I recently discovered Sakuratei Japanese restaurant for lunch in the CDB. It's located in a quiet…read morearcade and surprisingly, I have been walking past this great place for many years without even noticing it. The owners are actually Japanese which, in this day and age is rather hard to find with Japanese restaurants. The focus of their lunch menu is combination lunch sets, which reminds me of Japan. On top of their combination sets, they also have Ramen, Udon, Donburi and 3 different bento boxes. The food is authentic and if you love Katsu curry, you can't go past the gigantic plate of Katsu curry that they serve here! The food served is just no fuss Japanese and the service is always good. I did notice that they don't really do entrees. From memory, they had 2 entrees with one of them being salmon sashimi (5 pieces) at $8.50. You are better off having this as part of a combination set. Also, they don't seem to do sashimi or sushi. Sushi rolls come as part of bento boxes. I guess they want to focus on combinations sets. Nevertheless, it is definitely a fantastic place for lunch if you want some authentic Japanese. They are also opened for dinner.

I think this must have been one of the best Japanese restaurants I've ever been to. It's up there…read morewith Gochi, a Japanese tapas place in Cupertino, California. (Though, it's possible I just haven't had this style of Japanese food in the States.) We came here about a year ago with some friends, for lots of alcohol and lots of small plates. Everything was outstanding, especially the soft-shelled crab, agedashi tofu, and fish cheeks. The skewers were quite good too (don't miss the pork belly!). For our party of 6, we each paid around $80 (we ordered a LOT of booze), which I think is pretty reasonable given that it IS Sydney and we ordered a good amount of stuff. Service was very friendly and the decor is nice. I dream about this place all the time and will be coming back the next time I'm in Sydney. I highly recommend it!

If you close at 9, advertise you close at 9 and we show up at 8:15 but get turned away. I don't…read morecare how good the food is. Zero stars for wasting my time.

My husband keeps raving about this place and tries to come every time he's in Sydney. Since he…read moreinsists this is the best sushi he has ever had ... Well I have try to see if it's worth the hype. They recognize him immediately which I find a little funny because he must come here more often than I think. We sit at the sushi bar and we are greeted by the chef and the waitress quickly sets down our plates and takes our drink orders. They pour us sake Japanese style. The service is impeccable even at the sushi bar. We had the omakase, which means the chef chooses your food for you and it consisted of all raw foods. We had a mix of sashimi and nigiri from both fish and shell fish. My top favorites were the scallop lightly seared and the super decadent toro with uni on top. That was so simple, but I have never had them together! There were 2 things about the omakase experience that really set this place apart from other sushi restaurants. 1. I tried fish that I have never heard of nor tasted before (and I can't spell them either) 2. They presented different parts of the fish for you to try. For example, he gave us yellow tail belly and then presented a yellow tail closer to the fin with a little of the skin to give it more flavor. I appreciated the extra attention of presenting the same fish, but in a slightly different way to enhance its flavor. Looking around I saw plenty of tables eating a mix of both raw and cooked foods. Even though we only had raw food, the cooked food looked delicious. If you're looking to try the omakase, call ahead to let them know. It was possible to also have cooked foods in our omakase, but we preferred raw. Yes, this place is worth the hype because of their service, attention to detail, great food and presentation and somehow it was still laid back. They knew my husband by name and most restaurants in big cities lack that personal touch.

This is one of the only sushi places that we return to on a regular basis. It's not the fact that…read moreit is literally below our apartment but the sushi here is so fresh and delicious! Each sushi plate is made to order so it can take some time and the atmosphere is very relaxed and casual. The servings are a tad small but it's worth it! It's BYO and most of the weeknights you can just walk in but weekends may require a booking. I would recommend trying the eggplant- a bit oily but very yummy and all of the sushi/sashimi dishes.

My favourite Japanese in Sydney - fantastic Japanese sushi chef and incredibly fresh sashimi…read more Everything is beautifully prepared and presented. The chef's choice sashimi is always excellent, but I come here a lot and have never ordered a bad dish! The weekend lunch special ($15.50 for a main, salad, miso and agadashi tofu) is spectacularly good value! Also licensed (good range of sake) and BYO!

An authentic japanese restaurant - delicious shabu shabu - small menu with many traditional options…read more(IT is not a Sushi place) and heaps of specials on a black board. Thé restaurant look and Feel is great - quiet, simple and elegant. And IT is great value! I will be back to try more!

Really a hidden gem. One of those places that you'd almost rather not write a review in case it…read morebecomes too hard to get a booking, but this place deserves it. Recommended to me by a Japanese friend, it's leagues above your standard chicken teriyaki, nabeyaki udon, California roll sushi place. The secret typically is to order off the specials menu, any seafood they have there is usually seasonal and astoundingly fresh. Sea urchin, toro tuna belly, anything off that menu is usually delicious. Any sushi or sashimi is just excellent and comparable in freshness and preparation to places like Azuma but without the price tag. They do the "standards" well, too - chicken karaage has a real crispness and crunchiness to the skin, the wagyu beef is tender and served with a beautiful accompanying sauce. But it's also the food that's a bit off the beaten track that takes it to the next level here. The deep fried fish head (flounder from memory?), the duck pancakes, the miso eggplant that is served sliced in half and nestled in its thick skin. Service is friendly and efficient. I haven't tried much of the sake menu and I'm not a huge fan of getting stuck in the pseudo share table in the middle (not a lot of leg room due to the setup), but those are minor gripes for what is - for my money - the best value Japanese you'll get in Sydney.

