Ooyama Motsunabe at Namba Parks in Osaka, Japan — a great Namba restaurant to visit with a baby
This was one of the best meals we had in Namba, Osaka on our December trip.
We went to Ooyama, located in the Namba Parks restaurant floor.
I already liked this motsunabe spot to begin with,
and since it was close to our hotel, it was an easy choice.
There honestly are not that many menu items that work well when you are dining out with a 7-month-old baby,
but thankfully, motsunabe
turned out to be a pretty manageable meal even with a baby.
If you are looking for a good place to eat in Namba, Osaka, Ooyama Motsunabe
is on the 6th-floor restaurant level of Namba Parks.
The sign is huge, so it is very easy to spot.
Hours are 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily,
and you can make a reservation through Tabelog or TableCheck.
We did not make a reservation and just walked in.
We arrived right at peak dinner time,
so of course there was a wait. I think we waited about 30 minutes.
There were waiting chairs right in front of the restaurant,
so we were able to sit and wait comfortably.
There was a Japanese couple in their 20s sitting next to us,
and the woman kept saying how cute our baby was,
holding the baby’s hand and playing along, which was so sweet.
Our little angel waited the whole 30 minutes without fussing.
The dining room is actually pretty spacious and there are lots of seats,
but judging by how there always seems to be a line,
I guess it is genuinely popular with locals too.
There are rope-style partitions that look almost like thick straw cords,
which gives the interior a pretty distinctive feel.
The staff were kind, too.
They provided a clip-on high chair that attaches to the table,
and when we asked if they could warm up the baby food, they kindly did that for us.
Since we were dining with a baby and everything felt a little hectic,
I did not manage to take photos of the menu,
but these days Google Maps usually has the full menu anyway…
First things first: nama biru, or draft beer.
Then the otoshi, a small table appetizer, came out first — ours was beef.
I heard there is no otoshi cover charge if you go at lunch.
After 4 p.m., though, the otoshi charge applies, so keep that in mind.
Then our motsunabe arrived.
I had missed this look so much.
The pot comes out absolutely packed to the brim, so when you stir it as it cooks,
you need to be careful not to let it boil over too much.
There was plenty of motsu in it, the offal had no unpleasant smell at all,
and the broth at Ooyama was seriously good.
I also feel like there is barely any difference in flavor from branch to branch,
so it is one of those places you can count on in pretty much any city in Japan.
That said, it is not like some mind-blowing once-in-a-lifetime meal,
but more like
the best version of what a franchise restaurant can do.
Since the hot pot can get rich and a little greasy, kimchi is a must.
Because we were eating with a baby, everything felt a bit chaotic,
so I did not get to take that many photos, but
if you place the baby chair as far from the hot pot as possible,
keep anything dangerous off the table in front of the baby,
and hand over a few snacks little by little,
you actually can manage a fairly normal meal here.
If you are looking for a baby-friendly restaurant in Namba, Osaka,
I would recommend Ooyama — the food is solid and the setup feels comfortable enough.
The next time I go back to Osaka,
if I cannot think of anything specific I want to eat, I would happily come back here.
This is what we ordered that day:
otoshi for 2, 1 cola, 2 rice, motsunabe for 2,
2 small draft beers, and 1 napa cabbage kimchi.
Thankfully, the otoshi charge was only applied
to the two adults, not the baby.
I introduced this as a great Namba restaurant in Osaka,
but if you spot Ooyama in other places too, like Fukuoka or Tokyo,
it is definitely worth trying once.