This place gets 3/5 from me because I had a special -50% discount on TheFork. At full price, it is probably a 2/5 for me. Japanese restaurant by the harbour. Most of the dishes were good, except for the sushi. The fish was fresh, but the rice was falling apart, indicating that the kitchen didn't have a good sushi chef. Service was also incredibly slow - took ages for food to arrive. What should have been a fairly quick lunch meal stretched for more than 2 hours. Worth going if there's a good discount available on TheFork, otherwise I think it is slightly pricey for the quality and the service levels. read more

Sometimes there's those restaurants that win you over in a quiet, subtle, way. The ones you find yourself daydreaming about when you're at your desk at the end of the day and thinking ahead to dinner... the ones that have menu items that keep you awake at night wondering how they get the flavour and the texture just so perfectly right. For me, one of those places is Akachochin. I've been here a number of times in the last few of months. Dinners, lunches, a quick snack and glass of sake before heading to other places. Every time I've left feeling happier than when I walked in. Satisfied, but not stuffed. Content. It's open and bright, clean and slick without being too minimalist. The food is presented on beautiful crockery, your chopsticks rest on what looks like a pebble but is actually a beautifully moulded piece of clay. Sake is drunk from pretty glasses that look like something from deep inside the ocean. Before I even eat anything, I already feel better about the world. For the most part the service is unobtrusive, gentle even. I always feel taken care of at Akachochin, which of course is what service is all about but most places don't have the inexplicable magical touch of giving me everything I want and need without making me feel like I've been "worked". Some of the waiters here get it right better than others and I almost feel like I should make my booking especially when I know my favourite, Mason, will be working. (Would that be creepy?) The food? Oh yes, let's get to that shall we? The Hiramasa Namerou (a chopped kingfish tartar) is the stuff that keeps me awake at night. Even after attending a lunch where Chef Kengo Hiromatsu taught me how to make this dish, I still can't quite put my finger on why it tastes so amazing. There's spring onion, wasabi, miso, seasame seeds and other goodness in there... it's such a perfectly balanced dish and texturally rocks my world with the crunch of the accompanying home made rice crackers. This is one of those dishes I could eat multiple times in a week and never tire of, though I suspect the magic ingredient is all about having Kengo prepare it for you. Also on the menu is a very fine selection of sushi and sashimi, and if your'e lucky you can score a seat at the chef's bar and watch the masters at work as they slice your fish, form your nigiri and plate everything in an artful way. It seems a shame to eat the resulting masterpieces. There's grilled items, Udon, slow braised meat dishes and all manner of vegetable items. It's easy to order a few items and then order more as your stomach demands. Come at lunch time and enjoy a $20 bento that is generous and delicious. With multiple choices available, you could be eating Chicken Udon or Grilled Pork or perhaps fried tofu with mountain vegetables. Each bento also comes with some sashimi, rice and pickles. Yes, I have a bit of a soft spot for Akachochin and hope you will too. . read more

