Review Aoki Japanese Kitchen - Glen Waverley

I was here with my partner last week for dinner and it was delicious! The service was really lovely and welcoming. They really knew what they were talking about (especially the sake) Because it was the first week of opening, they were only offering the set menu which was a great deal! My favourite was the soft shell crab...YUMMMMMM The dessert was absolutely delicious as well, I could't fault them that evening, the service the food, the atmosphere! Definitely coming back :) The also had a cute little happy birthday note too!

Fresh taste, fresh joint. First attraction was the colours, normally I'd think a place like this would be all looks no taste. Well was I wrong! Presentation was neat and well thought out. Price is very reasonable for what it is, almost like a budget high class dinner. (Date worthy) Taste is very good, highlights we're the mayo sauce on the prawns, the slow cooked pork and the steak. Seriously though the range of awesome sauces is already something to go visit for. Honourable mentions go to the salmon and the fresh oysters they had 🤤 All in all a 5/5 place, dinner was awesome, will be visiting again with family. MBH Approved. 😊

Beautiful presentation of the food here! The special eel sushi rolls with cream cheese were amazing and our agreed favorite. We got dessert here too (not pictured) and the matcha dip for the churros were heaven.

I tried the special made beer and summer limited hokkaido style tofu cheese cake with raspberry sorbet and churros with secret matcha dip. The desserts are light and tasty, and the design of the store is modern and fashion. It’s nice to seat and chat with friends to complete a wonderful night. Don’t just focus on the menu in store, always ask staff for seasonal special dishes, they will surely surprise you! Will definitely go back here!

Very good authentic Japanese cuisine. Tapas options, so you can tasy a bit of everything. A little pricey, and not a lot of wine choices (however they have a huge selection of sake!!) Great for a once in a while treat. Great service, although it did take a while for them to come to our table at the start. Worth a visit if you've been to Japan and miss authentic cuisine.

Fantastic restaurant! Tasty food with good service!

Was a fantastic Father's Day since my dad had never had Japanese before he really liked the food. The sashimi was so fresh the curry vegetables and sirloin steak was perfect and beautifully presented. The salmon dish was heaven my taste buds were going crazy. We finished up with a platter of desert and this was gorgeous as we tried a tasting plate between the three of us. The service was great to. Will definitely come back and try the dinner menu as it's different to the lunch menu.

A nice dating experience, Strongly recommend you to order the desserts

Food was quite good and there were some really creatives dishes but it was overpriced for the portion size. Staff were really friendly and nice.

We recently found another local Japanese restaurant! Located in Glen Waverley, Aoki is yet another addition to the already overflowing restaurants around that area. As we do love our Japanese cuisine, we were excited to see what Aoki could offer. Upon entering we noticed how modern and spacious the restaurant was. The tables, benches and floors all had a similar stone tile theme with the glow of purple lights throughout. In fact it reminded us of some of the Japanese restaurants we recently visited in the U.S. It had a real upmarket and modern feel. We were greeted by friendly staff who seated us straight away and provided us with some menus. There were so many dishes that we wanted to order!

Nice new discovery from glen! Absolutely encore for this restaurant! All dishes are so delicious and delicate! Hope they keep on their quality and I will keep on coming back ;)

What a spectacular meal. Aoki is wonderful. We made an arrangement through connections to have a special (paid!) meal here. The chef is highly skilled in Japanese and French cooking and clearly very adept at both styles. Our opening bento dish had a vast range of beautifully presented and superbly composed dishes. There was so much that was great and memorable here that it’s almost hard to list. There was eel, prawn, quail, chicken, beef, scallops and tuna among others. Each dish was incredibly delicate and wonderfully flavoursome and attractive. We had these dishes with three different types of sake, and each sake tasted superb. The next course was a sushi and sashimi platter of major proportions. An astonishing range of superbly arranged pieces that were wonderful. The next dish of crumbed pork was arranged in a western style and was again impressively presented and cooked. We think another savoury course was planned but we waved the white flag at that point. A beautiful dessert then arrived. A very delicate cream cake again displayed with a very deft modern touch. All told, it was an absolutely magnificent meal, very special and a real treat. I strongly recommend trying this restaurant. It is very easy to get to by car or train ( few hundred meters from Glen Waverley station). It’s a quality place in an unexpected location. The staff are beautiful here. We were fussed over delicately from the moment we arrived to the time we left. My favourite was the server who would ever so delicately rearrange things on the table when she’d visit. Highly recommended.

