Kushikatsu Daruma Namba: Menu, Prices & Sets
Tokyo Mate
Here are the menu and prices at Kushikatsu Daruma's Namba main store, along with how reservations, payment and the sauce work. Sets start at 1,793 yen for the Dotonbori set, and everyone at the table has to order a drink. For the sauce you can either pump it from the bottle on the table or dip your skewers in a dish of it.
Kushikatsu Daruma Namba main store basics
Kushikatsu Daruma (串かつだるま) is a deep-fried skewer specialist that started in 1929 in Shinsekai, Osaka. It was founded by Momono Yoshie (百野ヨシエ), and the Namba main store opened in 2009.
| Name | Kushikatsu Daruma Namba main store 串かつだるま なんば本店 |
| Rating | Google 3.9 (1,919) / Tabelog 3.40 |
| Hours | Weekdays 11:30-22:30 (last order 22:00) Sat, Sun and holidays 10:30-22:30 (last order 22:00) |
| Closed | Open year-round |
| Reservations | Weekdays only (2 people or more) ➡️ Book Kushikatsu Daruma Namba main store |
| Seats | 65 (18 at the counter, 47 at tables) |
| Budget | 2,000-3,000 yen |
| Cover charge | None |
| Order requirement | One drink per person (primary school age and under exempt) |
| Payment | Credit cards accepted |
| Address | 1-5-24 Namba, Chuo-ku, Osaka 📍 View map |
| Getting there | 5 minutes on foot from exit 14 of Osaka Metro Namba Station |
| Other Daruma branches | Shinsekai head store · Janjan · Tsutenkaku · Dobutsuen-mae · Hozenji · Dotonbori · Shinsaibashi · Kitashinchi · Lucua 1100 · Cross Chayamachi · Whity Umeda · KITTE Osaka · Shin-Osaka Station · Alde Shin-Osaka · Kyoto Porta |
Namba main store vs Shinsekai head store
The Shinsekai head store, where Kushikatsu Daruma began, differs from the Namba main store in seating, reservations and payment.
If the atmosphere of Shinsekai and the fact that this is where Daruma started matter to you, the head store is the one to go to. If you are in a group or want to pay by credit card, Namba is easier.
| Item | Shinsekai head store | Namba main store |
|---|---|---|
| Opened | Founded 1929 | Opened 2009 |
| Seats | 12 (counter) | 65 (18 counter, 47 table) |
| Reservations | Not accepted | Weekdays only (2 people or more) |
| Payment | Cash only | Credit cards accepted |
| Hours | Weekdays 11:00-22:30 Sat, Sun and holidays 10:30-22:30 | Weekdays 11:30-22:30 Sat, Sun and holidays 10:30-22:30 |
Set menus and the Namba-only item
If it is your first time ordering, a set is the easy way to try several kinds at once. The Namba main store has three sets, named after Dotonbori, Hozenji and Shinsekai.
🍭 Kushikatsu Daruma Namba main store set menu
| Set | Price |
|---|---|
| Dotonbori set (9 skewers + 1 side) | 1,793 yen |
| Hozenji set (12 skewers + 1 side) | 2,255 yen |
| Shinsekai set (15 skewers + 1 side) | 2,728 yen |
📌 How to choose your side
For the side you pick one of doteyaki (beef tendon simmered in miso), kimchi or edamame. Choosing kimchi or edamame takes 110 yen off the price.
① Dotonbori set 1,793 yen
Original kushikatsu, wild shrimp, mochi, asparagus, quail egg, pork cutlet, chicken meatball, sausage and cheese chikuwa, so 9 skewers, plus 1 side.
② Hozenji set 2,255 yen
Original kushikatsu, wild shrimp, mochi, asparagus, quail egg, pork cutlet, chicken meatball, sausage, cheese chikuwa, fried chicken, sweet potato and cheese, so 12 in total, plus 1 side.
③ Shinsekai set 2,728 yen
Original kushikatsu, wild shrimp, mochi, asparagus, quail egg, pork cutlet, chicken meatball, sausage, cheese chikuwa, fried chicken, sweet potato, cheese, lotus root, octopus and a seasonal skewer, so 15 in total, plus 1 side.
The seasonal skewer in the Shinsekai set is hamo (pike conger) in summer and oyster in winter.
🍭 The Namba-only item
Kushikome (串こめ) 154 yen
Only on the menu at the Namba main store, this is a dry curry kushikatsu with cheese and spices.
The Hozenji set and what I ordered after it
I ordered the Hozenji set at 2,255 yen. It comes with 12 skewers and one side, and for the side I picked doteyaki (beef tendon simmered in miso).
Doteyaki is an Osaka dish of beef tendon cooked until soft in a sweet, salty miso sauce. Its texture and taste are different from the crisp kushikatsu, so it was good to have partway through a run of fried skewers.
At the Namba main store everyone has to order a drink. You can pick what you like from draft beer, lemon sour, highball, oolong tea and others.
The batter on the kushikatsu is not too thick, so even after several I could still taste the difference between the ingredients. If it is your first visit to Daruma and you want to try a range, the Hozenji set with its 12 kinds is an easy one to pick.
🌿 Do you order the sauce and cabbage separately?
The cabbage is a separate order. The sauce you do not have to order.
On the menu there is a sauce and cabbage set at 352 yen, cabbage on its own at 110 yen, and the no-double-dipping sauce at 264 yen.
At the Namba main store there was a pump bottle of sauce on the table. If you order the separate sauce you dip your kushikatsu into a dish of it, and if you do not, you pump the table sauce over them instead.
So I skipped the separate sauce and just added the raw cabbage at 110 yen. Eating kushikatsu one after another does get heavy at some point, and dipping the raw cabbage in the sauce between skewers left my mouth feeling much cleaner.
🍭 The skewers I ordered again after the set
Once the Hozenji set was finished, I ordered the ones I had liked again as single skewers.
The original kushikatsu is Daruma's basic skewer, made with beef. The ingredient is simple enough that the batter and the house sauce come through clearly, so I ordered it once more after the set.
The cheese kushikatsu was good too, so I ordered that again, and added the camembert one as well. The cheese inside had melted soft, and it went well with the salty sauce.
Part of eating kushikatsu in Osaka is the fun of trying one skewer at a time. Starting with the Hozenji set and then ordering the original kushikatsu and the cheese again, I could see for myself why people come to Daruma.
If you are walking around Namba and want a drink and a meal that feels like Osaka, keep Kushikatsu Daruma Namba main store in mind.
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