Delicious and unique ramen with an excellent gluten free option. The service was quick and I was seated promptly since I was going to grab a quick meal alone, but it did look like it was possible to sit down for a few people as well. Definitely recommend this if you're looking for a satisfying yet fast dinner! read more

Chaco Bar - Tomato truffle - Japanese Near Me - Darlinghurst, NSW

I come from a town that has fine ramen. (Austin, Texas). I have had plenty of good ramen in Japan. But Chaco Ramen in Darlinghurst is better than any of my Austin places, And gives a lot of the Japanese places I have been to a run for their money. The wife had a vegan ramen with a tomato base and a first rate charred tomato. She was pleased. I had a scallop ramen with a scallop in it the size of a pool ball. The broth itself was outstanding. As a side dish we got fish dumplings that were die-and-go-to-heaven-worthy. I could eat ramen like this forever and forever and forever. read more

Had the fish salt ramen which was knock your socks off good. The special makes it super filling and a normal sized one is enough with how thick the broth was. The highlight was the fish dumplings, really juicy and flavorful. read more

Chaco Bar - Japanese Near Me - Darlinghurst, NSW

Excellent Japanese place! This tiny restaurant is typical from Japan, the place is small and you sit in wooden stoles. You will enjoy yakitori, ramen, gyoza and a lot more. They have two services for dinner and it is quiet busy so I recommend booking before going. We poped up without bookings on Friday and were lucky enough to be sitted directly! I tried the eggplant yakitori, homemade gyozas and the fried rice with fish :) Everything was cooked and spiced perfectly, the tastes were delicious ! The place reminded of my trip in Japan, the service is also really nice. I will definitely be a regular here, and good news they have a pop up restaurant in barangaroo until August ! They are constantly going out of ramens for lunch so it is a good news to double the chances in having a great lunch ! read more

Chaco Bar - Yakitori - Japanese Near Me - Darlinghurst, NSW

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Very good ramen, though a slight fishy aftertaste in the broth. Service is average, though the restaurant exudes a very authentic-ramen-place vibe. Keep in mind that they observe tight lunch hours. After 2 pm you will be out of luck. read more

Chaco Bar - Japanese Near Me - Darlinghurst, NSW

Hands down one of the best ramen places in Sydney ! I tried the Fish Salt ramen (comes with nori/ leek/ bean sprouts/ wontons/ chashu). The broth is flavorful (not too thick) and not too fishy. The noodles was cooked perfectly and the best part of the ramen is the wontons. Yum yum yum Definitely reminded me of my Kansai trip I would also recommend the gyoza. Slightly overpriced but the fillings are generous and they tasted delicious! I came here on a Saturday afternoon and there were not a lot of patrons but I can imagine this place being packed as it's a really small place. Cant wait to come back to try the Fat Soy ramen :) read more

Chaco Bar - Gyoza ($8) - Japanese Near Me - Darlinghurst, NSW

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Came here during dinner so didn't get to try their ramen. The restaurant has a cool design IMO. It's set around an apartment entryway with the left side for big groups, the center for "counter" seating, and the right for small groups or couples. I really appreciate this cause i could hear the group side getting rowdy but it in no way bothered me. I ate in relative peace. Sydney, from what I hear, isn't known for yakitori but Chaco does have parts not seen regularly. It's nice seeing chicken liver, fatty heart, or heart pipes plus a few other kushiyaki items. I was a little sad i didn't see chicken wings on there though, usually one of my favorites. Also they set up the meatball as a special item which makes it quite a bit more expensive than it should be. Everything tasted quite good though, just a few pieces here and there were inconsistently seasoned (big salt bombs) but otherwise flavors were on point and nothing was over cooked. Not perfect or amazing but serviceable. The tempura stuffed with seafood (cant remember name) was awesome and definitely something ive never had before. The staff was nice and helpful enough with an emphasis more on asian efficiency. No complaints for me there. Few reasons i can't give them 5 stars. Salad had a weird dressing, like old seafood aftertaste, hard to say but it was off putting for me. The chawanmushi tasted like corn chowder. I cant defend trying it if you're a person who loves the dish like i do. I still recommend it if you're looking for yakitori though. read more

Was not planning on eating out, let alone going to a yakitori bar for ramen, but as I was in the area.. For starters, the guy making it is from Fukuoka, also known as hakatta, where pork bone soup is Da Bomb! The ramen I ordered was the stock standard (with kata-men of course), which was served with half an egg and a couple of thick and juicy slices of chashu. And so it began.. The first mouthful had the delicious balance of pork fat and something light and fresh. Kind of like a leek soup mixed up with the best filling from a 551 butaman (Tokyo ppl may need to research this). It was delicious. The ramen was the perfect thickness and cooked very well. And as I devoured it all, the very last swig from the bowl, the fresh taste of black pepper (though not an ordinary one) left me almost needing to order another one. If you like ramen as much as I do, pony up the $13, and get yourself here for lunch. It was well worth it. read more

Chaco Bar - Japanese Near Me - Darlinghurst, NSW

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I haven't been here for dinner yet, I only knew about this place because I heard about their ramen lunch specials from Wednesday to Friday. Get in early cause it packs up quick here...they have two ramen choices on offer, Fat Soy and Fish Salt. I'm not one for fishy broths, so I opted for the Fat Soy. Sorry...just doesn't appeal to me, same goes for Asam Laksa. With the Fat Soy you can choose your the fat level of your broth...from minimal to extra fatty. You know what I opted for...extra fatty. I also added nori and extra chashu as you only get half an egg by default. Total price was around $18, not too shabby as portions are decent. This ramen was really great, definitely see myself coming back and in my top 5 now. No complaints about the ramen at all, only wish it came with more toppings by default. read more

