..!). And that's basically it. Pretty simple. :)

Kushikatsu can be found anywhere in Japan, there are even chain restaurants where you can fry your own (the Japanese seem to love those DIY restaurants. I'm lookin' at you yakiniku..), but I hear the best is in Osaka, much like Okonomiyaki and takoyaki. Specifically Shin-sekai (note: this shop is in Namba).

5 stick Veggie and Meat set

Anyway, at this shop, you can order kushikatsu by the stick or in an assorted set (5, 10 or 20 sticks). I think these assorted sets are really good for sampling a variety or kushikatsu, but be warned that some meat sets contain horumon (ホルモン) like cartilage or liver (neither of which I am a fan of :x). Horumon refers to the parts of animals that were traditionally thrown away, but are now part of the regular menu.

Pricing:
5 stick set: around 480 yen
10 stick set: 1000 yen
20 stick set: 2000 yen

Ordering kushikatsu individually will run you anywhere from 60 yen to 180 yen, depending on what you're ordering (veggies versus meat). Also, by the time we got to the restaurant (5pm) they were already out of the 20 stick set. I'm guessing they sell out pretty fast during lunch.

Fried Udon

You can also order side dishes like fried udon (pictured left), french fries, fried chick, typical izakaya (bar) food.

The drinks aren't too expensive and they have a nomihoudai (all-you-can-drink) plan, but I have to warn that the cocktails are kind of bland and seem watered down. You might want to save your money on that front :/

The nicest thing about Yokozuna is definitely the price. Plus the large variety gives you the chance to sample a lot of different items.

Other than the nice price, there's nothing else really special about this spot. It's pretty much a low-level izakaya after all the kushikatsu is taken away, so save your beer money for a better place. But definitely enjoy the kushikatsu..! I did :)

Reviews on Gurunavi gave Yokozuna 3 stars, and I would offer up the same. ;)
Hope I was able to offer up enough info. If you have any questions, feel free to comment or email me :)

★Peaces★