Izakaya, Omakase Experiences, Convenience Stores and More: Melbourne’s Best New Japanese-Inspired Openings

If there’s one thing we know for sure, it’s that Broadsheet Melbourne readers love Japanese food. And, seeing as a raft of exciting new Japanese-inspired spots have opened across town recently, we’ve rounded up 15 of our favourites for you.

• First Look: Hareruya , a sunny Japanese eatery with full-to-the-brim bento boxes and mochi-wrapped gelato. The roller door goes up at 10.30am, and it’s worth getting in early to secure your picnic-ready lunch and Japanese-inspired gelato. (Plus, upstairs is Leonie , the team’s beautiful new sake bar with spectacular snacks like handheld temaki sushi rolls. Keep an eye on Broadsheet for more details.)

• Warabi is an intimate new omakase experience – from a group behind several Michelin-starred restaurants – at the W Hotel. This is its first venture outside Asia. Perch at the counter for nine theatrical courses, expertly paired with sake from across Japan, or commandeer the eight-person private dining room.

• Now Open: Twice-fried tonkatsu is king at Ichi Katsu , Glen Waverley’s lively new Japanese diner. The breaded and deep-fried pork cutlet comes in many different forms – in fluffy katsu sandos, in warming katsu curries, or with rice, cabbage and thick, dark homemade tonkatsu sauce.

• The Japanese art of robatayaki (or fireside cooking) takes centre stage at Brunswick East’s Kura. Tucked unassumingly beneath an apartment building, ex-Kisume and Nobu chef Ken Ibuki is carrying on his father’s legacy with yakitori served every which way and a diverse selection of sake by the glass.

• First Look: Everything revolves around shokupan at South Yarra’s new Japanese bakery Fuumi. Get the pillow-soft milk bread by the whole or half loaf, in a classic katsu sando, or slathered with peanut butter and brûléed banana. It’s an extension of West Melbourne local favourite Fuumi Fuumi.

• In South Yarra, Yakikami is a fiery and flashy (in both senses of the word) new Japanese barbeque restaurant – with dedicated yakitori tables – from the team behind Wagyu Ya and Niku Ou. Push the boat out with the $285 omakase experience featuring 15-plus dishes, including A5 Wagyu tartare topped with caviar and charry Josper-grilled Kobe beef steaks.

• Now Open: Slurp lobster-topped or truffle-infused ramen at Parco , a snug new spot in Moonee Ponds. Di Stasio executive chef Federico Congiu is just as proficient in Japanese cooking as he is in Italian. What started as an under-the-radar lockdown pop-up at Shujinko is now a fully fledged ramen restaurant.

• There are only six seats and three dishes at Uminono , a tiny chirashi bar by a classically trained French chef. Inside a Prahran cafe, it takes just 12 diners a day (and books out fast), but you can try Arnaud Laidebeur’s beautifully presented sushi by pre-ordering a takeaway box. (Get there before it moves.)

• Now Open: Hikari , a new pint-sized Japanese coffee and homewares shop in the CBD. At the minimalist, timber-clad bolthole, sip a mesmerising matcha latte and snack on a Mork cake while you shop a carefully curated range of bespoke ceramics and glassware from Japan.

• Now Open: It’s deluxe sashimi platters and nori Martinis at Ototo , Akaiito’s new underground izakaya. The space was once an extension of the Japanese fine diner on Flinders Lane, but now it’s got its own identity – and menu. Follow the luminous red thread downstairs.

• Heat-and-eat ramen shop Gomi Boys opens a permanent space in Brunswick. Find a rotating menu of seasonal and sustainable bowls, from a broth-served-separate tsukemen with pickled sardines to a vegan mushroom rendition with charred bullhorn chilli.

• Your big brekkie comes in ramen form at Kissaten , a Japanese-inspired cafe in leafy Alphington surrounds. It also does katsu sandos, fluffy omurice and Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki – all from 8am.

• Follow the scent of wood fire to find Mr Miyagi in the Big Smoke – here for a good time, not a long time. Visit for a fire-powered menu of never-before-served dishes (including a theatrical salmon number served in a smoke-filled cloche) with the same playful twists on Japanese cuisine as you’ll find at the original.

• First Look: The bento boxes and chirashi bowls are ready-made at Melbourne’s slick new grocer Pantre. While the offering is pan-Asian, you’ll also find Japanese cheesecake and choux buns baked fresh daily.