By Claire Kimsey
Photo by Claire Kimsey
Who would have known that just around the corner was the only Japanese restaurant outside of Japan to be voted one of the top 50 Japanese restaurants? Asahi Shukan, Japan’s most popular magazine, awarded Osaka Japanese Bistro with this title – only one of the many honors Osaka has been given.
Osaka, established in 1967, was the first Japanese restaurant in Las Vegas. With the locations on South Eastern Avenue and West Sahara Avenue, Osaka’s two restaurants are run by the Nakanishi family’s second generation.
Osaka’s Teppan grill is one of their specialties, with comedic chefs and traditional Japanese cuisines. Customers can order anything from New York steak, to tiger shrimp, to simple chicken. Your chef will whip up your New York steak and chicken combination on a steaming grill right in front of you, so you can feel the fire warming your face. Your Teppan master will use tricks, such as making a volcano out of onions and Pac-Man out of fried rice.
If sushi or traditional Japanese dishes – tempura and chicken katsu – are more your style, do not fear; Osaka has a sushi bar and tatami rooms.
They have a reputation for carrying a large variety of exotic fish only found in Japan: awabi (live abalone), katsuo (skipjack tuna), kanpachi (amberjack), sayori (half beak), and bluefin toro.
Next time you are craving an authentic Japanese dining experience, let I Love Sushi go and travel down Eastern to Osaka Japanese Bistro.