Chaco Bar - Fat Soy - Japanese Near Me - Darlinghurst, NSW

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Good, authentic Japanese ramen hidden on a suburban street in Darlinghurst. You feel like you're in Japan as you enter the small, wooden doorway and make your way into the small space. The ramen? Best in Sydney after Ippudo, and boy have I tried a lot of ramen. The ramen noodles are springy, just the right texture - better than Ippudo's. There was a choice of 3 broths, and they all taste super healthy and have a distinct taste of fresh ingredients, almost like you're eating a diet version / Jenny Craig ramen. Maybe it was too healthy, or the lack of fattening tonkatsu broth on the menu, for me to rate it the best ramen ever. Loved the choice of pork belly options - 4 choices from a thick rim of fat on the pork belly, to no fat at all. It's a shame that during the weekends, ramen is only served on Saturday during lunch. Well, I cleared my weekend at last and made it here and it was well worth the trip! read more

Chaco Bar - Japanese Near Me - Darlinghurst, NSW

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My favourite Japanese izakaya in the whole of Sydney. The first ever proper yakitori place. The only thing that I'd criticise is that they don't have enough veggie option here. You can't go wrong with any of these: tsukune, any of the yakitori, eggplant miso, fig and spinach goma ae, pig ear salad, daily rice. Hmm I just listed the whole menu. My mission is to be a regular here. read more

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We originally wanted to visit this place for their ramen, however only arriving to find out that ramen was only on Monday's! However... we were not disappointed. We ordered majority of dishes off their specials menu which usually changes every week or so. We ordered the: Bone Marrow, Scallop and Kimchi Rice what a delicious combination. The well balanced flavours "Happy Hens" Healthy Organic Yolk, TAS Truffle Reggiano and House made bonito soy. John Dory - Tiger prawn dumplings The atmosphere was low lit and intimate. Great for a cosy dinner amongst a few, however they have a larger dining table at the front of the restaurant for bigger groups. The restaurant has a small space and you can hear the kitchen from anywhere you sit, giving it a great atmosphere read more

Im only giving this a 4 star because of the complexity of getting to eat here - variable hours and sometimes takes reservations and sometimes doesn't but always packed. That's the only negative. Make sure to call ahead. It's very tight seating too with no back so make sure you can sit with good posture for the whole meal very close to your neighbors. The food is excellent. We had the Goyza, skewers, fried rice balls, eggplant, and two deserts. Everything was fairly small portion except the Goyza but everything was incredibly good. The service was great. The atmosphere is authentic. read more

Wow! Salt Fish Ramen! If you are craving some hearty goodness but are trying to be healthy the Salt fish option could be for you. Got there just after 12 and bet the rush (seriously). My crew went for the standard ramen, full of porky goodness without selecting the extra fat option, that way you can choose how much of the porky broth you finish off after the noodles have been slurped up. The lighter Salt Fish option still comes with Char Siew and a couple of fish dumplings to boot - perfect for a cold grey winter day. The story goes they kept running out of ramen, but now have a larger pot so the hungry can be accommodated. Totally want to come back at night for some of their dinner menu, or even later at night to work my way through the Japanese Whisky selection.... read more

We really liked this place for ramen/lunch - you can tell it's the real deal b/c there's only a certain amount set every day and when it's out, it's out! Ramen was delicious. Have yet to come here for dinner. Cons - dislike that it's always closed! Sunday AND Monday ... really? And they just recently threw up a sign saying they're closed for two weeks. :( Another con - CASH ONLY. It's 2015 people! Get with the program. read more

Came here for dinner and wasn't too impressed. The food took a long time to be served and it wasn't busy. I had the chicken wing, chicken thigh, and spicy lamb. The lamb was my favorite. The chicken wing was in some type of Yuzu sauce and that was okay. I also tried the crispy mayo prawns. That was gross. It was drenched in a sweet kind of sauce. Just too much for my liking. After reading all the reviews about this place I was excited to try it. But it didn't really impress me at all. Probably wouldn't come back. read more

Chaco Bar - Chicken meatballs and cold egg. - Japanese Near Me - Darlinghurst, NSW

I cannot comprehend how this place has managed to get outstanding reviews. Parts of my meal were either completely bland -- the skewers particularly were indistinguishable from different kinds, and were topped with unseasoned cabbage with soy sauce poured on top. The skewers would have been better with pickled vegetables or some kind of salad. The foie gras was the worst part though. Absolutely no taste of foie gras -- completely overpowered by a ridiculous amount of orange jam. Combined with eggplant, the texture was akin to orange flavoured slime. Service was standard asian restaurant service -- efficient and direct, but with the price range of an upscale establishment. read more

The food is tasty but it's just too expensive. Spent over $100 for two on Yakitori (japanese bbq) and we were still hungry. Overall, It was a good experience, but we wont be rushing back. read more

First off, you really need to book ahead for a seating. Business is THAT good! If you're looking for great izakaya/yakitori in Sydney, then this is your place! The Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide review was spot on. Progression was very relaxed but the seasoning, smoke from the grill, and menu offerings make up for it. read more

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Visiting Sydney and ate at Chaco Bar on TripAdvisor recommendation. Glad I did. Excellent experience. Small restaurant that takes care in preparation. Meatball/egg dish was my favorite, but everything was very good. Service was thoughtful and attentive. Would eat here again, and again ... but alas, I was only visiting Sydney from the US. read more

It was our first night in Sydney and Yelp highly recommended this place for ramen on a Monday night. We stop in and the Fat Soy ramen was amazing. read more

No Yakitori till mid-February and actually was "closed" before 9:30PM. Appreciate the inaccuracies from who was, at one point, a very excited visitor. read more

Wow! Super authentic yakitori sticks (including all the less common ones like chicken heart and cartilage). Make sure you book though!