Shinsaibashi Mitsuya Main Store

The legendary Mitsuya Rice… Doesn’t just hearing the name make you want to try it? This legendary dish is an original menu item from Shinsaibashi Mitsuya, a Western-style restaurant chain based in Osaka’s Shinsaibashi district with multiple locations. And apparently, it’s quite the massive portion. Hearing that rumor got me super motivated, so I headed to the Shinsaibashi Mitsuya Main Store in Shinsaibashi to try this legendary rice dish for myself. In these times of rising prices, huge portions have become incredibly rare. Aren’t you curious to know what it was like?

Actually, it’s a legendary restaurant that has led Osaka’s Western cuisine scene… Shinsaibashi Mitsuya Main Store is this kind of place.

But first, let’s briefly explain Shinsaibashi Mitsuya Main Store. It began as a pure coffee shop founded in Fukushima Ward in 1943 (Showa 18). The Shinsaibashi Mitsuya Main Store that remains today opened as the third branch in 1947 (Showa 22), shortly after the war. When transitioning from a traditional coffee shop to a full-fledged restaurant, they recruited chefs from renowned establishments to introduce authentic Western cuisine menus. Over its 78-year history, the restaurant has achieved considerable distinction, including winning the Gold Prize in the Western Cuisine category at the 1985 Osaka International Food Expo. Thus, this establishment is truly a legend that has led Osaka’s Western cuisine scene.

But when you actually visit, you don’t feel any sense of legend at all; it’s a place with an atmosphere where anyone can feel comfortable. While there are some retro touches inside, it was renovated and reopened in 2020, giving it the clean feel of a brand-new establishment. According to Tabelog, the combined seating capacity across the first and second floors is 136 seats. I visited around 4 PM on a holiday afternoon. Despite this somewhat awkward timing and the large seating capacity, the restaurant was nearly full, requiring a few minutes’ wait to be seated. Seeing this, imagining how crowded it must get during lunchtime is a bit daunting…

Is “Legendary” just hype? Or… How was the legendary jumbo Mitsuya rice bowl when I actually tried it?

So, let me introduce the legendary Mitsuya rice bowl I ordered that day at the Shinsaibashi Mitsuya Main Store. This legendary Mituya Rice comes in three sizes: 5/8, Normal, and Jumbo. The price for the legendary Jumbo Mituya Rice I ordered this time? 1,550 yen plus tax…

After ordering via QR code, I waited just under 10 minutes before the legendary Jumbo Mituya Rice arrived before my eyes. This dish combines three popular Western-style menu items on one plate: omelet rice, pork cutlet, and meat sauce spaghetti. Viewed from the side, the entire thing towers like a mountain, and the sheer volume is undeniable.

Now, let’s dig in… The omelet rice features fluffy egg on the outside and fluffy ketchup rice inside, offering a pleasant texture the moment it hits your mouth. The ketchup rice is seasoned on the lighter side, but the homemade tomato sauce covering half the omelet is rich and thick. Rest assured, you can customize the flavor intensity to your liking.

Meanwhile, the meat sauce on the opposite side is a recreation of the sauce from an Italian restaurant in Takarazuka that was famous back in the founding era. In other words, it’s a flavor preserved for nearly 80 years since the post-war period. This sauce is packed with beefy umami, giving it a distinctly premium taste. The pasta was perfectly al dente too. Frankly, it surpasses the typical Western-style restaurant level.

And the tonkatsu sitting atop it all is thick and meaty. While the thin-sliced tonkatsu on Kitchen Gon‘s Pine Rice in Kyoto is nice, the visual excitement here is clearly superior. They use chilled pork, so the meat’s natural umami really shines through. Being able to enjoy this tonkatsu with two sauces – meat sauce and tomato sauce – is a fantastic touch.

This is the legendary Jumbo Mitsuya Rice, the signature dish of Shinsaibashi Mitsuya Main Store. It truly lives up to its “legendary” tagline… Honestly, the omelet rice, spaghetti, and pork cutlet all surpassed the typical Western-style restaurant level, making it a dish that really conveyed the restaurant’s dedication. While it might not be the most challenging in terms of sheer volume, it’s definitely enough to fill an average person’s stomach. For what you get, I wouldn’t hesitate to pay 2000 yen.

Actually, it’s also famous as the first shop in Kansai to serve anmitsu… Access to Shinsaibashi Mitsuya Main Store is a 5-minute walk from the nearest station, Osaka Metro Namba Station.

Now, Shinsaibashi Mitsuya Main Store is actually famous as the first shop in Kansai to serve anmitsu. Since it originally started as a pure coffee shop, serving anmitsu alongside Western-style dishes feels perfectly natural, right? That anmitsu remains firmly on the menu as the “Original Anmitsu.” If you still have room after eating the legendary Mitsuya Rice, why not add the “Original Anmitsu” for dessert?

Now, here are the shop details…