The interior is spacious, with booth seating which is always a plus in my book. The staff are attentive and service was timely. We stopped in for Sunday lunch, ordered a selection of sushi & sashimi. Overall the food was enjoyable with the Kingfish & aburi the favourites.

We decided to try out Aoki for dinner on a weekday. Contrary to other restaurants nearby it was not busy. The interior and lighting was quite nice and comfortable. Service was alright. The waitresses were quite friendly and explained their specials quite well. One complaint I have however is that the food took a very long time to arrive, around 40 minutes. Other customers that came after us received their food earlier. <br/>In terms of the food itself, presentation was excellent. We had the beef steak, nabeyaki udon, Japanese fried chicken and takoyaki. They were generally pretty good but unfortunately nothing really stood out, especially after waiting so long for the food and paying a premium price. However I found the steak and the takoyaki to be better than the others. The takoyaki was an interesting take on Italian meatball style, and was really nice. The trouble was they were super soggy and difficult to even pick one up whole. The steak was very tender so I'm quite happy about it. The sauce were quite sweet due to the honey so just be aware of this.<br/>Overall I'm not in a hurry to return, especially when there are many other restaurants around the area.

Food: 🌟🌟🌟🌟<br/>The dessert platter was a delight to navigate through. The cakes were fluffy and light. The chocolate cake in particular is a must try for all chocolate lovers and the other sponge cakes were very enjoyable as well. The matcha sauce was very rich and was a good accompaniment to the churros. We also enjoyed the three sorbet options (kiwi, raspberry & mango) as it balanced out the sweetness of the other components of the plate.<br/><br/>Service: 🌟🌟🌟🌟<br/>Servers were polite when explaining the food options to us and were responsive to our comments and requests. It did take a little longer for our meal to come out but that may have been due to the variety of components involved in our dish.<br/><br/>Price: 🌟🌟🌟🌟<br/>Reasonably priced for the quality of the dish and the options served. We recommend the dessert platter to anyone with a sweet tooth.

Tried Aoki for the first time the other day. Overall a good experience for Japanese fusion. We had the tempura salmon maki, aburi salmon nigiri, Japanese fried chicken, soft shell crab karaage, fried pork belly and a mocktail. Aoki is quite overpriced for the portion sizes but you are paying for atmosphere and location. The food was good but if you’re looking for authentic Japanese, this is probably not the place as some of their dishes taste more Chinese than Japanese. Mocktail was too sweet and artificial - not worth $11! May be back in the future but not in a hurry.

Beautiful atmosphere! I had one of the best catch up’s here. Service is really attentive and the waitress was full of character and laughs, like she really enjoyed her job! We tried many dishes on recommendations all excellent and you can tell they put a lot of care into it. The food isn’t a cheap dinner, it is a bit more on the pricier end but well worth it!

This restaurant has a great energy! Staff are positive and knowledgeable about the food and menu. During our main a waitress announced there would be a live bartender show which we were not expecting at all and absolutely loved! Great place for a group or date.

