Fitzroy’s new ‘Japanese-style pub’ Izakaya by Tamura is great for gyoza, groups and good times

Having launched 24-seat Tamura Sake Bar on Gertrude Street in 2019, restaurateurs Fumi and Takako Tamura are taking a big step up, opening 150-seat Izakaya by Tamura at the northern end of Smith Street, Fitzroy, this week.

“The sake bar is small, good for two or four people, but I wanted to do something for big groups,” says Fumi Tamura. “I didn’t see any authentic Japanese izakayas around. I thought: we need it, so I decided to make it.”

The two-storey bluestone building has been empty for some months but previous tenants include pizza parlour Lazerpig and old-school Italian Mamma Vittoria.

“We’ve turned it into a Japanese-style pub, with a bar area downstairs and a cocktail lounge and DJ booth upstairs,” says Tamura, who has decked out the venue with vintage furniture. “We have enough stuff in the world. We don’t need brand new all the time.”

He’s thinking of the place as a “neo izakaya”. “It’s like a revival or a rebirth, authentic but with a new twist,” he says. “The food is traditional but the drinks are reborn.”

A signature cocktail is the Tsukemono martini, a spin on a dirty martini with house-made Japanese pickle juice rather than the standard olive brine. “We’ve been making pickles at the sake bar and we have lots of juice,” says Tamura.

He’s also collaborated with craft brewers Stomping Ground on a bespoke Tamulager made with rice and New Zealand hops. “It’s a new-style lager that matches with Japanese food,” he says.

Chef Takako Tamura’s menu has a long list of sushi and sashimi, including vinegar-cured mackerel, and tuna with yuzu oil, but the main offerings are classic izakaya hot dishes. Gyoza, miso-slathered eggplant, stir-fried pork with kimchi, and wagyu tataki share the carte with drink-friendly fried plates such as chicken winglets, tempura fish and panko-crumbed chicken.

There’s also pungent, umami-rich niboshi ramen, made with chicken and dried anchovy stock. “It’s very popular in Tokyo,” says Takako Tamura, who prides herself on deeply flavoured soup bases.

During their opening week, they’ll be open May 12-13 from 5pm-late and May 14 noon-8pm, closing May 15-17.

Open Sun-Mon noon-8pm, Thu-Sat noon-10pm (drinks until late) from May 18.

343 Smith Street, Fitzroy, no phone, izakayabytamura.com