Osaka Bang: Okonomiyaki, Takoyaki and Great Energy in Sant Antoni

Sant Antoni

Sep 27

Written By Maria

Osaka Bang is such a fun addition to Sant Antoni. It’s small, lively and full of personality, with an open kitchen that makes you feel part of the action from the moment you walk in.

Osaka Bang Barcelona — *Osaka Bang, Barcelona. Photo © Barcelona Food Experience.*

If you can, try to grab one of the seats at the bar. That’s where you get the best view of everything happening in the open kitchen, and where you really see owner Jas in her element. She’s incredibly charismatic, the kind of person who lights up the whole room, and watching her cook, chat to customers and keep everything moving is half the fun.

Japanese music plays from the speakers, something is constantly happening in the kitchen and the whole place has a great vibe. There’s also a terrace outside if you prefer to sit outdoors.

The menu is short and focused, with Osaka-style street food at the center of it. There are takoyaki, hiyayakko, pickled mustard greens and, of course, several different okonomiyaki.

Osaka Bang, Barcelona. Photo © Barcelona Food Experience.

The okonomiyaki selection is much broader than I expected. You can go for shiitake, smoked bacon, kimchi, mochi and cheese (!), Pyrenean beef or squid, and there’s also a vegan, gluten-free version.

What stood out to me just as much as the dishes themselves was the quality of the ingredients. Jas is very specific about where things come from. Their fresh produce is bought from Barceloneta Market, including the octopus, which comes from Tarragona and Sant Carles de la Ràpita. She proudly showed us the octopus when we visited, and the beef comes from the Pyrenees. Even the tofu is something she sources especially from a producer she trusts.

That attention to ingredients really makes sense when you taste the hiyayakko: beautifully silky chilled tofu served with a citrusy yuzu-based sauce, seaweed and just a touch of wasabi. Such a simple dish, but one of my favorites of the meal.

Then there are the takoyaki, probably Osaka Bang’s most famous dish. Six little balls filled with octopus, spring onion and ginger, topped with takoyaki sauce, Kewpie mayonnaise and katsuobushi. Ours were absolutely perfect: soft and creamy inside, with generous pieces of octopus.

We tried two different okonomiyaki as well: the squid and the beef from the Pyrenees, and loved both. Jas learned her craft in Osaka, where her teacher was Eiko Fuziwara, and that connection to the city is very much part of what Osaka Bang is all about.

The menu finishes with a cheesecake made with Madagascar vanilla, and there are Japanese and local drinks to go with everything.

Osaka Bang has a very attractive atmosphere: it feels casual and spontaneous, but there’s a lot more thought behind it than you might first assume. Great ingredients, a focused menu, a real connection to Osaka and a huge amount of personality packed into one small Sant Antoni spot.

Definitely try to sit at the bar.

Osaka Bang, Carrer d’Aldana, 9 (Sant Antoni), Barcelona.

Fun With FriendsDrink And A SnackChef DrivenJapaneseTerrace / Patio