Restaurant
Okonomiyaki Mizuno
A Dotonbori okonomiyaki restaurant founded in 1945 and known for yamaimo-yaki, a savoury pancake made with mountain yam instead of flour.
Hokkyokusei Shinsaibashi Honten
The 1922 restaurant that claims to have invented omurice, serving rice omelettes with homemade tomato sauce in a 1950 sukiya-style house.
At a glance
- Type
- Omurice and yoshoku
- Area
- Shinsaibashi (Chuo-ku), Osaka, Japan
- Price
- $$ · Mid-range
Good to know
- Traditional 1950 building
- Cards accepted
- Open every day
Why we recommend it
Hokkyokusei is where, according to the restaurant, omurice was born. The rice omelette, a dome of seasoned fried rice wrapped in a thin omelette and topped with sauce, is now a staple of Japanese home cooking and family restaurants, and this business, founded in 1922, credits its founder Shigeo Kitahashi with inventing it. The business started out as Panya no Shokudo, and one regular customer with a weak stomach ordered an omelette and plain rice every day. Feeling sorry that he ate the same thing so often, Kitahashi wrapped ketchup-flavoured rice in a thin omelette, and when asked what the new dish was called, he combined omelette and rice into omurice. Whether or not every food historian agrees, it is a good story and a good lunch.
The setting is part of the appeal. The main restaurant occupies a building constructed in 1950 in the sukiya-zukuri style of traditional Japanese architecture, a quietly elegant contrast with the shopping streets outside.
The menu is built around omurice in many forms. The classic is chicken omurice under a homemade tomato sauce, and there are versions with mushrooms, with beef, with hayashi sauce, a rich demi-glace style beef stew, with spicy cod roe, with cheese, and with a breaded cutlet and curry. Sets add extras such as fried prawns and miso soup, and the karaage fried chicken, made with thigh meat, is worth ordering on the side. Prices are moderate, which makes it a good family choice.
The restaurant opens every day and accepts credit cards. Weekend lunchtimes are the busiest, so arrive early or go mid-afternoon to avoid a wait. It suits families with children, couples and anyone curious about yoshoku, the Western-influenced dishes that Japanese restaurants developed in the twentieth century. If you have never tried omurice, start with the original chicken version, then come back for one of the richer variations on a second visit; the dish was born here, after all.
Hokkyokusei is in Nishishinsaibashi, west of Midosuji avenue and about five minutes' walk from Exit 25 of Namba Station on the Osaka Metro Midosuji Line and within walking distance of Dotonbori. After lunch, the surrounding Shinsaibashi streets are good for shopping and cafes.
Hokkyokusei Shinsaibashi Honten FAQs
Did Hokkyokusei invent omurice?
The restaurant says its founder Shigeo Kitahashi created omurice for a regular customer with a weak stomach and named the dish himself.
When was it founded?
In 1922.
What is the building like?
The main restaurant dates from 1950 and is built in the traditional sukiya-zukuri style.
What should I order?
The classic chicken omurice with homemade tomato sauce, with karaage on the side.
Is it open every day?
Yes, it has no regular closing day.
Can I pay by card?
Yes, credit cards are accepted.
Is it good for families?
Yes, the menu is simple and familiar, and prices are moderate.
Where is it?
At 2-7-27 Nishishinsaibashi, about five minutes from Exit 25 of Namba Station.