Review Irori Japanese Restaurant - Brighton

After few years we have returned to Irori. And we did enjoy all meals as before. Our entires Isuzukuri (fresh fish) was excellent. Nasuden (eggplant) was nice too. Main meals: Unagi Don (eel) was nice but I have to admit we had better. Still nice. And seafood Teppaniki was so tasty and melting. Service was very friendly and polite. Restaurant is BYO. Corkage $3.50 per person. Can't wait to come back again.

freshly served sashimi, it was sooo delicious.. their staff suggested the golden roll, it was coated with some crunchy fried bits, yummy!

Always outstanding… my family and I really love the Japanese food they make. We dine in occasionally more frequent on take away Highly recommend 🙌

That was very nice and we had been here for few times already! It’s good to come and eat every single week. But there’s always a queue when you want to eat at dinner time.

This place is good but not excellent. We arrived just as it opened and were attended to quickly, but as dinner progressed, they filled up and were so busy they never came by after doing off the food so we couldn't ask for more tea or water and had to finally flag someone down to get our bill. The sushi itself was presented nicely. The fish was good but not great and the rice was cold and firm like it was the leftovers from yesterday.

Good food. Wouldn’t say the sushi is amazing but it’s definitely good, the variety of fish is standard (low)

Disappointing. Food was reasonably good. Setting was a bit crowded and noisy. Service was the issue. Kept getting told that what we had previously ordered was not available after food never turned up. No desert at all. No Tempura at all. Seemed like they were pushing us out to make way for the next sitting time. Disappointing.

We love Irori so much that we get it every week when we visit my parents. We are all massive sushi-lovers and we all agree that Irori is the best we've ever had. Their Sashimi is absolutely unbeatable and the finest quality. The staff are extremely friendly and generous. I cannot rate this place highly enough! Six, seven stars if I could!

Been going here for years and it’s always packed, for a good reason. While not the cheapest option around the prices reflect the quality of the food, which is outstanding. The gyoza and teriyaki salmon are favourites.

Reviewed this from Zomato and decided to go there to have a dinner yesterday. Unfortunately, I felt a bit disappointed at the food due to overrated. Sashimi set was good, the taste of Unagi Don were quite okay, but sadly to say that the Temdon taste was not as much as our expected as well. Staffs were okay, but I do not really like the environment because the space was too crowd when tables are full, and also the table is very sticky. For me, I would not going there again because the value is not worth at it.

Really great night had here<br/>We had a couple of Irori platters, I can’t fault it, the sushi was fresh and tasty, the California rolls and golden rolls were perfect <br/>If I had to make one criticism it would be, please just leave the bottle of soy sauce on the table , it’s very frustrating having to wait for staff to come over to refill our dishes

I have dined far and wide, internationally even, Japanese being one of my favs, but the service and food at Brighton’s Irori is a stand-out. A must-try if you like the culinary delights that is Japanese cuisine. Five stars - no doubt. A casual dining experience yet top shelf on the food. BYO wine. Say ‘hi’ to Andy at the helm... yum, yum, yum! Perfect blend of relaxed environment, great taste and well priced at that. Will definitely go again... #japanese #erikbigalk IRORI #goodfoodguide Zomato

We went there with our friends a group of 5 ,The food was delicious however we had to wait about 30 min from one dish to another.They forgot our main course and after reminding them 3 times and getting confirmation each time that will come in a minute, It never came .They told us that they served it but after noticing they haven't the owner told us that it was waitress's mistake to take the order and she had forgotten to write it down .We had to stop by in another place on our way home because we were still hungry and waited so long .It is a shame that nice food doesn't come with very very basic service in a Thursday night with less that 10 customers in the restaurant. I personally wouldn't go back and would recommend them to improve their service and have more respect to their customers. What a shame!