Points for: modern & spacious interior, fusion dishes<br/>Dine Time: weekday dinner<br/><br/>Aoki is a lot more larger than it looks from the outside, and is pretty clean and modern inside.<br/><br/>The bathrooms are also pretty clean and comfortable, with paper towels and a non-touch soap dispenser.<br/><br/>The other strikingly obvious thing is that it is Chinese operated, which typically suggests average quality food, however Aoki’s approach<br/>is more fusion-contemporary and is priced as such: Nigiri averages $4 per piece and large mains approaching $30 – hmmm.<br/><br/>There wasn’t really anything on the dinner menu that cried out to me to try besides the ox cheek with miso rendang sauce, however those<br/>flavours are pretty strong and juxtaposing, and when other tables ordered it, just smelled like Malaysian. <br/><br/>Nabeyaki Udon – the noodles were a good thickness and had a fresh, chewy bite to it – better than Udon Yasan. The broth was a little on the salty soy side though. Tempura prawns were poorly battered - was pretty thick and looked more like it came frozen and mass produced they were so rectangle. Also, because they were covered with the lid, they ended up soggy anyway.<br/><br/>Unagi Kabayaki Ochazuke – traditionally eaten in small bowls very quickly so the tea doesn’t soak into the rice. Here, the tea leaves are mixed into the rice and a chicken/bonito broth is poured over, however the rice soaked up the broth way too quickly and turned more into a rice porridge. Unagi was soft with natural oils and pretty tasty as it always is.<br/><br/>Salmon sashimi – for $16.90, I was surprised with how many pieces we received (more than expected). However they were sliced pretty<br/>inconsistently – some in even rectangle blocks, some rolled up into roses and a few that looked like thin off-cuts.<br/><br/>I guess my only recommendation is to look at the menu and decide before sitting down.

The restaurant wasn’t what I expected it to look like. It felt quite cold in there however the service was good and the food was great. We ordered the fried chicken, sashimi, pork belly, duck on soba and the steak. All dishes were lovely! The fried chicken was great to start off the meal! We wanted more!

Enjoyed a very pleasant dinner at Aoki Kitchen. Our servers were especially friendly this evening. The food was good, Italian yakoyaki was a first but a great experience none the less, Sashimi was fresh, rolls were large and the 6 course set was filled with a variety of interesting entrees. Although a little pricey I look forward to returning again.

Had dinner here a few weeks ago. Waiting time for a table was reasonable, but once we order our meals - we had to wait a good hour or so for it to arrive, with other tables that arrived later receiving their meals first. <br/><br/>A really disappointing experience, with waitresses assuring us they will check on our food, only to walk away and forget about it. After an hour, the manager intervened, but only to tell us that the food will be on its way soon, only to have us wait for another 10-15 minutes. <br/><br/>Will not be coming back - overpriced + unreasonable waiting times!

Great service. Food was delicious but overpriced. Overall worth a try in the Glen Waverley area.<br/><br/>I had a craving for Sushi and Nigiri but was put off by the exorbitant prices. Some of the prices were approaching or even exceeding Nobu levels! The choices for Sushi and Nigiri were also limited with some questionable options. At this price point I wanted to see real fish in the Sushi, instead of imitation crab meat or tempura meat.<br/><br/>Sashimi Combo consisted of a mix of salmon, tuna, and king fish. The fish was nicely cut and fresh, and the price was reasonable for a nice change! Main of Blueberry Duck was tender and flavorful, but the blueberries seemed to serve no purpose. The spinach and noodles in this dish was well appreciated. The dish is quite heavy in MSG as I needed about 1.5L of water afterwards.

Mediocre food with above average pricing. Portions are small, food comes out really slow.<br/>Group of us went to eat at 7pm and didn't get all our orders til 10pm. Spent a good hour just waiting.<br/><br/>Don't expect to get full without spending at least $50+ each.<br/>Food looks pretty but all just looks.<br/>Gimmick fusion food.<br/>Sushi is good.<br/>Dessert looks awesome but tastes plain.<br/><br/>Great for Instagram photos I guess

Was a little pricey but decent for Glen area, ambience was lovely and service was alright. Lovely presentation. Good place for a date, or a slightly more Aussie-brunch like spin on Japanese food

A modern Japanese fusion restaurant, excellent service and friendly staffs. Absolutely love the pumpkin soup that was for Halloween special. And I personally love that Maguro Nuta(yuzu miso tuna) fresh and sweet. Beautiful presentation of food, especially Dessert Platter.

