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Special diets

Vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free in Osaka

What each tour and class listing says about meat, wheat, halal and allergies.

Quick picks
Roll and nigiri sushi making class
Sushi Making Japan · 100 minutes Roll and nigiri sushi making class
★ 4.9 (495) from €40
Book now
Gluten-free ramen and gyoza cooking class
Yuki Japanese cooking class · 3 hours Gluten-free ramen and gyoza cooking class
★ 5.0 (60) from €90
Book now
Ramen making near Osaka Castle with a souvenir
Ramen & Chopsticks Making Studio · 2 hours Ramen making near Osaka Castle with a souvenir
★ 5.0 (128) from €56
Book now
See all options on this page

Osaka’s street food is wheat batter, fried meat and a stock called dashi, which is usually made from fish. That makes the city hard for vegetarians, vegans and anyone avoiding gluten, and harder still on a tour where the stops are fixed. The matrix below repeats what each tour and class listing says about four diets, no more and no less.

The diet matrix

Most-reviewed first. Menu offered means a set menu exists; on request means you ask in advance; not stated means the listing is silent. Bar crawls are left out, because there you order at each bar yourself.

Tour or classVegetarianVeganGluten-freeHalalWhat the listing says
Shinsekai food tour with 15 dishes and 3 drinksOsaka Food Tours, Inc.Not statedNoNoNot statedNot suitable for vegans or for gluten intolerance; vegetarian options are not stated.
Shinsekai street food tour with 15 tastingsHungry Osaka ToursNoNoNoNot statedNot suitable for vegetarians, vegans or a gluten-free diet.
Small-group food walk with Kuromon MarketOn requestOn requestListing contradicts itselfNot statedVegetarian and vegan requests at least one day ahead; the listing contradicts itself on gluten-free and does not guarantee allergy-free food.
Ramen and gyoza cooking class in DotonboriCooking SunOn requestNot statedNoNot statedVegetarian and pescatarian on request; no gluten-free version.
Roll and nigiri sushi making classSushi Making JapanMenu offeredMenu offeredMenu offeredMenu offeredVegan, vegetarian, gluten-free and halal menus; tell the operator 3 days ahead.
Shinsekai street food tour with 18 foods and 3 drinksGoen JapanLimitedNot statedNoNot statedVegetarians and some allergies can be accommodated to a limited degree; gluten-free is not possible.
Small-group food tour through Tenma and KyobashiPinpoint TravelerNot statedNot statedNot statedNot statedThe listing says dietary restrictions can be accommodated with advance notice, without naming which. Ask before booking.
Guided food tour with 12 dishes and 2 drinksJapan Guide StarNot statedNot statedNot statedNot statedThe listing says nothing about diets. Ask before booking.
Sake tasting and takoyaki cooking with a sake sommelierMOMO TO SAKENot statedNot statedNot statedNot statedThe listing says nothing about diets. Takoyaki contain octopus.
Ramen and gyoza cooking class in NambaXLSWORLDOn requestNot statedNot statedNot statedVegetarian on request before the class.
Ramen making near Osaka Castle with a souvenirRamen & Chopsticks Making StudioOn requestOn requestNot statedNot statedVegetarian and vegan on request.
Local foodie tour in Dotonbori and ShinsekaiNoNoNoNot statedNot suitable for vegetarians, vegans or gluten intolerance; even the vegetarian kushikatsu are cooked with a pork dashi.
Okonomiyaki and takoyaki cooking class in NambaXLSWORLDNot statedNot statedNot statedNot statedThe listing says nothing about diets. Ask before booking.
Dotonbori takoyaki tour with tastings at 5 shopsWonder Works Inc.Not statedNot statedNot statedNot statedNot suitable for people with food allergies.
Gluten-free ramen and gyoza cooking classYuki Japanese cooking classNot statedNot statedMenu offeredNot statedThe only class here built around a gluten-free menu.
Osaka soul food cooking with a supermarket visitOn requestListing contradicts itselfNoNot statedVegetarians welcome with notice one day ahead; no gluten-free option. The listing welcomes vegans in one place and rules them out in another.
Evening food tour with tastingsArigato TravelNot statedNot statedNot statedNot statedThe listing says dietary requirements can be accommodated without naming which. Ask before booking.

