On the way back from Kyobashi on the Keihan train, I found an article on my smartphone about a town where you can drink during the day: Kouri-en. However, when I got off the train and looked around, I couldn't find any notable bars, so I ended up going to "Kushikatsu Tanaka". It was just before 2 pm, and the restaurant was fairly busy with people drinking during the day, with a few customers already tipsy. I sat at a table and ordered the "Standard 8-piece Assortment (1,390 yen)", "Chilled Green Peppers (290 yen)", and a "Jim Beam Highball". I also decided to try my luck with a dice game called Chinchirorin. Unfortunately, I didn't win anything this time. The "Mega Jockey" drink was a bit pricey at 798 yen, and the appetizer (330 yen) was a small portion of edamame. The free cabbage that came with the kushikatsu was not very tasty, as it mostly consisted of the core. On the other hand, the "Chilled Green Peppers" were surprisingly good. The salted peppers dipped in mayo and sauce were delicious. When I was a child, I didn't like peppers, but I guess I've grown to enjoy them now. The "Standard 8-piece Assortment" included familiar items like beef, pork, onion, lotus root, quail, shrimp, pickled ginger, and asparagus. They were all freshly fried with crispy batter and generous fillings, providing a satisfying experience. Although "Tanaka" is originally from Tokyo, their pickled ginger kushikatsu is a standout feature. It's a well-known chain restaurant nationwide and offers a consistent dining experience. I paid around 3,000 yen and left the restaurant. Overall, I had a good time eating and drinking in Kouri-en on this day.

My wife and I visited a restaurant in Kaori-en station for the first time in a while. It was almost full, but we managed to find a tatami seat. We ordered the classic 8-piece assorted kushikatsu and chilled tomatoes. I had a "green soda" and my wife had a "green tea highball". The kushikatsu here is consistently delicious, with a light and fine bread crumb coating that allows you to eat a lot. The sauce is not too thick and has a nice consistency. We ordered more kushikatsu and I got tired of ordering drinks, so I went for a mega-sized highball. To finish off, we had the Osaka specialty "niku-sui", a warm soup with grated yam, tofu, and thinly sliced beef. It was delicious and we left the restaurant feeling full.

On September 11th (Friday), my wife was out for a girls' night with her college friends, so I met up with my friend at Karori-en Station at 5:00 PM and visited a restaurant. We were the first customers. We took advantage of the happy hour and had a lemon sour for only 50 yen. We ordered two servings of a plate with 5 skewers, cold tomatoes, and the recommended "beef skewer" and "pork skewer". We cheers with our lemon sours! The first round came with cabbage and edamame as a service. Then the skewers arrived with a generous amount of sauce in a PET bottle, which is a specialty of this restaurant. The skewers were delicious and light, allowing us to eat as many as we wanted. We added more skewers like "kiss fish", quail, shiitake mushrooms, and pickled ginger. The lemon sours kept coming, and I had my fifth refill. I was starting to feel full, so we ended the meal with the Osaka specialty "niku-sui" (meat in broth). The last order for drinks during happy hour brought us another serving of niku-sui, which we enjoyed in a bowl. The light, sweet Japanese-style broth with plenty of thinly sliced beef belly, tofu, and grated yam was a perfect way to finish the meal. I finished my lemon sour and the niku-sui in the bowl. I drank well and was full! It was a very satisfying meal. The bill came out to 2500 yen per person. It was worth it! The niku-sui might be too much for one person, but it was just right for two.

I went all the way to Korien because I wanted to eat kushikatsu. The atmosphere of the Osaka-like streets was nice. We enjoyed the vibe before entering the restaurant. We started with some drinks, various kushikatsu, potato salad, and takoyaki. I had a Galihai, which I like because it's sweet and easy to drink. The kushikatsu, especially the large shrimp with tartar sauce, was delicious. However, I felt that the overall taste was somewhat lacking. The sauce for the kushikatsu was a bit too mild, and the takoyaki sauce was also lacking in acidity. Maybe it's due to the influence of the coronavirus? It was nice to see a variety of drinks on the menu, with many Osaka-style options and even a fun game included. Overall, it was enjoyable, but the kushikatsu sauce and takoyaki batter could have been better.

