Shinsekai Paprika Shokudo Vegan: Osaka Classics for Vegans and Non-vegans Alike

Smack-bang in the middle of the Shinsekai precinct just south of Namba and west of Tennoji, and nestled in an alleyway amid kushikatsu joints, Shinsekai Paprika Shokudo Vegan is a rare find: a cheap-and-cheerful casual eatery that caters to vegans. What’s more, it’s gluten-free. No wonder it's popular among overseas visitors who want to try Osaka’s famous specialties but can’t eat certain things for health, religious, or other reasons.

Vegan Cuisine Can Expand Culinary Possibilities

“I took to veganism because I was excited to discover that it was actually possible to make all sorts of different things using only plant-based ingredients,” says owner Junichi Nakai, who learned his trade as an Italian chef. He opened the first Paprika Shokudo Vegan in Shinmachi (northwest of Shinsaibashi) in 2014, and the Shinsekai location in 2023. Nakai stopped eating meat after an illness; he assumed he was condemned to a boring culinary life, but the reality was quite the opposite. Having discovered a passion for developing vegan cuisine that could expand culinary possibilities, he quit Italian and became a vegan chef.

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A New Twist on Osaka’s Famous Kushikatsu

Kushikatsu is an integral part of Osaka cuisine: typically, it’s meat and other morsels coated in panko crumbs and deep fried; at Paprika Shokudo Vegan, it’s a little different. Kushikatsu made with Earthmeat looks and feels astoundingly like chicken—you’d never know it was made primarily from soybeans. Similarly, Beyond Meat kushikatsu is just like minced beef, but it, too, is made from peas and plant ingredients. Both Earthmeat and Beyond Meat are wonderfully juicy with a substantial (“meaty,” dare we say?) mouthfeel. The crispy outer coating is made from rice flour.

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Takoyaki: Now Vegans Can Enjoy the Real Deal, Too

Takoyaki is the quintessential Osaka classic: typically, it’s wheat-flour batter balls filled with octopus chunks and other flavorings; at Paprika Shokudo Vegan, it’s a rice flour batter filled with king oyster mushroom stems. The mouthfeel is exactly like conventional takoyaki, so vegans can enjoy the real deal, too – a stroke of genius on Nakai’s part!

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He says his aim is two-fold: To deliver an enjoyable dining experience for vegans, and to enable non-vegans to discover that vegan cuisine can be just as satisfying as any other. “That way,” says Nakai, “we can strive to bring about a sustainable society.” Meanwhile, Nakai’s quest to push back the boundaries of culinary possibility and enjoy a vegan lifestyle continues with the opening of a vegan sushi restaurant, Shojin Sushi Minamo, in September 2024.

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Name: Shinsekai Paprika Shokudo Vegan
Address: 3-4-5 Ebisu Higashi, Naniwa-ku, Osaka City
Phone: 06-6567-9376
Hours: Lunch 12:30-14:30 (last orders); dinner 17:30-21:00 (last orders)
Closed: Wed., other days on occasion
Getting there: 4 min. walk from Tanimachi 6-chome Stn. on the Osaka Metro
Seating: 8 counter seats, 10 table seats
Menu: Assorted 5 Kushikatsu, starts at ¥1,000; Takoyaki (6-peaces) ¥580; Homemade doteyaki ¥580; “draft” beer ¥500 English-language menus available
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shinsekai.paprika_vegan/

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