Atsu

Overview

Head to Lincoln Square in Carlton to taste Osakan-style delicacies in a minimalist, yet upbeat space slinging inventive highballs and Japanese set meals. Atsu has built a steady following of diners who seek out the sleek spot for crunchy katsu and refreshing bevs. 

In 2025, Katsu, meaning "heat" in Japanese, opened quietly in Lincoln Square with a menu featuring kushikatsu skewers, donburi bowls, and katsu set meals. Chef Reki Reinantha and Kantaro Okada took over the 32-seat space that once belonged to Leonie Upstairs, now operated by The Clove Group (responsible for venues such as Andzero, Common Cuts and Sachi). The airy, light dining room suits a quick lunch as well as a slow-paced dinner over several courses and rounds of highballs. 

Chef Patron Jin Oon leads the kitchen team with unwavering precision and skill. At the core of the menu is the Japanese speciality dish katsu, a breaded deep-fried cutlet of meat or seafood. At Atsu, each protein is brined, dried, coated, and fried to order, using specific panko crumbs to achieve the ideal texture. The team aims to create a perfectly balanced crumb that complements, rather than overpowers, the meats, which range from Bannockburn chicken to MB9+ Wagyu striploin. 

If you visit for lunch, try a traditional katsu donburi bowl with a rich, soft egg and onion simmered in dashi broth. Atsu's signature katsu is the menchi wagyu cutlet, which combines wagyu and pork mince with melted cheese. There's even an Atlantic salmon katsu with namban sauce, and a seasonal vegetable katsu for those so inclined. 

Once darkness falls, it's all about the Osakan speciality of kushikatsu, which features skewered ingredients coated in crumbs and deep-fried, traditionally enjoyed alongside cool drinks. For an immersive experience, nab a seat at the chef's counter to dine on an omakase-style kushikatsu menu, where skewers may be loaded with anything from tsukune with schichimi to menchi katsu Scotch egg to Wagyu with leek and onion jam. 

Willy Lozen, Clove Group's Head of Beverage, has curated a program designed to pair perfectly with fried food, with inventive highballs the star of the show. The Dirty Martini Hi reimagines the classic cocktail as a highball, whereas the Strawberry Cheesecake Hi features a dessert-like cheesecake finish. 

Images: Supplied. 

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