See all

If you picked up the Epicure insert the day after the Good Food Guide 2013 Awards then you too would have been in foodie heaven. The feature that caught my attention most was the "Melbourne's Top 52" in The Age newspaper's Epicure pullout. I had the day off and was in the mood for Japanese - a cuisine I am not the most familiar with in Melbourne. So what caught my attention was No. 49 - Melbourne's best Sushi. Akachochin on the South Wharf Promenade was singled out with top marks and the other recommendations were to be found in country Victoria - so the local was a no brainer. Akachochin is one of the 6 new venues from restaurateur Paul Mathis, previously of Taxi Dining Room and Chocolate Buddha. Like any good card shark, he saw a gap in the market and went all in - opening all his latest ventures within around 6 months at once. For his Japanese restaurant he secured the services of Kengo who was previously head chef for Nobu. So it just makes sense why Akachochin would be serving the capital's best fresh fish. Akachochin is cleverly connected to Paul's other award winning restaurant, The Sharing House, much in the same way that Camberwell's Firechief Pizzeria (Reviewed here) has a corridor connecting Goldilock's Café. You enter through The Sharing House and are directed through to Akachochin. I arrived relatively early on a superb day and was pleasantly surprised that I wasn't the first in and that by the time lunchtime had arrived all tables were filled. And this was only on a Wednesday. The winning combination of great reviews and a sunny day bring people out of the woodwork. As I was only dining for one, I wanted to choose only one dish to linger over. After discussing with Chef Kengo and advising that I wanted a substantial sushi dish for myself he suggested I lean towards his favourite dish. The Kingfish Sashimi, once it was placed in front of me, was indeed enough for lunch for one or could easily be shared between two people at the start of a meal so you have space to tackle the end of the menu. The wafer-thin crackers are meant to be broken by hand and using the spoon, ladle a decent portion of the sashimi onto the top. The diced kingfish was coated in a multitude of different flavours consisting of the head of finely chopped chilli, chives and the lovely toasted aroma of the toasted sesame seeds. The light sauce had an even balance of mustard seed and wasabi with slivers of ginger to add some zing. The one plate was indeed filling. Each mouthful started with a series of deep flavours and ended with pungent Japanese notes at the back of the palate that lingered with slow intensity. But I can see why, by both the dishes coming from the kitchen and the number of people, this is Melbourne's best sushi. I will be back to scour the rest of the menu but for the moment I sit content. If you are looking to visit either Akachochin or The Sharing House I suggest you book ahead as I visited only 2 days after the announcement of the Good Food Guide Awards and the public was hungry to try the South Wharf award winners. read more

See all

This restaurant is closed. We used a map app to locate the restaurant. And after wandering around trying to find the place, i saw a notice at the bottom of the map app that said "Temporarily Closed" . But we never even saw a sigh for it. The restaurant might have been upstairs in the small mall. But the mall closed at 6:30. I gave it 3 stars just in case the restaurant opened again. I don't want to to give a total trash review, since I was never able to eat there. read more

Fantastic Sushi bar a little off the beaten track, such great ambiance and a beautiful view of the Yarra River. The staff are all helpful and friendly, I like to sit at the Sushi Bar and watch the chefs create their culinary masterpieces. The Sushi was fresh and the choices were varied. There is a large selection of Sake, and several different choices for beer. An excellent visit and I will definitely be coming back. read more

The best Japanese food I have ever tried. I went with colleague's birthday lunch. The setting pretty cosy, waiters/waitresses pretty attentive. The set lunch is pretty worth having, it came with a bowl of beef udon, small side dish of bean sprout, side salad and tempura. I particular love their tempura, the batter is a bit heavy though oppose to light and crispy. Right seasoning, not too salty, not to blank. I will definitely going back to try their other dish, tempura with sweet potatoes fried. read more

Akachochin - Wagyu beef udon lunch set with salad. - Japanese Near Me - South Wharf, VIC

Visiting from California. This is what sushi is supposed to taste like. Everyone is Japanese here. I had the omakase. They took so much attention to each piece. Each one had its own personality with a sear, a marinade or a garnish. Rice flavoring was perfect, as well as rice to fish ratio. Price point was reasonable as well. I'd come back next time I'm in Melbourne! read more

Four stars only because the sushi menu is small in comparison to other restaurants but there are very tasty but offerings regardless. Had a meal with a beautiful view of the river and was waited on by a very efficient server. Sake complimented the meal perfectly. Tempura crisp, miso soup served with salmon... wish I could time travel and re-eat this meal. read more

Akachochin - Sushi and sake ! - Japanese Near Me - South Wharf, VIC

quick lunch while attending a conference across the walkway at the convention center. I had the spicy tuna and tempura prawn rolls along with a glass of wine. Spicy tuna was the clear winner. Fish and ingredients were fresh, onions added lovely flavor. The tempura prawn was also very good. Was trying to decide exactly how I felt about the curry mayo on it...I love curry but just seems out of place on sushi. I decided by the end that I liked it. It wasn't overpowering and added an interesting element. Place was crowded at lunch, luckily was solo and snagged a bar seat. read more

