Authentic Izakaya
in Sydney.

Choji Yakiniku is Chatswood's flagship yakiniku destination and the founding venue of the Azabu Group, built around Japanese chefs Tomoyuki Matsuya and Takashi Yamamoto, whose deep shokunin spirit transforms premium wagyu into an omakase-worthy experience. The ground-floor yakiniku restaurant also houses the intimate upstairs Chef's Table, where Matsuya's nightly menu blurs the line between Japanese barbecue and fine dining.

Gaku Robata Grill is a one-hatted Darlinghurst restaurant opened in 2018 by Japanese chef-owners Haru Inukai (from Nagano, trained at Tsuji Cooking School and Robuchon Tokyo) and Shimon Hanakura (culinary school-trained in Fukuoka). The robata grill drives a menu of Australian and Japanese wagyu, seasonal produce, and tapas-style portions designed to be shared over sake.

Ibushi is the ground-floor robata grill of the Prefecture 48 dining precinct, where executive chef Takashi Yamamoto commands a charcoal fire station inside the heritage Foley Brothers building on Sussex Street. The name — meaning 'smoked appearance' in Japanese — signals the kitchen's defining technique: bold, fire-forward cooking applied to Australian and Japanese wagyu, seafood, and seasonal produce.

One of Sydney's oldest and most revered izakayas, Izakaya Masuya has anchored the CBD with Kyoto-style hospitality since the Masuya Group opened its doors in 1993. Head chef Yoshioka, originally from Kyoto, leads a kitchen devoted to delicate small plates, charcoal skewers, and seasonal omakase courses.

Kuro is a polished Japanese-French restaurant in Sydney's CBD, where chef-owner Taka Teramoto — trained at Michelin-starred Pages in Paris and Florilège in Tokyo — fuses deep Japanese culinary heritage with European technique. Premium wagyu, fresh sashimi, and a thoughtful sake and cocktail programme anchor the experience.

Musou Yakiniku on Pitt Street is the yakiniku sibling of Sydney's beloved Yasaka Ramen — a Japanese-run wagyu BBQ restaurant combining all-you-can-eat buffet options with premium a la carte wagyu and sukiyaki, managed by Japanese floor manager Kosame. Touch-screen ordering, premium full-blood wagyu, and a weekday sukiyaki buffet make it one of the CBD's most versatile Japanese BBQ experiences.

Rengaya is the restaurant that introduced Australia to authentic Japanese yakiniku in 1993, making it the country's oldest continuously operating Japanese barbecue. Located in North Sydney, it is led by Nagoya-born chef Yamada who has been at the grill for over a decade, overseeing premium wagyu cuts, specialty sashimi, and the house ritual of table-top charcoal cooking.

Saké Restaurant & Bar at The Rocks has anchored Sydney's Japanese dining scene since 2010, occupying a split-level heritage space in the Argyle Precinct. Executive Chef Shimpei Hatanaka — a second-generation Japanese sushi chef who joined the original launch team — oversees a menu spanning sushi bar, robata grill, and inventive small plates.

Sekka Dining is a refined modern izakaya in St Leonards Square where Japanese head chef Hideto Suzuki — formerly of Manpuku and Ichibandori — delivers award-worthy ramen alongside yakitori skewers, sharing plates, and a thoughtfully curated wine list. It represents Sydney's best example of the elevated izakaya format.

Suminoya has been bringing authentic Japanese yakiniku to Sydney's CBD since 2000, making it the city's longest-running city-centre Japanese barbecue restaurant. Operated by the same yakiniku.com.au group as Rengaya in North Sydney, it occupies a cosy loft-style space in the Hosking Place laneway, where premium wagyu, ox tongue, and seasonal meats are grilled tableside over real charcoal.

Tajima Yakiniku in the Sydney CBD is a premium wagyu yakiniku and Japanese barbecue restaurant steered by Japanese Executive Head Chef Takashi Yamamoto — known as Taka-san — whose Japanese culinary background and connection to the Yasaka Group ensure rigorous quality standards at every cut and every grill. Seven-days lunch and dinner service, with OpenTable reservations available.