Fantastic food, fantastic service and a great vibe of a restaurant! Can’t kept enough of their sushi and cocktails and would highly recommend to anyone and everyone. Edamame beans are a must also with a few cocktails

Amazing fresh fish, and yummy food. always love coming here. I have been about 30 times. Relaxing, hidden gem in north brighton. Cant get enough 😊

Tiny, hole in the wall kind of place with great food. Based on looks you might not expect much but the sushi & sashimi are beautiful and fresh, salads are yum. Never had a bad dish or service there.

Best Japanese in Brighton! Friendly customer service and you can always try something new and it won't disappoint. Although it's slightly pricey you definitely get what you pay for. We go there frequently and get: Teriyaki salmon, golden roll sushi platter and pork gyoza. If you live in Brighton it's a must go!

Will come back for:<br/>+ Irori Sushi Platter<br/><br/>Was in the area and read about this place, so thought we give it a go for dinner. We ordered a bit of everything, and tried the 2 types of soups (miso and fish stock), mixed tempura (some of the vegetable tempura was a tad soggy and the serving small for the price), the yakitori, fried squid, and the Irori platter. Aside from the platter, I find the servings generally quite small for the price you pay. <br/><br/>The sashimi on the platter was a stand out though (fresh and well treated), and the rolls were great (great mouth feel with lots of mayonnaise and crunchy textures). The platter easily feeds two and is the highlight for the meal. Service was quick and friendly and the place quickly filled up with locals as the night rolled on.

Nice restaurant situation in Brighton. Quite an extensive menu. More than I expected. Food was fresh and definitely tasty. Price was very reasonable for the quality. Would definitely recommend

Having just come back from Japan and feeling entitled to good sushi only, we decided to try Irori as it is listed as one of Melbourne’s best. <br/><br/>The outside and inside of the tiny establishment is nothing worthy of praise, however the real magic happens behind the sushi bar and kitchen. <br/><br/>We got the $60 Irori platter, which was recommended to us as a must-have. Everything on the platter was beautifully sliced and presented, and the quality of the sushi was top-notch. We were super impressed by how fresh, clean and smooth the sashimi was - it all just melts in your mouth!<br/><br/>We also ordered the yakitori as a delicious starter, and the unagi don which was a nice addition. Will definitely be making the trip back to Brighton just for this place - especially the Irori platter!

A little gem hidden in Brighton. Staff are attentive and polite, ingredients for sushi are very fresh! The only complaint I have was that the sweet miso sauce was a bit too thick and salty.

Really good Japanese food, cooked fresh and served faster than Nandos! Highlights are the Golden rolls, eye fillet skewers, pork gyozas (which Matt Preston loves as well), Tatsuta Age, Tuna Carpaccio and Agedashi Tofu.

The absolute freshest raw fish I have tasted in melbourne. Be sure to get their mixed sashimi or platter with lots of kewpie mayo and ginger!!!<br/><br/>Seriously fresh and can eat here for approx $60 for 2 (without alcohol - bargain)<br/><br/>Highly recommend!

This Japanese restaurant has become a Brighton staple consistently delivering (whether take-home or sit-in) excellent food. Service is always with a smile, thanks to staff that are accomodating and efficient.

This place has beautiful, refined Japanese food which is well presented and authentic. Sushi is fresh and delicious. Slightly pricier than other Japanese places and it also needs more variety of dishes.

Here for a quick feed on my own, service was attentive and good, food was mediocre as the taste are all quiet bland, but you can tell the quality of ingredients are good and reasonably priced on the menu. Would not might getting takeaway here

Best sushi and sashimi in the area! I visit this place at least once a month and it is always fantastic. You need to order the golden rolls, they're impeccable! <br/>The food is always fresh and staff are always pleasant. <br/>Inside is quite small so not recommended for large groups and it does get quite busy, but you must definitely try this place!

Amazing Japanese restaurant. Small inside although for takeaway the Irori platter is great for 2ppl. Their Golden rolls are the best you cant go past them.

The best Japanese restaurant for me so far. Came here many times (more than 5) and never disappointed always all. Service was good. <br/><br/>Chef always there at the bar making sushi and sashimi. Food was delicious. Sushi and sashimi was so fresh. Steak is great and delish. Love the Gyu tataki with ponsu sauce. <br/><br/>Really recommend this place.