If this place won an award from me is to be the worst sushis I've ever had in my life! And I have had a lot of them around the world! I had the bento box with salmon sashimis and teryaki chicken. First chicken undercooked. When I mentioned it to the sushi chef he looked at me like an alien and said that it was normal if chicken was like that. Very concerning... Their "signature" roll (salmon and avocado) was equally bad and couldn't even eat one piece. Same for the salmon sashimis. Only decent items was the plain rice... read more

Izakayas are the Japanese equivalent of the English pub; a drinking establishment where you can also purchase cheap food. The name is a combination of the Japanese words " i" meaning to stay, and "sakaya", or sake shop. Most of them are distinguishable by red paper lanterns - or Akachochin - that are traditionally displayed outside. Akachochin is also, by the way, the name of a great example of this type of restaurant at the Shed end of Southbank (or South Wharf to give it its official name). It has a little shaded outdoor section with views over the river so I took a seat out there and ordered the tasting menu which cost $60 and consisted of six dishes from the a la carte menu. I also ponied up an extra $30 for the sake pairing. First course was Hiramasa Namerou; kingfish tartare with wasabi and miso served on banana leaf with rice crackers. My first impression was that the sauce was a little overpowering and too salty, though combining it with the rice crackers (as my waitress suggested) went a long way to redressing this. However, this is one of those dishes that get better the more you eat, and by the end of the course I was hooked. Really good, full flavoured, and the almost glutinous texture of the tartare was beautifully complemented by the light and crispy rice crackers. This came with a chilled, somewhat dry sake that worked really well with the fish. Next was the Wagyu Tataki - seared wagyu beef sashimi with a clilli and citrus mayo. I'm not a big mayo fan, but this leek based version wasn't bad, and the beef was gorgeous. The Tsukasabotan sake that came with it was also very good - cold and crisp and quite savoury. Deep fried chicken wings stuffed with minced chicken and shredded greens followed. Delicious. I added some soy to the last mouthful, but this just spoiled the flavours - it's pretty much perfect the way it comes.This dish is apparently a specialty of the Aichi district so was served with a chilled sake from the same area which was fruity and refreshing. There was also a plate of slow cooked lamb shank and some salmon sashimi included on the menu. Akachochin is definitely worth a visit. The service is slow, but in a really good way - they give you time to appreciate the course you've just had before presenting the next one, which is not always the case with some other restaurant degustations I've experienced. The service is friendly and for what you get, the price is quite reasonable. read more

This place had been marked on my to-do list after some rave reviews from friends. Last night while on a casual stroll along South Wharf, the open-faced restaurant proved a little too much to resist so I decided to pop in for a glass or two of sake. Seated at the bar, the temptation of that beautiful looking fish was too much. The food and service was impeccable. We sampled some of the mouth-wateringly good sashimi and vowed to come back for a full dinner. Soon. read more

Not really an izakaya but excellent food nonetheless. While in Melbourne I tried many places that claimed to have Japanese food, this was one of two places that I felt were truly authentic. I tried a few dishes over the course of two visits: Various sashimi plates The wasabi marinated kingfish The oysters served three ways A pork belly dish Uni The only dish that I would not particularly recommend is the pork belly dish, its not made from a whole piece of pork belly so it did not live up to my expectations. The uni was actualyl not on the menu but was something that I saw on the chefs preparation table. This was some of the best and most fresh uni that I have ever had, and it was quite reasonable prices at 10 AUD per portion. Overall I would highly recommend this place. Very nice authentic Japanese food. read more

