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All Japan Osaka Izakaya Toyo
Gastro Obscura

Izakaya Toyo

Blowtorches, tuna, and a jolly, chain-smoking proprietor mark this beloved street-food stand.

Osaka, Japan

Added By
Tony Dunnell
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  hu_marcos
Ikura (salmon roe), uni (sea urchin), and maguro sashimi (raw, sliced tuna).   marklawless1
  hu_marcos
  marklawless1
  Collector of Experiences / Atlas Obscura User
  Collector of Experiences / Atlas Obscura User
  Collector of Experiences / Atlas Obscura User
  Collector of Experiences / Atlas Obscura User
  Collector of Experiences / Atlas Obscura User
  Collector of Experiences / Atlas Obscura User
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About

Osaka is one of the places to be for great street food in Japan. Its lively streets are full of informal and affordable stand-up bars, known as izakaya or tachinomiya, where patrons order a bite to eat to accompany their beer or sake.

In the quarter-century since it opened, Izakaya Toyo has become one of the most beloved stand-up snack bars in the city. Here, you’ll find Toyo-san, as he’s generally known, standing in the kitchen, blowtorch in hand, normally with a cigarette clamped between his lips.

It’s a simple place—some might say ramshackle—with a kitchen built on the back of a truck bed, stand-up tables made from beer crates, and an alfresco atmosphere that’s never short on energy. And when it opens, there’s always a line of people waiting to be fed, which rarely lets up throughout the day.

Izakaya Toyo specializes in seafood, especially sushi. And while the humble Toyo-san doesn’t claim to be a great sushi master, his fresh and affordable dishes are full of flavor and, just as importantly, plenty of love.

Most days you can order bright reddish-orange ikura (salmon roe), uni (sea urchin), and maguro sashimi (fresh, raw tuna sliced into thin pieces). But the real show-stopper is the aburi maguro, the fresh, flame-seared tuna cooked in classic Toyo-san fashion.

With a blowtorch in one hand, a cigarette in his mouth, and a tub of ice at his side, Toyo-san unleashes a wave of fire at his chunks of tuna as they sit on the grill. He broils them in a carefree manner and somehow, miraculously, avoids setting fire to himself or anybody else. His hands must be made of fire-retardant leather, or maybe the flames have simply learned to respect this master of the Osaka izakaya.

Related Tags

Street Food Cooking With Fire Fires Seafood

Know Before You Go

Expect a line when you arrive, but don’t get too disheartened as it normally moves quite quickly.

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Added By

Tony Dunnell

Edited By

Collector of Experiences

  • Collector of Experiences

Published

February 7, 2020

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Sources
  • http://en.enjoy-jp.net/kansai/gourmet/izakaya_toyo/
  • https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2019/04/230661/street-food-netflix-asia-cooks-dishes#slide-4
  • https://www.foodandwine.com/travel/netflix-street-food-chef-guide
  • https://www.ft.com/content/4397db22-f149-11e5-aff5-19b4e253664a
Izakaya Toyo
3 Chome-2-26 Higashinodamachi
Miyakojima
Osaka, 534-0024
Japan
34.697215, 135.53534
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