Following Its Popularity at 2025 Osaka-Kansai Expo, African Restaurant PANAF’ Reopens in Osaka

The Yomiuri Shimbun

15:00 JST, March 24, 2026

OSAKA — A popular restaurant specializing in African cuisine at the 2025 Osaka-Kansai Expo reopened in Osaka City’s Minami district on Tuesday.

The restaurant PANAF’, with its spacious interior, maintains the relaxed atmosphere of the original restaurant at the Expo, and customers can enjoy cuisine from various African countries and listen to live music.

The reopened restaurant is expected to carry on the legacy of the Expo and serve as a new cultural hub connecting Japan and African nations.

Kyoto Seika University President Oussouby Sacko from Mali and others came up with the idea for the restaurant　at the EXPO with the hope of helping more people see and understand the true face of Africa, which is often associated with negative images such as poverty and conflict.

Sacko serves as a deputy chairperson of the Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition.

The restaurant was so popular that people waited in line to get in, attracting about 170,000 customers during the Expo period.

Sacko and others had been preparing for the reopening since last September. Hoping to make the restaurant a place where everyone from families to young people can experience Africa with all five senses, they hired many employees from African countries. On weekend nights, the restaurant becomes a club featuring dance and music.

During a press preview on Monday, Sacko said he hoped the restaurant will become a welcoming space where people can engage in casual conversation.