Osaka, Japan｜Yoshoku Izumi

My wife found the place online when looking up a restaurant with omurice that was near our hotel. We walked over on a Sunday night and noticed most shops in the area were closed and we thought they were too. We just couldn't find their door as it turns out. Once we did, two guests walked out followed by a chef who was sincerely thanking them for their visit. He then asked if we had reservations as it is only through one that seats can be had. We didn't. He seemed troubled and sad that we were unaware of this and continued to apologize deeply about the inconvenience. We understood and tried to assure him that it was fine. We stood around outside for several minutes unsure of our next move as he returned to his kitchen. As we started to walk away, another employee runs down the street to catch us and inform us that they can fit us in 30 minutes later. We accepted and are glad we did! Later during our slot, we were greeted with a cozy little bar like seating with all the cooking and prepping within close view. It was exciting to see the chef and his 2 assistants serve us and the 3 other parties that were able to fit in the space. We only came for omurice and felt underdressed and oddly out of place, yet cozy and comforted by the hospitality. It was a finer diner than we expected. We were given choices of omurice alone, several other entrees or a surprise 4 to maybe 5 course dinner that also includes omurice. The 4 course was chosen and thoroughly enjoyed. The assistant that flagged us down earlier served us and introduced each dish as it came. The wait was reasonable and the show the chef put on was good enough to pass the time. We watched as he prepared their famous beef cutlets sandwiches and removed the crusts, tossing them into their own container. I thought, "Could I have those?" After dinner, which was done very well and was very satisfying, we were served espresso and tea by choice. We were then the 2 guests being escorted out by the chef with a very appreciative send off that included a little gift from them in a paper bag. Later we see that it's the crusts that were "thrown" out. They seemed to have candied them up a bit making them perfect with the morning coffee. The food was great, but the genuine service and gracious way they went about it really made this one of our favorite dinners ever!

Impeccable service and amazing food. The staff were super friendly and polite, can’t recommend this place enough. If you’re looking for a relaxed fine dining experience in Osaka, this is the place to be!

The service was amazing! The Katsu sandwich was juicy and crispy:) I would love to visit this place again