The 30 best Japanese restaurants in Australia right now

Named after a Japanese style of pottery, Raku blurs the lines between art and sustenance. The menu is extensive, showcasing seafood in all its glory. You can have it raw in the kingfish served with truffle yuzu, cold in a spanner crab sushi roll, or hot as king prawns doused in XO butter. Masters of the blades, the chefs expertly slice up fresh snapper, tuna belly and scallops into sashimi or nigiri; add crunch with popcorn shrimp on the tempura menu; and grill high-grade Wagyu on a robata charcoal grill. From the express lunch to the royal tasting degustation, Raku will leave you wishing you lived in Canberra (almost).

Bar Wa Izakaya draws inspiration from Tokyo’s den-like izakayas, serving up funky cocktails and share plates until 2am daily. It’s no surprise this North Hobart staple is buzzing at every sitting. With eclectic interiors (think: more is more, with a side of neon), cute bathrooms that play Japanese language lessons, and a 22-page drinks list, it’s hard not to be drawn in. The punchy menu is designed for sharing and creatively features Tasmania’s finest produce. The Bruny Island Wallaby Wing-Age is an inventive reimagining of fried chicken wings that features crispy fried wallaby with pickled plum and shiso dressing. The charred brussel sprouts make you question everything you thought you knew about this often overlooked vegetable, transforming them into delicious umami bites. If you’re visiting at lunchtime, make sure to book ahead for their soul-warming, flavour-packed ramen. We love a Yuzu Whisky Sour to kick off a perfect evening. 

This Potts Point mainstay is a playful take on the izakaya trope, brought to life as much by George Livissianis's cream-on-white pared-back interiors as it is by exciting plates like crab fried rice with XO sauce and katsuobushi. The drinks list impresses as much as the food (sake flights FTW) and, of course, so does the epic green tea soft serve that inevitably marks the end to every repeat visit.

Time Out tip: At $65 per person, Cho's set menu is great value – and delicious. Order that.

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.

If you are moseying through the National Triangle, take an equally luxurious long lunch at Koto Dining. Housed in the iconic Lobby building, the restaurant's recently launched Kento Bento features seven cubicles where you can savour the best locally sourced produce in peace and quiet. Chef Shinya Nakano, who until recently guarded two-hatted Kisumé in Melbourne, serves his fluorescent plates in the kaiseki discipline (a traditional multi-course Japanese dinner). Whether you’re guided through their tasting menus or grazing through a bouquet of self-selected platters, every bite ends with an appreciation for simple, fresh ingredients. If you’re a sucker for lunch dessert, order their lychee paburoba, featuring lychee and matcha meringue with kabosu (Japanese citrus) jelly.

Sydney has a lot of excellent Japanese restaurants. Ones where fresh produce is paramount, where dishes look like works of art and taste like the sea. Enter Ito, a Japanese izakaya from the team who brought us elegant Middle Eastern restaurant Aalia and pastel-hued Nour, with an ex-Nobu and Cho Cho San chef leading the charge.

Time Out tip: the soft mochi and fruit sorbet is excellent – even if you're full, don't skip dessert.

Fans are fiercely loyal to the umami-rich pork broth and silky housemade noodles on offer in owner-chef Taro Akimoto’s ever-expanding ramen empire, which he’s perfected over the past decade. The mainstay is the creamy tonkatsu, or the ochre-hued fire tonkatsu if spicy is your thing. The busy, no-nonsense outlets also offer several vegan options. See you at Taro's Ramen shops in Queen Street, Stones Corner, Ascot and South Brisbane. 

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.

Easily missed by many, but deeply loved by more, this intimate Leederville restaurant immediately gives you that genuine Japanese dining vibe as soon as you step through the door. We recommend ordering a glass of umeshu, a traditional Japanese plum wine that you can drink straight up or mix with tonic – either way, the lingering sweet flavours could make it one of your new favourites. Pair your tipple with an ume bento box, brimming with deep-fried gyoza, chicken balls, beef and vegetable rolls, and your choice of main – whether that be salmon teriyaki, tempura, sashimi or karaage.

Ryo’s fans swear this is some of the best ramen you’ll find in all of Sydney. Duck your way past the traditional Japanese noren curtains hanging out the front and you’ll think you’ve been transported straight to a Tokyo noodle house. The lemon-yellow walls are plastered with a dizzying number of banners in Japanese script. Everywhere you look it’s heads down, as diners hoe into steaming bowls of soup filled with crinkly ramen noodles.

True to its name – which translates to gem in Japanese – Ippin invites guests on a culinary journey inspired by the vibrant beauty of flowers. Each dish on the extensive menu is a feast for the senses, adorned with delicate herbs and blooms. Highlights include a refreshing plate of kingfish ceviche seasoned with yuzu koshu, a deluxe platter of the day’s freshest sashimi, and caviar-kissed nigiri. Don’t skip on house-made hojicha warabi mochi for dessert, or the showstopping ‘zen bonsai’ – a masterpiece of soft soy cremeux, yuzu curd, black sesame sponge and streusel.

