I walked along the canal one evening, dodging tourist and locals alike, past hosts and hostesses of different nightclubs trying to entice clients through their doors. I knew I wanted to try kushikatsu, skewers of deep-fried meat and veggies accompanied by a sweet, tangy sauce, and takoyaki, battered balls that are typically filled with small pieces of octopus and covered in various toppings. I knew I had run into my first destination when I almost tripped over a giant, extremely ornery-looking fiberglass man holding what looked like two corn dogs on sticks. I was at Daruma, a chain famous for its kushikatsu.

The place was packed, but I took advantage of being a solo traveler, wedging myself in between two people at the counter and placing my order: 1,400 yen (about $13) for a nine-piece combo of assorted meats and vegetables covered in a panko-based batter — panko is a crunchy, light breadcrumb — and deep fried. A chopsticks holder and a large communal container of dipping sauce lay on the counter before me. On the sauce container was a warning: Please only dip once! (Brian had warned me earlier: “They’ll get really mad if you double-dip.”)

My food arrived quickly, and I scarfed down my servings of beef, asparagus, shrimp, rice cake and fish sausage (among other things), pulled hot out of the fryer just seconds earlier, still dripping with fat. Did I always know what kind of skewer I was eating? No, and it didn’t particularly matter. The primary texture was a fine, airy crunch, and the main flavor was the thick, communal sauce that tasted of Worcestershire.

Osakans love their sauces — especially their brown sauces. Takoyaki sauce is not unlike the kushikatsu sauce, but it struck me as being slightly lighter and maybe a little fruitier. I ate a lot of takoyaki during my stay in Osaka, but my favorite was probably from Takoyaki Ebisu, outside of the Dotonbori area near the Nippombashi train station. I paid 450 yen for 12 pieces. (Within Dotonbori, expect to pay a premium — I bought takoyaki there that cost 500 yen for eight pieces). The golf ball-sized spheres were fresh and scalding hot. The wheat-based batter was goopy and filling, and the dozen balls came topped with shaved bonito flakes, pickled ginger and the sweet, sticky brown sauce.

It’s worth noting that these dishes are available all over the city. Shinsekai, in particular, is known for being the birthplace of kushikatsu. Shinsekai, in the southern part of Osaka, is a neighborhood known for being slightly seedy; I found it perfectly pleasant and safe, though it does gives the impression of a part of town that time and economic progress forgot. An enormous, aging 100-meter-high structure modeled after the Eiffel Tower called Tsutenkaku serves as the focal point of the area. Some modest shops and restaurants line the streets — foot traffic, usually so heavy in major Japanese cities’ shopping areas, is light in Shinsekai. I passed a woman running a carnival-style air rifle game in a shopping arcade: The prizes for winning were Pringles and Ritz crackers.