Amuro is a 20-seat boutique sake room in Darlinghurst where Japanese owner Kei Tokiwa celebrates the foundational role of rice in Japanese culture. The rotating daily menu of simple, elegant Japanese small plates — sashimi, tempura snacks, ochazuke rice bowls, seasonal desserts — is designed as the ideal companion to Amuro's curated selection of boutique nihonshu.

A colourful, retro-inspired izakaya on Darling Quarter's Harbour Street, co-owned by Japanese restaurateurs Ari K. and Yuki Ishikawa. Sushi is overseen by acclaimed chef Shinsuke Toda, with a curated sake and shochu menu crafted by certified sake sommelier Chiaki Komura.

Izakaya Fujiyama is Surry Hills' beloved Japanese izakaya and sake bar, operated by Hokkaido-born owner-chef Kenji Maenaka, whose restaurant has earned consistent critical acclaim since 2008. Sushi chef Taketoshi Iwama brings additional Japanese-trained depth to a menu spanning robata-grilled skewers, sashimi, and one of Sydney's most carefully curated sake lists.

Izakaya Uomichi is a sake-and-sashimi izakaya nestled within the Regent Place Japanese dining cluster on Level 9 of the George Street complex, where chef Tomoo Kai leads a kitchen committed to authentic Japanese flavours and izakaya culture. The menu spans teishoku lunch sets, fresh sashimi platters, and modern Japanese small plates built to complement an extensive sake list.

Izakaya Yebisu brings the convivial energy of a Tokyo neighbourhood pub to the heart of George Street, with seven-days trading, Japanese small plates, okonomiyaki, and a broad sake list. Relaunched in October 2024 under its original Yebisu name following a full renovation, it is overseen by manager Takuma, who trained across multiple Japanese restaurant genres in Tokyo before coming to Sydney.

Koromo by Jazushi is a Pyrmont counter-dining bar specialising in golden kushikatsu (Japanese panko-crumbed skewers), handcrafted whisky highballs, and a moody jazz soundtrack curated by co-owner Yuki Ishikawa. Japanese owner-chef Yutaro Takashima, who brings over 20 years of culinary experience, established Koromo in 2024 as a sibling to his acclaimed Jazushi restaurant in Surry Hills.

My Zakaya is a cosy, personal izakaya in Surry Hills helmed by Japanese owner-chef Nobu Maruyama, who has run the venue since 2021 alongside his Marunaka Japan crafts shop in the same address. The concise, season-driven menu spans traditional izakaya small plates, housemade ramen, and creative daily specials.

Named after Tokyo's Nakano ward, Nakano Darling is the Hatena Group's Haymarket izakaya — a late-night den of house-made karaage, scratch gyoza, horigotatsu seating, and a floor staffed entirely in Japanese. Co-founded and shaped by Japanese co-founder Mitomo Somehara, the venue has been praised by Japanese visitors as indistinguishable from a Tokyo izakaya.

Nomidokoro Indigo is an 11-seat sake izakaya tucked into Liverpool Street in Darlinghurst, conceived by the Hatena Group as a hole-in-the-wall celebration of Japanese sake culture. Executive chef Hideyuki Kato designs a focused food menu built to complement an extensively curated sake list under Japanese co-founder Mitomo Somehara's guidance.

Yakiniku Yokocho is the flagship yakiniku restaurant of Yokohama-born Japanese chef and managing director Kazuki Arai, located on Level 9 of Regent Place in the Sydney CBD. The concept re-creates the charged, neon-lit energy of Japan's BBQ alleyways, where diners self-grill premium wagyu and seasonal meats at table-top grills.

Tachinomi YP is a 30-square-metre walk-in standing bar in Crows Nest, built by the Hatena Group to re-create the tachinomi (stand-up drinking) culture unique to Japan's tight urban bar scene. Japanese co-founder Mitomo Somehara designed the counter as a place where whisky highballs, beers on tap, and daily-prepared snacks are shared over brief, honest conversation.