The 9 best Japanese restaurants In Adelaide

Yesteryear-inspired Italian delis have taken Adelaide by storm over the past year, that’s with influence from our cool, eastern seaboard neighbours – but how about Japanese delis? This Dacosta Arcade underdog appears reminiscent of a Wes Anderson scene in all its vivid glory, and churns out ramen that will have you weak at the knees. Contemporary Japanese Deli may be compact when it comes to square meterage, but it puts up a fairly sizeable menu of donburi rice bowls, bento boxes, katsu curries and of course, ramen. Feeling a pork-based tonkotsu broth? No worries. How about a homemade miso number? Sure thing. The Tokyo-style, soy-based ramen has temptation at an all-time high too. 

Located in the eastern suburb of Tusmore, Black Dog Gallery may be considered the black sheep when it comes to Japanese restaurants in Adelaide. This wee eatery is finished with earthy hues and homey hardwood flooring that commands staying a while, eating slowly and relishing the magical moments in your mouth. Black Dog’s ever-changing lunch and dinner menus see newfangled creations as well as traditional fare – take the panko-crumbed horse mackerel with tonkatsu barbecue sauce, house-made tartare and five-grain rice, or the generous ramen selection with toppings galore. It ain’t a bad spot for a cold-drip coffee either.

You can chat with the chef as you feast on flame-licked Japanese food at this intimate yakitori bar on Leigh Street. Watch the action from a seat at the bar and start with delicate, intensely flavoured small bites, before moving onto larger share plates that hero proteins from the yakitori grill and wood oven. For an even more intimate experience, grab one of the eight seats at street-level, spin-off Sho for charcoal-grilled skewers and whisky highballs on tap.

Mile End’s Henley Beach Road has grown into a buzzing neighbourhood hive – there are retail aplenty, continental grocery stores and diverse culinary hotspots to peruse. One of the latest hospitality ventures to crop up along the main drag is none other than Yuna Café and Restaurant. Here, breakfast and lunch menus give you a decent scope into home-style Japanese eats, alongside inventive dishes inspired by the travels of Yuna’s crew. The oozy egg sando is a must, as well as the Yuna ramen complete with chashu pork belly, nori and egg doused in a 12-hour pork tonkatsu broth, all submerged in a rich chicken stock. Sip a specialty coffee, matcha or hojicha alongside a pressed French toast croissant covered with strawberries, black sesame cream and condensed milk.

If it’s a soul-soothing plate of homestyle Japanese cooking you’re after, then it’d be rude to blow past Katsumoto. The old-timey Adelaide Arcade houses this charming eatery where lanterns, sake bottles and Japanese artwork adorn the timber-centric space – akin to a haunt you’d find hiding in the backstreets of Tokyo. Delve into a quick-sticks lunch or hang about for an evening meal with the likes of warming katsu curries, neatly packed bento boxes, steamy bowls of ramen and even vegan gyozas that just happen to be gluten-free. Wash it all down with a sake or few and whack a speciality Japanese beer into the bargain too.

Since its 2018 inception, Aldgate’s Yuki in the Hills has solidified itself as one of the best Japanese restaurants in Adelaide. The 50-seater is enveloped with wood-cladding in typical Japanese style, and plays host to an open, sushi preparation station that’s safeguarded by kimono-donning chefs. Both midday snacking and evening feasting are feasible, where tidy sashimi platters go down a treat, edamame beans served on the branch are an eyebrow-raising sight (in a good way), udon soups fog slurper’s specs, and 28 rolls of soosh make for the toughest decision of the day. Vegans are welcome at Yuki in the Hills too, providing green options across every section of the menu.

If you’re in need of an excuse to mosey on up through the Adelaide Hills, then Miyuki Japanese Café and Dining is the answer you’re looking for. The contemporary Stirling eatery is relatively new on the block and they’re serving up new-wave eats with a bit of funk. For lunch, sink your teeth into a teriyaki chicken eggs benny or the tornado omurice with bacon, fried rice and a fluffy omelette. In the evening, slurp up Nagasaki seafood noodle soup, char-grilled duck breast skewers smothered in barbecue plum sauce, or the Tokyo curry with truffle potato and tofu croquettes over rice. The team behind popular Yuki in the Hills restaurant is to thank for Miyuki – providing something for the adventurous and the not-so-venturesome eaters alike.

Although not strictly Japanese, Koyo is all about new ideas united with crackling coalfire, in a refined fitout that’s easy on the eyes. The pretty-in-pink Prospect Road restaurant is a nod to seasonal produce and autumn, as the translation of Koyo suggests. Robatayaki-style skewers sizzle over the hibachi heat, including the tsukune chicken meatball number with tare and salted egg yolk. While small-plate bits and bobs entice the senses – namely the pan-fried dumplings of salted daikon, mushroom and tofu with shiitake dashi and garlic oil. On the bigger side of things, dig into the char-grilled salmon with roasted tomato dashi and fennel.

There’s a whole lot of razzmatazz going on at Hyde Park’s Samurai Teppanyaki House – it’s a meal and a show. Theatrical preparation echt in time sees your fare up in flames and skillfully tossed about in a culinary flamenco of sorts. Tiger prawns and Moreton Bay bugs dance across iron cooktops (that’s the ‘teppan’), alongside delicate okonomiyaki and juicy, plant-based steak. The long-standing eatery also happens to be the only licensed Kobe beef restaurant in Adelaide, making for a bona fide dining affair evocative of the teppanyaki houses of Japan, minus the red-eye flight.