Hajime, Osaka (***, Tabelog Bronze 4.3) – Feb 2026

Back in January, I left a comment here saying that I really wanted to check out Hajime in 2026. Well that opportunity arrived a lot sooner than expected as I found myself travelling through Osaka in early February when they happened to have availability in the same week. Seeing an announcement of price increase later in the year, it made sense to go there and then. 

Location and Ambiance: 

Hajime is located on the ground floor of an unassuming office building in a quiet semi-residential neighborhood of Osaka. One could have easily walked past the door not realising there is a fancy restaurant at all. A small foyer leads to a waiting area, beyond which lies the dining room. 

The dimly lit interior is furnished with slate tabletops and linen upholstery. Down lights are strategically placed to illuminate a decent patch right in from of you but not much further, so the waiters, all dressed in black, appeared to vanish into the background as they walked away. Definitely wear light coloured garments if you want good portrait photos taken with your dinner. 

Food and Beverage:

This section will be shorter than my usual format without itemised description and ratings. For Hajime has received plenty of good coverage online over the years and a majority of menu items does not change a lot throughout the year, thus it’s probably the best to leave the minute details for your own discovery. The standard tasting menu costed ¥83000 (US$520) and standard wine pairing another ¥44800 (US280) before the aforementioned price hike.

Chef Yoneda Hajime is an engineer-turned-chef who has trained at Michel Bras Toya in Hokkaido, and the influence clearly showed. Most dishes included a plethora of vegetables intricately plated with colourful sauces, peaking with a pièce de résistance called Chikyū (Planet Earth) which was an elevated gargouille made with over one hundred ingredients and served on a gargantuan plate that could have been a lazy Susan if it had wheels. Taste of everything was as good as they looked, fresh and complex flavours with impeccable seasoning and perfect temperature. Some dishes came with a little theatrical display too which was entertaining enough without becoming overly distracting. 

Notwithstanding the impressive showpieces, the highlight of the night for me was actually a pre-dessert of meringue wafers laid on top of clear almond-flavoured jelly, made to resemble the ice sheets breaking up in early spring. Hidden from view are pieces of popping candy which creates an audible cracking sound befitting of the theme. Most immersive dining experiences I’ve been to would have used pre-recorded sound, some even make you wear headphones to maximise the effect. This one however provides just the right amount of acoustic stimulation using edible ingredients itself, elegant and efficacious. 

While there were no bad dishes per se, the second main of smoked duck breast was bit of a head scratcher because it was served to me with chopsticks as the only utensil. As a regular biltong eater, I’m used to gnawing on pieces of tough flesh but this one required some serious effort. While it managed to be more far more memorable than the previous course of tender wagyu, the texture overshadowed any flavour it might have been imbibed with. 

The standard wine pairing was decent and went well with the food, with the exception of a Japanese red that I did not finish due to acidity. The house made sparking water was remarkably effervescent, almost seltzer strength which I really liked. 

Service and Pacing:

One recurring comment often made about Hajime is that the experience was good but could get exhausting towards the end. My personal anecdote was nothing like that as I felt quite engaged for the entire 4 hours spent there. Service was also surprisingly relaxed and personal: The waiter assigned to my table was a genuinely affable local fella who loved to insert a joke into our small talk. The bespectacled sommelier was more reserved, but very knowledgeable and thorough in his description of every drink being poured. I made sure to order an extra digestif as a token of my appreciation. 

Nevertheless the kitchen did seem to slow down over time despite their attempt to stagger bookings over what is essentially a single seating. For instance, the couple sitting at another table arrived about an hour after me, yet they were barely half way through their food by the time I was ready to leave at 9:30pm. I was told that the chef still personally oversees every hot dish being prepared so that might have been a reason as well. Perhaps try to go for an earlier start if possible. 

Verdict:

Overall it was a solid 3 star experience. I’m already looking forward to another meal here just to see how they would adjust the menu for repeat visitors. I highly recommend Hajime to everybody, especially those already familiar with Bras-inspired establishments like Le Suquet and L’Effervescence because there are many similarities but also plenty of differences to savour. Thank you for reading!