Whilst most of the items we tried were regular dishes that you'd expect from a better than average Japanese restaurant, the quality and freshness of what was served was fantastic. The style is very reticent of high quality food in Japan and they even had some more authentic items like the Japanese Rice porridge (which was very refreshing to eat) and Raw sea urchin (which was apparently out of stock). The seared and raw salmon belly sushi positively melted when you ate it. Coupled with a good selection of well known and also more niche Japanese alcohols, I enjoyed a dark beer which went well with the dishes we chose. Service was a mix of Japanese and non Japanese staff whose performance was friendly and very high quality (particularly from the non Japanese - which I've found rare). The sort you expect when eating a meal that you are paying good money for. I enjoyed my meal and the stroll after the meal is one of the best after meal experiences one could have once satisfied with dining. read more

3.5 across from convention so easy to meet, right next to water, mix of sushi, classic and fusion dishes, tempura bubuarae with rice cracker, hiramasa namerou as a tartare, balance with some sake. read more

It's situated in a bit of a cold and windy part of the city, but Akachochin is worth visiting for some modern Japanese. Service is usually pretty attentive, and the food is consistently yummy. Definitely try: Hiramasa Namerou with Rice crackers, a fab little concoction of Kingfish tartar that you scoop onto something a bit like a large, delicate prawn cracker - delish. The Wagyu Tataki is also excellent, as is the Ebi and Pumpkin Harumaki - think Japanese spring roll meets blue cheese (strange combo, but it works). Wash it all down with some sparkling sake, or one of the many many other types of sake on offer. I've enjoyed this place on a few occasions; it's bright, cheerful and laid back, with friendly staff and a nice vibe. read more

Akachochin is an amazing restaurant, its classy but friendly, romantic but simple, there is a casual ambiance in this sophisticated setting. i loved the sake sodas, refreshing and tasty, we tried the Ume soda and yuzu spritzer, both are too perfect for a summer night. the seafood were amazing, they are unfussed but super fresh, peerfectly cut and prepared. iour favourites are the house special kingfish sashimi with thin wafer, the oysters, octopus salad amazingly tender. $60 for 6 dishes is amazing value for a quality japanese food, we didnt even get to our final plate as we were so full. But beware, you will spend easily as everything on the menu screams your name. ( And watch for $20 lunch deals$ Not 5 star as the chef didnt like to alter his tasting menu, but 5 star for staff who "built" menu for us according to budget and dietary requirement. I would love to come back, grab an outdoor table for summer nights or get a bar seat if you are in small groups and watch the sashimi chef in action! read more

See all

A newish establishment, the organiser of our night was a little taken aback when the bookings staff seemed to freak out over having 12 people coming for the evening. We had a party of 12 however some of our group receive their meals then rice well after delivery of the main. Delicious food however we are 12 hungry people and they suggested a very small amount for us. We spent over 90 minutes waiting for food and left hungry afterwards. If you are to go, probably go in a smaller group and definitely organise a banquet. The food is delicious, but the staff are learning still, which can take away from the experience. read more

Ordered beef udon and the steamed fish with a side of tofu. The food was fresh and well prepared. The only downside was the price. $75 for this meal. read more

Incredibly average sushi in an excellent location. The servers are very nice and did a good job but it's hard to overcome mediocre food at a restaurant with service and ambience alone. Also, around 8:30 pm, the servers had to tell everyone the kitchen wanted to shut down because there were only 6 tables so place your orders quickly. I thought this was a tourist location. How do you shut down the kitchen so early in summertime when you have customers who want to order more food? I wouldn't recommend. read more

When I travel out side of Japan I am afraid to get into none authentic Japanese restaurants. Especially when I don't know the city well enough. AKachochin is the real deal. Friendly staff, great services and dishes prepared in a tradition way. Too bad I don't drink, the selection of Sake and wine is impressive. Would come again when I am in Town again for sure. read more

Akachochin - Friendly staff, great services and dishes prepared in a tradition way. Impressive selection of sake and wine. - Japanese Near Me - South Wharf, VIC