When Aoki landed in glen waverley we were very excited to try the upscale japanese eatery.  The sake tasting was fabulous, with the owner pointing out his favourites. Food was tasty and very fresh. The dessert tasting board is a must try, our personal favourites were the churros with matcha sauce and the earl grey tea creme brulee. Food is presented in a modern way and service is delightful.

Terrible, Terrible, Terrible experience!<br/><br/>Website like nice and food was enticing so booked a table.<br/>I was quickly disappointed with our experience.  I got a table with my friend, waited 15-20mins before an order was taken.  We were wondering were our meals were, 45 minutes later and our meals appeared.  Look awful, curry was just sauce no meat and served in a tidy dish like for a dipping sauce, served with boiled veggies, and a small steamed rice which looked like mixed with tomato sauce - tasteless.  We also ordered a meat dish again a tiny serving for $$$ value - tasted fatty and pretty tasteless as well.  So overpriced.  A staff member tried to fix problem but the more he said the meal is coming the more we seemed to wait and the table next to use had sat down and had there 3 course meal for two and on to coffees while we were still waiting. My first and last time Japanese.  Dont recommend and will not be coming back.

Quite an unusual Japanese restaurant. The food is presented nicely. The wasabi is nice and strong. The takoyaki balls are served in napoli sauce and mozzarella cheese, so very Italian style, like eating meatballs. It's surprising filling. The warm tofu salad was also interesting, served in a pan, tasty sauce with the edamame mash and nuts. The edamame beans was complimentary for every table on the night.

I have been a regular customer of Aoki since then opened.<br/>Their service is one of the best in this area, very friendly and professional.<br/>There were not may options when they first started but the dishes keep increasing every time I go there. Wafu beef is a must try dish, you won't be disappointed. <br/>10/10 from me.

Amazing Food, amazing service! One of my favourite japanese restaurants. Thank you so much Aoki! Definitely will be returning and i am extremely satisfied with everything both times I have been here.

Absolutely delicious! The steak was perfectly cooked and the sushi was amazing. It's abit pricey but definitely worth it! Would recommend getting the salmon nigiri.

A pleasant surprise, we walked past, read the menu & were really keen on Japanese food. I like eating at any time of the day, but unfortunately they weren't open yet, & were told to come back at 5.30pm (an hour & a half later). <br/>Well at least it was worth the wait. We ordered: the JFC - crispy boneless, juicy chicken with two different sauces (wasabi mayo, my fav), the maguro nuta (cubed raw tuna in a citrusy dressing), which was fresh & refreshing, the poke bowl - such a delicate, delicious mix although seemingly simple, slow cooked ox cheek in miso rendang sauce - beautifully cooked, really tender. Just wish it was more miso-y because the rendang was a little bit overpowering. The truffle honey porterhouse steak with wafu sauce was so tender & melt in your mouth. The sweetness from the honey really made the savoury aspects of the dish stand out even more.<br/>Really happy with the portion sizes as they were generous with the different meats. Only wish we could have dessert because the photos looked yummy. Next time 😎

The best fried chicken I've ever had. Fresh Sashimi with best part of salmon. Recommend pork belly, fresh salad well balanced with the juicy meat. Great value, impressive!

Had a really great dining experience here at aoki. Food and services are top notch!<br/>My favorite dishes are the dessert platter and the pork dish(forgot the name)

Great new place. Very fresh sashimi, the menu changes frequently so I've tried quite a few different things. Dessert platter to share is huge and to die for. Cheesecake, matcha churros, mango cake, creme brulee... It's all there! This place has got fusion right.