Delicious Japanese food, great quality food, grass fed beef and organic chicken available, expertly cooked, friendly staff, great vibe, highly recommend!

The best Japanese in Brighton. Love this place always packed. Book ahead. Amazing golden rolls, eye fillet steak with miso and everything is fresh and consistent.<br/>

Cozy and busy restaurant with amazingly fresh sashimi/sushi. Ordered miso soup, beef skewers, mix tempura and Itori Platter. Had better tempura elsewhere, as there was quite a bit of oil stains on the paper. <br/>The highlight for me was the beautifully presented platter, it tasted as good as it looked. <br/>Service was quick and friendly. <br/>Downsides for this restaurant is that it doesnt have many tables which results in 2 seating times on busy nights and also the tables are a bit too close together.

There were two seating sessions on a Friday night -- we booked the later one at 7.45pm. The service was friendly and prompt. Dishes came out one after another with a little bit of a wait in between. We ordered the tuna usuzukuri, sashimi mix entree, beef skewers, flame torched salmon nigiri and black cod fillet in miso sauce with vegetables. There is nothing I can fault about the food. The sashimi was very fresh. The ponzu sauce in the usuzukuri complemented the tuna delicately. I especially enjoyed the beef skewers, which were so flavoursome. The highlight of the meal was the black cod, which was cooked to that perfect point where the fish just falls into tender morsels. The veggies with miso sauce and potato croquette really rounded out the dish.

Unfortunately I was unable to experience what the food might have tasted like here as the following happened on my visit:<br/>1. I walked in just prior to 7pm. <br/>2. I was told just prior to 7.55pm that "We cannot complete your order in time". <br/>3. I left at 7.55pm.

Couldn't fault this place even if I tried. I've struggled to find great Japanese but definitely found a winner with this one. The food was fresh, quick to arrive and delicious. We ordered gyoza, the sashimi and sushi mix, yakitori and the salmon teriyaki and it was all very, very tasty. The salmon teriyaki was a personal favourite of mine and the fish was cooked to absolute perfection. The service was good and overall we thoroughly enjoyed our experience at irori. We will definitely be returning here

Great meal. Horenso was fab and the Sushi platter was very fresh and tasty. It could have had a little more fish variety it was probably about 90% salmon and tuna and I wasn't a huge fan of the chicken nori roll.

Excellent fresh food. High turnover restaurant with a varied selection of Sashimi, sushi and other Japanese favourites. Has a busy takeout business. Recommend booking

We had takeaway from Irori for dinner! The ingredients were fresh, flavours were superb!! One of the best in Melbourne. Definitely coming back!! Many thanks!

As close as possible to being a perfect meal! Food was fresh and delicious. Service was attentive and prompt. The place is small so noise from other tables can interfere somewhat but otherwise this was the Japanese meal I've had in ages!

Simply the best Japanese in the south-eastern suburbs of Melbourne, and perhaps all of Melbourne!  Always deliciously fresh and the staff are just so nice and obliging.  10/10 from us!

Outstanding, delicious and high quality food. Very good service with fast delivery of food to our table. Faultless. Eagerly await a return visit.

This Japanese restaurant is fabulous! The food is so fresh and tasty! We ordered the sushi and sashimi for entre and the eye fillet with vegetables for main! Please do yourself a favor and book a table before you go.. Just so you're not dissapointed. Definitely coming back for more!!

YES! A hidden Japanese gem in Brighton. Limited seating so make a reservation. The staffs was attentive. The food was freshly made and beautifully presented - delicious! It is expensive but I promise you, you won't be disappointed. <br/><br/>Ordered:<br/>Started off with Miso soup and it was the best I've tried. Beef skewers was served on a lettuce leaf bed, covered in delicious sauce and not chewy. The Chicken and Vegetarian California rolls was tasty and circumference of the roll was a mouthful. Gyoza was nicely pan-fried with delicious fillings. Lastly, Flame torched (seared) sushi...hands down the best and I ordered all.<br/><br/>I will be coming back to try the mains next time.