See all

I'm glad I stopped in here for lunch today. I had grill chicken bento box. Chicken was good and salmon sashimi too. Sat out side facing the waterfront was relaxing. Service was nice people working there. Highly recommend. read more

I was here attending a urology meeting at the adjacent conference center. I was looking for a great restaurant within walking distance from the hotel, and in particular was looking for sushi. To my delight I found this location just a couple hundred feet away. My conference started on a Saturday, and I came here for days in a row for lunch. I have really enjoyed the spicy tuna Maki roll. The spicy softshell crab Mackey is also worth trying. The service is very friendly, and the food comes relatively quickly. Today is my first day trying the lunch special, so hopefully report back with feedback soon on this. I did go to some of the adjacent restaurants, but none of them compare quite frankly. read more

Akachochin, located at South Wharf had been on my list of places to try for quite some time. Having been intrigued after reading the positive press and having it highly recommended by the good folk at Henry and the Fox I made my way there with the hope of enjoying a relaxing Friday lunchtime experience. To gain access to Akachochin, one must present themselves at The Sharing House next door and announce your intentions to dine. The friendly staff at The Sharing House will then escort you to Akachochin where you will then be greeted again. Without a booking, we were informed that spaces were available at the sushi bar and I happily accepted the invitation to sit there. A sushi bar in a purported izakaya I found novel but almost necessary for the restaurant to differentiate itself in an area littered with choices and also those fortunate enough to work just over the pedestrian bridge in Docklands that would systematically go on the hunt daily for nutrients at lunch like the hounds of war, ravenous and frothing at the mouth. There was a good selection of fish on display and I did find it intriguing that despite it being stored in a cold enclosure that plastic wrap was still being used to protect it. The very attentive server was happy to provide water without being asked and when the bottle of sake that I wanted to order was out of stock, he happily consulted with me and I found a suitable alternative - the Kamoshibito Kuhelji Kudan Yamada Junmai-Ginjo a dry sake with good acidity which I thought would be a good match with not only the delicate flavours exuded in the raw fish but also the deep fried dishes that I anticipated enjoying. The first round of food ordered from the sushi bar included the Maguro Tataki (6 pieces at $18) and the Sushi Moriawase (12 pieces at $33) both I found outstanding. The Maguro Tataki is seared tuna, chives and chilli with a ponzu jelly and anchovy dressing. It matched extremely well with the sake and borders on being one of my favourite fish dishes that I have found (it would be high up on my list of tasty delights that I had at both Taxi Dining Room and Nobu recently) which was all very exciting. Being pleasantly surprised by the sushi offerings, we continued to explore this part of the menu whilst enjoying the sake. Shiromi Uzsukuri (9 pieces at $15) and the Shake Aburi Sushi (4 pieces at $18) were then ordered to round out this sushi experience. The Skake Aburi Sushi, sweet soy marinated seared salmon with a very special onion salsa was the sandout. I could have ordered another six rounds of this however I didn't want to deprive myself from experiencing things off of the deep and simmer fried menus. The Ebi and Pumpkin Harumaki ($13) was a very intriguing spring roll filled with prawn, blue cheese and pumpkin deep fried. I really enjoyed the texture and the pair of this dish with the sake. The blue cheese and pumpkin matched well but the tastes overwhelmed the prawn, however the dish in general was great. I tend to enjoy most dishes that exploit the flavour inherent in blue cheese well. The Butterfish Nitsuke with Kinpira Gobo ($16) - simmered butterfish in ginger, soy sauce with pan-fried burdock followed. Having been spoiled by the delicate tastes of the sushi earlier and being out of sake didn't allow me to cleanse my palate before enjoying this dish so the blue cheese experienced earlier which lingered in my mouth overwhelmed the butterfish however the smell was absolutely delightful. Vacating the 720ml bottle of sake was indeed a shame however I did really enjoy this dish despite having a dirty palate to start. A Black Sesame Pannacotta with Green Tea Ice Cream ($14) finished off this two hour tasting extravaganza. That certainly cleansed my palate - in a good way. The service remained tight, efficient and friendly throughout this dining experience. Generally speaking the other patrons looked happy. Although when I arrived, most of the tables were occupied, I did not find the restaurant loud. The tables are spaced an acceptable distance apart so you would never feel as though you are minding someone else's business. Overall I was impressed by Akachochin and I look forward to returning. The fish is fresh, the service was efficient and you felt like you could relax. After the stolid service and frozen fish that I enjoyed at Koko, I am very happy to have found a quality Japanese offering in South Wharf. read more

Very nice. Sashimi and sushi is top class. The fried chicken dumpling is probably not that great value however - 2 small pieces for $14 seems a bit rich. read more

Akachochin - Hiramasa Namerou - Japanese Near Me - South Wharf, VIC

See all

If you're wanting to try something different but aren't too sure or overwhelmed with choices, definitely go for the tasting platter. Every dish served had magnificently mature tastes!! read more

Rode along the yarra looking for a place to go to for dinner and stumbled across this place at South Wharf.. It looked inviting and had plenty of customers eating inside so thought we'd give it a try. We sat at the bar which was a bonus as here you can watch the sushi chefs prepare the food that is ordered.. All the staff were ever so polite and were extremely knowledged about the food.. Our fave dish was the simmered pork belly would definitly reccomend.. Will definitley come back again to try more of menu! Again forgot to take pics as I cant wait to get stuck in to what i ordered! read more

Stopped in here for lunch on a sunny Friday. They have a set lunch menu on weekdays for $20, which I feel was a good value. My husband ordered the pork lunch, and the pork itself was marvelous, very flavorful, but definitely NOT spicy (as advertized). I had a couple sushi rolls, both of which were fine. Fish was fresh, but the roll combos seemed simultaneously overly-modern and uninspired. One roll was wrapped in cucumber rather than seaweed, but the cucumber was a little bitter and made it hard to pick up. I would come back for the lunch deal, but probably not for the sushi. read more

Stopped in a few weeks ago for a quick bite after an event at the Melbourne Convention Center. Was seated promptly and there were not that many people in the restaurant. I ordered the Spicy Tuna Maki and the Shiojake Ochazuke. The Spicy Tuna Maki was divine. I wasn't sure how to eat the Shiojake Ochazuke at first but it was also delicious. Totally worth the trip back. Only issue with this place was that I wish the menu was a little bit bigger. Also towards the end when we wanted the check there was nobody else in the restaurant so the staff was more focused on cleaning and closing up. It seemed to take forever to get someone's attention to help close out our checks. read more

Gorgeous high class Japanese joint. The menu is creative and the sushi is really really fresh and expertly cut. It melts in your mouth. A bit on the expensive side but totally worth it! Definitely worth a visit! read more

Took sampler sake, sampler sushi and spicy tuna .. Everything was amazing . And river front makes it it pace worth a trip. Only problem I had to keep shush'ing wash from my food ... But guess that would be common accords the riverfront open seating ... read more

Utter disappointment. Don't be fooled by the presentation. Average service. Did not value customer feedback. Do not order the $66 tasting dishes. You will regret it. read more

AMAZING! I've been here so many times and every time it is perfect. Food incredible, staff incredible.

A good find in a tourist area. Hard to find value for money

Akachochin is one of the better Japanese restaurants I've visited in Melbourne. Located in the Docklands/South Wharf area, it serves good-to-very-good food, has attentive waitstaff, and is well-sited, with outdoor seating overlooking the river. I was impressed with the quality of their sushi, but found their agemono (fried food) a bit oily and greasy for my taste. read more

The Monday night special, degustation with free matching sake, is a brilliant way to start the week!