On July 3rd (Friday) last night, my wife said, "I thought I couldn't get tickets, but I managed to get tickets for tomorrow at Temma Tenjin Shoshaitei, so I'm going." Tonight, I'll be dining alone. My go-to option in times like this is the nearby "Gyoza no Ohsho," but I went there last week, so I thought, "I feel like having some kushikatsu after a long time." In the light rain, I took a bus and arrived at Korien a little after 5 o'clock, reaching the restaurant at 5:10. Initially, they used to open at 5 o'clock, but now it seems they open at 4 o'clock. After disinfecting my hands with alcohol, I entered the store where a staff member wearing a face shield first checked my temperature. There was a panel of the comedian "Miyasako" for some reason. It seems that in July, there is a campaign featuring Miyasako as a result of a conversation between the president of Kushikatsu Tanaka and Miyasako on YouTube. I started with a plate of 5 kushikatsu skewers and chilled tomatoes. Until 6 o'clock, during happy hour, lemon sour is only 50 yen per glass. Cabbage and edamame appetizers were served, but the famous "no double dipping sauce" did not come out. Ah, maybe "Kushikatsu Tanaka" has changed to a different sauce for dipping. The food came out quickly. Cheers with the lemon sour! Delicious! The kushikatsu is also great! Crispy and light batter! Delicious! I'll pour plenty of sauce on the cabbage and enjoy it. I added kushikatsu "kiss," "shiitake mushroom," and "quail egg." Refilled the lemon sour! For the last round, I had "ham katsu" and "pickled ginger" with another glass of lemon sour. My stomach was full. I settled the bill before 6 o'clock! Satisfied with the long-awaited kushikatsu. The happy hour lemon sour and highball at 50 yen per glass were much appreciated for me, who had free time!

On February 4th (Tuesday), the deadline for the "Tanaka Drinking Pass" that my family made when we visited on January 4th (500 yen for a card that allows you to get a highball for 199 yen for one month) was today, so I invited a friend and we visited together at the opening time of 5:00 pm. We ordered a game of highball "Chin-Chi-Rin" (I got a "Mega Jug" for odd numbers, and my friend got a "Half Price" for even numbers), two servings of a five-piece assorted skewers (640 yen), cold tomatoes, and potato salad. Cheers! We enjoyed edamame as a complimentary appetizer and waited for the skewers with free refills of cabbage. The fresh cabbage with plenty of sauce was a nice match for the highball! The potato salad came in a "suribachi" and we used a pestle to crush the potatoes and boiled eggs to our liking. It was quite delicious! The skewers were consistently delicious. We added "quail eggs," "kiss fish," "shiitake mushrooms," and "ham cutlet." We ordered another round of highball "Chin-Chi-Rin" (both of us got the Mega Jug for odd numbers). However, the advice from the staff was that from 5:00 pm to 6:00 pm on weekdays, they have a happy hour where highball and lemon sour are only 50 yen per glass! Happy hour is definitely a great deal! We were getting full, so we decided to end with the Osaka specialty "Niku-sui"! My friend didn't know about "Niku-sui," so I shared a little trivia about it. "Niku-sui" was something that the legendary comedian Hanako, a famous actor from the Yoshimoto Shinkigeki theater, always ordered at a nearby udon restaurant when she had a hangover. It was basically a dish with delicious broth, tofu, grated yam, sweetly seasoned soft beef, and cut-off pieces. It was the perfect way to end the meal! We were full and satisfied. Thank you for the delicious meal. We paid the bill at 6:00 pm - 3000 yen each. Next time, if we take advantage of the happy hour, we can get drunk and full for less than 3000 yen per person! It's a sure thing!