Great little Japanese restaurant. The staff are always friendly & the food is delicious. The Miso Cod was a highlight, & the tempura was amazing. Desserts are also a must. The restaurant is very small & bookings are a must as seating is limited. The takeaway Bento Box is a great after work treat.

Cannot fault Irori. Extremely high quality, freshly made food, and lovely people who own and run the place. We are weekly customers and miss it whenever they close for a holiday! What more can one say.<br/><br/>PS. I noticed a review saying the beef was overcooked. We get the beef skewers regularly and they are always cooked rare.

Dropped after watching a movie up the road and we now have a new favourite Japanese restaurant. Inviting little restaurant with friendly and relaxed survive. The food is fresh, good size portions and simply incredible.

Beautifully prepared and delicious Japanese restaurant that never fails to please everyone we take there, unless you forget to book! The inside out rolls are gorgeous and the teriyaki salmon is my favourite. Do yourself a flavour. My family love it.

A cute little Japanese restaurant. We had the mix sushi and teriyaki beef. The Sushi was excellent, fresh and delicious, and had a great variety. However the beef wasn't done so well. We asked for medium rare. Half of the beef was overcooked.

A cute little Japanese restaurant in Brighton. Overall, restaurant environment was nice, and the service was good and friendly. Sashimi was fresh and beef tataki was also fresh too. Clear fish soup was delicious and it was something new to try instead of miso soup! Food price was a little bit expensive compared to the portion of food. The spinach salad was a little bit sweet, hopefully they could fix it next time.

Came in on a Friday night with no booking and they squeezed us in. Very busy restaurant in a pretty cramped space but the place had a nice buzz and the staff were very friendly. The food was excellent - I had the chicken California rolls and the teriyaki beef. Everything was very fresh and tasty. It was quite expensive but despite this we were very happy with the food and service. Excellent Japanese food.

Absolutely delicious! The food is fresh and the service is excellent. The restaurant itself is a little cramped, but they do very well with what they have got. There are heaters outside and the area is very warm if you choose to avoid the crowds inside. It is well worth the visit!!

Little gem on Bay st . Beautiful fast fresh food . Family friendly and BYO wine . Not the cheapest but definitely one of the nicest eats in Brighton .

The dinner was amazing and the service was great considering how many people were there. This place is great for you if your in the mood for a nice delicious sushi.

I have been here twice, I don't live in the area but it is worth the drive! Chef/Owner is legend, great hospitality with both owners at front of house. The food is of the highest standard. Had the Golden rolls twice and would have again, also tried beef, sashimi and eggplant. Everything was delicious, call for booking. Warm sake also a must try!

Had both eat in and take away from this place and both were great. Agedashi tofu is YUM! Same with the miso eggplant. So soft and silky. The tempura is okay, but the winner will always be the golden rolls! These are to die for and my favourite go-to when I need a sushi fix. The bentos are also yummy when I can't decide what I want. I always go for the teriyaki salmon and it's always cooked perfectly.

Everything here is consistently tasty and fresh. The bento box is excellent as it only has one fried component and you can choose whether you have beef, chicken or salmon. The golden rolls here are exquisite and my favorite is the miso eggplant. The restaurant itself is very small so it is cramped and noisy. I prefer take away because of this. It's reliable , good quality and a no brainier. Only criticism is there are never any menu changes, no specials. Would be nice to have some variation for those of us who are regular customers.

Loved it :). Went last night for a birthday dinner. Staff were polite and attentive. Food was served promptly even though the restaurant was pretty much full. Everything was fresh and delicious. Can't wait to go back :)

It was the best Japanese I've ever had! The service was great and the presentation was amazing be sure to come here soon.<br/>Laura age 11

After reading reviews of this place we decided to eat sushi only at this place so I can't comment on the hot food. We had a Irori Sushi platter and it was fresh, tasty, and one of the best we've had! this place can be a bit pricy but the quality made up for it. If you a sushi lover then a must try!

