If someone were to ask me where the best place in Osaka to go for sushi at 5 a.m. is, I would answer — immediately and unequivocally — that it's Endo's. Of course, it might also be the only place open at such an ungodly hour, owing to its location at the Osaka central market.
On a recent visit one frigid Monday around lunchtime, the market was empty. In fact, the only signs of life were at an eastern flank of the market near a channel of the Yodo River, where a line of people had formed outside a small parade of restaurants. Typically, the queue was for my destination. I can't stand waiting, but I suffered it for the sake of culinary journalism — and a good meal.
I'm not the best at math, but I calculated that the time I spent waiting outside was three times the length I spent eating inside. That is to say, except for the line, Endo's is fast-food.