Ex-Nobu head sushi chef, Pepe Tsukayama, is the mind behind Tsukaya. With its wooden accents and warm ambience, this suburban gem captures the charm of Japan’s most intimate eateries. Drawing inspiration from the flavours of Japan and South America, Tsukaya is all about crafting aesthetic and punchy dishes, allowing you to eat with your mouth and your eyes. A favourite is the delicately crafted sashimi platter, as well as the caramelised nasu dengaku (miso eggplant) and beer-battered umami fries. To sweeten the deal, Tsukaya is BYO. 

Donburi is not so much the star as it is most of the cast at this retro Japanese don and milkbar, with nine venues across Sydney. The menu boasts more than 20 rice bowls, ranging from classic karaage chicken and grilled salmon, to wagyu cheeseburger and vegetable curry. It’s worth the extra fiver to turn your don into a set with miso soup, a simple salad and potent little pickles. Save room for Dopa's playful Japanese desserts, including matcha shibuya toast, mango kakigori (flavoured shaved iced) and strawberry mochi. 

From nigiri to sashimi – Inka is truly a raw fish playground. Located in Canberra Centre, a macrame-rope chandelier sets the scene for a feast of endless Japanese-Peruvian share plates. Here, the already decadent Hokkaido scallop is kissed with charcoal and drenched in rich nori butter. Crudo favourites are playfully paired with jalapeño and mustard salsas, while acid makes a notable return with ponzu and pepper-infused ceviches. And of course, the classics must make a cameo. With a signature lomo saltado (a traditional Spanish stir-fry) and a quick whiff of weeping Wagyu on the robata grill, all purist concerns are sure to melt away.

Tucked behind a curtain inside a former hummus bar lives Nomidokoro Indigo, Darlinghurst's tiniest izakaya. It’s the latest project from the Hatena Group, whose quiet empire already boasts Haymarket’s Nakano Darling, and Crows Nest’s Yakitori Yurippi and Tachinomi YP. Owners Tin Jung Shea, Mitomo Somehara and Chris Wu have overseen an exceptionally tidy fit-out that features 11 counterside seats, a four-person standing bar, and a small number of al fresco tables out the front. Be sure to ask about the seafood specials – if you’re lucky you’ll catch the John Dory sashimi, which comes as thin slips of fish with a little disc of buttery liver pâté, alongside the more familiar accompaniments of soy sauce and wasabi.

James Parker Sushi and Sake is the upscale Japanese restaurant Perth never knew it needed. What better way to dine than with sushi in one hand and sake in the other? That’s exactly what awaits when you step into this elegant venue, which looks almost like an exhibition space in the Museum of Modern Art. As for the menu, must try’s include the premium aburi salmon roll, spicy tuna tartar with soy-marinated egg yolk, and Margaret River Wagyu tataki with ponzu jelly.

You want chicken gizzards? Cartilage? Chicken tail? You want it on a stick? Grilled over charcoal and served with a frosty Asahi? This cosy little yakitori bar is the place to go, with outlets in West End, Fortitude Valley, Portside Wharf, Everton Park and Toowong. It’s also the place for all the usual skewer suspects. Favourites include the Wagyu with tare and the garlic prawns with wasabi mayo, but if you haven’t yet tried crispy golden chicken skin perfectly charred over the coals – then you really haven’t lived. 

Just off the main street in Sandy Bay, Suminato's warm lighting and timber interiors create an inviting and cosy atmosphere, but it’s the food that’ll have you coming back. Dive into their Japanese tapas menu, starting with grilled oysters in miso sauce for a punchy opener. The crunchy lotus root with the chef’s special sauce is addictive, while the mixed nigiri is a veritable seafood smorgasbord, featuring flame-seared salmon, tuna, aburi scallop and famous Tassie kingfish, rounded out with a tomago (egg) nigiri. Tassie potatoes get a glow-up with garlic and parsley mayo and pickled vegetables. Feeling overwhelmed by all the options? No stress – opt for the banquet and relax with a glass of Tassie pinot gris while the chefs do the work.

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.

Are we in a back alley in Tokyo or a basement eatery in North Sydney? Put away your passport because, lucky for you, we’re talking Sydney. A small set of stairs from the street will lead you to Taruhachi, a cool little find that will make you feel like you’ve been teleported to Japan. It’s not just the smiley Japanese staff peering out from the tiny kitchen, but the handwritten blackboard menu, the self-serve dispenser of hot and cold water, plus the humble neatness of a dining room decorated quirkily with all things Dr Seuss.

Save this one for your next special occasion. Marumo offers a seasonal seven-course omakase menu, presenting traditional Japanese flavours with a sophisticated, modern twist. Depending on when you score a booking at Marumo, you may be served plates of premium Tasmanian salmon belly sushi, lightly seared Angus beef tataki, or anything else chef Mo, the man behind it all, has up his sleeve.