MY FAVOURITE JAPANESE FOOD IN MELBOURNE

Here are my favourite places to eat Japanese food and source Japanese products in Melbourne (as someone who has lived in Japan for more than 14 years.)
See here for my full list of my favourite restaurants to visiting as a family in Melbourne.

The Balaclava / Chapel Street area
My personal favourite Japanese restaurant for dinner in Melbourne is Bounty of the Sun. Make reservations as it is popular. It’s a big fancy so I’d only visit here with kids who can do without a kids menu and can sit quietly at the table.

Elsternwick
Shoten Sushi & Grocery
This is such a fab spot to grab made to order sushi and sashimi and ready made bentos. and it’s a store full of Japanese groceries. If I had my way, I’d go here every day. The staff here are all Japanese and are so so kind. The freezer section stocks ice-creams, mochi, gyoza, croquettes, gyoza “skins,” fillets of fish. The SUSHI HERE IS INCREDIBLE!!! INCREDIBLE!
Keep in mind that they are closed on Mondays.
They are open until 6pm every day except for Monday.
There is a car park directly behind the store (access via Stanley street) then just walk through Chemist Warehouse and you’re right there!

My shopping haul from Shoten Sushi & Grocery.
From top left (clockwise):
Jumbo (ice-cream sandwich bar – I speak about it in detail here along with my other favourite Japanese convenience store snacks), Yoghurt Gummies, Nigiri & Hosomaki Bento Pack, Seaweed Salad Mix, Yakisoba Sauce.

Made to order sushi and chirashizushi at Shoten Sushi & Grocery Elsternwick.

Japanese plates, bowls and other goods. Shoten Sushi & Grocery. Elsternwick.

Just some of the groceries sold at Shoten Sushi & Grocery in Elsternwick.

Another Haul from Shoten Sushi & Grocery
Alfort Chocolate Coated Biscuits, Frozen Yaki-Onigiri, Yoghurt flavoured Gummy Candy, Sushi bento, Pocari Sweat.

Albert Park
In my opinion, the best take-out Japanese bentos in Melbourne, Moonfishh. These guys do handrolls, pokebowls and salads (sashimi or fried tofu) and also Japanese bentos. They also do catering (big sushi platters etc.) See the Moonfishh website here. You can read all about Moonfishh, Albert Park on Tripadvisor here.
They have high chairs here and it’s common to see parents sitting outside with kids for morning tea or lunch. After lunch at Moonfishh, you can go to Albert Park Library to check out their children’s kids book section or visit St Vincents Gardens playground (have a sushi picnic here!!!!!) OR You could buy this and then drive down to the beach at the end of Victoria Ave or the Plum Garland Memorial Playground to eat it !

Plum Garland Playground by the beach. We call this my daughter’s playground as it was being built while I was pregnant and was ready by the time she was born. My kids both love the little diggers in the sandpit.

The sashimi poke bowl and 2 x handrolls from Moonfishh, Albert Park.

The indoor counter seating inside Moonfishh, Albert Park.

Clayton
Chayo in Clayton is SO good for lunch. Authentic teishoku options. Afterwards, shop at Minimaru and then go to the Japanese section of Hong Kong Supermarket.