What Is Nikusui? Osaka's Hangover Soup Was Born at Chitose in Namba — "Beef Udon, Hold the Udon"
肉吸いとは —— なんば・千とせで生まれた大阪の二日酔いスープ「肉うどんのうどん抜き」
Nikusui — "beef udon, hold the udon" — was born at Chitose, a small udon shop beside Osaka's Namba Grand Kagetsu theater, and under a Japanese video about it the top comment (1,722 likes) calls the result "a masterful bowl: great beef, a distinctive method, real labor in it." The comments retell the origin the way Osaka tells it: hungover comedian Hanaki Kyo wanted something light, ordered his niku udon without the noodles, and the kitchen simply said yes — "answering that order is godlike service; that's how you know it's a good shop" (721 likes). Regulars vouch it stayed the real thing ("nikusui anywhere else isn't nikusui"), warn the once-casual counter now draws serious lines, and point beginners to the tamago-kake rice pairing.
“An udon shop saying yes to "niku udon, hold the udon" — that's godlike service. That alone tells you it's a good shop.”
うどん屋で肉うどんのうどん抜きに答えるのって接客神だな。 いい店なのが分かる。
Scroll while you watch
What locals said (excerpted from 945)
- @hideG1974👍 1,722
Great beef, a distinctive method, real time and labor in it — a masterful bowl.
肉質も良くて製法が特徴的で、手間暇がかかる秀逸な一杯。
- @kireina_zyaian👍 379
The nerve it takes to order beef udon without the udon is impressive in itself.
肉うどんのうどん抜きを注文する度胸がスゴイ
- @作業用-z3i👍 46
The story goes he was hungover and wanted something light, so he ordered it without the noodles.
二日酔いで軽く食べたかったからうどん抜きで注文したらしいね
- @てるてる坊主-t9r👍 174
Born because Hanaki Kyo of the Shinkigeki comedy troupe was hungover that day 😊 Chitose's nikusui is such a simple flavor and yet completely one of a kind — so good.
新喜劇の花紀京さんが二日酔いだったから誕生した料理ですよね😊 千とせの肉吸いは素朴な味なのに唯一無二でめちゃ美味いですよね！
- @user-Ksan9696👍 94
If the late Hanaki Kyo had never existed, nikusui would never have made it into the world.
故・花紀京さんが居らんかったら肉吸いが世の中に出ることはなかった。
- @なっくる-z8o👍 92
It's good enough that you can say it: nikusui anywhere else isn't nikusui.
ここ以外の肉吸いは肉吸いじゃないって言えるくらい美味い
- @itifan👍 11
They skim the beef constantly, and the aku goes out with a lot of broth — so they need roughly double the dashi. It's made with enormous care, that bowl.
肉の灰汁を頻繁に除去してるので、実際の出汁の倍量ぐらいだしが必要 すご～～～～～～く丁寧につくってるのよ～
- @nash_bee👍 36
The tofu in a good nikusui is absurdly good… honestly I'd pay to have a whole extra block of it in there.
美味しい肉吸いの豆腐は クソうまい…なんなら1丁分 追加して欲しいぐらい好き
- @ピンポロ-u8k👍 557
And he quietly finishes with tamago-kake gohan without even remarking on it. A man who enjoys his food.
言及せずに卵かけご飯までしっかり食べるはしださん 食を楽しんでそうで好き
- @usererer👍 47
This place has developed an unbelievable line over the past ten years or so lol. Back in my school days you could just wander in.
ここまじでこの10年くらいでとんでもなく並ぶようになったw 中高生の頃いつも気楽に入ってたのに
Where locals go instead
- @voyager_nico👍 150
The Kansai-limited 7-Eleven nikusui is legitimately delicious.
関西限定のセブンの肉吸いマジで美味しいです
- @もんぷち-q6m👍 18
I love the 7-Eleven nikusui — that plus an onigiri is my whole lunch. One day I'll make it to Chitose itself.
セブンの肉吸いが大好きです。昼ごはんはコレとおにぎりで満足です。いつか千とせにも行きたい。
Places named in this article
- Chitose千とせ 本店Namba Sennichimae, near Namba Grand Kagetsu
Birthplace of nikusui — "nikusui anywhere else isn't nikusui" (92 likes). A branch, Chitose Bekkan, sits inside Namba Grand Kagetsu. Expect a line these days (as of the comments).
Named in the source comments — hours, prices, and openings change, so check each map listing before you go.
FAQ
- What is nikusui?
- Literally "meat soup": beef udon without the udon — thin-simmered beef in a light Osaka dashi, usually with tofu and often a soft egg. Commenters describe a broth skimmed so aggressively the kitchen needs about double the dashi, which is why the simple bowl tastes the way it does.
- Where was nikusui invented?
- At Chitose, a small udon shop beside the Namba Grand Kagetsu comedy theater in Osaka. Per the comments, hungover comedian Hanaki Kyo ordered his niku udon without the noodles, the kitchen obliged, and the off-menu order became the shop's signature and then an Osaka staple.
- Is there a long line at Chitose?
- Increasingly, yes. A regular who used to wander in as a student says the shop "has developed an unbelievable line over the past ten years or so" (as of the comments) — the days of a casual counter seat are mostly gone, so budget queue time around lunch.
- What do locals order with nikusui?
- The classic pairing in the comments is a small rice — often turned into tamago-kake gohan (raw-egg rice) alongside the soup. If you can't get to Osaka, commenters vouch for the Kansai-limited 7-Eleven nikusui as a legitimate stand-in (as of the comments).
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