New restaurants offering endlessly evolving gourmet food are appearing one after another in Osu, Nagoya! Here, we introduce unique "over-evolved gourmet" dishes.

A big boom in Korea! Mala Tang that can be enjoyed on skewers

"Ryu-san-chi no Osu Mala Chan," which opened on Higashi Niomon Street, is a restaurant where you can enjoy "Mala Tang," a medicinal soup dish originating from China, on "skewers." Mala skewers have become a big boom in Korea and are gaining popularity on social media in Japan.

Similar to Mala Tang, the price is determined by the ingredients you choose. You can choose from 50 kinds of ingredients, including the most popular "chicken skin" (200 yen) and "Panda Bunmoja" (100 yen), which is Chinese vermicelli made from potato starch shaped like a panda.

The handles of the skewers are color-coded by price, so you can see at a glance that they range from 50 yen to 300 yen (6 levels) per skewer, so you don't have to worry about choosing too many ingredients and ending up with a higher-than-expected bill, as with Mala Tang.

The selected ingredients are not boiled in soup, but fried in oil. The fried ingredients are coated with a sweet and spicy special mala sauce made with Sichuan pepper, garlic, peanuts, etc., and finally topped with a powder blended with 15 kinds of spices.

You can choose from three levels of spiciness, so even those who don't like spicy food can enjoy it. The skewers are served in a cup, making them perfect for eating on the go.

Ryu-san-chi no Osu Mala Chan
Address: Asadaya Building 1F, 3-36-24 Osu, Naka-ku, Nagoya-shi

No rice!? Over-evolved creative inari sushi

"Yanagitsune Osu Store," which opened along Higashi Niomon Street, is a specialty store for creative inari sushi that luxuriously uses seafood. The main store in Yanagibashi Central Market is for takeout only, but the Osu store has an eat-in space where you can enjoy your meal at your leisure.

Recommended is the super luxurious "Goshiki Inari Teishoku" (2,178 yen), exclusive to the Osu store. On top of the inverted inari, fresh seafood such as "large salmon roe" and "marinated raw shrimp" sourced from Yanagibashi Central Market are topped. The rice made with homemade red vinegar and the moderately sweet inari skin are a perfect match for any ingredient!

Also, the "Seafood Inari Roll" (2 pieces for 638 yen) without rice is a new sensation. Squid, salmon, marinated tuna, etc., are wrapped in inari skin, so you can directly taste the umami of the seafood.

Yanagitsune Osu Store
Address: 3-42-2 Osu, Naka-ku, Nagoya-shi

Re-landing in Nagoya after 10 years! "Nagoya Meshi" burger makes its debut

"Dom Dom Hamburger Osu Banshoji-dori Store" has opened on the west side of Osu Banshoji-dori! "Dom Dom Hamburger," Japan's oldest hamburger chain, which opened its first store in Tokyo in 1970, has returned to Nagoya after withdrawing in 2016, and is already attracting attention.

In addition to innovative hamburgers such as okonomiyaki and kakiage, the "Whole!! Crab Burger Nagoya Miso Flavor" (1,290 yen) has a huge impact!

It uses a whole soft-shell crab that can be eaten shell and all, as it has just molted. The crispy fried crab is boldly sandwiched between buns and combined with a rich "Nagoya miso sauce" blended with soy sauce, sugar, dashi, and garlic. It also contains crab miso, so it's full of crab umami! You can enjoy a rich flavor.

Also recommended is the "Nagoya Tebasaki-style Crispy Chicken" (300 yen). Crispy chicken with a sweet and spicy tebasaki flavor can only be eaten at the Osu Banshoji-dori store!

Dom Dom Hamburger Osu Banshoji-dori Store
Address: 1F, 3-25-28 Osu, Naka-ku, Nagoya-shi

Can you eat it in a sauna!? Authentic Chinese food made by a former hotel chef

"Mă by KIWAMI," a casual Chinese dining restaurant, has opened at "KIWAMI SAUNA Osu," which was renovated from a 95-year-old traditional house! Not only sauna users but also those who don't use the sauna can enjoy a meal.

All the dishes made by the chef, who was in charge of Chinese cuisine at a luxury hotel for 10 years, are authentic and exquisite! Among them, the chef's proud dish is "Mapo Tofu Don" (1,300 yen).

It uses homemade doubanjiang (chili bean paste) adjusted to have not only spiciness but also umami. Furthermore, garlic leaves, which are essential for Sichuan-style mapo tofu, are added to give it a rich aroma and depth. Finally, the heat is rapidly increased to evaporate the moisture and sear it, concentrating the umami.

Also recommended is the "Rich Dandan Noodles with Sichuan Pepper Aroma" (1,300 yen). The rich sesame soup, which coats the thin noodles well, is generously topped with homemade chili oil made from mild-spicy Chaotian chili peppers. It's not too spicy, and you can enjoy the fragrant aroma of freshly ground sesame and the rich depth.

Mă by KIWAMI
Address: 1-4-12 Tachibana, Naka-ku, Nagoya-shi

From CBC TV "Naruhodo Presenter! Hanasaka Times" broadcast on Saturday, September 12, 2026. *Information in the article is as of the broadcast date.