Entrance to Kansai region.
There are 3 main airports in Osaka area, but Itami Airport (伊丹空港) is definitely a gateway to Kansai region with the largest number of domestic flights and passengers.
The airport is located at the city called Itami in Hyogo, which is located right next to the border of Osaka prefecture. It takes only about half an hour to get to city center in Osaka, which is a lot shorter than the time from Kansai Airport.
This indicates that if you are taking a domestic flight, you may have a chance to pay a visit to this airport. We have checked what restaurants are available for Muslim travelers.
Is there any Halal restaurant in Itami Airport?
Unfortunately, there is no Halal restaurant as of June 2023. This is maybe because there are only domestic flights, so that they do not expect passengers to stay at the airport for a long time or to have a special dietary request.
Instead, there were some restaurants that do not handle pork meat. The list is as follows:
- WOLFGUNG PUCK PIZZA
- Ganko Sushi
- Sachi Fukuya Cafe, Japanese set menu
- Maguro no Entoki, Tuna bowl
- Mimiu, Japanese and noodles
They are located in the terminal building.
- Takobon, Takoyaki
- Tsurigitsune, Inari Sushi
- Gekotei, Japanese set menu
- Uogashi Nihonichi, Sushi
- Kukuru, Takoyaki
- Ariso Sushi
- Dotonbori Imai, Udon
- Mimiu Soraaji, Tendon and Noodle
*These restaurants have seafood options, but the seasonings may contain alcoholic seasonings.
Recommended restaurants for Muslims.
It is sorry to say that so far there is no Halal restaurant in Itami Airport, but there are some recommendations we can make for you. They are all located after the Security Area.
Gekotei (堺 銀シャリ げこ亭)
Gekotei serves traditional Japanese style dishes with their perfectly steamed white rice.
The set menu has a bowl of rice, grilled fish, Kobachi small dishes and Miso soup. There are mackerel, salmon or ocean perch fish, either grilled with salt or marinated with Saikyo sweet Miso paste.
We would say that Saikyo sweet Miso paste is a dish that we can see more often in Kansai region, however, the recipe usually contains Mirin alcoholic seasoning, so simple grilled fish is our recommendation.
Kukuru (たこ家道頓堀くくる)
Kukuru is a famous Takoyaki restaurants, whose branches are available mainly in Osaka area. The one in Itami Airport serves the same menu as in the city, so that you can enjoy the authentic Osaka taste before flying.
Their Takoyaki Octopus Ball itself is a Muslim-friendly menu, but the Takoyaki sauce they use contain some alcohol and animal-derived ingredients.
In Kukuru, however, you can choose to have your Takoyaki in a Dashi broth, which is called as Akashiyaki. Well, this broth may contain some alcoholic seasonings such as soy sauce or Mirin, however, the good thing is that these ingredients may have evaporated as it has to be heated up.
The taste of Takoyaki at Kukuru is fantastic, so if you can tolerate alcoholic seasoning, it will be your choice at the airport.
Mimiu Soraaji (美々卯 空味)
Mimiu is a restaurant that serves light Japanese meals, like noodle, congee rice soup and rice bowl. This restaurant is recommendable because this is the only restaurant that serves vegetarian choice in the airport.
Their vegetarian Tendon Bowl has freshly fried Yuba bean curd and vegetables on top of the white rice. The dish comes with their special Dashi broth as a seasoning.
This broth may contain some alcoholic seasonings too, however, at least there is no animal product used. Their Kitsune Udon, Udon that comes with sweetened Tofu, is also what does not contain animal product.
*There are two Mimiu restaurants, but please be noted that the one we are talking about is located after the Security Area.
Enjoy gourmet experience at Itami Airport.
Although we do not have anything Halal in the airport, there are some No-Pork meals at a great quality. There are also some famous Sushi restaurants, so it is also a good idea to try them, only if you could accept soy sauce with a bit of alcohol.
Please be noted that none of the restaurants we have introduced to you is Halal or Muslim-friendly, but they are No-Pork meals. There is a small risk of contamination, which we cannot be responsible of, please eat them at your own risk.