I visited Meoto zenzai (夫婦善哉), a popular Japanese sweets café located in the Namba area. It’s also a well-known sightseeing spot, situated right in front of Hozenji Temple.
Do you know what zenzai is? It’s a sweet red bean soup.
Now, about Meoto Zenzai: The word “Meoto” means “married couple.” The name Meoto Zenzai refers to one bowl of zenzai divided into two smaller bowls.
Here are the options available at Meoto Zenzai:
Meoto zenzai (夫婦善哉)
Cold meoto zenzai (冷し善哉)
Kakigori zenzai (氷善哉)
Uji-matcha kakigori zenzai (宇治抹茶氷善哉) – Kakigori is available only in summer.
By the way, do you know the difference between zenzai and oshiruko? They’re very similar, but the main difference is that zenzai uses tsubu-an (crushed red bean paste), while oshiruko uses koshi-an (strained red bean paste).
The café has only three tables, so during busy times, you may have to share. When I visited, there were no other guests because it was right after opening on a weekday.
Meoto Zenzai is a long-established Japanese confectionery café. Inside, you’ll find many autographs and clippings from newspapers and magazines featuring the café.
After ordering, I was served green tea (free of charge), followed by my Meoto Zenzai. I chose the warm version, and both bowls were mine! 🙂
As the name suggests, Meoto Zenzai consists of one bowl of zenzai divided into two smaller bowls, each with half of the contents and one shiratama (rice cake). It’s not a large portion, but it’s very satisfying.
The zenzai is quite sweet, so the salty konbu (kelp) served alongside it was a nice contrast and helped balance the flavors.
Meoto Zenzai is open until 10 p.m., making it a great option for dessert after dinner.
About
Name Meoto Zenzai (夫婦善哉)
Open Day through night
Reservation Unavailable
Credit card Unavailable
URL Website, Instagram
Google Map
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