The best Japanese I have ever eaten. I cannot fault Irori, my husband and I go here almost weekly! The salmon uzuzuakari is divine as is the gyu tataki! The golden rolls are beyond amazing and I love the Miso steak! 10/10 for me!

Best Japanese. I can't understand some of the poor reviews of Irori. We have been going there for years and the food quality, in our opinion, is second to none - beautifully and skillfully prepared, clean, fresh food.

A regular of ours. Great food.<br/>Great service.<br/>A little bit on the pricey side but you always get good quality sushi.<br/>One of our favs...

GOLDEN ROLLS !. I come here on a fairly regular basis both for dine in and take away all for one main thing ! The GOLDEN ROLLS AND SUSHI/SASHIMI. <br/>its made frssh right in front of you ans is absolutely fantastic. Booking is essential on the weekends and be prepared for 30 minutes wait for take away but its worth it love the sushi !!!

This place is Overpriced and definately not worth the rating it has unfortunately. I have been here many times and the only positive is the sushi. The rest is terrible, especially the teriyaki chicken (it didn't taste anything like teriyaki chicken). The presentation is nice but the taste is more important and unfortunately a let down. It's disappointing and I keep giving it a go but not likely to return now after the latest experience.

I've been dining at Irori for a number of years now and absolutely love the place! The staff are extremely friendly, remember you, and always address you by name. The food is delicious! Hands down the best sushi I've eaten.. A great local restaurant, with a cosy intimate setting! The fact that the phone line is always engaged when you call through to order takeaway is proof of how popular Irori is.

Crap food and way too pricey. Would never go back here. The chicken was so fatty that you could not eat it. Way over priced. Wouldn't even pay half the price.

Poor customer service. Food was ok but to accept a booking at 6 .45 pm and then ask you to leave at 7 40 pm <br/>Because they need the table for a 7.30 pm booking smacks of opportunism ! <br/>There is no way a true japanese restaurant would have allowed a customer 55 minutes for dinner.<br/>This soured what would have been a pleasant dinner and we will not be going here again.

Disappointed. Can't speak for a dine-in experience, but our takeaway was ordinary at best. The sashimi was pretty good, but the beef was overcooked and its flavour lacked any dimension.

Great service, excellent good, a bit expensive but well worth it for the yummy Japanese food

Overpriced ordinary Japanese cuisine in ordinary surroundings.<br/>Unfortunately no one in our group tried sushi dishes which seemed to be their specialty. Our seafood mains were served overcooked. Tempura shrimp was rock hard. A famous footballer's wife was spotted picking up takeaway when we were there.

We had dinner last night (Fri) and food and service was amazing. Close to the freshest Japanese I've had in Melbourne, quality ingredients and no excess sauces to vet compensate for poor quality meat or vegetables. Sushi was extremely fresh and tasty and the meats were tender and cooked perfectly. It's BYO or buy bottles only (no glasses) so best to go via the bottle shop on the way. Will definitely be back.

Got take away last night and the food was excellent. Will be making this my Japanese local!

Delicious...... We visted Irori on Saturday night with 6 of us dining. We ordered 2 x Irori platters, the beef dish, tempura veg and gyoza. Everything they served was beautifully presented, very fresh and of excellent quality. We really enjoyed our evening and couldn't fault the food. We will certainly be coming back here to eat here.

Top This One?. Took the family and everything we ordered hit the high notes.<br/>The Irori Platter for $50 was the standout. No words to adequately describe this... just perfection. Grab the important person in your life and go share this with them.<br/>Despite the tight manoeuvrings and a packed house, staff were always in control.<br/>Thank You for a wonderful night. Japanese food that would rival the flashier joints in the CBD and without their bill shock.

Delicious food, average service. I came here recently with a friend after hearing great things about this restaurant. I was not disappointed. I would highly recommend the golden rolls and the miso steak is superb, medium rare of course. The service was okay and the waitresses that attended to us were friendly enough. This has become my local favourite japaneae restaurant.

