Osteria enne: Charcoal-Grilled Italian and Olive Beef

Osteria enne is a small osteria run by a chef and his wife. It sits in a side alley off the Lion-dori shopping arcade, and the kitchen is built around a charcoal grill. The signature is Kagawa's Olive beef, from cattle fed on olive pulp. It is grilled as lean loin or fillet with a dark crust and a rare centre. Seasonal local fruit runs through the menu, from a Shine Muscat caprese to an all-peach summer dessert. The restaurant was selected for Tabelog's Italian WEST 100 list in 2023 and 2025.

The Olive beef is the dish reviewers praise most, followed by the hand-made pasta, especially the chicken penne with ricotta. Diners also single out the generous antipasto platter with house liver pâté and the cauliflower mousse topped with caviar or foie gras. English- and Chinese-speaking reviewers call the charcoal-grilled duck the highlight of their meal. Service is warm, and the chef often walks guests to the door.

The recurring criticism is seasoning. Around nine reviewers found the food too salty or strongly flavoured, most often the acqua pazza, the pasta and the beef. Wine drinkers tend to mind less. Some found the courses paced fast, at about an hour. One group thought the food homely and too filling for over ¥10,000.

There is no lunch service, and dinner usually comes to ¥10,000–15,000 with wine. Between 2022 and 2026, reviewers paid ¥3,300 for the smallest course, ¥7,800 for the Cena course and ¥9,800 for the Russo course. One Cena booking included free-flow drinks. A la carte, reviewers paid around ¥1,900 for the antipasto platter and ¥1,700 for bottarga spaghetti, with wine by the glass at about ¥900–1,200. Most reviewers consider it excellent value, with generous portions. One diner put the quality on a par with Tokyo at half the price.

• Getting there: 10 minutes' walk from Kotoden Kawaramachi Station, or about 400 m from Kataharamachi Station. The entrance is hidden in an alley off Lion-dori arcade, and one reviewer spent 30 minutes finding it.
• Children: infants and very young children are not admitted.
• Booking: strongly advised, since the 14-seat room is often full and walk-ins rarely find a table. Book online via Tabelog. Phone 087-821-5433 outside 18:00–21:00, when calls often go unanswered. Reservations are cancelled if you are 15 minutes late without calling.
• Ordering: one drink per person is required. Busy nights may be course-only, and a la carte requires at least two dishes per person. Stays may be limited to 2 hours.
• Payment: credit cards and PayPay are accepted. Electronic money is not accepted. There is no service charge.
• Seating: 6 counter seats and 8 table seats in a narrow room, with a tight squeeze past the counter. Private rooms for 6 or 8 people are available only for spends of ¥70,000 or more. The whole restaurant can be booked for up to 20 people. Solo diners are welcome.
• Smoking: non-smoking inside, with an ashtray at the gate.
• Parking: none on site; there are coin car parks nearby.