Vegetarian Dotonbori Food Crawl (Osaka One Day Plan) — I ate my way through the neon, basically#

So… Osaka. Specifically Dotonbori. The canal, the billboards, the Glico runner, the “I’ll just look for 10 minutes” shopping that turns into an hour. I did a one-day food crawl here trying to keep it vegetarian (not vegan, though I accidentally ate mostly vegan for a few bites), and honestly? It’s easier than people make it sound… and also, sometimes weirdly hard. Like, you’ll see a “veggie” label and then bam, sneaky bonito flakes. Classic.

Anyway this is how I’d do a Dotonbori vegetarian day again if I had, like, one day and a good pair of shoes and a stomach with ambition.

First, a quick reality check: “vegetarian” in Osaka is… flexible#

I’m not trying to be dramatic but Japan is still very “fish broth is basically air” about a lot of dishes. Dashi pops up everywhere. Even when you think it won’t. Especially when you think it won’t.

My rule for the day was: ask when I can, choose obvious plant-based when I can’t, and don’t beat myself up if a place can’t confirm every single ingredient. I used translation apps, pointed a lot, and said “dashi arimasu ka?” like 40 times. By the end I was saying it in my sleep, probably.

One 2026-ish trend I really noticed though: way more places are used to diet requests now. The staff weren’t shocked. A couple places even had little allergen/diet icons on menus (not everywhere, but more than I expected). It’s still not perfect but it’s moving.

Osaka one-day plan (walkable loop) — timing that actually worked#

I stayed near Namba so this was easy.

Morning: Kuromon Ichiba Market (breakfast + snacks)
Late morning: walk to Dotonbori, photos, coffee, light bite
Lunch: okonomiyaki-style spot with veg options (you gotta ask)
Afternoon: Shinsaibashi wandering + another snack
Evening: Dotonbori proper for the neon + “street food but make it vegetarian”
Night: parfait / dessert + sit down somewhere quiet-ish because your feet will be yelling at you

And yeah, you can do it all with public transport but honestly, walking is the move. Osaka is flat-ish and you’ll want to stop constantly.

Stop 1: Kuromon Ichiba Market — the “kitchen of Osaka” vibe, but veggie edition#

I remember walking into Kuromon around 9-ish and thinking: oh no. This is gonna be all seafood and wagyu, isn’t it. And yes, there’s a LOT of that. But if you slow down and look, there’s plenty for vegetarians.

I started with onigiri that was clearly safe (ume / pickled plum, and one with kombu). I watched them wrap it, which weirdly made it taste better, like my brain was like “freshly wrapped = delicious.” Then I grabbed a cup of soy milk from a little shop (not glamorous, but it hit the spot).

Also… fruit. Japan fruit is always a little expensive and a little magical. I split a box of strawberries with a random traveler I met because I refused to pay full price alone (no regrets).

  • Look for mochi stalls (lots are vegetarian, but check fillings)
  • Pickles and tsukemono counters = underrated snacky heaven
  • Ask about tamagoyaki (egg omelet) — vegetarian yes, but some shops add dashi

Small tangent: I kept noticing more “single origin” tea and specialty coffee mini counters popping up around these markets lately. 2026 travel trend vibes: people want a hyper-local sip AND a story, not just caffeine. I’m guilty too.

Stop 2: Coffee + a breather near Namba/Shinsaibashi (because you will need it)#

After Kuromon I walked toward Dotonbori but cut through side streets for a coffee. This is where Osaka surprised me—there’s this quiet-cool cafe energy just one block away from the chaos.

I went to a small third-wave-ish cafe (I’m not naming it because I legit forgot the name… sorry!!), ordered an oat latte, and sat there watching people plan their day on their phones. Another 2026 thing: everyone’s doing these “micro-itineraries” now. Like, 90-minute plans with a saved map list. I had my own Google map pins and felt extremely modern and extremely annoying.

Anyway. Rest your feet. Hydrate. You’ll thank me later.

Stop 3: Dotonbori daytime — photos, canal walk, and the first ‘real’ bite#

Dotonbori in the daytime is kinda like seeing a stage before the show. You get the signs, but not the full glow yet. Still fun though.

For the first bite in the area, I hunted down a place offering yaki imo (roasted sweet potato) from a small stand. Not the flashiest Dotonbori food, but sweet potato in Japan is elite. Sweet, chestnut-y, creamy. If you’re cold or hungry, it’s like a warm hug.

Also: don’t skip the little shotengai (covered shopping streets) around here. They’re perfect if it rains… and it WILL rain when you didn’t bring an umbrella. That’s just science.

Lunch: Vegetarian-friendly okonomiyaki (with the usual Osaka complications)#

Okonomiyaki is the Osaka thing, right. The problem is the batter and sauces sometimes use dashi or meat/seafood stuff, and the default toppings are often pork.

But I found a spot (around the Dotonbori/Namba zone) where they were cool about swapping ingredients. I asked for a vegetable okonomiyaki with no meat or fish, and asked about dashi. The staff weren’t 100% sure about the sauce (this happens), so I went lighter on sauce and heavy on toppings like scallions and extra cabbage.

Was it the ‘purest’ vegetarian meal ever? Eh. Was it delicious, sizzling, and extremely Osaka? Yes. Also watching it cook on the hot plate in front of me made me feel like a kid at a science fair.

