Richmond’s izakaya-style restaurant Eazy Peazy champions yakitori and kushiyaki eats cooked over the hibachi grill. Here, you can fill up on skewers alone — think wagyu beef, yellowfin tuna, king mushrooms and squid.

From the mind of Chris Lucas (Chin Chin, Hawker Hall, Kisume, Grill Americano, Society) comes Yakimono — a two-storey Japanese diner with a street food menu that’s fuelled by fire. 

Soon after closing down its Daylesford location in 2018, Kazuki’s brought its Japanese fine dining to Carlton. And this spot has been kicking goals ever since it decided to make Melbourne home.

Chef Yong Hyun heads up the kitchen at Kew’s Sushi On, bringing his twenty years of experience in Tokyo and time at Komeyui and Kisumé to the rolling mat. His philosophy is all about the beauty of balance.

Nobu at Crown brings Nobu Matsuhisa’s esteemed fusion of traditional Japanese food with South American flavours to our city. Within the two-storey fine-dining labyrinth you can enjoy everything from lunchtime bento boxes to omakase experiences.

Named for the famous Tsukiji seafood market in Japan, this restaurant is unlike your typical sushi and sashimi joint. Instead of ordering off a menu, here you head to the showcase of seafood, select your fish, and watch the chefs carve it up for you fresh.

Designed to look like a traditional Japanese tea house, Marble Yakiniku is the best place to be in Melbourne if you’re after authentic Japanese cuisine heroing locally-sourced wagyu cuts.

Tucked away in Flinders Lane is one of the most striking dining rooms in all of Melbourne. Black granite, soft lighting, sleek leather furniture and a dazzling, illuminated red ribbon streaking across the room from the ceiling set the scene at Akaiito.

Instead of your usual omakase, this tiny four-seater Footscray restaurant serves up a decadent kaiseki experience. If omakase is relaxed, kaiseki is more formal. Kaiseki is a predetermined set menu focusing on traditional structures. 

The simplest way to describe Kisumé may be this: three storeys of considered grandeur. The space is carved up into a series of venues, each with its own identity and offering.

For the red meat-obsessed, add this Japanese fine-diner to your hit list. The hospitality crew behind it, Wagyu Ya Group, has the only Japanese restaurants in the state that are certified to use Kobe wagyu beef. 

If you’ve ever ventured down Wellington Street, you have probably been intrigued by an eye-catching corner building, decked out with a bold black and white façade. You’d be looking at Chotto Motto, one of Melbourne's best Japanese restaurants.

Carving out its own unique offering in Melbourne’s omakase scene is Aoi Tsuki, a pint-sized, 12-seat Japanese restaurant nestled on a busy section of Punt Road — an unlikely location for one of Melbourne’s best Japanese restaurants.

In a two-level subterranean space beneath sibling Yugen Tea Bar, sits the luxurious Japanese restaurant Yugen Dining. It’s a multi-faceted drinking and dining destination with a dramatic aesthetic.

If you plan to visit Shira Nui, be sure to book ahead, because this place often has a waiting list a month in advance. Opened over twenty years ago by chef and owner Hiro Nishikura, Shira Nui is the type of restaurant where looks can be deceiving. 

A pop-up turned perennial favourite, Supernormal first opened the doors to its current Flinders Lane digs in early 2014 and has been earning fans ever since for its crafty fusion fare — including the famous signature lobster roll.

Fitzroy’s Ichi Ni Nana Izakaya manages to blend the contemporary and traditional with total ease. The sushi bar slings some of the best sushi in Melbourne every day, while the main kitchen delivers a series of classic Japanese eats and fusion creations.

Kenzan is a proper Melbourne dining institution. For over 35 years, it has led the Japanese restaurant scene in Melbourne, training up some of the best Japanese chefs in the country.

The team behind South American restaurants San Telmo, Pastuso and Palermo has taken a jaunt to Japan for this Tokyo-accented eatery set within a playful space sporting futuristic elements and neon lights aplenty. 

When Minamishima first opened in 2016, it didn’t take long for people to notice. After 15 years at Kenzan, sushi master Koichi Minamishima decided to go out on his own, and he almost immediately started making waves in the world of sushi.