OKO Fun Okonomiyaki Bar (遊べるお好み焼き屋 ＯＫＯ) is a vegan-friendly hidden gem in Namba/Shinsaibashi in Osaka. Although the owner, Shiho, runs the entire place by herself, she does an amazing job ensuring that the bar is a fun place to dine and play! Because of Shiho’s friendly and energetic personality, we are sure that she attracts many regulars due to her upbeat attitude and hospitality!
Table of Contents
- About Oko Fun Okonomiyaki Bar
- How to Dine at OKO
- OKO’s Dining Space
- The Food at OKO Fun Okonomiyaki Bar
- OKO Fun Okonomiyaki Bar’s Shocking Toilet and Rooftop Area
- OKO Fun Okonomiyaki Bar’s Business Hours and Access Information
About Oko Fun Okonomiyaki Bar
With a bright yellow color theme, OKO has a very eye-catchy exterior. You surely won’t miss it when you get there. As there is usually a queue at the entrance, Shiho would put out the red stools for her customers to rest on. If you are hungry, enjoy the complimentary peanuts from the yellow buckets. You can also make yourself a cup of tea with the tea leaves placed above the water dispenser.
How to Dine at OKO
After the relocation, OKO now consists of 5 floors.
- Ordering and paying are on the 1st floor.
- Refer to OKO’s menu HERE.
- After paying for your order, you can head upstairs to find a seat.
- The non-smoking area is from the 2nd to 4th floor.
- If you want to smoke while dining, please sit on the 5th floor.
- When your order is ready, you will be notified by announcement. Please come down to the 1st floor for pick up.
- After finishing your food, please clean up after yourself.
- Everything goes into the bin located close to each floor’s entrance. You can leave the trays and glasses on the shelving unit.
Tip: Please let Shiho know if there are any ingredients you can’t eat. OKO can cater for vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free dietary requirements!
There is also a 200 yen make-your-own drinks station next to the stairs at the back of the restaurant. No matter what you make, one cup is 200 yen. But note that it only accepts cash payments.
Before making your drink, please notify Shiho by ringing the bird, and then put 200 yen in the container on the green stand next to the register. If you don’t have the exact amount, use the machine at the entrance to break your bank note.
The drink station has various alcoholic and soft drinks. If you would like to bring a couple of bottles of Japanese alcohol home, you can have a tasting session at OKO!
OKO’s Dining Space
The bright and fun vibe extends to every corner of the restaurant. The energetic and catchy background music plays a big role in keeping the energy level up. Shiho’s messages to her customers, recipes, and other interesting facts are all written on the wall throughout the building. Some of them are just amusing to read!
The walls in the dining area are covered with messages left by previous customers. While it will be hard to find a space to write, markers are left for you to leave your messages too!
Although we didn’t try this, apparently the microphone on each floor connects to the speaker in Shiho’s kitchen. If you need to ask her anything or maybe even compliment her cooking, feel free to use it anytime!
Moreover, the sauce tray is located on the top shelf of the shelving unit behind the water bottle (refer to the last photo in the right Instagram post above). Feel free to add more sauce as you please. Just note that the cap color differs for vegan and normal mayonnaise.
The Food at OKO Fun Okonomiyaki Bar
What is special about OKO’s Okonomiyaki pancake is that it is gluten-free. Instead of the normal wheat flour, soybean powder (おからパウダー) is used. So if you want a healthier meal but still want to enjoy Okonomiyaki, definitely visit OKO!
Probably because of the soybean powder, you may find the Okonomiyaki to taste quite different from the wheat version. Instead of a pancake, it was more like a pizza filled with toppings. Ours had a lot of mushrooms and vegetables!
Besides the pancake’s ingredients, OKO is also known for the Photo-Oko (フォトおこ). With just an extra 500 yen, your Okonomiyaki is served with a photo of your choice. As the photo is printed on edible paper sheet, everything on the plate is edible!
The vegan gyoza dumplings and yakisoba noodles are amazing, too!
Compared to the Okonomiyaki, yakisoba’s seasoning is heavier. That being said, it wasn’t too salty to the point that we had to keep drinking water.
OKO Fun Okonomiyaki Bar’s Shocking Toilet and Rooftop Area
The most shocking part of our visit to OKO is the trip to the toilet. While nothing seemed out of the ordinary, as soon as you open the door facing the toilet bowl, the scene might make some people scream ヾ(≧▽≦)ﾉ.
A naked figure is the last thing you would expect to see in a restaurant. But after you calm down, Shiho’s humor will make you laugh.
She named the bathroom “OKO Fountain”. The idea was taken from the wish fountain commonly found in Western cultures. If you look carefully, there are many plastic balls in the bathtub. Each ball has words written on it.
If you want to make a wish, blank balls are left in the wooden treasure chest in the toilet (refer to the 3rd photo in the IG post). It is said that if you write your wish on a ball and throw it into the OKO fountain, the goddess will make it come true.
Who is the goddess? That naked figure!
In addition, if you want to have a rooftop party in Osaka, visit OKO. The rooftop there is called OKO Summit (OKO山頂). You can refer to the last two photos in the Instagram post for the bar’s rooftop.
OKO Fun Okonomiyaki Bar’s Business Hours and Access Information
- OKO Fun Okonomiyaki Bar is open from 6 pm to midnight.
- It is:
- A 5-minute walk from Osaka Metro’s Shinsaibashi Station (心斎橋駅) or Nagahoribashi Station (長堀橋駅).
- A 10-minute walk from Kintetsu’s Nippombashi Station (日本橋駅).
- A 15-minute walk from JR Namba Station (難波駅).
Discover Vegan/Vegetarian-Friendly Restaurants in Other Parts of Osaka
Obviously OKO isn’t the only vegan-friendly place in Osaka. The prefecture has many more restaurants that offer delicious vegan food!
Refer to our Top Vegan and Vegetarian-Friendly Restaurants in Osaka for other places where you can dine with a peace of mind!
