Tanaka Yoshihide

Verdict

At JPY 20,000–29,999 per head for dinner, Tanaka Yoshihide earns its price in a category — Chinese cuisine using seasonal Japanese ingredients — that has very few serious practitioners in Osaka at this level. Opened in May 2023, it already holds a Tabelog Silver Award for 2025 and 2026, a 4.42 score on Tabelog, and a place in the Tabelog Chinese WEST 100 for 2024. That's a fast, credible track record. If creative Chinese cuisine interpreted through a Japanese seasonal lens is what you're after in Osaka, this is the booking to make. If you want kaiseki or French at a comparable spend, Taian and La Cime are your alternatives.

About the Restaurant

Tanaka Yoshihide operates out of the Higashishato Building in Miyakojima Ward, roughly 163 metres from Kyobashi Station , close enough to walk from the platform without planning. The room holds eight seats. That's not a stylistic choice designed for atmosphere; it's the practical reality that shapes everything else about a visit: the pace, the attention, and the booking difficulty. An eight-seat counter in Osaka, serving a format that blends Chinese technique with Japanese seasonal produce and a wine programme the venue takes seriously, is functioning more like an intimate chef's table than a restaurant in the conventional sense.

Dinner runs in two seatings , 17:00 and 20:00, with last entry at 19:30 and 22:30 respectively , seven days a week. There is no lunch service. For guests coming from Kyoto, Nara, or further afield, the dual-seating structure gives some flexibility: the early sitting works well before an evening onward; the late sitting suits those already spending the evening in Osaka. The venue is entirely non-smoking, no private rooms are available, and children are welcome only if they can participate in the same adult course.

The wine programme is a genuine component of the experience here, not a courtesy list. The database flags the venue as "particular about wine," which at this price tier in Japan typically means a curated selection with real thought behind it. Credit cards are accepted; electronic money and QR code payments are not, so plan accordingly.

If you're a returning guest trying to decide what to prioritise on a second visit, the constraint is the format itself: there is one course, and it changes with the season. The decision on a second visit is less about what to order and more about when to return , spring and autumn, when Japanese seasonal produce is at its most expressive, are the obvious windows for repeat visits. Guests who visited in summer and are considering a return in late autumn will find a meaningfully different menu driven by the same logic of matching Chinese technique to whatever Japan's agriculture is offering at that moment. For context on how Osaka's restaurant scene handles seasonal cooking more broadly, our full Osaka restaurants guide covers the wider category.

Tabelog classifies the location as a "hideout" , a designation that reflects both the building address and the eight-seat footprint, not a difficult-to-find alley. From Kyobashi, it's a short walk. For hotels within range, the Osaka hotels guide covers options near the Kyobashi and Miyakojima area.

For comparison beyond Osaka, the closest analogues in Japan for this format , tight counter, seasonal Japanese ingredients reframed through a non-Japanese culinary tradition, strong wine list , would include venues like Harutaka in Tokyo and Gion Sasaki in Kyoto, though both operate in different culinary registers. If the Kansai region is your focus, akordu in Nara offers a similarly considered approach to seasonal cooking in an intimate format.

Ratings & Recognition

• Tabelog Score: 4.42
• Tabelog Silver Award: 2025, 2026
• Tabelog Chinese WEST 100: 2024
• Google: 4.8 (40 reviews)
• Opened: May 2023

Booking

Reservations open on the first of each month at 11:00 AM, handled exclusively via Instagram (account: Tanaka Keiei). There is no phone booking and no online reservation system. For a venue with eight seats and a Tabelog Silver Award, the first-of-month release will move quickly , plan to be on Instagram at 11:00 AM on the first of the month you want to book, not later that day. There is no walk-in option at a counter this size with this level of recognition. Booking difficulty is rated Easy by Pearl's classification, which reflects the direct mechanics of the process , one channel, one date , rather than the competitive window for popular months.

Practical Details

Budget: JPY 20,000–29,999 per person for dinner (drinks additional). Reservations: First of the month from 11:00 AM via Instagram @Tanaka_Keiei; reservation only, no walk-ins. Hours: Daily, 17:00–19:30 and 20:00–22:30 (two seatings). No lunch service. Seats: 8. Dress: No stated dress code. Payment: Credit cards accepted; electronic money and QR code payments not accepted. Private rooms: Not available. Parking: Not available. Access: Approximately 163 metres from Kyobashi Station, Miyakojima Ward, Osaka.