Restaurant: 甲賀流 (Kougaryu)   
Address: 〒542-0086 大阪府大阪市 中央区西心斎橋2-18-4
Area: Amerikamura, Chuo-ku, Osaka, Japan
Nearest Station: Shinsaibashi (心斎橋), Yotsubashi (四ツ橋)

Osaka is famous for takoyaki. You can’t leave Osaka until you’ve tried it from the most popular takoyaki shop in Amerikamura (アメリカ村, translated as ‘American Village’), or Ame-mura for short.

My cousin knew of this place, so she took us there to try the negipon takoyaki (ねぎポンたこ焼き). It was served on a styrofoam tray, 10 pieces for ¥450.

The name negipon takoyaki is the shortened name of negi ponzu takoyaki:

negi – green onion
ponzu – citrus-based sauce
takoyaki – grilled octopus ball

The sauce in traditional takoyaki is a thick sauce with a taste similar to Worchestershire sauce. On the other hand, the sauce in negipon takoyaki is ponzu, which is a thin sauce that made the takoyaki soft, wet, and flattening. Negipon takoyaki looked deflated compared to traditional takoyaki, but it was quite tasty and addicting!

Here’s a video from Quest for Japan showing how Kougaryu makes its takoyaki: