Excellent service, great low key ambience. Tonkatsu was great. Buckwheat soba noodles were great. Kids were happy and parents were happy. Not a sushi place but the rest was great. read more

Great food and great service. The hotpot was amazing and the pictorial balls we're out of this world. Would highly recommend.

My friend recommended this place as one of her favourites but I was grossly disappointedly its tiny which means there is a queue. Once you enter you are quickly given the menus and asked to write down your choices on a piece of paper. Good luck trying to grab waitstaff attention. They will never make eye contact. Also expect to get the wrong order twice. Do not expect to get served water or glasses even if requested a few times. Food is adfordable. We had their eggplant starter and seafood croquette which were both nice. The plum rice was disappointing as it's white rice with flecks of dried plum. The seafood stirfry was mostly egg with two tiny prawns. Very disappointing And very inattentive and rude waitstaff read more

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Although the food was nice, the servings were so small that we were still hungry when we left...overpriced for the small portions we received as main meals. read more

I don't mean to be dramatic but THIS IS THE BEST JAPANESE I HAVE EVER TASTED... Okay now that that's over, Yamato is a cosy hidden Japanese eatery located in Corrs Lane. After a recommendation from a friend we ventured here after work and at first i was skeptical as the venue itself looks shabby but upon entering my eyes were met with cute Japanese decor and Japanese pop on the PA system. We were the first ones in here today and were served immediately by a very adorable Japanese girl who took great care of us whilst we ate. I have never eaten Tofu like i have here, it was prepared so well and had an abundance of flavour of which i have never experienced. I got the Agadashi Tofu to start and then Tofu Steak with rice for the main. I really cannot get over how great the eating experience was here. My friend and i ordered an entree each, a main and brought (BYO) a bottle of wine for us and the meal cost us just over $40. Pretty great value for money if you ask me! The only downside is that the seating arrangements are a bit weird, the chairs are unable to be adjusted and are very close to other patrons. But it's a small price to pay for such great food. read more

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Thank you once again Yelp app! After a bout of heavy meals we were looking for something lighter and came across this gem. Found in a laneway in Chinatown, you feel like you've stepped into a cosy restaurant in a Japanese village when you walk in. Cute atmosphere and great for a first date. We got the corner booth and proceeded to order the recommended Agedashi Tofu along with gyoza, sushi entree, and yakitori. The tofu was pretty good...not mind blowing like some other reviews but definitely worth ordering. The gyoza was actually the standout for me...this is some really tasty gyoza...so tasty we ended up ordering another. The yakitori was a pleasant surprise as well, didn't expect it to be that good. The sushi is what you'd expect for the price. This place is cheap and cheerful with a great atmosphere. Would definitely come again if I were looking for that. read more

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So glad I found this place on Yelp! It is so close to our hotel but almost impossible to find as it is tucked away in an alley way. The place is very cozy. I got the Yamato bento box and it came with so much food! My bento box came with miso soup, tempera, salmon sashimi, a salad with beef, and rice. Everything was good! Too bad I didn't find this place earlier, I would totally go back for more if I were staying longer. read more

Yamato Japanese Restaurant - Miso soup - Japanese Near Me - Melbourne, VIC

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This place is SUPER busy and it only Monday night at 20:00. One waitress working and she was working her A$$ off for everyone. Non stop hustling. I got my food super fast and it was amazing. I love finding these hole in the wall little restaurants around the world. Super hard to find but worth the confusion. This place is my new go to place in Melbourne when I crave sushi (ok I crave sushi all the time). read more

I have to admit I'm happy finding this quirky little find tucked nicely in Corrs Lane off Little Bourke Street. And to find it open TONIGHT(Monday) when Yelp says it's closed. I was over the moon happy. As we were going in, we were welcomed by 2 friendly wait staffs. We were seated by the sides of restaurant. This place being so small, the chair I sat on is bolted on the ground. The truth is, if I'm any fatter, I wouldn't have fitted. Decor is simple yet beautiful for this dainty little restaurant. It caters to a larger crowd as they have 2 private rooms(see pic). Wait staffs are awesome. They are attentive towards your needs. Orders came smoothly. We ordered agadashi tofu, fresh sashimi & sushi. Really enjoyed the plum wine. With added soda, its smooth easy to drink. One thing to share with fellow Yelpers... There were a couple behind us and they were very difficult the moment they sat down. They asked to change normal drinking glasses to wine glasses to drink their beer. And asked if they uses old oil for frying their tempura. The wait staff do not understand them when they mentioned the word "stale" but they handled it well & changing a new plate after consulting the chef re the frying oil. Kudos to the way they handled these "difficult" people that think just because they pay, they can pick on everything that's being served to them. This is definitely 1 quirky little Japanese restaurant that has left a huge impression in my heart. I'm so glad I found this gem tonight. read more

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You know when you hear good things about a place and it's on your list to try for ages? That was me and Yamato. I'm always on the lookout for outstanding Japanese restaurants. I'll confess my standards are high, I don't like fusion style and atmosphere is almost as crucial as the food when it comes to authentic Japanese. So this place kinda sucked. It's pretty small and rather crowded which isn't a big problem and would usually be a good sign but I feel it is probably stuffed these days with people who don't really know good Japanese food. Don't mean to sound snobby but seriously. It's authentic style decor and that's probably half the attraction for many diners, as well as a convenient location off Little Bourke down an alleyway and very friendly and polite staff. But the busy-ness gets the best of them and we weren't given attentive service (not even greeted or offered menus and our follow up drink order promptly forgotten). Luckily I was shoved in right next to tree bar/waitress station so just sorted myself out. But for me the biggest disappointment was the food. It was basically bad. I had tendon - not complicated at all - and it was poor quality ingredients slopped over rice with a bland sauce. I was glad I hadn't ordered more food. My friend had a Bento box. At $20 it is more than many places and although she didn't complain about the taste (I didn't ask) it didn't look tasty. Presentation was not the high quality I expect from Japanese either. It was shopping centre food court quality at restaurant price. So no, I cannot recommend this place at all. I think it passed its prime long ago. read more

Yamato Japanese Restaurant - The tendon was really not good - Japanese Near Me - Melbourne, VIC

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It's small and assuming, and it's location makes it barely noticeable, but spend enough time in Melbourne and someone is bound to let you in on the secret that is Yamato. It's a teeny tiny slice of Japan down a grubby lane in Chinatown serving perfectly wholesome, humble Japanese food. Nothing special, you won't get the best sashimi here, but the cosy atmosphere and the reasonable prices will keep you satisfied. I haven't been here in rather a long time actually. There are just too many other Japanese eateries in Melbourne now that simply serve up more authentic cuisine, but I know I'll be back for another serving of cosy cuteness. read more

Yamato Japanese Restaurant - Japanese Near Me - Melbourne, VIC

Started looking for somewhere for an early lunch in Chinatown and noticed a Japanese place at the end of Corr's Lane called Yamato. This tiny little Izakaya-style restaurant has wood-slat seats and tables affixed to the walls - the latter covered in Japanese prints, kabuki masks and posters advertising beer, sake and Suntory whisky. You could squeeze 20 people in here at a maximum, but today I had the whole place to myself. I ordered the Unagi Bento which came with two pieces of eel, a couple of octopus balls, four slices of seared salmon, a little bowl of seaweed, and pikes of rice and green salad. Really simple, really good. My meal also came with a bowl of miso soup filled with sliced mushrooms. A large flask of sake complemented the meal, which at $14 for 300 mls is at the lower end of the price spectrum for Melbourne. read more

Yamato is right next door to Sun Moth Canteen in Corrs Lane - Melbourne CBD, Its kind of smallish, lets say intimate as most Japanese places are. We chose to have many different items from the menu, I recommend this. It was great to eat little morsels washed down by icy cold beer. The service was also really good. I liked the fact that they weren't standing over you watching you eat, didn't harass you into ordering and didn't hurry you along soon as you finished eating read more

If I could, I'd rate this a solid 3.5 stars. Reasonably priced, filling, and generally good food. This tiny restaurant has a cozy vibe - my dinning companions and I stripped our shoes and settled in at a communal table at the back. We ordered a variety of dishes - from sushi to soup, entrees and mains. The tofu steak covered with bean sprouts, shiitake mushroom, and grilled onion with a sweet, dark sauce was popular with all four of us. Both the meat eaters and the vegetarians happily dug in. My least favourite was the soup with seafood and tofu. It tasted a bit cheap (to be fair, at $4.20 it was cheap.) The seafood bites were too rubbery and over cooked from sitting in the hot broth. Overall, the food was decent, although no big wow factor for me. The dishes arrived as they were ready, with no order to the entrees or mains. At the end of the meal, another adventure was in store for us. We ventured out into a narrow dark alley and entered a locked door to use the shabby chic toilets in a mini courtyard shared with the trash barrels. The bright, snug setting proved to be a comfortable place to share a chat while filling our bellies. read more

I think we can all agree that Melbourne's quite well known for harbouring really good restaurants and bars in small, some smelly, dodgy looking and sometimes frightening for the untrained adventurer lanes. Tucked on Corrs Lane just off Lonsdale St, Yamato is the quintessential representation of this fact. But before we go any further, first a fun fact: For those of youse unaware of this, Yamato (named after the Japanese Yamato Province) was the lead ship of the Yamato class of Battleships that served with the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. Apparently, Yamato and her sister ship Musashi were the heaviest and most powerfully armed battleships ever constructed, displacing 72,800 tonnes at full load and armed with nine 46 cm (18.1 inch) main guns. Sadly though, neither ship survived the war. Pretty interesting heh? Now, where was I? Right.. I would never have found this place if it weren't for Yelp. Yamato is a real gem, which you'd most likely find out about by word-of-mouth, Yelp or UrbanSpoon etc. We went for dinner prior to a night out on the booze train. The place is tiny, really tiny and, walking in, you immediately feel like you're in a small Japanese village such as Akita - Waving cats, refined pottery work, a private dining room at the back barred with a bamboo window. It feels very cozy though and I really like that. We had the banquet for 2 w/ some of the dishes being Gyoza, Sashimi, Steamed Chicken, and braised beef in a hot pot + Taro ice cream to finish off. Seriously, it was delicious and filling as well. For $30/head, it was totally worth it, you were full yes but in a good way full, just the way Japanese cuisine should make you feel. I totally recommend it - you might have to wait a few minutes to get a table if it's busy but it'll be worth waiting for and don't be put off by its surroundings; Yamato is one of the best Japanese I've had! read more

My only complaint would be that the size of premises is too small but nevertheless, the environment is cosy and the food is absolutely amazing. If you're looking for Japanese food which is delicious and very well prepared, you can't do better than here. read more

Melbourne is known for having great bars and restaurants hidden in back alleys and often seedy laneways. In fact, you can say the same thing about Japan (except for the seedy part). Yamato is another one of those gems that you'd probably never find unless someone told you about it. There's a real authentic feel here, from the simple décor and straightforward menu to the soft-spoken, friendly staff. The lunchboxes are a tasty value option here, pair it with a plate of gyoza, tempura, and sake, and I'm one happy little girl. The private room at the back is great if you can get it, especially for dinner. There are a lot of Japanese places around town that try to capture that whole 'Traditional, simple Japanese at a great price', but very few succeed and others totally miss the mark. For me, Yamato gets it right. read more

Yamato Japanese Restaurant - Japanese Near Me - Melbourne, VIC

I've never been to Japan, unfortunately. I've never eaten in a Tokyo restaurant. Unlike other Japanese restaurants in Melbourne, however, Yamato makes me feel like I might have a faint grasp on what it could be like. It's not that the food is good, although it is. It's not that the sake is good, although it's not bad either. It's that it's laid out very traditionally. The tables are low, the walls mostly bare. It doesn't feel like it's trying to be urban Australian. For that matter, it doesn't feel like it's trying to be Japanese, either - it simply is. I feel I should be taking off my shoes upon entering. read more

Anywhere that serves great, affordable sashimi away from the inner city hordes is fine by me! Its discreet back alley locale makes this an "in the know" style restaurant often referred by word of mouth. The restaurant is "cozy" and better for couple/threesome dining ( = The serves are not massive but they are tasty, the sizzling hot plate salmon steak + rice is delicious and around $15 total. The decor is heavily traditional Japanese influence combined with a Melbourne eclecticism, dark timbers, cushions, tapestry and best of all BYO! read more

Yamato Japanese Restaurant - Japanese Near Me - Melbourne, VIC

Yamato has an authentic Japanese restaurant feel to the place. The menu is meant to be shared. I wasn't impressed by the the pork belly main dish. However, I'll probably return to try their sushi menu. read more

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Service was excellent! Food was disappointing. Ordered Spicy Tuna Roll which presented poorly and literally fell to pieces when picked up and the chilli was a bit overpowering. Also ordered Udon soup with tempura prawn and veg. Also presented poorly. Way to much soup so the tempura was already drowning when it arrived at the table. The restaurant was cozy and staff very friendly and attentive. Pretty big let down since this place has received some really good reviews. read more

Yamato Japanese Restaurant - Japanese Near Me - Melbourne, VIC

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Exactly what you want in a CBD Japanese restaurant. I regret that I have one but one stomach to devote to their katsu curry don.

Agadashi tofu: non negotiable. Salmon steak is ugggghnnggghh. With a chill, cheesy and ad hoc vibe, this place somehow manages to cross the threshhold into cool. Some strange indefinable quality pushes it over the edge. I especially like it when you can sit in the back corners on lowered tables with cushions, japanese style, and they play jpop or hip hop at a very polite volume. Come here for a cheap and cheerful dinner in Chinatown if you've done Shanghai dumpling village and are ready for some next-level actually-delicious food. Also: great date destination for 20 somethings. read more

Love this quirky little gem. Been in this spot forever. Cozy, great value and perfect in winter for shared hot pots. Sushi is good. Loved the hot pork Kim hi dish. My favourite hotpot is salmon cheek and salmon. Asahi on tap. Not flshy just good reliable food. It's like getting a big hug. read more

Solid sashimi and great rolls, great barley tea and salaryman mains all make Yamato an excellent hideout in Melbourne's Chinatown. Highly recommend checking out their sake section which offers a selection of easy drinking varieties at great prices both 150ml and 300ml. read more

Real authentic Japanese feel here. Great food, set in a mini tight space that is always bustling with people. Traditional servings of great Japanese food. Noisy and small, not intimate but a great experience in a back Chinatown Lane. read more

Yamato is a great little Japanese restaurant, hidden down a laneway off Chinatown. It has a very cosy and intimate atmosphere that is more like sitting in an authentic Japanese home, rather than a restaurant, particularly when you're seated in the small cushioned room at the back that is separated by paper doors. The food is ideal for sharing amongst a group, rather than just ordering a main meal for yourself. And it's really delicious, quality food considering it's low price. Though there was a bit of a language barrier, the group that I went with still found it helpful to take some recommendations from our waiter, which definitely paid off! read more

This restaurant is adorbs and finger-lickin yummy. You may or may not enjoy the fact that it's a tiny hole-in-the-wall that fits maybe 35 people max, but it definitely had its charm for me. The sashimi was fresh and the fried eggplant and tofu were pure delish. Definitely a great place for an intimate dinner with friends. (Also open on Sunday nights which is a big + for Melbs). $25 minimum for cards. read more

Yamato Japanese Restaurant is the ultimate in Japanese dining. I heard about it from a friend of mine and we decided to go for a girls night out. I had never been there so it's a good thin she had. It's tucked up in an alley and hard to find but well worth it. We decided on a banquet for two and choose Gyoza, Sashimi, Steamed Chicken, and braised beef in a hot pot, and Taro ice cream for dessert. It was fantastic and as we sat there we contimplated our next dinner. We've already decided that next time we come here we're having miso soup, tempera, salmon sashimi, a salad with beef, rice, and Taro ice cream. It was a very filling meal and we are both looking forward to our next visit. read more

Beautiful clean bargain priced Japanese food. Friendly and efficient service. Love it.

This is the CUTEST little place! Really relaxed and comfortable, what I would imagine a home-y, family restaurant in Japan to really be like. Was so happy to stumble across it when having trouble finding somewhere simple and good in Chinatown. All the food was delicious and fresh. The atmosphere was lovely and the staff very helpful. Absolutely loved it, will be back! read more

I like sake. Drink was good. But food? No. I felt a little disappointed about the taste of food. The tofu soup was salty. And the environment was very loud and crowed. On average, it deserve three stars. read more

Cosy little hidden gem in the middle of Chinatown, we found it combining some exploration of the alleys and yelp. The service was very attentive, and the menu selection very authentic. We ordered a selection if starters (tofu based and eggplant based) and they were all delicious. Highly recommend. read more

Missed the night noodle market because of the weather and ended up in China town - I saw Yomato from there and my friends and I decided to try it. We shared gyoza, takoyaki, yakiniku and nabeyaki udon, and fried mochi for dessert. Everything was really nice and tasty - my favourites were the gyoza and yakiniku. Although I've been to nicer Japanese places - I usually spend 3x more - so this is definitely a place I'll visit again! read more

the food was sophisticated including some unique japanese flavours like yuzu fruit, whose citrus is far superior to the lemon. sake matching is its draw card, but the wine list is great too. that said, this place is perhaps a little too large in servings, taking away from the complex flavours, and the slogan on the restaurant front is a bit of a turn off. read more