The Best Inspector-Approved Casual Lunches in Osaka

The restaurant draws a lively lunchtime crowd with its daily-changing pasta menu. Diners can choose between two sauces — tomato or oil-based, which adds to the appeal. Desserts such as pound cakes are also available.

A bistro run by a couple who trained in Lyon, France. The weekday-only lunch includes soup, a main dish and coffee, with dessert available as an optional add-on.

On weekday afternoons, the restaurant fills with businesspeople. Set lunches featuring udon paired with oyakodon (rice) or sushi rolls offer a satisfying meal. Every set comes with a small side dish, and guests can choose between hot and cold udon.

The restaurant features cuisine from southern Italy. At lunchtime, casual pasta menus are especially popular. Guests can choose between two dishes, each with a different pasta and sauce. Even with the addition of seafood or dessert, the price remains reasonable.

This family-run Western-style restaurant offers comforting favorites like hamburger steak, fried oysters and cream croquettes — all perfect with rice. The warmth of the flavors makes it easy to see why the place has so many regulars.

The weekday lunch menu focuses on soups and main dishes. Seasonal Spanish cuisine is served on a monthly rotation, with offerings like gazpacho, root vegetable potage and Basque-style stews.

Founded in 1947 as a Taiwanese restaurant, flavors at Az have been passed down to the third generation. The signature set — featuring Chinese chimaki (sticky rice wrapped in bamboo leaves) and rice vermicelli — is only available at lunch.

At lunchtime, soba comes with a complimentary serving of the shop’s signature sushi roll. The menu offers a wide variety of soba, including nihachi, juwari and seasonal options. The curry soba, available only on weekdays, is also recommended.