The votes are in!

Bars, Pubs & Entertainment

Best Bar

Hands-down, the best place to pull up a stool in Kansai

Winner: Cherry Bomb

Killer music, a great atmosphere, and best of all Taco Tuesdays!
• Location: Shinsaibashi, Osaka
>> facebook.com/RockBarCherryBomb

Runner-up: Cafe Absinthe

•Location: Shinsaibashi, Osaka
>> absinthe-jp.com/cafe-absinthe

Best Craft Beer Bar

Serving up Kansai’s best brews

Winner: Craft Cafe Imazato

Come here for the best craft beer prices in Kansai – and the hoppiest IPAs!
•Location: Imazato, Osaka
>>craftcafeimazato.jimdo.com

Runner-up: TNT

•Location: Taisho, Osaka
>> facebook.com/craft.beer.pub.tnt

Best Irish Pub

Top spot to enjoy the Craic

Winner: Murphy’s

Recently celebrating its 25th anniversary, Murphy’s continues to be a cornerstone of the Osaka bar scene.
•Location: Shinsaibashi, Osaka
>> murphysosaka.com

Runner-up: The Blarney Stone

•Location: Shinsaibashi, Osaka
>> the-blarney-stone.com

Best Sports Bar

Where to throw some darts, shoot some pool, or just watch the game

Winner: Balabushka

•Location: Shinsaibashi, Osaka
>> balabushka.jimdo.com

Runner-up: The Hub

•Location: Several locations
>> pub-hub.com

Best Whiskey/Bourbon Bar

Where to find a finger of your favorite single malt

Winner: Rogin’s Tavern

•Location: Moriguchi, Osaka
>> facebook.com/pages/Rogins-Tavern/332010490216285

Runner-up: Kowloon’s Bar

•Location: Kurosaki-cho, Osaka
>> kowloonsbar.co.uk

Best Sake Bar

The mecca for sake lovers

Winner: Hana Sake Bar

•Location: Nishishinsaibashi, Osaka
>> hanasakebar.com

Runner-up: Kujira

•Location: Ura-Namba, Osaka
>> tabelog.com/en/osaka/A2701/A270202/27064012

Best Cocktails

Kansai’s best alcoholic concoctions

Winner: Cafe Absinthe

•Location: Shinsaibashi, Osaka
>> absinthe-jp.com/cafe-absinthe

Runner-up: Lamp Bar

•Location: Nara
>> Facebook search: LAMP BAR（ランプ・バー ）

Best Standing Bar

Kansai’s top tachinomi

Winner: Maruho

•Location: Nishi-ku, Osaka
>> facebook.com/events/1195271580546357

Runner-up: Kujira

•Location: Ura-Namba
>> tabelog.com/en/osaka/A2701/A270202/27064012

Best Alternative Bar

Quirky spots for a drink and something different

Winner: Space Station

Indulge in some nostalgia and play some video games from your childhood.
•Location: Shinsaibashi, Osaka
>> facebook.com/SpaceStationOsaka

Runner-up: Shinka (submarine bar)

•Location: Andojimachi, Osaka
>> tabelog.com/en/osaka/A2701/A270204/27062468/dtlrvwlst/3693822

Best Karaoke Spot

Where to belt out a few alcohol-fuelled classics

Winner: The Drunken Clam

No retreating to a karaoke room here! Sing your heart out to your tipsy, toe-tapping audience.
•Location: Souemon-cho, Osaka
>> thedrunkenclamjp.com

Runner-up: Jumbo Karaoke (Jankara)

•Location: Many locations
>> jankara.ne.jp

Best Club

For carving up the dance floor

Winner: Circus

•Location: Shinsaibashi, Osaka
>> circus-osaka.com

Runner-up: Pure

•Location: Shinsaibashi, Osaka
>> clubpure.com/venue

Best ‘Nice Night Out’

Where to go for cocktails and conversation

Winner: The Suite

Modeled after a New York hotel suite, this place is as suave as it gets.
Location: Shinsaibashi
>> thesuitejapan.com

Runner-up: Seven House

Location: Shinsaibashi, Osaka
>> sevenhouse-osaka.com

Best Live Music Venue

Where to see your favorite bands

Winner: Billboard Live OSAKA

•Location: Umeda, Osaka
>> billboard-live.com

Runner-up: Namba Hatch

•Location: Namba, Osaka
>> namba-hatch.com

Best Theater or Live Comedy

The top spot to experience Japanese live shows

Winner: ROR Comedy Club

•Location: Namba, Osaka
>> rorcomedy.com

Runner-up: Takarazuka Revue

•Location: Takarazuka Grand Theater, Hyogo
>> kageki.hankyu.co.jp/english

Restaurants & Dining

Best Brunch

For the ultimate late-morning breakfast

Winner: Westwood Bakers

•Location: Minamihorie
>> westwoodbakers.com

Runner-up: Craft Burger

•Location: Kitahorie, Osaka
>> craftburger.jp

Best Independent Coffee Shop

The finest cup of joe in town

Winner: Brooklyn Roasting Company

•Location: Namba & Kitahama, Osaka
>> brooklynroasting.jp

Runner-up: Coffee Roughnecks

•Location: Minamihorie, Osaka
>> facebook.com/coffeeroughnecks

Best Cafe

Where to kick back and enjoy a drink and a snack

Winner: Lingua World Cafe

•Location: Tennoji, Osaka
>> linguaworldcafe.com

Runner-up: Brooklyn Roasting Company

•Location: Namba & Kitahama, Osaka
>> brooklynroasting.jp

Best Burgers

The real burger king

Winner: Craft Burger

With craft beer pairing suggestions for every burger (The gorgonzola burger is to die for. Try it with an IPA).
•Location: Kitahorie, Osaka
>> craftburger.jp

