It’s one of the most unusual things to eat in Osaka – but what does it actually taste like, and where can you find it? All your questions about Osaka’s viral crab ice cream answered.
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I’m standing on one of Osaka’s famous bridges surrounded by neon, but that’s not what’s grabbing my attention. Instead, I’m cupping my hands around a small plastic tub, willing it to melt so I can try what might be Osaka’s strangest ice creams – the crab and vanilla offering from Kani Doraku.
Kani Doraku is one of Osaka’s most famous crab restaurants. They’ve been serving crustacean-filled meals for over 60 years, with 16 branches in Osaka alone, and are most famous for their kani sukiyaki – a dish that combines juicy crab legs swished in a white soy sauce broth. Today, though, I’m trying their other most famous dish.
The crab ice cream here is not a new addition to the menu. It was first launched in November 2022, after two years of development. The blend contained vanilla ice cream, chunks of crab and sea salt from Christmas Island, which is a nice touch. At the time of its original launch, the ice cream was designed to get people talking about the store.
I first saw it when I wandered past in June 2023. On that trip, I was on my own, and it felt like something that needed to be a shared experience, so I didn’t try it. Since then, it’s gone viral on social media, and so, on my latest trip to Osaka, it was time to dip in.
Dotonbori in the evening is a madhouse, but thankfully, Kani Doraku is located at the end of one strip of the street, meaning if you want to get there without shuffling behind 2000 people eating skewers of wagyu, you can approach it via the main road to the west, Ebisu Bashi Soji.
A pot of ice cream costs 500 yen, and you get a tiny plastic spoon to eat it with. It’s very frozen, so while we attempted to chip away at it outside the store, we soon realised it was going to need to melt a bit before we properly tucked in, so we moved off to the back streets by the canal. Eventually, we broke the ice – literally, not figuratively.
It’s actually quite good. The crab is very sweet, and nothing tastes overly seafoody. It’s just like finding chunks of cookie dough in your ice cream – but, with a meatier texture. It also helps that when you first open it, it looks like strawberries, so you can labour under the illusion for a while that this is all totally normal.
I wouldn’t rush to eat it again, but nor would I need paying to do so! And I was glad I finally got to tick it off my bucket list. So, if you want to try it, here’s what you need to know.
Where Do You Buy It?
As I mentioned, Kani Doraku is situated on Dotonbori, at the junction of Ebisu Bashi Soji, the road that leads to the Ebisu Bridge. You can’t really miss it as it has a giant moving crab above it!
It’s an actual restaurant, but you don’t need to go inside to purchase the ice cream. Instead, you buy the ice cream from the freezer on the street. Remember, it’s not the done thing to eat and walk in Japan, so, find somewhere out of the way to consume your ice cream – and if you’re there in Autumn like we were, it’s going to take a bit of time to melt.
The store is open from 11 am to 10 pm, seven days a week.
What Else Is Fun-usual Nearby?
The most notable feature is the famous Glico Man sign, which looms large behind the restaurant. Ebisu Bridge is one of the best places to get a view of this.
But, less obvious, you’re close to the tiny Issunboshidaimyojin shrine, and it’s interesting artwork (find this by taking the tiny alley turn off Dotonbori to the east of the Dotonobori Imai Main Shop. It’s marked as Ukiyo Koji on Google maps). Head to the base of the alley and you’ll also find the cool moss-covered Hozenji shrine.
We sandwiched our spoonfuls between riding the unique oval Ferris wheel above Don Quixote (see our longer post on that on our dedicated Japan blog), and then headed for Farplane bar, which, despite being in the basement of a shopping mall, is NSFW! But that’s a post for another day.
Fun Hotels to Stay in Nearby
Oh, and if you’re looking for a fun place to stay in Osaka while trying all of the above, both branches of the Henn na Hotel are a short walk from Dotonbori.
I’ve stayed in them both and they’re clean, comfortable and fun. The Shinsaibashi branch is a bit more modern and stylish, and has more robots. The Namba branch is more basic, but does have a floor where you get your own in-room robot (like the Hey-Bim repeater in James May’s Our Man in Japan). Sadly, mine was even more useless than James May’s and wouldn’t work at all, but if you speak better Japanese than I do, book yourself a Robohon floor.
Another more traditional hotel, but with a fantastic exterior, is the Dotonbori Hotel, where these guys greet you. According to Atlas Obscura, they are designed to represent different races around the world and be welcoming to foreign tourists – if you’re staying in the hotel you’ll get a view of their butts everytime you leave, so not quite sure how well that works, but, let’s just go with it as a nice thought.
Lastly, you can stay in the Pokémon-decorated room at the Miramu Hotel Osaka, Namba North. Book via their dedicated Pokémon page.