Great food, terrible service. I have eaten many times at Irori and love the food. It is fresh & mouth wateringly tasty. But at the other extreme is the consistently poor service- slow & inattentive. On too many occasions our table has been given our bill while we still had drinks left and on two occasions have been asked to leave. On both occasions it was a Thursday night, once at 9.30pm and the other at 10.30pm. I would understand somewhat if it was a monday night. On my most recent visit just last Thursday our bill arrived at 9pm (we only arrived at 7.40pm) and we were still drinking our wine. At 9.15pm the waitress told us they were closing the restaurant i.e please leave. We said we were finishing our drinks. At 9.30 we were asked to leave - less than 1.5hrs after arriving. We were not noisy. This is a restaurant - people come to eat, drink and socialise with friends. I think it is disgraceful to make your customers rush and feel uncomfortable. Yes the food is excellent but you don't deserve the business. Treat your customers with a little more respect and remember without our business you would cease to exist.

We had dinner there just before our film. We had several entrées, all delicious and fresh (great on a very hot night). We also had 2 mains (fish and beef)..generous portions and delicate flavours. We had to leave after an hour as there had been a booking issue but staff was very courteous.

Amazing choice. Such a great choice and everything amazing . <br/>Seafood dishes especially fresh and tasty.<br/><br/>Service great and food the best japanese I have eaten<br/><br/>We are certainly going to be regulars<br/>Also has a great takeaway trade.

Amazing place! My wife and 10 year old son enjoyed everything! One great surprise was the dessert picked by my son, Red bean and banana spring roll with ice cream- a big winner

Delicious. I can honestly say this is one of the most amazing Japanese restaurant I've been to. The sushi is so fresh and melts in your mouth, just reliving the experience is making my mouth salivate, if you have been you will understand my orgasmic review. The service is swift and well balanced with food coming out with great timing. It's not a restaurant that needs to be promoted, locals love it, I love it! we are very fortunate to have it in the suburbs. Thank you

Irori is our absolute favourite restaurant. We get takeaway once or twice a week as well as dine in regularly, and the quality of the food has been consistently amazing for years. The sushi dishes in particular are our favourites, specifically the Golden Rolls, Tempura Prawn Rolls, and Chicken Teriyaki California Rolls.<br/><br/>We love this restaurant for consistently serving the best Japanese food in Melbourne, and the warm welcomes we receive from the owner's and other staff every time we visit.<br/><br/>Thanks Irori!<br/>Jack & Charlotte.

Great food. Friendly service. Look forward to making this a regular!

My favourite restaurant! T.... My favourite restaurant! <br/>The food is fantastic, the service is brilliant and the all round environment it fab. I love this place !<br/><br/><br/>-----04 Feb, 2013-----<br/><br/>My favourite restaurant! T.... My favourite restaurant! <br/>The good is fantastic, the service is brilliant and the all round environment it fab. I love this place !

Friday evening review. Food was excellent as was the service<br/>as noted in other reviews the takeaways are none stop<br/>but i would still go back.

Victim of success. I have eaten at Irori 6 times and have had varying experiences. The food is always of a high standard and the golden rolls is a highlight.<br/>The place is best avoided Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights however, as they cannot keep up with the take-away demand and the place becomes a zoo. This problem is made worse by the fact that all the sushi is prepared while you wait. While this makes for great food, it creates a bottle-neck in the restaurant.<br/>They should stop take-away between 6.30 and 8.30 on these nights, so the diners can enjoy the amazing food and still get some semblance of a dining experience

Tempura prawn salad with creamy spicy sauce is delicious. Whether it be eat in or takeaway. Always good.

Fresh but flavourless, pricey and average service.. Irori certainly wasn't as good as I was expecting considering the amazing reviews on Urbanspoon. I have eaten at many Japanese restaurants around Melbourne and I must say that for the price their food certainly doesn't live up to the mark. The seafood is fresh but the dishes were very plain and flavourless. We also had to actively search for staff when we wanted to order, get drinks and get the bill. I think I'll head to another one of the local Japanese restaurants next time.

