Asia’s first food hall is born! Time Out Market Osaka

Hello! This is Rina, a writer for Kodawari Times. The Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai has finally opened and is bustling with activity! A new gourmet spot has opened in Osaka, a city that is attracting attention from all over the world! The name is Time Out Market Osaka.
Kodawari Times attended the pre-opening preview and pre-opening party and tried a variety of gourmet foods! In this issue, we report on the atmosphere of the store and some of the gourmet foods that caught our attention♪

 

Opened in Grand Green Osaka South Building, a new spot in Umeda

The long-awaited opening of Time Out Market Osaka is scheduled for Friday, March 21, 2025. The location is the “Grand Green Osaka,” a large-scale commercial complex in the “Umekita” area, a development site on the north side of Osaka Station.
With an urban park attached, it is an oasis of rest and relaxation where many people can relax. There is also a stage where events and festivals are held. It is no exaggeration to say that this is the hottest spot in Osaka right now!

Now, let’s get down to business and visit Time Out Market Osaka! The easiest way to get there is to go to the first basement level of the Grand Green Osaka South Building, just outside the Umekita underground exit of JR Osaka Station. Of course, you can also get there from the ground level, and there was also a connecting bridge from the surrounding facilities. It may be a little confusing for first-time visitors, so please use a navigation app or ask for directions.

 

Gourmet foods carefully selected from the editor’s point of view are gathered

A little nervous about invading a new area, I entered the basement floor of “Grand Green Osaka South Building” to find that the majority of the space is a food hall. It is a very stylish and moody space with a handsome atmosphere, somehow not like Osaka but like a trip abroad.

That’s no surprise, since Time Out Market Osaka is operated by the Time Out Group, the company behind the global city guide “Time Out,” which originated in London! Time Out Market was born as an unprecedented food hall featuring gourmet foods carefully selected by media editors who know the local area inside and out, and since opening its first store in Lisbon, Portugal in 2014, it has expanded to 10 cities around the world, with the 11th city chosen as its first Asian location being the food kitchen of Japan, Osaka, the culinary capital of Japan!
As a gourmet food lover, I was really looking forward to the opening of Time Out Market Osaka🍴.

▲Time Out Osaka Magazine launched on March 12, 2025

A wide variety of restaurants are lined up, from Japanese sushi, Wagyu (Japanese beef), and ramen to Osaka’s gourmet okonomiyaki and Kushiage. Only one restaurant per food genre has been carefully selected. One can clearly sense the editor’s attention to detail and his trust and expectation of the restaurants!

And if you look closely at the restaurant’s open kitchen, even the signage, which is the identity of the restaurant, is all integrated into the Time Out Market Osaka worldview. The only food hall in the area is a top-class gourmet restaurant. The result is a one-of-a-kind food hall that expresses the enthusiasm of top gourmet restaurants to “take on the challenge with food!

 

How to use Time Out Market Osaka

Before introducing gourmet food, here is a brief explanation of how to use the Time Out Market!

➀Seat availability

Since it is a food hall, it is free seating. It is recommended that you get a place of your choice and then go order.

➁Order & Pay

Orders are taken at each restaurant. Menus are in Japanese, but mobile ordering can be done in multiple languages by reading the QR code on the side. Supported languages are English, Korean, Simplified Chinese, and Traditional Chinese.
And please note that the restaurant is pre-payment only, and is completely cashless (credit card, QR, mobile payment, etc.) with no cash accepted!

➂Wait for the call

After paying the bill, you will get a call bell and wait until your food is ready.

➃Go get your food

When the call bell rings, return to the store to pick up your food. Be careful not to spill anything as you make your way to your seat!

➄Itadakimasu!(Let’s eat)

After being seated, Let’s eat (Itadakimasu in Japanese)! Please take your time and enjoy the exquisite gourmet food.

▲Assorted 3 kinds of Siumei (grilled dishes)

 

Kodawari Times Featured Gourmet is here!

Let’s take a look at some of the gourmet foods from some of the featured restaurants.

Okonomiyaki and Takoyaki “Koala Shokudo”

First of all, okonomiyaki, a staple of Osaka’s gourmet scene! Koala Shokudo is a restaurant located in a back alley in Tenma, Osaka, where deep gourmet restaurants gather. The restaurant offers standard okonomiyaki, takoyaki, and teppan menus that focus on Kurobuta pork and Wagyu beef sinew. The fluffy okonomiyaki with the flavor of dashi (Japanese soup stock) is exquisite! You can taste Osaka’s flour-based okonomiyaki culture.

▲Kurobuta Pork Belly Okonomiyaki

We ordered the Black pork belly Yakisoba (fried noodles) (1,200 yen). It was made with freshly boiled glutinous fresh noodles, and the savory sauce made for the most delicious combination. We were hungry and finished it in an instant!

Kushiage “kushiage001”

One more Osaka-style gourmet food. It is “kushiage001 produced by kushiage010,” a creative Kushiage restaurant. It is the sister restaurant of a famous restaurant that has won consecutive Bib Gourmand awards in the Michelin Guide. Casual and creative Kushiage using seasonal Japanese ingredients are a delight to both the sense of taste and sight.

