XEX WEST aburiyaki & sushi An

Restaurant Details

The gourmet-driven city of Osaka often sees fine-dining concepts come and go, with many succumbing to fierce competition as one restaurant tries to outdo the next. But standing high and mighty in Umeda, XEX WEST aburiyaki & sushi An has steadily headlined the food scene even after its most recent renewal, presenting some of the best sushi and charcoal-grilled dishes the city has to offer.

It’s impossible to bypass the fact XEX WEST occupies a sprawling 1,330-square-meter sculptural space on the top floor of Osaka’s Herbis Ent — one of the city’s largest luxury brand buildings and the only one with an open-air garden. It also happens that XEX West is the only one to serve washoku and Edomae sushi in the venue.

The duality of tradition and contemporary is captured through grand interiors. Moody lighting highlights even the tiniest details, while a long hallway leads to a timber sushi counter, a hallmark of respected sushi venues. Mirror bars and shelves lined with popular and rare sake and shochu and linen-clad tables nod to the new-age atmosphere of the space.

Not just another pretty face, the restaurant is a zealous supporter of authentic Japanese cuisine and Edomae sushi, making the most of the flavors of seafood caught in nearby waters and seasonal ingredients. Sushi, mostly nigiri to stay true to Edomae, is served and paced just right. Grilled dishes are kissed by the flame over binchotan charcoal. The menu reads vaguely, as the content is adjusted to seasonality, but past dishes have been tempura, seabream, squid and tuna nigiri. Dessert, however, concludes the restaurant’s multicourse.

The high-class feel of XEX WEST might encourage guests to dress a bit more handsomely, but they’ll pleasantly find that the course runs affordably relative to its grand scale and spare-no-expense spirit.