This newly opened upper-end fushion Japanese restaurant was a delight from the moment we stepped in, I particularly liked the purple lighting which gave the place a gentle and premium feel. The service we experienced was much better than average.<br/>Food was clearly fresh and very nice on visual presentation, and the prices of the dishes are reflective of that. I did notice the menu wasn't as extensive as some others in the area.<br/>Of the dishes we ordered, the cheese sushi rolls were a stand out but we did enjoy all dishes. The only thing I'd point out is the complementary nigiri sushi - there was a layer of wasabi inbetween the fish and rice which we didn't know until biting in. This stuff not everyone is into.<br/><br/>Update 1/12/17: Took my partner here for dinner this time. The service was just as attentive as my last visit. We tried the natural oysters which was one of their daily specials, they were a good size and very fresh. The Japanese KFC is recommendable; chicken was nice and succulent. The 9 entree dish did fall short of my expectations though, I didn't find anything particularly to be a stand out.

Aoki Japanese Kitchen brings a bit of Japanese fusion to the foodie hub that Glen Waverley is slowly transforming into. Kazu Nomura was born and raised in Japan, and gained experience in various Japanese and French restaurants over more than 30 years, before eventually settling at Aoki.

The food at Aoki was delicious and extremely fresh. Couldn't fault the 6 short courses and it was perfect I save myself for the main event...the dessert platter. The dessert platter had SO many options and which was overwhelming to begin with. Highly recommend sharing between 4 to get your money's worth!

Always wanted to try this place as I went past it some many times and so happened I got the opportunity to try the lunch today. <br/><br/>We ordered Aburi Salmon Don which was average as the salmon tasted not very fresh, tempura udon was quite nice albeit a bit salty. Another dish was Italian Clam Spaghetti Ramen, not sure why the word ramen was added because it was just spaghetti in soup. Nothing too special about the clams, tasted a bit salty as well. We also ordered the California rolls which was ok but the rice fell apart very easily and the wasabi was a bit tasteless. <br/><br/>Not too bad overall as I did not expect much of this place to start with. I was told by another friend afterwards that the dinner is better. Maybe I should try dinner next time :)

Not every Japanese place does aburi salmon nigiri, so it was great to find one in glenny so close to home. We also ordered the Italian style takoyaki balls and the buta kakuni (my favourites from the meal). Would also recommend this place for its friendly staff and great service. Next time I will come and try out their lunch menu 😋

Too much emphasis on making everything look pretty and not enough on good food. But sadly also failing at making everything look pretty. The Sashimi combo ($22) had a piece of fish that looked like it had been through the mincer. I thought it was pickled ginger but it was actually a piece of fish. Not the most skilled knifemanship I've ever seen. The Sashimi was served on an unusual mix of salad that just confused the whole dish. The soft shell crab had some green filling in it that looked a little gross and the flavour was just weird. <br/><br/>The thought the service was a bit of a shambles. Some bottles of water on tables would be nice and much easier. <br/><br/>The bill all up was $36 and not at all satisfied. First place I've ever seen actually bring the eftpos machine to the table for the bill.<br/>I guess that's good service!

Amazing place!! First time been there wiz a few friends, a catch up casual dinner for the weekend. It was easy to park, well not really because of the crowed at a peak dinner time but I meant easy access from the car parks. It seems to be a new restaurant, the staff were young and friendly. The venue itself is quite modern, fresh colors matched up and I strongly recommend to those guys who extremely wanna a place to catch up, chat, drink and laugh especially for the weekends. The food are not typical/traditional Japanese. I personally think it's modern, fusion Japanese food. Anyway, we all had fun there and really full. Good value for the portion of food, service and the venue. Will go back again for sure! !

Perhaps my new favourite place?? Yes definitely.<br/>I HAVE to come back and try every other dish. Aoki has such a chill and aesthetic aura! It is one of the few places that offers food which looks exactly like the pictures. The dessert platter is a must try💦 and the portion sizes are very generous. I was wishing to order the Aoki 9 but unfortunately they only serve that at dinner times so keep that in mind.<br/>Overall, amazing experience!

