The 10 Best Bars In Namba, Osaka

Balabsushka is popular with large groups of young and lively partygoers, especially on a Saturday night. They tend to start at Balabushka before heading off to the clubs in Amerikamura. However, don’t worry if you are going by yourself as the friendly atmosphere will allow you to meet lots of new people. The bar offers a great range of drinks, from cocktails to whiskeys and beers. You can order light snacks as well if you are feeling peckish. Pool Tables | © Andrei Harwell

According to the owner of Little Long Beach, Chad Bunch, “the mission of this bar is to bring people of different backgrounds together and encourage enrichment through friendship.” At Little Long Beach you’ll be warmly welcomed on to a large patio that emits a southern Californian vibe. They’ve also got a large flat-screen TV so it’s a great place to catch the latest sports. The drinks are reasonably priced and you can expect to find a good selection of American-style foods, from pizzas to nachos.

The Hub is your home away from home. If you’re looking for a large range of drinks, great fish and chips and well-made strong cocktails, then The Hub is your best bet. Expect an extremely lively atmosphere during the daily Happy Hour. It the ideal place to watch the latest sports broadcast as well as mingle and meet new people. The Hub is quite large but can get crowded.

Hiding away under the expressway, this cozy underground bar is full of regulars and is always a welcoming environment for newcomers. ChicaIchi is known for being a gaijin bar, so you can expect it to be full of tourists and English-speaking bartenders and staff. The staff are incredibly fun to chat with, so you are guaranteed a great time if you are on your own or in a group. One of the best features of the bar is that every drink, including the cocktails, and all the food is just 200 yen apiece.

Murphy’s prides itself on being the first Irish bar to open in Japan. The international staff provide a genuine Irish welcome and the bar is usually populated with both tourists and locals who come to relax and enjoy the fun atmosphere. They offer traditional pub food at a reasonable price and their extensive cocktail list is impressive. If you’re after a relaxed pub session, Murphy’s should be your first choice.

Zerro is an upbeat place to meet new people and spend time with friends before heading to the clubs across the street. The cocktails at Zerro are renowned for being incredibly strong and expertly made by the welcoming staff. The relaxed atmosphere gets shaken up on Saturday nights when they bring in a DJ to get the party started. The best nights are Fridays and Saturdays; and on Friday nights they even offer a roast dinner.

Between the Namba and Shinsaibashi stations lies a little jazz bar called Rug Time Osaka. Rug Time offers a lively, fun location to listen to some live music, attend or perform on open mic nights, and even interact and perform with the house band. The cover charge is around 2,500 yen most nights but once you are in, the prices are reasonable. Be sure to check out their schedule before you head over so you know what’s on for the evening. Martini | © Rodrigo Senna/Flickr

If you’re looking for the widest selection of martinis available, head over to CinqueCento to find choices such as the chocolate martini, apple martini or a zoolander martini. The drinks are full of flavor and the snacks are delicious and affordable. The decor creates a relaxed atmosphere and is the perfect place to go before heading to a club or to wind down after dancing. If a martini isn’t your preferred drink, you’ll be able to find beer and spirits at CinqueCento as well. Disco ball | © Tambako The Jaguar/Flickr

Freeza is the place to head to on a Friday or Saturday night. The club is known for being very sophisticated and cosmopolitan and tends to get incredibly crowded at the weekend when national and local DJs come to play. It’s renowned for its snug atmosphere and diverse crowd. Head over to have a good time and dance the night away once you’ve had a couple drinks at one of the other bars in the area.

Head over to Space Station for some nostalgic gaming bliss. The bar itself is an incredibly small venue and gets very busy, so it’s best to go on a weekday in order to get a chance to play some of the games. There are easily over 100 different games to play on all sorts of consoles: Nintendo 64, Wii, segas, XBox – to name a few. The staff are very helpful, know their games, and love to talk to customers about the games that are available. If you are a gaming fan, be sure to go to Space Station as it embodies the progression of the gaming industry over the last decade or so.