Shin-Imamiya Station Food Court.
The first thing we ate in Osaka — straight off the train, bags still on, a sleeping toddler in the stroller. One bowl we’d cross town for, one we probably wouldn’t order again.
We got off at Shin-Imamiya hungry — the long way from the airport behind us, hotel check-in still ahead, a toddler asleep in the stroller. The food court sits right outside the gates, bright and busy, and it looked good enough that we didn’t bother walking any further. We hadn’t changed money yet, so everything went on the card — which here meant a 10% surcharge on top.
John took the spicy dandan noodles. We once had a dandan-mian in Seoul that ruined us for all others, and he’s the bigger fan of the two of us, so the bar was high. These were good — properly good — but not that. With the alternatives this city keeps handing us, we probably wouldn’t order them a second time. A solid 7 out of 10.
I had the curry ramen with pork katsu, and I’d order it again tomorrow. The katsu was crisp, the broth creamy and just spicy enough, carrying that curry note I love; the noodles were exactly what they should be (not housemade, but right). For my taste the heat was perfect. A clean 10 out of 10 — the reason this place is worth a stop at all.
It isn’t really a place for a small child. We got lucky: ours was wiped out enough from the journey to sleep through the whole meal. Awake, none of this would have been so easy. The room is genuinely nice — though it does feel built with visitors in mind.
What we ate.
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Follow @ikigoals →How to get there.
Take the north exit — the food court is right outside the gates, no walking required.