Runner-up: Sasebo Burger

•Location: Tennoji
>> Yelp or Tripadvisor search: Sasebo Burger Tennoji

Best Mexican Food

The tastiest burritos and nachos in town

Winner: Saboten

•Location: Kitahorie, Osaka
>> facebook.com/saboten.horie

Runner-up: El Zocalo

•Location: Kitahorie, Osaka
>> facebook.com/El-ZocaloBurrito-143521265681806

Best Indian Food

Where to go to eat spicy curry to your heart’s content

Winner: Ali’s Kitchen

A hidden gem of truly mouthwatering Pakistani and Arabic halal ethnic cuisine.
•Location: Shinsaibashi, Osaka
>> aliskitchen.jp

Runner-up: Suraj

•Location: Several locations
>> Tabelog Search: Suraju

Best Italian Food

The go-to Italian restaurant

Winner: Santa Lucia

•Location: Higobashi, Osaka
>> Tabelog Search: Santa Lucia

Runner-up: Azzurri Pizzeria

•Location: Sannomiya, Hyogo
>> Tabelog Search: Azzurri Pizzeria

Best Chinese Food

Spicy noodles, delicious dumplings, and crispy duck

Winner: Ding Tai Fung

•Location: Umeda & Namba, Osaka; Kyoto
>> dintaifung.tw/store/en-japan.html

Runner-up: Chinese Cafe Eight

•Location: Shinsaibashi, Osaka
>> http://en.cceight.com/restaurant

Best Vegetarian/Vegan Food

Where to go for some healthy whole food

Winner: Paprika Shokudo

Huge amounts of creativity poured into every dish – so flavorsome you could swear you were eating meat sometimes!
•Location: Shinmachi, Osaka
>> Facebook Search: Natural BAR Paprika Vegan Dining

Runner-up: Le Coccole

•Location: Kitakyushuji-cho, Osaka
>> le-coccole.jp

Best Ramen

Kansai’s most mouth-watering noodles

Winner: Ippudo

•Location: Several locations
>> ippudo.com

Runner-up: Kinryu Ramen

•Location: Dotonbori, Osaka
>> dotonbori.or.jp/en/shops/89

Kyoto National Museum

Shops & Services

Best Backpackers’ Hostel

Top digs on a budget

Winner: J-Hoppers

•Location: Osaka & Kyoto
>> j-hoppers.com

Runner-up: Hostel Base Point

•Location: Namba, Osaka
>> basepoint-osaka.com

Best Hotel

The finest rooms in town

Winner: Swissôtel Nankai Osaka

Sleek and spacious rooms and hands down the best location in the city.
•Location: Namba, Osaka
>> swissotel-osaka.co.jp

Runner-up: InterContinental Osaka

•Location: Umeda, Osaka
>> intercontenental.com/osaka

Best Art Gallery

The gallery space that consistently inspires

Winner: The National Museum of Art, Osaka

•Location: Nakanoshima, Osaka
>> nmao.go.jp/en

Runner-up: The National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto

•Location: Higashiyama, Kyoto
>> momak.go.jp/English

Best Museum

If you only go to one museum in Kansai…

Winner: Kyoto National Museum

•Location: Higashiyama, Kyoto
>> kyohaku.go.jp

Runner-up: Momofuku Ando Instant Ramen Museum

•Location: Ikeda, Osaka
>> instantramen-museum.jp/en

Best Record Store

The best place for vinyl

Winner: King Kong Records

•Location: Umeda, Osaka
>> kingkong-music.com

Runner-up: Time Bomb Records

•Location: Shinsaibashi, Osaka
>> timebomb.co.jp

Best Vintage Clothing Store

Top spot for vintage fashion

Winner: Book-off

Better known for its bargain books, this second hand chainstore also has a great selection of used clothes at selected locations.
•Location: Namba & Shinsaibashi, Osaka
>> bookoff.co.jp
Runner-up: Green Pepe
•Location: Nakazakicho, Osaka
>> greenpepe3104.com

Best Tattoo Parlor

Where to go to get inked

Winner: Chopstick Tattoo

•Location: Shinsaibashi
>> Facebook Search: Chopstick Tattoo

Runner-up: Three Tides

•Location: Minami Horie, Osaka
>> threetidestattoo.com

Best Hair Salon

For the ultimate trim

Winner: K Studio New York

Hiroshi at KSNY once cut the hair of Sarah Jessica Parker while working in NYC!
•Location: Nakatsu, Osaka
>> ksny.jp/en

Runner-up: Esiotrot

•Location: Horie, Osaka
>> esiotrot.jp

Best Bakery

Baking the tastiest treats in Kansai

Winner: City Bakery

•Location: Umeda, Osaka
>> thecitybakery.jp

Runner-up: Westwood Bakers

•Location: Minamihorie, Osaka
>> westwoodbakers.com

Best Imported Groceries Store

Most reliable spot for a fix of tastes of back home

Winner: Costco

Stocking almost every grocery item you could ever want.
•Location: Amagasaki, Kyoto Yawata, Kobe, Izumi-chuo
>>costco.co.jp/p/?lang=en

Runner-up: Yamaya

•Location: Several locations
>> yamaya.jp

Best Dental Clinic

Who to trust your teeth to

Winner: Osaka Dental Clinic

Points for having fluent English speakers – Osaka Dental Clinic has your pearly whites covered.
•Location: Higashi Umeda, Osaka
>>osaka-dental-clinic.com

Runner-up: Kono Dental

•Location: Yodoyabashi, Osaka
>> kono-dental.com/english