Review Wakenbo - Fitzroy

This restaurant was one of the best Japanese dining experiences I've ever had. We ordered the kaiseki meal and it was amazing. Every dish exceeded my expectations, And was well with the price we paid. It was a 6 cost meal but it came with 7 dishes which was a surprise. Each dish was very filling and of high quality. We were pretty full after too! I cant believe the range of food we got for how much we paid, every dish was meticulously put together. I HIGHLY recommend Wakenbo! I would definitely come back and get the kaiseki meal again 😋 One of the best meals I've ever had!

It's unbelievable how underrated this restaurant is! Wakenbo, this elegant contemporary Japanese restaurant, is hidden down a side street in Fitzroy. Chef Kenji and his wife Noriko showcase unique inventive dishes using Japanese vegetables and herbs they grow in their own garden - fermenting, smoking, dehydrating, and air-drying them themselves. It's a no brainer that they put all their efforts in their dishes (which change regularly)! We grabbed Chef's Selection Omakase. We got Mix Appetisers and several popular menu items which I can't remember anymore 😂 They were all incredibly delicious. It was clear that the chef really tried to bring out the natural flavors of each ingredient. I have to say the service here was top-tier and absolutely exemplary. It was a busy night but Noriko still managed to serve us with a beautiful smile on her face, describing each dish in a kind comforting manner. Thank you for a memorable night, I can’t wait to come back! - #melbfoodiemark #Wakenbo

Wonderful Japanese restaurant. Recommend by a Japanese friend. The food was very traditional with modern presentation. It was fantastic 😍😍😍 highly recommended!!! Yummy sake options too!!

We had Kaiseki course last year March, it was amazing experience!

Give this place a shot if you're after a fine dining Japanese fusion food. Everything was immaculate from the ambience, service and to the food! There is nothing that I can fault at all. Ordered the Omakase Kaiseki 6 course degustation set. Must I say everything served was perfection! You can tell that the chef and the floor staffs are passionate about their food and it shows in each course served. Food was delicious and artistically presented. Thanks Wekenbo for giving our family such a memorable experience! We will definitely be back! Their menu changes every 4 weeks. Be sure to book ahead to avoid disappointment!

Food were absolutely delicious and very well presented! The service was incredible! Super friendly and accomodating. Highly recommended!!! I had ordered the Kaiseki and I absolutely loved everything that came along. Although it is only a 6 course meal, but the portions were incredibly generous and the flavors of each component really complement each other super well! A very balanced and fulfilling meal. I will definitely come back here again!

One of the best Japanese restaurants I have been given to eat at. The cuisine is inventive, beautifully presented and has a great combination of flavors and textures. Like the cuisine, the interrior is decorated with exquisite taste. The waitress had a heart of gold, and even gifted me my second desert. She made my dinner memorable with her kind, sincere attention. I cannot recommend this restaurant enough.

My Japanese friend had told me about this place a while back. Finally got a chance to go there for a dinner. The owners : husband and wife, Kenji and Noriko. Very warm and friendly people. The place itself so cute and has beautiful interior. I've been craving Japanese hot pot. We've ordered the seafood sake hot pot and pork belly. The portions are pretty descent .. and the our meals were so tasty! I didn't realise this place has been around for around a year. If you love Japanese cuisine, you should add this place into your list.

Our dinner from Wakenbo was an absolute treat! Made our whole entire week! We tried the beef katsu which was deliciously crispy and full of flavour. It went perfectly well with the vegetable tenpura. They even included a complimentary veggie side dish! We will be back! Thank you Chef Kenji!

Best Japanese I have had in a long time.<br/><br/><br/>

We had an amazing evening at Wakenbo. We did the kaiseki set menu and they even catered for my difficult no-onion/garlic dietary requirements. The service was wonderful and the timing between dishes was perfect. Everything was SO delicious. Such an awesome experience, would recommend to anyone.

First timer to WaKenbo and I’ve been blown away. I can’t wait to come back again. We had the Chef’s selection and each dish was delicately made with a delicious taste. I had many amazing surprises throughout the night starting from their appetisers and all the way to desserts as I tasted each delicacy, a lot of the veggies used in the dishes are actually home grown by the chef in his home garden. Regarding the environment, it was a nice cozy place on a quiet street in Fitzroy. The ambience was perfect. Lastly, the service was amazing! This is a family run restaurant by husband - Kenji the chef & wife: Noriko who served us with a beautiful smile all night. Thank you for a memorable night, I can’t wait to be back!

Cozy environment, delicious food and nice service.

My Japanese place had told me about this place a while back. Finally we've got a chance to come here for a dinner. The place itself it's so pretty. It has very minimal interiors but kinda romantic in away. The owners : husband and wife, Kenji and Noriko. Very warm and friendly service. I've been craving a Japanese hot pot for a while now. We've ordered the seafood sake hot pot and pork belly. Our meals were super tasty. If you love Japanese cuisine, make sure you add this place into your list. Totally worth it!

