The best Japanese restaurants in Melbourne

Minamishima might just be serving Melbourne's best sushi. Former Kenzan sushi master Koichi Minamishima will guide you through the set menu; sommelier Randolph Cheung (ex-Flower Drum) will keep the saké flowing.

Ishizuka is a Japanese restaurant specialising in a kaiseki menu. In a commitment-phobic world, it almost requires a session with a therapist to sign up for a 10-plus-course, two-plus-hour procession of miniaturised dishes for $285a head, sans drinks. But Ishizuka is worth the time, expense, and trouble of finding it. 

Chef Kazuki Tsuya hails from Akita in Northern Japan and has been trained in classic French techniques, and you'll see this clearly from the menu offerings. There are several ways to tackle Kazuki’s, but our advice is to go for the seven-course tasting menu that will run you around $200 per person, sans wine matching. 

The name of this upscale Japanese restaurant stems from the words for rice (kome) and knot (yui), with the combination signifying the connection and unity felt through a shared meal. And if you're after traditional, authentic and high-quality Japanese cuisine without having to board a plane, allow your tastebuds to be whisked away to the archipelago with dishes by chef Motomu Kumano.

Don't let the unassuming exterior fool you: behind the wood-panelled front entryway of this establishment lies a luxe Japanese dining experience that is actually unparallelled in Melbourne. Wagyu Ya is one of only three restaurants in the entirety of Australia with a licence allowing it to cook and serve Kobe beef, the rarest and most expensive beef in the world.

Being almost impossible to find, and seating just 12 people, Hajime is definitely at the expensive end of the range. This is a real tempura house, and the quality of these morsels of magic compared to some of the Japanese available in Melbourne is like the difference between line-caught bluefin tuna and the fish John West rejects. 

Supernormal is no longer just Tokyo-inspired; it now lends its flavours to some other big cities like Seoul, Hong Kong and Shanghai as well. Dishes like the New England lobster roll and the twice-cooked duck leg bao have never left the menu, but newer items like the Wagyu flank served with kombu butter and Tropea onion and the peanut butter parfait topped with salted caramel and soft chocolate are almost as good as the classics.

Bincho Boss is an izakaya with food revolving around the binchōtan – a grill fuelled by premium, dense Japanese charcoal. As with most izakayas, the aim of Bincho Boss is to drink and soak up all the drinks with outrageously delicious booze-friendly snacks. 

It's a half-hour drive from the city, but Shira Nui is definitely worth the trip if you're a lover of Japanese cuisine. For lunch, you can get sashimi and nigiri specials with miso and salads. Otherwise, share a platter with friends or choose from the sushi menu. Call and book because these guys fill up fast.

On a Carlton corner, Ima Project Café is breathing new life into smashed avo. Japanese twists on archetypal breakfast dishes can also be found in Ima’s miso-infused tomato baked eggs and the porridge drizzled with Mitarashi syrup, a traditional Japanese sauce made from soy sauce and sugar. Plus, the classic Japanese breakfast set of fish and rice is on the menu. 

Descend below street level for this taste of Tokyo that pays equal attention to its dishes and drinks. The corridor-like space is adorned with an extensive range of sake and beer, and food from the open kitchen arrives quickly. 

What if belly-warming food could be also wholesome and healthy, satisfying without tasting soporific? Leave it to Neko Neko, a cosy little eatery cooking homestyle vegan and pescatarian Japanese for which it has amassed a loyal following. Forgoing dairy and red meat, staff instead pack dishes with vegetables cooked, raw and pickled while working in plenty of seeds and whole grains, elevating dishes that would usually leave you feeling comatose into lighter but no less satiating weeknight dinners. 

With a focus on quality organic ingredients, this café offers an honest and endearing approach to food. Offering a mix of Japanese and Western breakfast and lunch options, the Japanese breakfast plate is where this humble gem really shines.

This stylish Richmond joint describes itself as a Japanese restaurant filtered through Melbourne eyes. It pays homage to traditional Japanese dishes while also introducing some contemporary elements. enjoy a chef's menu for dinner, and be sure to pair it with one of the bespoke cocktails or with a glass of Japanese whisky. 

The opening of a restaurant from Chris Lucas, the svengali behind Melbourne greats like Chin Chin, Hawker Hall, Kong and Baby, is generally accompanied by the kind of media hoopla reserved for retiring members of the Royal family.  We're here to tell you that all you have heard about Kisumé, the Lucas Group’s three floors of Japanese dining power, is true, and then doubly so. 

Brace yourselves Japanophiles: Ganbare Kaz on the Windsor end of Chapel Street is set to become your new destination for creative, top-shelf sushi train, with low prices and a fit-out that will impress the fussiest of hipsters.