Eat Your Fill Of Sushi, Ramen And More At Sydney’s Best Japanese Restaurants
Japan may be just a 10-hour flight from Sydney, but it’s not realistic to fly to Tokyo every time we fancy Japanese cuisine. Fortunately, the city is host to a smorgasbord of Japanese food, ranging from ramen and teppanyaki to all-you-can-eat sushi.
No matter what type of Japanese cuisine you’re after, there’s sure to be a spot in Sydney that will satisfy your cravings. Here are some of the best Japanese restaurants in Sydney, guaranteed to get your mouth watering.
[related_articles]65129,60932[/related_articles]Cho Cho San
Cho Cho San is what a restaurant would look like if it were run by Marie Kondo. Decorated with white walls, this minimalist Potts Point restaurant creates a perfect backdrop for its fresh and clean Japanese food.
Though whether you can even call it Japanese food is up for debate. Cho Cho San stretches that definition. The restaurant’s simple yet delicious dishes draw from Japanese cuisine – in particular the casual, pub-like environment of izakaya-style dining – yet eschew from the traditional. You won’t find any sushi here, but you probably won’t miss it.
Cho Cho San is open from for dinner every day, as well as for lunch on Friday and weekends.
Where: 73 MacLeay St, Potts Point
Ippudo Sydney
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First established in 1985 in Fukuoka City, Japan, Ippudo now serves ramen at locations all over the world, including two at Pitt Street and Broadway in Sydney. This ramen restaurant delivers noodle dishes in a creamy tonkotsu broth, though its a la carte menu also has such offerings as seared salmon sushi rolls and pulled pork buns.
Ippudo also has two Sydney-exclusive dishes. Tori Shoyu offers ramen in a chicken broth with chicken breast chashu, while its Veggie Soba will provide the vegetarians in your party with wheat noodles in a vegetable broth.
Ippudo’s locations at Pitt Street and Broadway are both open every day for lunch and dinner.
Where:
- Shop 5021, Level 5, 188 Pitt Street, Westfield Shopping Centre
- Shop RB07, Lower Ground, 28 Broadway, Central Park, Chippendale
Toko Sydney
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Some people call Toko Sydney one of the best Japanese restaurants in Surry Hills. Others would say, why limit that statement to Surry Hills restaurants?
Like Cho Cho San, Toko Sydney offers izakaya-style dining. Dishes such as kangaroo tartare sit alongside scallop sashimi, but if you can’t decide, you and your date can choose from two tasting menus that will take care of everything for you. And you’ll want to take your date here – the vibrant yet intimate atmosphere make it the perfect spot to get to know someone a bit better.
[related_articles]70351,69904[/related_articles]Toko Sydney is open for dinner Monday to Saturday, as well as for lunch Tuesday to Saturday.
Where: 490 Crown Street, Surry Hills
Ryo’s Noodles
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If you’re venturing to North Sydney, make time to stop by Ryo’s Noodles for some amazing ramen. A small orange building, the Crows Nest ramen restaurant appears unassuming from the outside. Yet Ryo’s Noodles houses some delicious dishes brought to Sydney by its owner Ryosuke Horii, who was was born in Fukuoka, Japan – where tonkotsu ramen originated.
Be prepared to queue, as this humble flavour destination isn’t exactly a secret. Fortunately the line moves quickly, as diners at this ramen restaurant tend to get straight to business. The business of noodles.
Ryo’s Noodles is open for lunch and dinner every day except Wednesday. Its website notes they sometimes have to close early due to running out of soup stock, so get in early if you can.
Where: 125 Falcon Street, Crow’s Nest
Kyushu Japanese Restaurant
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Kyushu Japanese Restaurant in Neutral Bay offers your favourite Japanese foods without blowing your budget. It’s a good option if you like your Japanese food familiar and comforting, with easily recognisable staples such as teriyaki and tonkatsu.
This Japanese restaurant is busy and loud, and is typically full of families enjoying a meal together. Book a table when taking your own family in order to avoid a wait.
Kyushu Japanese Restaurant is open for lunch and dinner Tuesday to Saturday.
Where: 9 Grosvenor St, Neutral Bay
Sake Restaurant and Bar
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Sake Restaurant and Bar is a sophisticated establishment, from its decor to its menu. A warmly lit mural of red-lipped Asian women watches from above polished wooden tables, as you try Sake’s signature popcorn shrimp with yuzu chilli mayonnaise, or hiramasa kingfish with coriander-infused sweet ponzu, lime and jalapeño kosho. This is a Japanese restaurant to take someone you very badly want to impress.
Sake is one of the pricier restaurants on this list, but it’s also part of the Rockpool Dining Group. This means you can earn two Qantas Frequent Flyer points per dollar spent, or pay your bill using points.
Sake Restaurant and Bar is open for lunch and dinner every day.
Where: 12 Argyle Street, The Rocks
Kansai Japanese Restaurant
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While all 15 of the Okami Japanese Restaurant locations are in Melbourne, Sydneysiders don’t have to miss out on all-you-can-eat sushi. Located on Hunter Street, Kansai Japanese Restaurant is the place to go in Sydney to stuff your face. This Sydney Japanese restaurant has all your favourites, including nigiri, sashimi and hand rolls.
Kansai Japanese Restaurant is open for lunch and dinner Monday to Friday, as well as dinner on Saturday. All-you-can-eat is only available at dinner, and there is an hour-and-a-half seating time limit on Friday and Saturday. If you go with a group of eight on Monday to Thursday, one of you gets to eat for free.
Where: B1, 7 Hunter Street, Sydney
Hisshou Teppanyaki
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If you’re looking for dinner and a show, try Hisshou Teppanyaki at George Street. This Japanese restaurant dedicated to teppanyaki, a style of Japanese cuisine in which a chef cooks your food on an iron griddle in front of you. Hisshou Teppanyaki has a chef dedicated to every table, so you won’t have to wait for one to get to you.
Teppanyaki cooking adds a bit of fun to your meal, especially as chefs tend to add a bit of flourish to their cooking techniques – they know how to put on a show. Hisshou Teppanyaki is a Japanese restaurant to consider if you have relatives from out of town, clients to impress, or just want an entertaining night out with some friends.
Hisshou Teppanyaki is open for dinner every day, as well as for lunch Monday to Friday.
Where: 752 George Street, Sydney
Makoto Sushi Bar
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Sometimes you just want a good ol’ fashioned sushi train. The city is flush with them, but Makoto Sushi Bar is one of the Sydney’s best sushi trains, and an ideal place to stop in while out with friends.
[related_articles]59341,40882[/related_articles]Like other sushi trains, Makoto Sushi Bar sits you at a counter so you can watch plates of delicious nigiri rotate past you and select what you want. It can get crowded during lunch, but the high turnover means the sushi is fresh. You can also choose to forgo the sushi train, as Makoto Sushi Bar also has table seating for a la carte dining.
Makoto Sushi Bar is open for lunch and dinner every day.
Where: 119 Liverpool St, Sydney
Headed to Tokyo for the real deal? Check out the Kawaii Monster Cafe as featured in our video.
[video_embed]https://youtu.be/fYULx4siM0g[/video_embed](Lead image: Cho Cho San / Facebook)