Simple, wonderful tasting food. Love this place.

Poor service, vegetarians AVOID!. Staff were not attentive & it took forever to order despite it not being very busy. I was told there were no vegetarian mains & was not given any options at all. Food came out quickly for the rest of the group but all in all a disappointing experience. I would have expected more from such a well established place.

Great food. First visit last night for dinner and had wanted to try this place after reading all the previous diners reviews. First impression was very good; small yet cosy with dark timber floors and no over powering lighting creating a very comfortable environment. Went for the highly talked about Golden Rolls and although didn't blow my mind they were very fresh and delicious. The sushi/sashimi combination was impeccably presented with large slices of fish (not wafer thin like other Japanese restaurants). We then ordered the Nasuden and Agedashi Tofu - both didn't disappoint but I favoured the agedashi. For mains, it was Chicken Teppanyaki - the description doesn't sound overly exciting but the chicken was delicious and very well presented with the chicken sitting on a bed of spinach accompanied by broccoli and cauliflower. For dessert I had to be the green tea ice cream which had plenty of body and with two big scoops it was a great way to cap off a very enjoyable dining experience. Service was OK - nothing memorable but the quality of the food was all I really cared about. Definitely worth the trip to Brighton. It's now one of my favourite Japanese restaurants - very much alike Shira Nui and Oritas.

To the lovely lady (insert scarcasm) behind the counter. To whom it may concern, with a restaurant FULL of people the "lovely"<br/> lady behind the bar came over & asked our table to be quiet! From that moment on the table service was non exist ant! Ordering a beer took more than 15 minutes! Our meals took even longer whilst other tables around us were served before us! We spent $215.50 & were there longer than any other table. This includes the tables that arrived after us, were served before us & left before we had even been served! The food was good when it finally arrived. If you would like a certain demographic put a sign on the door saying that's what you would like so most of the general public can go somewhere else instead of receiving bad service. Thank you won't come ever again

Fantastic. Food was fantastic and the service was friendly. However, I made a booking on a weeknight but still had to wait half hour for my table to be ready. My guest and I were then asked to move tables twice more as they needed the bigger table for other guests. Despite this confusion, the staff were gracious and apologetic. Great little restaurant. Make sure to book as walk ins will be waiting a while

Fantastic- go the big serve of golden rolls, the eggplant, deep fried squid and you won't be disappointed!

Excellent. We had been told to try the Golden Rolls - one serve was not enough. Simply gorgeous! Great attention to details and very quick service. You must book though. I found the menu more varied than most Japanese places and the decoration of the food very cute. Place needs to be bigger - very quaint. My only moan is you can't buy wine by the glass unless you like plum wine.

Excellent Jap food. Pros: <br/>- Sashimi (fresh), spicy tempura prawn salad (refreshing), chicken karage (tender, juicy with crunchy skin!) <br/><br/>Cons: <br/>- Teriyaki beef (the beef was cut in rather big cubes, making it rather chewy and tough. The sauce was pretty good though)

Not a fan. I heard good things so got take-away one night. food wasnt good. i had teriyaki beef that was very chewy and tough, also not a huge serve. they also gave us the wrong dish and the whole thing came to $125 for 4 people!! we only got 4 mains 2 sides and some rice. id rather drive up the street to fujiyama

Had a fabulous time here! The good was the best Japanese we have eaten in Melbourne! Service was quick and staff were so friendly. Not too badly priced either!! Will definately be back!

