Osaka drinks differently from Tokyo: the izakaya tradition is stronger, the bars are smaller, and the expectation is that you eat while you drink rather than drinking on an empty stomach. The best bar-hopping is in areas where the establishments are compact — Dotonbori and the alleys around it, the Hozenji Yokocho alley, and the Shinsekai district for cheap beer and kushikatsu bars.
Kitashinchi, the area north of the main station, is Osaka's traditional high-end entertainment district with hostess bars, whisky bars, and members-only clubs that cater to the expense-account corporate crowd. More accessible are the whisky bars scattered through Shinsaibashi and the craft beer bars that have established themselves around Amerika-mura over the past decade. The local Suntory distillery produces a Yamazaki single malt widely regarded as among Japan's best whiskies, and most Osaka bars stock it.