Photo: morikenstyle from Takoyaki shop Aizuya in… · CC BY 2.0
Aizuya was founded in 1933 by Endō Tomekichi and began with "radio-yaki", beef and konjac in batter. In 1935 it switched to octopus, creating takoyaki, and it still serves the original style: seasoned batter, no sauce, no mayonnaise.
Why it's unique
Aizuya is the generally accepted origin of takoyaki, and the shop is still trading. Every takoyaki stall in the world descends from this one.
What you can do here and nowhere else is eat the dish as it was first made, before sauce and mayonnaise took over, and taste the radio-yaki it grew out of alongside it.
Before you go
Order the original and resist asking for sauce; the dashi in the batter is the point. The radio-yaki ancestor is on the menu too, and trying both side by side is the real lesson.
The main shop is on a busy road in an ordinary neighbourhood, not in Namba, which is why visitors miss it.
