If you want to eat delicious crabs in Japan without stepping on a minefield, “Kani Dōraku” is a good choice. It has branches in major cities in Japan, and its crab dishes are of a certain standard and delicious.
The best place to enjoy crab in Osaka is undoubtedly “Dotonbori”. There are more than four branches along the entire Dotonbori street. Before, I had eaten crab at the main branch of Dotonbori, but almost all of the Dotonbori branches require reservations or queuing on site. The dining environment is more open and less private. This time, I didn’t want to waste time queuing just to eat crab, so I went to “Wangyuan Main Building” not far from Dotonbori for dining. Except for the slightly larger crabs, all seats in the Wangyuan Main Building are decorated like high-end private rooms, with both privacy and comfort. The atmosphere was amazing!
Kani Douraku Amimoto Honkan
Kani Douraku Amimoto Honkan is actually a crab restaurant under the Crab Fun Group. Simply put, it is a high-end version of Crab Fun. Although the price is a bit higher than Crab Fun, the dining quality is much better! There are no noisy tourists.
However, the main branch of Wanye only opens on Saturdays, Sundays, and weekday evenings. If you want to dine on weekdays at noon, you need to go to the “Wanye Annex” just a 1-minute walk away. Both restaurants are within a 5-minute walk from Namba Station on the subway, JR, and Kintetsu lines. It is located in the area around “American Village” next to Shinsaibashi, a 5-minute walk from the Midosuji Line “Shinsaibashi Station” and the Yotsubashi Line “Yotsubashi Station”. It is also not far from Dotonbori.
Read More: A Travel Guide to Dotonbori, Japan
Where is the Kani Douraku Amimoto Honkan located?
- Location: 2-13-15 Nishi-Shinsaibashi, Chuo-ku, Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture
- Opening Hours: 11:30-22:30 on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays; 17:00-22:30 on weekdays
Kani Douraku Amimoto Honkan Dining Environment
As soon as you enter the restaurant, you can see the live crabs on the first floor swimming vigorously in the aquarium.
After informing the staff of the number of people and the fact that we did not make a reservation, we were able to take the elevator to our private room in less than a minute!
You read it right, two people can also have a private room~~~ Although there is no neighboring large private room or garden scenery to enjoy, having your own independent and spacious dining space is rare in Japan.
The dining space of Wanyuan Bieguan is designed with a Japanese-style seating arrangement that emphasizes the environment. For those who are not accustomed to sitting on tatami mats, there are also private rooms with Japanese-style chairs.
Kani Douraku Amimoto Honkan Menu
The main focus of Kani Dōraku is crab cuisine, with a variety of different types of crab dishes available throughout the year, including seasonal offerings such as Matsuba crab and King crab, all of which are flown in fresh from Hokkaido. The menu above is a hot pot set that Piao Er particularly enjoys, but they also offer crab dishes served in other ways. As Kani Dōraku frequently changes their set menus and prices, you can check their official website for more information on their menus and current prices.
Just like Crab Party, the prices for Chinese cuisine in the NetEase Building are cheaper during lunchtime!
Ice and Snow (hyōsetsu) ¥7,300 (incl. ¥784 consumption tax)
Because Piao Er loves the “Crab Shabu-Shabu (Crab Hot Pot)” and mixed rice of Kani Douraku, she insists on ordering the “かに鍋コース” series of dishes. However, Piao Er doesn’t like their crab tempura and wants to try the crab shell and crab paste that she hasn’t eaten before. But there is no such combination, so she later ordered a crab hot pot set meal “Hyousetsu” without tempura, and also ordered a plate of grilled crab legs with crab shell and crab paste.
What is included in the package?
For the set menu, we will provide a sheet like the one above. Each dish will be circled on the menu to let the customer know which one has been served. Our set menu includes the following dishes, which are portioned for one person. However, Crabtree & Evelyn Group allows two people to share one set menu because the portions are quite generous. Even though we have small appetites, we still order one set menu and add some other dishes to make up for the cost of the second person, so as not to appear as seat fillers.
- Appetizer
- Vinegar Crab (Cold Crab Dish)
- Sashimi Crab (Raw Crab)
- Grilled Crab
- Crab Hot Pot
- Rice Porridge after Hot Pot
- Dessert (Fruit)
Appetizers
The appetizer is served in a beautiful bowl.
The inside is tofu. Piao’er doesn’t have much feeling towards Japanese tofu, so she thinks it’s ordinary.
Kani-su (Vinegared Crab Cold Dish)
Clear boiled crab legs with vinegar sauce, eating simply boiled crabs with a simple vinegar pairing, you can taste the original sweetness of the snow crab. Although it seems small, the entire course is quite filling. Eating crabs in Japan gives a sense of delicacy, which is different from the feeling of eating freshly caught harbor crabs in Taiwan with big bites.
Kani-zukuri (Crab Sashimi)
The sashimi of crab is not commonly eaten in Taiwan, but it allows you to directly experience the freshness of the crab and the unique texture of raw crab.
Grilled Crab
The next dish, charcoal-grilled crab meat, offers a different flavor. The grilled crab can be prepared by the staff and served to the table, or guests can choose to grill it themselves on the table for a more enjoyable experience and control over the desired level of doneness.
▼ This is the crab shell and crab paste that we added ourselves, which is not included in the set menu. Look, the portion of a single order is so much!
▼ This is the grilled crab that comes with the set, but the portion is much smaller. It’s my favorite way to eat crab, and I could easily eat a whole plate of it!
The most amazing thing about grilled crabs is the crab roe. The crab roe has no fishy smell and tastes incredibly fresh. It is highly recommended for crab lovers!
The roasted crab legs have a fragrant crab shell flavor, and the crab juice is locked inside the crab legs, giving it a crispy texture on the outside and juicy tenderness on the inside. It’s delicious!
Kani suki (Crab hot pot) & Zosui (rice soup) after the hot pot
Next up is the crab hot pot that Piao Er has been longing for. The greatness of the crab hot pot lies not in the crab that has been cooked in it, but in the delicious and sweet taste of the soup base that has been boiled with the crab. Finally, white rice is added to make a mixed rice dish, which is truly delicious. Even after eating it for the second time, I still can’t get enough of it. It’s so delicious!
▼The carrot is carefully carved into the shape of a crab
Finally, we will serve “Mizugashi (fruit)” and the bill to conclude a wonderful meal.
You can also purchase related crab souvenirs at the counter when checking out. There are also crab paste cans inside, which you can take home and eat with rice!
About Kani Douraku Amimoto Honkan, How Much Do I Love?
Kani Douraku Amimoto Honkan has always been the restaurant that Floaty goes to in Japan when she doesn’t want to look for a restaurant and wants to eat crab. The high-end version of Kani Douraku Amimoto Honkan, “Wangyuan Main Building,” is only available in Osaka. Although this time we ate at the “Wangyuan Branch,” the dining atmosphere was different from Kani Douraku Amimoto Honkan, with more attention to detail and privacy in the high-end cuisine. There was not much difference in the dishes, but they were absolutely delicious. If you come to Japan and want to eat delicious crab, we highly recommend the more affordable Kani Douraku Amimoto Honkan or the evolved Wangyuan Main Building with a better dining environment!
See what’s different about the regular version of Kani Doraku: Kani Doraku Shinjuku Main Store – Crab Hot Pot Treasure Set
Pre-book and enjoy discounted packages: Kani Douraku online reservation
Everything You Need to Know about Osaka
Explore more of our adventures around Osaka:
- Travel Guide: A Pocket Osaka Travel Guide
- Attractions: Top 15 Things To Do In Osaka
- Food: Ultimate Osaka Food Guide
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