May 3rd, it's Golden Week! Today I have the day off, but I have night shifts and short day shifts scheduled until the weekend. Compared to last year, it's really slow at work. I've been cleaning air conditioners non-stop until early August, so finally having a break feels strange. My sleep schedule is messed up from the night shifts, so I woke up early today. I suddenly had a craving for takoyaki (octopus balls). I bought a day pass like last week and headed to the southbound platform. I ended up at Tennoji station and wandered around. I spotted a takoyaki place at the entrance of Tennoji shopping street called Kin no Tako. I got 6 takoyaki balls with mayo sauce for 420 yen. The takoyaki looked round and delicious. They had a small seating area so I bought some alcohol from Lawson and enjoyed my takoyaki. The takoyaki was soft and had a decent dashi flavor. I wish it had a bit more dashi or was a bit crispier. Some elderly customers were getting takeout, so it seems like a beloved local spot. Among all the famous takoyaki places, I think Kin no Tako is the best.

I haven't had takoyaki in a long time, so I felt like having some after my bath. The takoyaki here is big and the outside is a bit hard, but the inside is soft and creamy. I ordered some rock salt on the side to take home, and they put it in a separate container for me.

When searching for "Nishinari Ward Takoyaki" on the gourmet version of Tabelog, Kinno Tako in Tenkachaya Store ranks 5th. We visited the store to create a video for the top 10 Nishinari Ward Takoyaki ranking. Located right at the entrance of the shopping street just across the rotary from Tenkachaya Station, a terminal for the Sakaisuji Line and Nankai Line. Kinno Tako offers jumbo-sized takoyaki, okonomiyaki, yakisoba, omu-tako, and other delicious dishes at reasonable prices. The golden-brown takoyaki balls are large and perfectly cooked, with a generous amount of octopus and toppings like sweet sauce, mayonnaise, and large bonito flakes that shimmer like gold dust. Despite being sweet, the takoyaki has a surprising kick of spiciness that adds to its unique and delicious flavor. The staff are lively and constantly cooking up a storm, offering a variety of flavors such as original, soy sauce, ponzu sauce, Japanese-style sauce, and matcha salt, as well as seasonal specials. If you're craving some tasty snacks near the station, this is the place to go.

After standing at a drinking establishment, I bought takoyaki and okonomiyaki as souvenirs to take home. The shop is called "Kin no Tako". I got the takoyaki with salt and mayonnaise. For the okonomiyaki, I chose the standard toppings of sauce, bonito flakes, and seaweed. I heated up the takoyaki in the microwave at home and it was still quite delicious! Personally, I prefer eating takoyaki without any toppings, but I would like to try it that way at this shop. The okonomiyaki was just delicious as well! Thank you for the meal!!!

In Osaka, there are delicious foods everywhere. One of the best things about living in Osaka is that there are takoyaki shops everywhere! There are more "Jumbo" shops, but I prefer the taste of "Kin no Tako." I love their takoyaki with 8 pieces for 480 yen. I enjoy eating them hot and fresh on the train platform. They have a rich flavor, maybe from the oil? The octopus inside is firm and tasty! They also offer different toppings like ponzu sauce and green onions, which is great!

For today's late lunch, I had takoyaki at Tenkachaya Station. It's a nice place to eat. I had six pieces for 350 yen, without sauce, mayonnaise, or bonito flakes. I asked if they had canned beer, but they didn't, so I just had my own mineral water. I waited a bit for the takoyaki to cook, and then enjoyed them hot and fresh. They had a lot of chopped pickled ginger in them, which made them quite tasty. It was hot under the setting sun, but I still enjoyed the meal. Thank you for the meal.

There is a restaurant located at the entrance of the shopping street in front of Tenkacha-ya Station. Next to the Jumbo Okonomiyaki shop that costs 380 yen, you eat on long benches. The sauce here was not good... too sweet. It's hard to be satisfied with this. Well, it might be okay for tourists, but this place is not good.

Today, I went to the Kinno Takotenkachaya store in Nishinari. I suddenly felt like eating takoyaki. This was my first time visiting this shop in front of the station. I ordered takoyaki with sauce and mayonnaise. The takoyaki here was really well-made. The inside was nice and gooey. I got two sets of 12 takoyaki for 1,200 yen. Takoyaki prices seem to have gone up compared to the past. I think back then, you could get 6 for 100 or 200 yen.

Delicious regular takoyaki. The sauce is original and tasty.

The takoyaki and okonomiyaki were delicious.

On May 30, 2018, I had a leisurely morning at home and decided to have lunch before heading out to work in the afternoon. I stopped by Tenmachaya station for a snack time. I was planning to get the limited edition "McShake Morinaga Milk Caramel (S)" from McDonald's, but the line was quite long, so I opted for some takoyaki instead. I went to "Kasutako Tenmachaya Store" located right at the entrance of the Tenmachaya shopping arcade on the east side of the station. I have been to this place several times before and I remember writing a review on it on the Tabelog app, but I couldn't find my review this time. I also noticed that my review for a nearby Chinese restaurant had disappeared as well. Both reviews were positive, so I'm not sure why they are missing. Regardless, I decided to re-review the takoyaki place. It's a takeout-only shop, but they had a small bench outside where I could sit and enjoy my food. I ordered their Jumbo Takoyaki (8 pieces for 400 yen) with original sauce and mayo flavor. Each piece was generously filled with octopus and topped with sauce, mayo, seaweed powder, and bonito flakes. The takoyaki was crispy on the outside, hot and juicy on the inside, and packed with flavor. The addition of "abura-kasu" (fried beef intestines) in the batter gave it an extra depth of umami flavor. Although the pieces were a bit small, they were satisfying. I later found out that the price of octopus has increased due to rising import costs, especially from Africa. Despite this, the takoyaki was delicious and a perfect snack before heading to work.