Tours and classes that adapt in some way

Open a card for the meeting point, the diet notes and what the listing leaves unclear.

Small-group food walk with Kuromon Market

Small-group food walk with Kuromon Market

Vegetarian and vegan requests at least one day ahead; the listing contradicts itself on gluten-free and does not guarantee allergy-free food.

  • Duration: 2 hours
  • ✓ Free cancellation up to 24 hours before
from €46 ★ 4.9 (655 reviews)
Book on Viator
Details

Highlights

  • Stalls inside Kuromon Market, with one tasting at each stop
  • A daytime walk, which suits the market: many seafood stalls close in the late afternoon
  • Ends where it starts, a few minutes from the market

Meeting point

Near Kintetsu Nippombashi Station, Exit 10, in front of a bank ATM. The guide holds up a board with the operator’s name.

Know before you go

  • Late arrivals cannot join and get no refund
  • Diet requests must reach the operator at least one day before

Worth knowing

The listing names no start time; check the slots when you book. On diets it first rules out gluten-free requests, then accepts them.

Details from the product listing, checked October 2026. The booking page has the binding version.

Ramen and gyoza cooking class in Dotonbori
Cooking Sun

Ramen and gyoza cooking class in Dotonbori

Vegetarian and pescatarian on request; no gluten-free version.

  • Duration: 3 hours
  • ✓ Free cancellation up to 24 hours before
from €62 ★ 5.0 (556 reviews)
Book on GetYourGuide
Details

Highlights

  • Ramen noodles and broth made from scratch
  • Groups of up to 8

Meeting point

Cooking Sun Osaka, SUNREGIS Namba, room 202.

Details from the product listing, checked October 2026. The booking page has the binding version.

Roll and nigiri sushi making class
Sushi Making Japan

Roll and nigiri sushi making class

Vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free and halal menus; tell the operator 3 days ahead.

  • Duration: 100 minutes
  • ✓ Free cancellation up to 24 hours before
from €40 ★ 4.9 (495 reviews)
Book on GetYourGuide
Details

Highlights

  • The widest choice of special diets on this site
  • Short enough to fit before dinner

Meeting point

Galleria Acca Building, 3rd floor, Shinsaibashi.

Details from the product listing, checked October 2026. The booking page has the binding version.

Shinsekai street food tour with 18 foods and 3 drinks
Goen Japan

Shinsekai street food tour with 18 foods and 3 drinks

Vegetarians and some allergies can be accommodated to a limited degree; gluten-free is not possible.

  • Duration: 3 hours
  • ✓ Free cancellation up to 24 hours before
from €66 ★ 4.8 (438 reviews)
Book on GetYourGuide
Details

Highlights

  • The most dishes of the Shinsekai tours on this site
  • Four restaurants around Tsutenkaku tower

Meeting point

In front of MEGA Don Quijote Shinsekai.

Worth knowing

The web address of the listing says 2 hours, the listing itself 3 hours.

Details from the product listing, checked October 2026. The booking page has the binding version.

Ramen and gyoza cooking class in Namba
XLSWORLD

Ramen and gyoza cooking class in Namba

Vegetarian on request before the class.

  • Duration: Listed as 2 hours; the schedule runs about 3
  • ✓ Free cancellation up to 24 hours before
from €62 ★ 4.9 (195 reviews)
Book on GetYourGuide
Details

Highlights

  • Sake or beer with the meal
  • Groups of up to 8

Meeting point

Room 303 in a residential building in Bakuromachi (Semba). Ring the bell for 303.

Details from the product listing, checked October 2026. The booking page has the binding version.