On December 4th (Saturday), tonight was the first family dinner out of the year! We checked online to make sure the restaurant was open since it's still the beginning of the year. Our daughter made a reservation over the phone just in case. When we arrived at 6 pm, the bright restaurant was mostly full of families with small children. It was a good thing we made a reservation! My son, daughter, and I had Chinchirorin Highballs, while my wife had Umeshu with hot water. The staff introduced us to the "Tanaka Drinking Pass" system, where you can purchase a pass for 500 yen and get alcohol for only 199 yen per drink when you show the pass (valid for one month). Even the Chinchirorin was included in this offer! This means you can get a drink for 99 yen if you roll an even number! Cheap! We ordered the "Five Skewers" set twice, and added quail eggs, kissing fish, shiitake mushrooms, and more according to our preferences. Of course, we also had the Osaka specialty "pickled ginger"! We also tried the side dishes like chilled tomatoes and "Gari-shime Saba" which were surprisingly delicious! We kept ordering more drinks with the Chinchirorin, and my son even got the "Mega Jock" three times in a row! My daughter and I got half-priced drinks twice in a row, but the third time we also got the Mega! Well, we can drink a lot, so it's fine! We ended the meal with the Osaka specialty "Kasu Udon"! The broth could have soaked the "kasu" more, but the flavor was quite good! The flavorful broth goes well with the Highballs! The udon had a good chewy texture and was delicious! We were so full! Thank you for the meal. When we left the restaurant, the customer demographic had shifted slightly to an older crowd, but it was still almost full! "Cheap and delicious! This place will be popular in no time!" The bill was less than 3000 yen per person! Cheap!

On December 22nd (Sunday), my wife, who went to Tokyo to visit our daughter, will be coming back tomorrow, so I had dinner alone. I searched for a good restaurant near Karasuyama Station and found out that "Kushikatsu Tanaka" has opened! There are no reviews yet, so it must have just opened. It is a popular kushikatsu chain restaurant, and I think it is the most delicious among chain restaurants. I arrived a little after 5 pm because I wanted to watch the TV show "Tetsuwan Dash" at 7 pm. It seemed like the restaurant had just opened because there were a lot of part-time staff, more than usual. The kitchen staff was also more than other restaurants. There were only a few customers at the counter, probably due to the cold rain. I ordered the classic highball with a dice game (if you roll an odd number, you get a mega-sized highball at regular price, even number gets half-price regular size, and double gets a free regular size). I rolled an odd number and got a mega-sized highball. Just as I planned! I started with the "Five-piece Assorted Kushikatsu" while waiting for the kushikatsu. I also ordered edamame and cabbage with plenty of sauce for dipping. The kushikatsu arrived with shrimp, lotus root, onion, pork, and beef. I added quail, pickled ginger, and more pork. The kushikatsu here has a crispy coating and light sauce, so it's not heavy on the stomach. Delicious! I couldn't make this at home! I ordered more kushikatsu - pork with shiso leaf, ham, and smelt, totaling 11 pieces. I wanted to order Osaka's famous "kushikatsu udon" or "niku-sui" as a finale, but I was too full from lunch. I think "niku-sui" is the best way to end a meal. I'll have to try it next time with my family. The bill came 30 minutes after I arrived. It was delicious! I want to come back with my family next time. Thank you for the meal. Now, I'll go home and watch "Tetsuwan Dash"!

It's a great place where you can bring your dog along, serving delicious kushikatsu that tastes the same at all locations!

I sometimes crave for kushikatsu in Osaka Minami and recently discovered a nearby restaurant. It's a bit sad that due to COVID-19 measures, they don't allow double-dipping, but the taste and atmosphere were enjoyable. The Highball Chinchorolin Challenge is definitely worth trying for those who enjoy drinking.

It was delicious. There was no rule against double dipping due to COVID-19 precautions. :)

It's a chain store, but the customer service is great. I took my kids and they took great care of us, making sure we had a good time. It's a place where women and families can enjoy themselves.