Aoki has definitely found its niche in being the premier modern Japanese fusion eatery in Glen Waverley. With a clear emphasis on fresh, quality ingredients, which forms the cornerstone of Japanese cuisine, the items we sampled universally impressed.<br/>While not strictly traditional Japanese, the subtle, modern twists thrown in undoubtedly worked in their favour and made for a satisfying meal – especially that dessert platter.

Aoki interior is really aesthetically pleasing and so is the food! So much better than Calia. I got the omelette fried rice and it was good however it got a bit boring to eat towards the end. I tried some of my friends salmon, and it was very good too.

Finally went to this place after passing this place multiple times in Glen. I had the salmon lunch special. I thought appearance wise, it looked really good. The taste was nice too

i would say this place is quite decent, not surprisingly good, but reliable. they do have quite a variety for their lunch menu, i wonder if i could try all the dishes some day

When I found out about this new Japanese restaurant in Glen Waverly, I was stoked to try out what they had. I've been to a few places to find the best Aburi salmon don and I was glad to see it on the menu, but it was very underwhelming. Although the dish is very pretty to look at, the sweet and salty flavours that you would expect in this dish was close to non-exisitent, it was very bland and the seaweed underneath just didn't work. There is definately a lot of improvement needed for this dish to shine.<br/>We also got the Beef steak don and the flavours were spot on, I loved every part of this dish. The meat they used just melted away in your mouth, it was quite a treat.<br/>Overall, I would come here again to try out their other dishes.

The chef was actually speaking Japanese which is always a good start for me! Noticed a number of comments about pricey food but I on the other hand found it quite reasonable for good quality Japanese food. Would have preferred a larger drinks selection as the environment and lighting created a nice mood to catch up with some friends over a few drinks. Give it a try, it's a hip jap eatery in suburban glen waverley!<br/>

What a great addition to Glen Waverley! I always crave Japanese food and my visit to Aoki Japanese Kitchen did not disappoint one bit. <br/><br/>Half a dozen fresh oysters - 5/5 - not much to say here. You can't really go wrong with fresh oysters and Aoki provided oysters that were undoubtedly fresh.<br/>Kaki Fry - 4.5/5 - like a super fancy fillet o fish without the bread but still oh so good.<br/>Salmon aburi nigiri - 4.5/5 - delicious! Such a simple dish but executed so well. <br/>Italian style takoyaki - 3.5/5 - loved the cheesiness of the fish but was expecting the takoyaki to be super hot in the middle and oozing with batter. It was warm and the flavours were there but I've had better takoyaki. Liked their take on it though. The sauce and cheese were a nice twist on a very traditional dish.<br/>Beef and truffle nigiri - 5/5 - my favourite dish of the night. Whenever I have a truffle dish the truffle is way too overpowering. With the nigiri you're given a truffle cream and there are a few truffle pieces garnished on the nigiri itself. Add a bit of soy sauce to the cream and you've literally got perfection at your finger tips.<br/><br/>I can't forget to commend the service of the restaurant either. All wait staff were incredibly attentive and informative.<br/><br/>Can't wait for my next visit already and I went just last night!

I was invited to dine at Aoki last Sunday, and boy did I have such a lovely experience there! Right from when I entered the restaurant, the service was impeccable and I loved the fit-out of the restaurant which is super trendy and comfortable at the same time - perfect for a date night or an evening out with friends! And the food really surprised me! I am a huge fan of Japanese food but this restaurant added a special twist to each dish, which I found very creative. Each dish was well-executed and very pleasing to the tastebuds :) The restaurant also features an extensive alcohol menu, including a wide range of Sakes and delicious cocktails too. My favourites from the night would have to be the Truffle Honey Steak which was assembled like Jenga blocks and cooked to perfection, and the Chocolate Fondant (which was oozing with Matcha instead of your typical chocolatey centre) which was prepared from a recipe that came from a high-end restaurant in Japan! I'm loving this new addition to Glen Waverley- Aoki is a true gem-of-a-find!

