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    Izakaya Den

    4.2 (61 reviews)
    Open 12:00 pm - 2:30 PM, 5:30 PM - 10:30 PM

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    Sitting at the bar. Chef's cooking.
    Steven V.

    I was severely disappointed by this place that had been on my bookmark list since arriving in Melbourne. And straight up, the main reason for that is the pricing/portions, given the environment you're in, is off. For what is offered, I find the pricing to be absurdly exploitative. The drinks and dishes are really yummy, and well laid out, with an extensive drinks menu, and the place has an underground, casual busy trendy CBD bar vibe. But it definitely accommodates to a yuppy type demographic of people that doesn't know their way around town or mind being ripped off in exchange for feeling they're doing something exotic and Japanese. I've been to tons of Izakaya places, in Japan and in Melbourne, and this place exploits the essence of what Izakaya is supposed to be - super yummy, bar food, to get drunk with, for reasonable to above average prices. Here you pay about $20+ for a dish, that is absurdly tiny, even for Izakaya standards. We were recommended to get five, and after polishing them off, we were starving. Throw on some Sake/wine, and you're sitting on a $150 check within 15min, feeling totally unfulfilled and unattended to. You literally need about 8-10 of these dishes to feel like you ate something. The scallops, were 3 scallops for $20 that were each the size of poker chips in circumference and thickness. The sashimi, $20, is 6 tinily cut pieces about the size of the end of your thumb. And the mixed pickles, usually free at Izakaya places, is $8. These things are twice as expensive as they should be. This place is basically an expensive and crowded bar, that has some Japanese cuisine informed nibblies on offer. If you want to have a nice, enjoyable Izakaya meal for 2 here: couple cocktails while waiting in the lounge, wine/Sake, and enough dishes to feel content, not even full, you're looking at a $300+ bill. Which for me, is insane, especially when Fitzroy and Melbourne is now covered in wonderful Izakaya places where you can eat, drink and chat to the chefs about Japan if you want and have a great extended time for half the price. Also, in Japan, Izakaya is usually a moderately priced, Mom+Pop run affair to chomp on some sashimi and beer. This is not that. You're hardly attended to here, just in the midst of a massive crowd, which is cool and I like sometimes, but not justified with these prices/portions. I reckon if they knock off 25% off all their prices, or added 50% to the size of their dishes, this place would be justified. But as of now it just seems like a CBD yuppy trap. If it was the only Izakaya place in town, I might return, but considering I'm in Melbourne, with so many better Izakaya places on offer, I'd never come back here.

    Laura N.

    Yes. This is exactly what I was hoping to stumble upon here in Melbourne, and I can honestly say that this was one of my favourite dining experiences. Ever. First off, you would have no idea that the den is near. I know Melbs is known for this, but it's not tucked away down a laneway, it's not in some far-off, über hip 'hood, (cough, Brunswick, cough) it's right in the CBD. It's just very secretive. Once you descend the stairs into the den, you're presented with a cavernous space that would make a lover of urban, industrial-chic piddle him/herself with joy. It's so cool it kinda hurts - menu specials blasted up on the walls, a long dine-up bar, open kitchen, servers running this way and that with shrimp the size of your head, you know the type. To my bar-fluent Japanese-speaking friend's delight, the staff was all Japanese and appeased him by pretending to understand his orders. Sitting at the bar is definitely the way to go as you get the true see-before-you-buy experience. It only took one look at the shrimp, barramundi, kingfish sashimi, den-fried chicken and wagyu beef for the three of us to fully commit to the family style gorge-sesh, and not one dish disappointed. The 5-star rating is really a sum of all of Izakaya den's parts. Great location. Fantastic vibe. Great staff. Superior food. Wonderful service. Excellent sake. Co-ed bathrooms. Savvy clientele. In fact, the more I think about it, I hope you don't stumble upon this den anytime soon so I can keep it all to myself!

    Arabella G.

    Bringing new meaning to the expression 'hidden gem', Izakaya Den is arguably Melbourne's most well-hidden-best-kept-Japanese-secret. Literally located first behind a seemingly impenetrable door and then down some stairs and through one resplendently heavy and voluminous black curtain in a space underneath Russell Street, Izakaya Den is worth the schlep. A long, narrow space that brings to mind NYC's more chic eateries, Izakaya Den is one part bar to one part awesome Japanese restaurant and is all class. I spent a couple of hours at Izakaya a few nights ago putting away a gorgeous bottle of red wine and some pretty incredible food. The Den-fried chicken, served with a generous portion of yummy Japanese mayonnaise was particularly good as was the beef tataki served on fresh wasabi and topped with wasabi cream. Izakaya's staff are gorgeous and sweet, its decor breathtakingly chic, its wine list impressive, its food incredible and don't even get me started on its toilets. Come on now, how many restaurant toilets have mirrors INSIDE the cubicles so that you can check your teeth for rogue nori in private? All in all one of the best dining experiences I've had in Melbourne.

    Oscar C.

