Osaka, Japan｜Muqam Halal Uyghur Restaurant

Uyghur style Chinese food, all Halal dishes, spicy and super tasty food in a cozy sitting made us nostalgic. It's a busy restaurant, if you go without a reservation you might need to wait for long, but the experience is worth it

This place is a true gem in the heart of Namba Osaka. Literally a one-minute walk from Exit 25 from Namba Station, this Uyhur Restaurant is now an absolute favorite of mine. The owner, a Uyghur who hails from Xinjiang, is such a friendly guy who is willing to share so much about his rich culture. In addition to his native tongue, he speaks fluent Mandarin Chinese as well as Japanese, and I'm sure many more languages too. I'd say the clientele was roughly 60% Chinese, 40% Japanese. They have an actual menu, but they've implemented a new system where you scan a QR code on your phone and you order from your phone. The owner was very kind and explained to us his recommendations. Muquam, the name of the restaurant, apparently means "(music) band" and originally comes from Persian. My dad and I dined on the first floor of the restaurant, but the owner told us that the second floor has tatami mats and Uyghur decor, and the third floor can seat dozens of people for parties and events. The food was amazing. My dad and I ordered a lot of food. Every single dish was mouth wateringly good and super satisfying. The portions are generous and the flavors deep and savory. We ordered the lamb and carrot rice pilaf, roasted lamb skewers, roasted lamb ribs, the lamb ribs wrapped in a pie crust (apparently the only restaurant in Japan that serves this -- it was delicious), a slightly spicy sheep tripe salad, a tomato, pepper and red onion salad, a huge teapot filled with Uyghur-style milk tea (which comes with salt on the side that you can mix in with your tea -- an absolutely amazing taste which I now can't wait to try at home), huge lamb dumplings filled with roughly chopped minced lamb meat, and homemade yogurt with raisins, honey, and some sort of crushed nuts on top. All of that for about 8,000 yen, which is very reasonable considering the amount and quality of food and amazing conversation with the owner. My dad had traveled over a 100 times to Turkey on business, and a lot of the food as well as decor (carpets on the walls, etc) reminded him of Turkey. The owner explained to us that a lot of the Uyghur ethnic tribes share common ancestry with Turkey. My dad was really satisfied with the experience too. I will definitely be revisiting this place with friends or even on my own. The owner recommended that we try the homemade freshly pulled lamb noodles next time. He said, it's like udon, but better! I've got to try that one out next time. The hospitality, food, and ambiance are all amazing. One of my favorite places in Osaka. If you're craving lamb and want a break from all the sushi, ramen, and other Japanese fare, you will not be disappointed with this place. I, for one, will definitely be coming back many more times!

I was walking in the busy city of Osaka and my stomach started to growl. I looked up and saw a few Chinese characters, so I thought about going in and taking a look. Unexpectedly, it was really a store visited by Chinese people. The boss was very sincere and said that he had been in Japan for 15 years. He spoke in Chinese and English. The boss can speak Japanese, and the boss recommended several special dishes. Unfortunately, I can't eat too much by myself, so I ordered a piece of fried noodles, which was not as salty as I expected (low salt for health😄), but I can wait for the soup to be cooked. The noodles taste very good after being fully combined. The boss specially recommended the fried lamb chop buns, which I forgot the specific name of. It is really one of the most delicious foods I have eaten in recent years. Eat it while it is hot. It is crispy enough. Fragrant enough and authentic enough! You can also try the Turkish beer. The total of the three items is 2898 yen, which is about RMB 150. For me, who lives abroad all year round, such authentic Chinese food is really worth the money! Plan to eat again after leaving Osaka!