Absolutely love Niji, never had a bad experience here ever! The food is always amazing. I…read moreabsolutely love their speciality dish the spicy crumbed chicken special. Do yourself a favour and give it a go!

This is my local Japanese Sushi restaurant located in the heart of Kingsford. Niji is named after…read morethe diverse colour and taste associated with food. A step up from the local Sushi Train experience, the restaurant offers the familiar 'sushi on a plate' going round a track experience or you can enjoy the a la carte dining experience featuring a contemporary Japanese menu infused with traditional Japanese Izakaya dishes with Western ingredients & modern taste seated at a table. I advise you to make a reservation as I t can be very busy 6pm- 8pm Th, Fri,Sat. If you walk in without a reservation, you can expect to wait for about five to ten minutes to be seated. Joyce the manager usually welcomes you and organised your seating. The food choice is varied and easily ordered by the attentive wait staff. The Sushi plates on the rotating track are very good value for money. I like how you can order freshly made choices. There are so many to choose from! Sashimi- Salmon, Tuna, King Fish, Scampi, Scallops or Sushi favourites like inside out rolls - Salmon Tobiki, spicy soft shell crab, crumbled chicken, spicy tuna and seared scallops. Hot dishes are also available. Freshly fried or steamed Pork Gyoza, Karaage Chicken, Takoyaki Balls and Crab Claws. Salads - Soy Beans, Seaweed and mixed green salads add to your meal experience. The main a la carte menu choices are also my favourite. Plenty of choices - Tempura prawn,Tempura vegetables, Tora Karaage (chicken), Chicken or Waggu Beef Teriyaki. All dishes are served with rice. If you have room for it at the end you must try the Boom Alaska - Pandan meringue, green tea ice cream, sponge cake and Pandan curd. A mouth watering treat! I know some reviewers are saying this is NOT true Japanese cuisine but 'look alike food' created by Koreans and Chinese. Well I'm telling you - it doesn't have to be made by Japanese to taste like real Japanese food. Food ingredients are the same regardless of who makes it! End of story.

Quite nice Japanese/Korean restaurant. Had the fried seafood yaki ramen noodle. It was good. Lots…read moreof different varieties of seafood. Noodles were well cooked and had good amount of chewiness. Friendly staff

Yatai is the best!! You probably wouldn't think too much of it, being a teeny tiny unassuming place…read morejust beside West Ryde station, but step inside and be wowed by the great food and warm and friendly service. We get food here at least once or twice a week. My favourites are the chicken katsu roll, which is breaded chicken and cream cheese yummy yummy goodness, and the grilled salmon sushi. My husband's favourite is the sashimi don which is steamed rice topped with sashimi slices and vege and hot chili sauce. We also love the takoyaki and often have to fight with each other about who gets a bigger half of the serving. They have bento boxes costing $14-$17 which are really great value considering you get a main dish with rice, sashimi, sushi and a side salad. The rice dishes are good too but I kind of prefer those from Tatsuya. Yatai's sushi rolls are pretty big and I often have problem finishing one order so I always have something leftover to takeaway. Their sushi and sashimi sets are also great value, but as I don't eat raw sushi or sashimi, my husband can only look at other diners who order these with wide eyed jealousy as he has no one to share the massive set with. Quite often during the evening rush when commuters are coming home from work, the place gets packed but service is quick so you don't have to wait too long for a table. We always get a smile and greeting from everyone from the servers to the chefs/cooks in the kitchen when we come and we go and it just adds so much more to the experience. Couple that with the great tasting and affordable food makes this restaurant a real winner.

This petite Japanese restaurant is one of my favourites, the food is always delicious. I usually…read moreget a bento box and so far I have gotten both the teriyaki salmon and chicken ones and they have both been great. They come with generous portions of fried prawn tempura, deep fried tofu, and much more in addition to miso soup. Their pork belly was also delicious; would definitely recommend. The waitress were so sweet and kind; and the food came out so fast. I love the cozy atmosphere this restaurant radiates and their food is delicious.

I found this sushi-train style restaurant really disappointing…read more The first thing that struck me was the bland appearance of each plate. Not much colour or excitement in any of the food - unlike the images posted on yelp. Sadly it also lacked flavour. My taste buds went to sleep after three plates of gluggy rice and unseasoned seafood so I just had to leave. A memorable experience for all the wrong reasons.

I've lived in Chatswood for 19 years now, and have eaten at every sushi place within the cbd…read more Sushi Kaido has been my favourite since I first started going there. Friendly staff, fresh food and sometimes they play soft jazz (I wish they did this more often). Overall once you come here you can forget about going to any other sushi places. Highly recommended that you try the Wagyu Beef with mayo and Teriyaki scallops.

Absolutely my new favorite sushi train in Sydney! Such a great variety in the menu, all of my usual…read morefavorites and a few more that I surprisingly really enjoyed. Even my picky Dad found his rare favorites, like sea urchin and salmon roe. The seafood was so fresh and beautifully cooked. Plates we ordered from the menu were quite fast to come out too. The Japanese-born waitstaff, chefs and owner especially were very helpful, attentive, friendly and polite. Great tasting food, short wait times, wonderful atmosphere and cheerful staff are the only criteria I need for a perfect casual dining restaurant to fill. Definitely made me miss my time in Japan!