Ramen making near Osaka Castle with a souvenir
Ramen & Chopsticks Making Studio

Ramen making near Osaka Castle with a souvenir

Vegetarian and vegan on request.

  • Duration: 2 hours
  • ✓ Free cancellation up to 24 hours before
from €56 ★ 5.0 (128 reviews)
Book on GetYourGuide
Details

Highlights

  • You choose the broth
  • Close to Osaka Castle, away from the Namba crowds

Meeting point

The studio near Osaka Castle (Tenmangu area).

Know before you go

  • The class starts 5 minutes after the set time without latecomers

Details from the product listing, checked October 2026. The booking page has the binding version.

Gluten-free ramen and gyoza cooking class
Yuki Japanese cooking class

Gluten-free ramen and gyoza cooking class

The only class here built around a gluten-free menu.

  • Duration: 3 hours
  • ✓ Free cancellation up to 24 hours before
from €90 ★ 5.0 (60 reviews)
Book on GetYourGuide
Details

Highlights

  • Gluten-free noodles and gyoza wrappers
  • No more than 4 guests
  • In Higashiosaka, east of the centre

Meeting point

Nukata-cho in Higashiosaka, about 5 minutes on foot from Nukata Station.

Worth knowing

The listing also names transport to the venue among the inclusions, although you meet at the address in Nukata.

Details from the product listing, checked October 2026. The booking page has the binding version.

Vegetarian

On the street food tours, a vegetarian has few safe options. Hungry Osaka Tours rules vegetarians out, and Osaka Food Tours, Inc. does not mention them. Goen Japan adapts to a limited degree. The kushikatsu and okonomiyaki tour has meat-free skewers, but cooks them in a dashi that contains pork, and its listing now names vegetarians among the guests it is not suitable for. The Shinsekai tours page sets out the rules of each.

Classes are easier. The sushi class has a vegetarian menu, the ramen studio near Osaka Castle cooks vegetarian on request, Cooking Sun offers vegetarian or pescatarian versions on request, and the XLSWORLD ramen class makes a vegetarian version if you ask before the day. The soul food class with the supermarket visit welcomes vegetarians if you tell it a day ahead.

Vegan

No full food tour in this comparison offers a vegan route, and the biggest Shinsekai tours rule vegans out by name. Among the classes, the sushi class has a vegan menu, and the ramen studio near Osaka Castle makes a vegan bowl on request. The Kuromon Market walk accepts vegan requests too, sent at least one day ahead, although market stalls are mostly seafood. The soul food class is contradictory: it welcomes vegans in one paragraph and lists them as not suitable in another, so get a written yes first.

Gluten-free

Takoyaki, okonomiyaki and kushikatsu are all coated in or made from wheat batter, and ramen noodles are wheat noodles. Osaka Food Tours, Inc., Hungry Osaka Tours and Goen Japan all say they cannot serve a gluten-free diet, and Cooking Sun has no gluten-free version of its ramen. The soul food class rules out gluten-free too.

Among the classes, the sushi class offers a gluten-free menu, and a class in Higashiosaka teaches ramen and gyoza with gluten-free noodles and wrappers, for no more than 4 guests. The ramen class comparison has the details. The Kuromon walk is unclear: its listing first refuses gluten-free requests, then accepts them a day in advance.

Halal

The sushi class in Shinsaibashi is the only listing on this site with a halal menu. A guest who booked it for that reason writes that her group was seated at a table where other participants drank alcohol, so the menu is halal but the room is shared. Ask for a separate table when you send the request. The sushi class page covers the class in full.

Allergies

The takoyaki tasting walk in Dotonbori says it is not suitable for anyone with a food allergy. The Kuromon Market walk does not guarantee allergy-free food. Goen Japan can take some allergies into account, to a limited degree. For any serious allergy, write to the operator after booking and wait for an answer before the day; the free cancellation on the booking page gives you time to step back.