If you’re stricter vegetarian, you might want to aim for explicitly vegan/vegetarian restaurants in Osaka city (there are more now than a few years ago), then come to Dotonbori for snacks. That’s my honest take.

Dotonbori is like a neon buffet, but vegetarian eating here is mostly about asking questions, being chill, and accepting you won’t control every little thing.

Afternoon snack: tofu/soy treats + shopping detour (oops)#

After lunch I drifted toward Shinsaibashi because I “just wanted to browse.” Lies. I shopped. A lot. And then I needed a snack because walking + shopping makes me hungry in this unfair way.

I grabbed a little tofu dessert cup (kind of like tofu pudding) from a spot tucked near the shopping streets. Soft, lightly sweet, with a syrup that tasted like kinako vibes. This is the kind of thing I never crave at home but in Japan I’m like YES give me soy-based dessert immediately.

Another 2026 travel-food thing I noticed: more places pushing ‘better-for-you’ sweets, less sugar, more plant proteins, that sort of stuff. Is it marketing? Probably. Do I still eat it? Absolutely.

Dotonbori at night — the main event (aka: the neon makes you hungrier??)#

Come back after sunset. Seriously. The whole place flips a switch.

The canal reflects all the signage, people are laughing, taking selfies, eating while walking (I know, I know, Japan etiquette says don’t, but Dotonbori is basically the exception zone). The energy is… chaotic in a fun way.

Now, “street food” here is famously takoyaki and kushikatsu and stuff that’s usually not vegetarian. So I did a different kind of crawl: snacks that are either naturally veg or easy to confirm.

  • Grilled corn (yaki tomorokoshi) if you spot it — ask if the glaze has fish stock
  • Agemochi / rice crackers from snack shops (check seasoning)
  • Sweet potato again if you’re lucky (I’m not even sorry)
  • Matcha drinks, hojicha lattes, fruit cups — not “street food” but it counts

I also did a convenience store moment. Look, I’m not above it. In 2026, combini snacks are basically a travel category. I grabbed edamame and a little seaweed salad (again, watch for fishy seasonings), and sat by the canal like I was in an indie movie. I wasn’t. But it felt like it.

The kushikatsu dilemma (and what I did instead)#

Kushikatsu is everywhere around this area—fried skewers, crunchy batter, dunk in sauce (don’t double dip!). But most menus are meat-heavy.

I found one place offering vegetable skewers (eggplant, lotus root, shiitake). I asked if the batter had any meat/fish ingredients, and the answer was basically “should be fine” which is not comforting if you’re strict.

So I compromised: I went to a small izakaya-style place and ordered obvious veggie sides—edamame, cucumber salad, grilled shiitake, and a bowl of rice. Not glamorous, but it was cozy and felt like a normal human dinner, not just snack chaos.

And honestly, sometimes a food crawl needs a pause. Your stomach is not a bottomless pit, even if your eyes are.

Dessert: the ‘I walked 25k steps so I deserve this’ finale#

I ended with dessert because that’s who I am as a person.

There’s a bunch of dessert options around Namba/Dotonbori—soft serve, parfait places, taiyaki stands. I went for a matcha soft serve situation (basic, yes, but good). Creamy, slightly bitter, not too sweet. I ate it way too fast and got that headache. Worth it.

One more modern travel trend I’ve been seeing a lot (and Osaka has it too): “souvenir desserts” that are designed for photos and gifting. Cute boxes, limited seasonal flavors, collaborations. I love it and I hate it because I’m so easily influenced, like… put it in a pretty box and I’m done.

Little tips I wish someone told me (before I asked ‘is there dashi?’ 100 times)#

Okay so—some quick messy advice.

If you’re vegetarian in Dotonbori, you’ll have a better time if you:

1) Eat one “safe” meal earlier (Kuromon or a dedicated veg place) so you’re not stressed later.

2) Learn a couple phrases or keep them saved in your phone. Even just “niku nashi” (no meat) and “sakana nashi” (no fish). And then the big one: dashi.

3) Don’t try to replicate the non-veg crawl exactly. Make your own crawl. More sweets, more soy, more snacks. It’s still Osaka. Still delicious.

Also wear comfy shoes. I know everyone says that, but I ignored it once and paid the price. Me and my feet were not friends by 8pm.

What I’d do different next time (because there’s always a next time, right?)#

Next time I’d book one explicitly vegetarian/vegan restaurant meal in advance (Osaka has more options now, and some places get busy), then treat Dotonbori like the fun chaotic snack zone it is.

I’d also do the crawl with one other person. Eating vegetarian in a place where portions come fast and you wanna try everything… sharing is just smarter. Plus you can split that absurdly priced fruit and feel less guilty.

But even with a few “uhh is this really veg?” moments, I had such a good day. Dotonbori is loud, shiny, slightly ridiculous, and it makes you feel hungry for life. Corny, but true.

If you’re planning your own Vegetarian Dotonbori Food Crawl (Osaka One Day Plan), steal my outline, improvise a little, and don’t stress the small stuff too much. Half the fun is wandering, getting sidetracked, and ending up eating something you didn’t even know existed.

Anyway, I’ve been dumping more of these food-travel rambles on AllBlogs.in lately, so yeah… if you’re into this kind of “I walked a lot and ate a lot and learned a lot” storytelling, that’s where I’m at.