After getting off at Tennoji Station, there is a takoyaki shop at the entrance of the Tennoji Shotengai arcade that specializes in take-out. You can also sit at the storefront and eat on the spot. The peculiar name "Kasu Takoyaki" seems to refer to takoyaki with fried batter crumbs added. Come to think of it, there may be different schools of thought regarding whether to add fried batter crumbs to takoyaki or not. By the way, "Kasu Udon" is also a famous dish in Osaka, but this one includes fried offal. It's unclear whether the "kasu" here refers to tempura crumbs or fried offal. There seem to be a few other shops in Tennoji, but there is a shop called "Ganso Kasutako" that apparently holds the trademark for "Kasutako." This shop serves large takoyaki, so even though it's 300 yen for 6 pieces, it's quite satisfying to eat, especially with the sweet sauce. The large takoyaki are cooked slowly on a hot plate, and when I visited, they were in the midst of cooking them. The staff member said it would be ready in 3 minutes and rotated them around. They also offer okonomiyaki, but since there were no pre-cooked ones on the hot plate, they make them to order, which takes some time to wait.

On the way back from Osaka city, I made a rare transfer at Tennoji. I was feeling a bit peckish, even though it was night time, but since I was at Tennoji... I found a takoyaki shop! "Kasutako"! The shop is located on the east side of Tennoji, at the entrance of a shopping street. They sell large takoyaki balls for 300 yen for 6 pieces. I ordered mine with mayo sauce. Let's dig in! It's hot! Crispy on the outside and gooey on the inside, this is the classic takoyaki! The octopus is tender and delicious too! The sauce is not overpowering, just a simple and delicious takoyaki! I finished it in no time while saying "ho fu ho fu"! It was delicious! Thank you for the meal!

I stopped by on my way home from work. I always saw this place from the transfer station and was curious about it. After reading some reviews, I became even more interested and had already decided what to buy. I ordered the Om-Tako. It was three takoyaki balls wrapped in cheese and egg, with some green onions inside and topped with sauce and bonito flakes. I couldn't wait until I got home and ended up eating it at the outdoor seating area of the supermarket. It was smaller than I expected, not very fluffy, and the takoyaki inside was hard. Even though they asked if I wanted green onions, there were hardly any inside. I couldn't taste the flavor of the grease either. The bonito flakes didn't go well with the sauce and it was the first time I had such bad bonito flakes on takoyaki. I had high expectations, so I was disappointed. As I write this review, I feel more and more let down. I won't be going back.

I found a takoyaki shop near Tenkacha Station and decided to get some for takeout. I love takoyaki, so I make sure to have some at least once a week. This week, I chose this place! The prices were as follows: 6 takoyaki for 300 yen, 8 for 400 yen, and 11 for 500 yen. The takoyaki were quite large! The owner of the shop was very funny. When I asked to take a photo, he struck a pose and said I could sell it to Johnny's (laughs). I bought 6 takoyaki and enjoyed them at home with a beer. They were fluffy and delicious, with plenty of bonito flakes. I felt like there was a hint of curry flavor, but maybe that was just my imagination! I'm glad I was born in Osaka! Thank you for the meal!

I bought takoyaki on my way back from a ramen hopping in Takatsuki. It cost 500 yen for 11 pieces, so it's a good deal at less than 50 yen per piece. Each piece is large and has a solid piece of octopus inside with a good amount of oil crumbs for flavor. The sauce is slightly sweet with a fruity acidity, which I personally enjoy. It was satisfying to eat and went well with beer. This place seems to be a chain, so I'll try their takoyaki if I come across another branch. Thank you for the meal!

[February 2015 Visit] At the entrance of the Tenkacha-ya Station shopping street, there is a prominent sign for "Kasutako" where you can enjoy takoyaki, yakisoba, okonomiyaki, and corn dogs with sizzling sounds and the aroma of sauce. "Kasutako" has branches in Tenkacha-ya, Hanazono, Wakaen Iwata, and Komagawa Nakano, all located right near the train stations. Their takoyaki with "abura-kasu" (fried batter bits) is becoming rare even in Osaka, and it has a rich flavor with a crispy texture. The takoyaki options include plain (soy sauce), mayo, original sauce, original sauce with mayo, ponzu sauce, Japanese-style with sauce, salt matcha, salt mayo, and salt curry flavors. You can also add toppings like green onion mayo for an extra charge. The "Om-tako" dish, which wraps three takoyaki balls in cheese, green onions, and egg, is a favorite for those who love eggs. The crunchy green onion topping is also recommended. Enjoy the generous portions and delicious flavors at "Kasutako"!

The restaurant is famous for its "katsu udon," where the once cheap ingredient of "abura katsu" (fried intestines of hormone) has now become quite expensive. It adds flavor and richness to dishes like udon, okonomiyaki, and yakisoba. When added to takoyaki, the unique flavor of "abura katsu" really stands out. The combination of "katsu takoyaki" and beer is irresistible. Located near Tennoji Station, there are many takoyaki shops offering "katsu takoyaki" for takeout. The specialty here is the inclusion of "abura katsu" in the takoyaki. The aroma and taste of "abura katsu" really enhance the dish.