WaKenbo... down a side street in Fitzroy. Amazing!!!<br/><br/>It’s a little restaurant run by a Japanese husband and wife outfit; they say occasionally they have a friend help out but mostly they do it all. Needless to say the service is exceptional. <br/><br/>There is a la carte, but really, to get the full experience eat the Kaiseki. At $120 it’s exceptionally good value. Every dish is a highlight, but for me, the real wasabi that came with the sashimi was exceptionally memorable. <br/><br/>They have a finely curated drinks list which includes a sparkling sake. When in Rome!<br/><br/>⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and 👍🏻👍🏻<br/>

Tucked away in a small street underneath an apartment complex off Victoria street lies this small gem. This small semi-fine dining restaurant sits around 25 pax serving Japanese food. The dishes have great presentation although lacking anything special that elevate the flavours. Interior have been designed immaculately in modern and romantic style.<br/>

Booked this place first time for my lady’s birthday. Such a cozy and comfortable restaurant with warm feeling. Quite like the simply and contemporary design. All the dishes made by the owner and chef Kenji were 100% amazing, great presentation and fantastic taste. The veggies was organic and I’ve been told they were from his own veggie garden. The waitress were attentive, kind and friendly. Super warm service and she is Kenji’s wife!! This is a romantic life to work and live together on things they have passion and love with! Would strongly recommend to the foodies and surely I’ll go back again SOON!<br/>

all the dishes we had were delicious & service was amazing. <br/>Had the honour to meet the chef himself on the night, which made the dinning experience extra memorable & personal <br/>loved everything about this hidden gem, will definitely be back!

Amazing experience at WaKenbo! The food was delicious with much of it sourced from the chef’s own garden. Service was exceptional and of a level you rarely find outside of the best places in Japan. Wine was well matched with our waitress/sommelier Noriko extremely knowledgeable and helpful. We were lucky it wasn’t busy and so were able to talk with Kenji and Noriko (owners/chef). Highly recommend this hidden gem.

Wakenbo is contemporary Japanese fine dining with an importance on fresh and quality ingredients, great service and amazing food.<br/><br/>We started the dinner consisting of fresh prawns, sashimi and oysters. An absolute delight.<br/>For mains we had pan fried fish fillet that was complemented with a house made horse radish sauce. The fish was cooked to perfection, crispy on the outside and soft and supple on the inside. One of the highlights of the meal was the Kakuni Kuro Buta Pork Belly, the meat was tender, juicy and the flavours was like a party in our mouths. <br/><br/>We cannot complete a meal without dessert. The matcha lava cake was hands down one of the best lava desserts we’ve had in Melbourne. Perfect depth of matcha flavour, and oh so gooey gooey on the inside. <br/><br/>Service was immaculate, we would come to Wakenbo again. Thanks for having us!

wonderful experience, nice environment and good service. Beef tarte is a must try :D Green tea ume shu is also perfect. Will come back next time!!!

The most wonderful Japanese restaurant in town. They served very nice service with the wonderful atmosphere. The fusion Japanese foods here are awesome. Warm and Friendly Welcome as soon as you step through the door and Attentive Service throughout the duration of your dining experience. Foods are very delicious and high quality with freshness. This is my best experience for Japanese dinner in Melbourne. I will visit here again.

This is not a typical Japanese restaurant. The place is small and cozy. Tables are quite close to each other so one can hear most conversations from other tables. The menu provides a wide range including a tasting menu. We opted for a la carte menu with some help from the staff. The sea urchin tempura was lovely but pricey. The beef tartare was served like a wafer sandwich and was delicious as well. We had the pork belly served with barley risotto. It was a decent size serving. The fish wing hotpot was also good and it was probably the most typical Japanese dish on the menu. They have good dessert selection as well and we chose the matcha choc pudding with banana ice cream. The ice cream was amazing. Service was good but not polished enough. Our drinks order seems to be lost in translation as we had to ask for our drinks a couple of times. Overall a nice evening and would go back to sample the other items on the menu.

Absolutely delightful and amazing experience at Wa Kenbo from Start to Finish. Warm and Friendly Welcome as soon as you step through the door and Attentive Service throughout the duration of your dining experience. Food was cooked Beautifully and to Perfection. Ingredients tasted super fresh and well balanced in seasoning and flavouring. All the staff from Back of House to Front of House seem super humble and welcoming. Kudo's to the Chef and Management Team. Definetly an up and coming and will be back for sure to try out what's come from them.

Fabulous food, attentive and friendly staff and a lovely atmosphere. I highly recommend this restaurant. The food was extremely well presented and highlighted the wonderful tastes of Japan, including some really innovative dishes, while adding some western touches such as French styled desserts. Compliments to the chefs who really excelled in my opinion.

This new kid on the block really surpassed all my expectations! Fine dining with a importance on fresh quality ingredients, good service and delicious food! Absolutely adored the beautiful stone and wood accents that really calms the senses.<br/>We had starters consisting of fresh prawns, sashimi with fish of the day and wonderfully fresh oysters which were absolutely blew me away!<br/>Followed by various dishes of fish dishes which were all perfectly cooked in particular the pan fried fish fillet with the horseradish sauce is highly recommended! Another favourite of ours for the adults and kids was the Kakuni Kuro Buta pork belly which had the most tender pork belly and sauce that I could eat many bowls of rice with. <br/>we ended the night with 3 desserts and have to say the matcha lava cake was my all time favourite dessert!!! A MUST TRY! <br/>Really impressed with the service and the presentation of the food here, highly recommend for families and a romantic night out too!