10 of Melbourne’s best Japanese restaurants

From a comforting bowl of ramen, to a rarefied omakase experience and everything in between, Melbourne is rich in pickings for excellent Japanese dining options.

Each of these venue categories is worthy of its own top 10 list, but here are some of our critics’ favourites.

Asoko

The customers (10 at most) who arrive for the nightly seating sit at the sushi bar as chef Jimsan (Martin) Kim explains the menu, which is presented with a perfectionist’s level of detail. The main event is a parade of nigiri, each piece placed on the counter as it is made. The rice is lightly vinegared, barely warm, with each grain distinct, and there are varieties of fish seldom seen on Australian sushi menus. It’s early days for Asoko, but the future looks very bright indeed. Try it while it’s still a bit of a secret.

321 Bay Street, Port Melbourne, asokosushibar.com

Hakata Gensuke

The ever-expanding Hakata Gensuke empire began in this modest Russell Street shopfront, which almost always has a fast-moving queue outside. Most diners jump in the line for the signature tonkotsu ramen, thin noodles in a lip-coating pork bone broth topped with chashu pork, black fungus and spring onions. Customise with soft-yolked egg (recommended), seaweed, bamboo shoots or a chilli-laden broth graded from 0.5 (mildly fiery) to 4 (see through time).

168 Russell Street, Melbourne (and other locations), gensuke.com.au

Marble Yakinuku

Broad tables fitted with custom grills give you a clue to the main prize: various cuts of barbecued wagyu with a taste that’s part beef and part butter. This softly lit L-shaped room kitted out with blondwood partitions is swank enough to feel special, but laid-back enough to be inviting. The easiest (and most cost-effective) way to dine is to order one of the three grill-focused banquet options.

52-54 O’Sullivan Road, Glen Waverley, marbleyakiniku.com.au

Minamishima

In this hushed and windowless room, all focus is on the practised movement of sushi master Koichi Minamishima. Details are key, from the silent gliding doors to the baskets provided for guests’ handbags. The 10-piece omakase experience might offer South Australian oysters, steamed then chilled and draped in glistening kombu, or the simple perfection of wagyu-like tuna belly.

4 Lord Street, Richmond, minamishima.com.au

Robata

This hatted fast-paced, futuristic dining room is big on binchotan barbecue – that’s delicious things on sticks, if you didn’t know. From classics like chicken thigh and spring onion, to skewered pieces of wagyu flank, or a whole prawn cloaked in thinly sliced pork, all cooked on the binchotan charcoal grill at the centre of a bright room aglow with Tokyo metro-themed lightboxes. There’s sushi and sashimi too, and tonkatsu to share – perfect washed down with a frosted glass of imported draught Asahi.

2 Exhibition Street, Melbourne, robata.com.au

Sakedokoro Namara

With your back to Victoria Street, sliding into a seat at this North Melbourne sake bar is like being teleported to Tokyo. A polished timber bar dominates the small space, bedecked with colourful sake bottles and barrels. Staff will help you navigate the drinks list, and there’s a pithy list of snacks such as tiny rice-coated pork dumplings, deep-fried fish in sweet vinegar sauce and kingfish carpaccio.

360 Victoria Street, North Melbourne, sakedokoronamara.com.au

Sushi On

At intimate Sushi On in Kew, Jang-Yong “Yong” Hyun (ex-Kisume) prepares and feeds 10 diners at a time, sending out wave after wave of mostly nigiri sushi (raw fish draped over hand-shaped seasoned rice). The excitement lies in his reverent treatment of seafood uncommon to sushi menus, such as King George whiting from Lakes Entrance.

1135 Burke Road, Kew, sushion.com.au

Tamura Sake Bar

This corner shopfront crams a sake bar, izakaya, record store and listening bar into a room dominated by a U-shaped bar seating 16. Drinking food such as yakitori, vegetable gyoza showered with fried shallots, and Japanese fried chicken in a sticky sweet-sour sauce are the main game, while knowledgeable staff will steer you through the list of hard-to-find sakes.

Shop 1, 43 Gertrude Street, Fitzroy, tamurasakebar.com

Warabi

Bluefin tuna. Rock lobster. Oscietra caviar. Look-at-me seafoods are heroes of nine sublime set courses that chef Jun Oya hands across the wooden counter in this golden-hued, minimalist room with space for just 34 diners. Yet it’s the supporting player — house-made foundations and condiments — that deliver an exceptional depth of flavour. Oya’s discreetly engaging manner and impeccable knife skills shine throughout. Dinner and a show are seldom so delicious.

408 Flinders Lane, Melbourne,warabimelbourne.com

Yugen

Yugen started with a tea house, expanded with a spectacular subterranean dining room and has recently completed the picture with a six-seat sushi counter. Chef Alex Yu tailors omakase experiences for guests with matched sake. Creative flourishes, like wisps of jamon atop red snapper sashimi, are balanced and thoughtful. Technique rules in dishes such as poussin cooked in Shaoxing wine until gorgeously tender, while service is as razor-focused and delightful as the food. A beguiling pleasure.

605 Chapel Street, South Yarra,yugendining.com.au