    Being fresh eyed and new in Melbourne we were recommended Izakaya Den. As most reviews say it's difficult to find unless you know the way but it's down a little set of stairs so keep an eye out for some as you cross Little Collins street. The interior felt almost industrial with dimly lit high ceilings and exposed services. A great ambiance and mood lighting. The mirror at the back extends the perspective of the place as you sit. The seating can be uncomfortable if you're not used to high tables and low sofa's but it's like most bar seating. The toilets were interesting! First surprised me as I realised they were unisex. Having taken it all in and sat we got to ordering as many different dishes as we could, not to mention spending ages trying to decide which drinks to get; there's a large selection and the plum wine turned out to be perfect with our meal. We ordered the Den Fried Chicken (essentially karaage), the sweet corn, kingfish, salmon, wagyu, the tofu, the green bean salad, and the broccoli and black fungi; sharing it around the table. The food was prompt and the waiters were the highlight always being attentive with water and food. Now to the food. Although very well presented and cooked, it felt lacking. It had a very Nobu-esque feel to it all and sadly seemed very unoriginal. The Japanese fusion trend has been done to often and too much, this was no exception. The dishes often had accompanying sauces or spices that fit perfectly together and the swordfish and den fried chicken were absolutely delicious. I couldn't help but feel however it had all been done before, especially by more prominent restaurants. The food missed that explosive quality, sometimes less is more but less can be bore without a catalyst to help accentuate the tastes. I finished feeling somewhat disappointed, not to mention the price tag that comes with it. I can't help but feel it was a great attempt at something fresh but fell down the trap of regurgitating already popular food trends, without the extra touch to call itself original. Edit: I'm a huge fan of tofu and what can be done with it. The tofu here was a bit of a disappointment again! It wasn't cooked in any new distinctive way and felt like they threw it into the menu! Don't take the harsh criticism as it being a bad place to eat, but definitely don't expect to be wow'd by it either. A good place to have a great selection of drinks and ambience, and that is one half of a great restaurant and would make me return, as long as I keep it to one dish or two.

    Cute water glasses
    Amita S.

    When finding this place think logically - there's no obvious signs out to tell you. So take your time! Love this place. Great for a social feed. Place is pricey but justified I reckon. Food is authentic and a joy to eat. Staff are friendly and helpful. Small touches like the menu presentation and the kawaii water glasses are charming. You gotta try the black sesame brûlée - oh my goodness! All the dishes we ordered were divine. I'll come back again! I really can't fault them!

    Evan K.

    My sister and mother came from over West and i really wanted to impress them. This place is apparently all the rage amongst my friends. Izakaya Den is one of the greatest eating experiences i have ever had. It took us a while to find the place (We must have looked like complete lunatics walking around Russell St for 20 minutes) but once we found the stairs that led down to the fine dining experience, we were overwhelmed by the decor. Once you open the door and whisk yourself through the black curtains and down some more stairs you'll enter into an open eating arena. We were met with a really pleasant petit woman who informed us they were fully booked but a table should open up in 15 minutes or so. We sat on the couches and ordered a bottle of wine to start us off (I love that all the menus are served as scrolls!). They have a pretty large drinks menu and a bottle of red or white will seat you back anywhere from $45 - $300. As we drunk we enjoyed the fresh beats that were playing, a bit of a hip hop chill-lounge feel. We were seated at a table and met with some more friendly staff and begun to order some menu items. The food came out promptly and we sampled each item to be met with an explosion of flavour and delight in each one. I had the steam veggies and tofu, eggplant and mushroom and eggplant tempura. Not a complaint in the slightest. We ordered another bottle of red (this is when the d&m's begun) and we finished it all off with the white chocolate fondu for 2. A selection of berries and nuts come with the white chocolate and it was a perfect way to finish off the night. We got the bill ($205 for three people) and found our way home. My sister and mother were completely and utterly impressed.

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    The corn balls and the barramundi are great. Very trendy atmosphere and its fun to chat with the chefs as they cook your dinner.

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    Page 1 of 2

    Review Highlights - Izakaya Den

    d. Kingfish Sashimi ($18) - I'm fickle about Kingfish and unfortunately I didn't enjoy i

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    Akachochin - Flash torched salmon

    Akachochin

    4.0(37 reviews)
    2.0 kmSouth Wharf
    $$

    This place gets 3/5 from me because I had a special -50% discount on TheFork. At full price, it is…read moreprobably 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.

    Sometimes there's those restaurants that win you over in a quiet, subtle, way. The ones you find…read moreyourself 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. .

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    Akachochin
    Akachochin
    Akachochin

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    Gochi - Chicken teriyaki

    Gochi

    4.4(9 reviews)
    1.5 kmSouthbank
    $$

    Came here for dinner…read more The sushi was absolutely delish! After one bite it was a party in my mouth. Tastebuds were happy! I ordered salmon avocado and ebi panko. The ebi panko had prawn, cucumber and spicy mayo. Both were delicious and fresh. I also had traditional ramen which was equally delicious! It had original pork broth, thin noodles, bean shoot, spring onion, egg. and seaweed. Absolutely delish dinner!

    If you had to eat the same meal for the rest of your life what would it be? Mine is SUSHI!…read more It's filling, delicious, affordable, easy and healthy! Ticks all them great boxes. As my family and I walked in to Gochi service was delivered straight away with it also being a busy environment. We were seated and served water and the menus which got me excited. I ordered the cprisy chicken, tempura prawn and cprisy salmon (with you had to ask for as it's not being on the menu). There was an order of 15 fresh sushi rolls and the wait, well I wouldn't even call it a wait. Service was defiantly spot on here with great time management. The sushi was presented lovely all cut up with ginger and wasabi on the side, yum! Everything about Gochi is amazing! -Great quality of food -Great customer service -Presentation wise of the overall place was beautiful with cute Japanese quotes all over the place. Was a great experience not only for myself but for my family with haven't tried sushi before. So it was an interesting lunch for them to finally listen to what all my bragging is about haha. See you again soon Gochi!

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    Gochi - Salmon avocado and Ebi Panko roll

    Salmon avocado and Ebi Panko roll

    Gochi
    Gochi - Traditional pork ramen

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    Traditional pork ramen

    Izakaya Den - japanese - Updated May 2026

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