A set menu is available for Kushiage, and we recommend the “MIX Kushiage set (2,000 yen),” which includes meat, fish, and vegetables. The set comes with five kinds of items: shrimp, beef, Camembert cheese, seasonal vegetables, and salmon.

▲“kushiage001” MIX Kushiage set

Freshly fried and hot, the crispy batter is irresistible. The toppings and sauces are a new kind of Kushiage you have never had before.
Vegetable platter sets are also available, so even vegetarians and Halal people can enjoy the food!

Cocktails “Time Out Bar”

The restaurant also had two full-fledged bars! You can enjoy a wide variety of drinks including draft and craft beers, Japanese wines, whiskeys, and cocktails.

This time, we tried the “Grand Green Mojito (1,300 yen),” a cocktail menu item available only at Time Out Market Osaka, and the non-alcoholic mocktail “Berry Berry Squash (880 yen).

▲Grand Green Mojito (left) Berry Berry Squash (right)

The Mojito, inspired by the lush green of the park, is a cocktail with Yamazaki whiskey and plum wine, with a refreshing minty aftertaste. Its colorful appearance makes it a great photo op.

Sushi “Kitaro Sushi”

Sushi, a staple of Japanese cuisine, is also recommended. The sushi restaurant “Kitaro Sushi,” which is popular in Osaka as a cost-effective sushi restaurant with small sushi rice that is easy to pick up, is located here. Fresh fish from markets all over Japan are prepared in front of your eyes by lively sushi chefs.

▲Sushi “Kitaro Sushi” 10 pieces omakase nigiri set

The omakase nigiri set includes chawanmushi or aka-dashi (red miso soup) and is available in 8-piece (1,800 yen) and 10-piece (2,100 yen) sets. It is nice to have a place where you can easily enjoy delicious sushi in a food hall.

Mexican “Saboten Taqueria”

One of the attractions of this restaurant is that it offers not only Japanese cuisine, but also international cuisine!
At Mexican “Saboten Taqueria”, authentic tacos and Mexican snacks, you can enjoy genuine Mexican cuisine prepared by a Mexican chef.

There are four types of tacos to choose from: pork, fish, chicken, and beef. Here is the Tacos de Pescado Fish Taco (1,400 yen). Homemade tortillas made by boiling corn are paired with fluffy fried fish. It is a perfect dish to fill up a small stomach.

▲Fish tacos (tacos de pescado)

Korean cuisine and Samgyetang “Korean Restaurant Iru”

This is a popular restaurant specializing in Samgyetang in Tsuruhashi, Osaka’s Korean town. You can enjoy the casual style of Samgyetang, which inherited the taste of the proprietress of Kanmi Ichi, Park Sam Soon, who is famous for being the first woman to be licensed as a first-class Korean chef.

▲Samgyetang

In addition to Samgyetang, there was also an a la carte selection of kimchi and pancakes made directly by the proprietress, as well as bibimbap (820 yen), a traditional Korean mixed rice dish! Sweet and spicy beef is mixed with kimchi, bean sprout namul, wakame seaweed, and other toppings, and spicy gochujang is also added to taste. The exquisite harmony created by the flavors and textures of the various ingredients is a must-try.

▲bibimbap (Korean rice dish)

Kakigori “Gion Tokuya”

Finally, let’s go to the final sweet! It is “Kakigori (shaved ice),” a national sweet that originated in Japan. Gion Tokuya, a famous restaurant in Gion, Kyoto, where you can wait in line, has opened its first store in Osaka.
You can enjoy shaved ice and warabimochi, which are made with the highest quality of ingredients. Among them, the recommended Kakigori (shaved ice) is “Tokujo Matcha no Uji Kintoki” (special matcha green tea).

Drizzle the matcha syrup over the top and take a bite, and you will enjoy the fluffy texture of the ice and the elegant aroma of matcha. The homemade sweet bean paste is a perfect match for the Kakigori, making it the finest shaved ice I have ever had! I finished it off in an instant, even though I had eaten a lot.

 

Enjoy live music, DJ events, and art

Time Out Market Osaka will have an event stage, where events will be held by DJs, bands, and musicians. On the day of the pre-opening party, a DJ took the stage and enlivened the venue with up-tempo music.

Also, look out for the wall art! The artwork on the walls by Osaka artist SHUN NAKAO is also a promising addition to Osaka’s vibrant culture scene. The eye-catching pop design makes it an ideal photo op or meeting spot.

Taro Kobayashi, general manager of Time Out Market Osaka, expressed his wish for the event to be more than just a food hall for food, but also a place to interact with restaurant chefs and neighbors in a variety of settings.

While tasting gourmet food from some of Kansai’s best-known restaurants, visitors will be intoxicated by music and art. And, new encounters and exchanges will be born. Time Out Market Osaka is sure to become a new food hub! When you come to Osaka, please visit us.

[Time Out Market Osaka Store Information]
Address: B1F Grand Green Osaka South Building, 5-54 Ohfuka-cho, Kita-ku, Osaka City, Osaka
Business hours: 11:00 – 23:00 (L.O. 22:30)
Official website: https://www.timeout.com/time-out-market-osaka