How far ahead to ask

The sushi class needs three days’ notice for its vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free and halal menus. The Kuromon walk and the soul food class need one day and cannot change anything on the day itself. The XLSWORLD ramen class asks for vegetarian requests before the class. Where a listing says on request without a deadline, send the request at booking.

On the bar crawls, none of this applies in advance: you eat what you or the group order at each bar, so diets depend on the menu in front of you.

Guests who ate around a diet

From the classes that adapt their menus. One sushi guest booked the halal menu and found herself at a table where others drank alcohol. A vegetarian on the Tenma food tour, whose listing says nothing about diets, found the food did not suit their palate; ask that operator before you book. A guest at the XLSWORLD ramen class praises its vegetarian and vegan cooking, while the listing itself only names vegetarian on request.

“I had an amazing cooking class with Yuki, where I learned how to make gluten free ramen and gyoza. I’ve tried many different ramen dishes in restaurants throughout Japan, but the ones cooked with Yuki were by far the best I’ve had so far.”
Anja · Switzerland · May 2026 Gluten-free ramen and gyoza class · Yuki Japanese cooking class
“We attended a gluten-free ramen and gluten-free gyoza cooking class in Osaka … We learned how to make different kinds of ramen …”
Lara · Germany · Jun 2026 Gluten-free ramen and gyoza class · Yuki Japanese cooking class
“We had such a fabulous time! The team were brilliant, the whole experience was so fun and the food was delicious! … They catered for vegetarians and vegans excellently and it was a really relaxed atmosphere.”
Cindy · Australia · Oct 2026 Ramen and gyoza class in Bakuromachi · XLSWORLD
“Mari was informative and very friendly. She was very considerable with my food restrictions and we made delicious food together.”
Amira · Israel · Sep 2026 Soul food class with supermarket visit
“Really authentic and very fun. The guide Shota was really nice and helpful, also very good english.”
Eneri · Brazil · Sep 2026 Roll and nigiri sushi class · Sushi Making Japan
“the instructor was great, the explanations were clear … However, we were quite disappointed with the organization. We specifically booked this experience expecting a halal-friendly environment, but we were seated at a table where other participants were drinking alcohol.”
Olivia · United Arab Emirates · Apr 2026 Roll and nigiri sushi class · Sushi Making Japan
“The tour was easy to follow and was at a good pace. It would be great for people who love trying unique foods of Japan. However it did not suit my palate, as a vegetarian.”
Verified traveler · Australia · Jan 2025 Tenma and Kyobashi small-group food tour · Pinpoint Traveler

Reviews from guests who ate their way through Osaka with these operators.

Questions people ask

Is there a vegetarian food tour in Osaka?

Not one built for vegetarians in this comparison. Goen Japan adapts to a limited degree; the kushikatsu tour excludes vegetarians because of its pork-based dashi. A cooking class with a vegetarian menu, such as the sushi class or the ramen studio near Osaka Castle, is the more dependable choice.

What is dashi and why does it matter?

Dashi is the stock used in many Japanese dishes, including the batter and sauces of Osaka street food. It is usually made with dried bonito, which is fish, and on one tour here the dashi contains pork. A dish without visible meat can still contain it.

Can I do a food tour with coeliac disease?

The big Shinsekai tours state that they cannot cater for a gluten-free diet, and Osaka’s batter dishes are wheat-based. The sushi class with its gluten-free menu and the gluten-free ramen class in Higashiosaka are the options that state it.

Do the listings guarantee that food is free of allergens?

No listing on this site does. The takoyaki tasting walk excludes guests with allergies, and the Kuromon walk says it cannot guarantee allergy-free meals.

Read next

Sushi making class

Vegan, gluten-free and halal menus with three days’ notice.

Ramen classes

Including the gluten-free class in Higashiosaka.

Kuromon Market walk

Diet requests one day ahead; read the gluten-free note.

Send diet requests at booking

Three days ahead for the sushi menus, one day for the market walk.

Back to the matrix