Been keen to try this place, so when it was open my partner and I thought we try it out. I had a feeling it would be asian fusion, but nonetheless we gave it a go. Positives - good service, the soft shell crab was good and had nice flavours and Sashimi was fresh<br/>Negatives - (based on personal preference in taste) both my partner and I aren't too big on Chinese flavoured dishes and found it to be more Chinese fusion flavours than Japanese. Eg. If you come from a family that makes/eats braised pork a lot, I would say don't order the pork belly. Quite an expensive dish for a piece of pork belly that had way more fat than meat. I had crispy pork in mind, but it wasn't so was disappointed. Also ordered beef tataki, was ok but not great. A common dish that I normally order at Jap restaurants so in comparison to others that I've tasted not the best.

My friend and I were craving sushi for supper so we decided to finally give Aoki a try! I loved the ambience and spaciousness in the restaurant. Staff were prompt and attentive. We ordered the tempura prawn roll (6 pieces) and the edamame to share. The waitress said the edamame was on the house so it was a lovely bonus! We enjoyed the quality of the sushi for the price you pay. Would love to try their lunch specials and dessert in the future.

First time at this restaurant for lunch.<br/><br/>The restaurant has a nice ambience and is clean. Service staff are friendly and explained the menu to us. <br/><br/>The food was mostly delicious and presentable but was on the pricy end when in a combo (additional $5 for side salad, miso and tea). <br/><br/>Would recommend ordering the aburi salmon don!

I really do not understand how this restaurant get such a high rating! It is not authentic Japanese food! We had dinner on a weekend and the food were pricy for what they are. The best was the fresh oysters, which isn't really Japanese and no cooking required. We also had the udon which appears like how I made my instant udon! I was so thirsty after eating that which makes me believe there's loads of msg. We also had the dessert platter for 2 which costs $40. It was pretty and instagram worthy but the cakes tastes like buffet cakes with heaps of essence to bring out the strong taste it was weird. Very unenjoyable.

Good food but a bit on the expensive side. The salmon was nice but nothing to rave about. I did enjoy their miso soup though. Probably wouldn't come here to eat their sushi as it's so expensive for a few pieces only. Great service and atmosphere though.

Words cannot express the flawless quality of this restaurant. Walking in it looks like a cafe. Modern, bright and fits a more casual description. But as soon as you taste the food you instantly realize the treasure you've stumbled upon. In that first moment it turns from a cafe to royalty. The creative ideas and the way the true Japanese style is adapted, this restaurant nails it perfectly such as the duck on soba which is a must. Service is great and the mocktails are just what can only be described as yin and yang. The head chef came over and we had a great chat. It honestly is too hard to describe just how flawless the craftsmanship is and the closest thing to it is food wars the anime for those of you who know of that. It is so worth it and the homemade desserts are again flawless. Especially the ice cream that comes in the desert platter which really gives you perspective into what high quality really is. Every item on the menu is thought out and works as well as and are all of exceptional quality. I can't express to you how much you need to try this. Those of you who visited this restaurant from April-August need to come back. The change is unreal. Take my words with you and try it yourself. You'll find that the price really should be higher and that it's worth coming back to.

Fresh taste, fresh joint. First attraction was the colours, normally I'd think a place like this would be all looks no taste. Well was I wrong! <br/><br/>Presentation was neat and well thought out. <br/><br/>Price is very reasonable for what it is, almost like a budget high class dinner. (Date worthy) <br/><br/>Taste is very good, highlights we're the mayo sauce on the prawns, the slow cooked pork and the steak. Seriously though the range of awesome sauces is already something to go visit for. <br/>Honourable mentions go to the salmon and the fresh oysters they had 🤤<br/><br/>All in all a 5/5 place, dinner was awesome, will be visiting again with family. <br/><br/>MBH Approved. 😊<br/>

This place is new to Glen Waverly in a new building. The service is pretty good and the food came out in a timely manner. When we were there for dinner each table got a free bowl of edamame. It was a generous serving too which normally costs $6. The food is Japanese fusion. We had kingfish sushi, nabe udon, steak, a sampler of 6 entrees and cooked tuna salad. The food was good just that they used canned tuna for the tuna salad which was a letdown. When we paid ($50 per person average) we got a $8 voucher to try their lunch which is a different menu. The food is a little more expensive than I expected from the food we got but this place has potential.

