I enjoyed some very high quality Indian food at the newly completed India Pavilion at the Expo.
The Indian Pavilion at
EXPO 2025 Osaka Kansai Expo Official Website
https://www.expo2025.or.jp/
ITPO-WorldExpo 2025
https://www.indiatradefair.com/knowledge/details/worldexpo2025/Expo_ITPO_sidebar
The Indian Pavilion is located on the west side of the inner ring of the main roof. On the overall map, it is the area surrounded by a red frame and is assigned the number 'C17'.
Below is a photo of the Indian Pavilion taken on April 9, 2025, four days before the opening of the Osaka-Kansai Expo. The opening is four days away, but the construction is still underway.
The India Pavilion under construction, photographed from the top of the large roof ring.
This is a photo of the India Pavilion taken on April 17, 2025, the fifth day after the opening. At this time, the exterior work was almost complete, but we were not able to go inside.
The India Pavilion was then officially opened in May 2025. It was open and doing well when I visited on June 24, 2025.
A monument of converging hands is installed next to the building.
You can enter the India Pavilion without making a reservation. I was lucky enough to be able to enter without having to queue this time. Inside, there is a cinnamon-like scent.
There are many Indian crafts on display.
There were also exhibits of the latest technologies, such as high-speed trains and artificial satellites.
The souvenir corner sells various accessories such as flutes and bracelets.
At the exit, there was a takeaway corner selling Indian food, and the queue stretched towards the inside of the pavilion. Some pavilions have a completely separate food and drink sales area, but in the case of the Indian pavilion, it was attached to the exit, so you had to go through the exhibition area first before you could get in line.
So, I queued up for Indian takeaway.
The menu looks like this. In addition to the commonly seen dishes in Japan such as 'Tandoori Chicken' and 'Seekh Kebab', there are also some unusual dishes such as 'Chole and Rice' and 'Palak Paneer and Rice'.
They also have mango lassi and masala chai. They also sell mangoes imported from India.
There were about 20 people in line, but it was my turn in about 6 minutes. This time I ordered 'Chicken Biryani (2000 yen including tax)' and 'Chole and Rice (1500 yen including tax)'.
I received my order within seconds of placing it.
We move to the bench under the large roof ring to eat.
Inside the paper bag were containers of food, two wooden spoons and two wet wipes.
This is what it looks like when you open the lid. Both are filled with plenty of rice.
First of all, I'll try the 'Chicken Biryani'.
The rice is long-grained and has a characteristically fluffy texture that is not sticky. Depending on the restaurant, biryani can have a soggy texture, but this biryani has a fluffy and fluffy texture. The rice is infused with the flavor of the chicken, and the spices give it a spicy taste.
There was also a generous amount of chicken in it. It was very humid during the rainy season, but the spicy seasoning stimulated my appetite, so I ate it up quickly.
Next, I'll try the 'Chole and Rice'.
The rice in the 'Chole and Rice' is also cooked to a fluffy texture.
Chole is 'chickpeas stewed in a spicy and tangy gravy sauce.' When I took the first bite, I thought, 'Maybe it's not that spicy?', but soon the spiciness hit me and I started sweating. Even our editors who are good at spicy food found it to be quite spicy, so those who don't like spicy food should be careful. Of course, it's not just spicy, it's also rich in sweetness and umami. The chickpeas are also stewed until they are soft enough to be crushed with your tongue.
The sweet and spicy chole goes perfectly with rice. There is a generous serving of rice and the chole is also full of chickpeas, so you can feel full with just this one dish.
At the time of writing, the only pavilion that has not yet opened is the Nepal Pavilion. Construction on the Nepal Pavilion had been suspended due to delays in payment of construction costs, but
This is what it looks like from the front. The opening date has not yet been decided.
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