Good food......same menu!. I took my wife to Irori for our 7th wedding anniversary. It is a small restaurant with a quaint atmosphere. The menu read like a blueprint for most Japanese restaurants in Melbourne.<br/>We ordered GyuTataki, Sushi (Unagi, Tuna and Prawn), seaweed salad, but the plate that was the nicest and most inventive was the Golden Rolls. What always amazes me with Japanese restaurants in Australia is the lack of variety when it comes to the fish. It is usually Tuna, Salmon, Prawn, Eel and Kingfish. This would have just been another Japanese experience if it were not for the nice service and Golden Rolls. I lived in Japan in the late eighties and was amazed at the food then. I went to Canada last year and in the mountains of Whistler had without doubt the best sushi I have had in my life. The menu consisted of 25 different fish and crustacean. Australia should be able to provide better fish and a wider variety than what's on offer. All in all a nice restaurant. 6.5/10

Irori is possibly the best Japanese restaurant in the whole of Melbourne. One of the greatest things about this amazing restaurant is that it is tiny but it speaks big with one of the greatest dishes in the world, the golden roles. All in all a great restaurant, I rate it 9.5 out of 10. The only thing that is wrong is that it needs or deserves to be bigger.

Very good, very busy. Book or go later around 8pm. Staff very friendly and food is spot on. Would recommend the Goldern Rolls.

Authentic Japanese. Not pretenders at all. Awesome quality and subtle Japanese detail that is often left put of 'localised' Japanese cuisine.

Another pretender. The person who answered the phone had a Vietnamese accent, which compelled me to enquire whether the chef is Japanese. The answer is no. The chef/owner is Malaysian. We ordered mixed sushi and the beef teppanyaki based on previous reviews. The mixed consisted of 3-4 tuna, 3-4 salmon, 2 rolled things, 1 prawn. It was OK. I didn't have high expectations of the tuna/salmon and therefore I wasn't disappointed. The 2 rolled things had a lightly fried outter skin and was delicioius. I was impressed with the portion of the beef dish but it was a bit over cooked and chewy. The chunks were very big which looked impressive but not very practical to eat. The chunks were smothered with a sweet soy type sauce. It was OK but not great.

This is seriously good sushi. Probably the best in Melbourne at this price range. Great atmosphere

Love the golden rolls!! A bit pricey but worth it

For me this is the best sushi place. Love it!!

Welcome to the Palindrome. Like the local Brighton crowd it attracts, there's an element of refinement and a touch of style that sets Irori apart from the hordes of sushi shops occupying every local strip. To be fair, the menu is far from revolutionary, although they do manage to pull off the standards with some finesse.<br/><br/>We'd booked a table the previous day which I figured would be a wise move. When we arrived, we were shown to a table at the extreme rear of the restaurant, which was too dimly lit for my liking. The service throughout the night was basically OK, but it did appear as though the regulars got preferential treatment.<br/><br/>Our mixed sushi & sashimi was a pleasant starter, although I'm not convinced it was any better than versions I'd encountered elsewhere. Next up was the highlight, a beautifully presented gyu tataki (beef carpaccio with soy & ponzu sauce) that simply melted in your mouth. <br/><br/>The beef teppanyaki main tasted superb, and included some nicely cooked vegetables, however the cubes of beef were too large and lacked the requisite tenderness, making the dish a challenge to eat with merely a pair of chopsticks. It's a shame, as the beef had been nicely cooked and was full of flavour.<br/><br/>This wasn't my first time at Irori, and I did have some fond memories of previous visits which drew me back. Whilst the evening was by no means disastrous, I think I may have lost that loving feeling.

Great Find!. As a huge fan of japanese foods, there is nothing better than finding a new great feed in the suburbs.<br/><br/>Very pleasant, clean cut indoors. jam packed with many tables to cater that masses that flow in and out during operation. the outside tables were an excellent choice, with nice weather (also have outdoor heater for winter).<br/><br/>Miso soup was not to dissapoint.The gyoza was very good, comparable to many fine japanese eateries. The nasuden was excellent, a must get for all eggplant fans! The main size sushi sashimi was too very good. great mixture of fresh salmon and tuna (melt in your mouth style). Following a main course of the Eel. which was good, but a little dry. nevertheless very edible. <br/><br/>booking is recommended. (this place gets very busy, also very loud inside)<br/>Very clean, friendly and not to pricy.<br/><br/>:)