Review Pabu Grill & Sake - Collingwood

The food here is amazing. Each course is well balanced and stands alone as a great experience. Plates run expensive for Smith Street however I found the quality top shelf and worth it. I visited mid week later in the evening and sadly the service didn’t match the amazing flavours. Mid ordering my server just walked away. The staff were mopping around me as I exited at 8:30 pm. It’s a shame to see such great food let down by lack lustre service.

Really tasty food but it’s a little pricey. Fish tacos were amazing along with the meat skewers. Also the plum wine (green tea) was amazing. Would highly recommend it!

If I could I would probably give this place a 3 and a half stars. Overall the food was likable but nothing amazing. The biggest let down was our main dish, the duck, which was dry and chewy and really such a shame. The wakame salad, sashimi, octopus balls, and gyoza were all tasty with the other let down being the oysters which didn't seem fresh. The staff were lovely and helpful. We went around 7pm on a Saturday night and the place only had a few people in there which is rare to see for a Smith St restaurant.

I made a booking here to celebrate two of my friends' birthday. I don't think the lady is aware of the booking. Again, it doesn't really matter as we had the big table for the 6 of us. I was very tempted to go with their signature taste of Pabu, which is 8 courses meal chef selection. When looking at the dishes, not sure I would really like all of them and it costs $75. So we decided to go with a la carte. I'm glad we did that. We ordered Lotus Root Chips with wasabi mayo. The wasabi mayo is such a good dipping sauce for the super crunchy lotus root chips, which also happened to be not oilly too. 10 points on that. I don't they make the best Takoyaki. It's okay. I had better. The Fish Taco is good with the crispy nori cracker. The Guy Tataki is great. It's has the right balance of soureness to it and it's very light. We ended up ordered one more. It's that good. The Agedashi Tofu is a fail. It not nice at all and rather dry. The Ebi Tempura is very nice with the green tea salt. Very light and yum. The Spicy Ebi Bao is another must try dish. The tiger prawn is big and the bun is so soft. It is much better having this than burger. Haha. The Grilled Eel Meringue is very very delicious. We also ended up ordered 1 more serve of the eel. Yum. The Charcoal Lamb is good too. Right amount of seasoning, not too salty. The Sumiyaki Set is great if you want to try various skewers. The Scallop with Bacon and Salmon Skewer are the best, the beef, chicken and the tofu are good, but the ball is not so good. We ended the dinner with Green Tea Cream Brulee and Ginger Cream Brulee. They are okay okay. Overall they serve yummy food. Staffs are very friendly. The environment is very pleasant.

An amazing dining experience on Smith Street in the heart of Collingwood. The staff are amazingly friendly and attentive, and the restaurant and bar has a modern and chic interior layout and design. Great variety on the menu, with the highlight being the most delicious takoyaki I've had in Melbourne.

Great food, Great atmosphere and excellent service. ( and great company) All the makings of a great night out. Although I did not partake, I would have to say there are not too many places in Melbourne you can get a happy ending from only $7. Highly recommended.

I had the set menu here which was really good value with a wide range of food. The food was good but nothing spectacular. Overall had an enjoyable time.

Delicious food with varied excellent cocktails and sake. Quite a cosy atmosphere. The staff and service was excellent and the prices were reasonable!

What can I say. My wife and I rate this amongst the top restaurants in Melbourne. It's the complete package from service to top quality food. Thank you Pabu !

Amazing food, service and place.. took my pregnant wife here, it started with one guy who sat us down and swopt her chair for a more comfortable one.. it ended with my wife and my self being the most content we have been in a long time at a restaurant. Definitely recommend it

My family have been regular visitors to this great restaurant over the last 6 years. We went this time to celebrate my sons 12th birthday 🎂 as it was his request to go to Pabu for his birthday celebrations. He has very much enjoyed the variety of foods offer at this awesome place.

Had dinner there last night great food great service recommend to all and will be back again Thanks

All the food was delicious, booked for my birthday dinner and the service was lovely. Highly recommend

What an exceptional experience! Great service, delicious food, excellent work. I told the staff on the phone that we are booking for the evening for our anniversary so after we finished dining they surprised us with a scrumptious dessert platter with a candle on top! We are definitely coming back again with friends and family.

One of Melbourne's best places. Price quality outstanding perfect for a good start into collingwoods exciting nightlife. As a person who works in hospitality i know it is hard to please me but they always make it worth going there. 5*

What a place, amazing creative delicious food, friendly staff and I assure to be back...how about tomorrow? Yeah, book me in!

I can't explain what I had the experience at this place... Ive been japan 40 times but this place can not compare with any other place.

Very slow service, information wasn't communicated well, staff forgot edamame and the Katsu was lukewarm. Disappointing given last time everything was fast, tasty and service was great.

So good! I've been looking for a good Japanese else restaurant since I moved to Melbourne. The food is amazing, plus they do delicious cocktails.

Great dinner experience with great customer service & beautiful Japanese food. Their new dessert menu, Green Tea Creme Brûlée is to die for & the best Creme brûlée I ever tasted.. Will definitely come for more

Went there for my birthday dinner and the service was amazing, smiles from the staff and all my family. The food was sensational, highly recommend this place if you want an all round incredible dining experience :)

Had dinner with friends here last week. The night was great: food is so good, the host is nice and service is excellent. We will be back very soon