I've been waiting or quite some time to try Aoki Kitchen and been eyeing it off to try out the place.<br/><br/>A more refined Japanese restaurant in Glen Waverley with more than decent prices, and ever so polite and attentive staff. Interiors are a mix of industrial warehouse with modern muted greys and whites. Pretty space friendly with booths to make it a little cosy winner. Selections for dessert make it a wonderful option to come in for a sweet treat, but I definitely do suggest to come in for a meal. It's a shame this place isn't getting as much traction as it deserves.<br/><br/>Came by for lunch recently, and was pleasantly surprised with the produce quality. The Aburi salmon don was beautifully presented, and the lightly torched salmon with a touch of wasabi and rice was a winner. Together with the crunch of the seaweed, the combination was simplistic but wonderful.<br/><br/>The omu raisu was served nice and rustic, giving it a cosy and homely vibe about it. Drizzling the sauce over and hearing the sizzling stuff was enough to get the palate salivating and excited to try this dish. Again, not much to complain about. The chicken was cooked well and the dish was reasonably seasoned. Very filling.<br/><br/>The desserts here, are outstanding though. Nothing too heavy, and the home made ice creams are silky and very creamy (especially that vanilla bean!) The cakes aren't dense, and go down well even if you're full. Presentation is very beautiful too.

Ordered the 9 item entree with the truffle steak and the desert share plate for desert.<br/>I am a meat eater while my wife enjoys sea food, so I can only comment on 4 of the entree items.<br/>The chicken balls were tender and juicy which melted in my mouth. Full of flavour.<br/>The Duck breast was about the best I've ever had.<br/>The quail was nice but nothing exceptional.<br/>The beef tataki was incredible.<br/><br/>On to the main, the steak was rare, with no 'hard bits'. The type of cut that melts in your mouth. Add to the dipping sauce (truffle) I wished it was more then the 200-250 grams I was given.<br/><br/>To finish off, the desert platter had 3 scoops of tasty gelato, 4 cheesecakes full of flavour, a creme brûlée, a chocolate cake, fruit, merengue, cherry ripe crumb and churros with a green tea chocolate dipping sauce. The taste was fantastic on all elements but I found that 2 people had to over eat to finish this one.<br/> <br/>We completed the dinner with 280ml of one of the better sake where they were offering 20% off for the night.<br/><br/>Overall fantastic visit

Went here based on reviews at Zomato, it was fantastic ! Photos include the degustation tasting plate (9 courses of duck, prawn, salmon, tuna, eel, pickled eggplant, wagu beef and chicken balls. We also ordered the truffle wagu stack (cooked perfectly; with pickled radish and wasabi) and the desert tasting platter with a range of fine dining patisserie. <br/>Over all, as good as you would find in Tokyo! <br/>Definitely enough food for 2.

UPDATE 8/8/2017<br/>Lunch was sensational too .....<br/>Awesome and beautifully presented Sashimi; Salmon, Tuna, Kingfish and Caviar .... complete with edible flowers and supreme Wasabi.<br/>Much refined Omurice, must reorder ....<br/>And tasty Ramen Clamp fusion.<br/>Can't go wrong .... thank you again chef Kazu-san.<br/><br/>PREVIOUS<br/>The next chapter of "upscale" dining in Glen Waverley ....<br/><br/>It's not what one would suggest as a fine dining venue nor location. At the end of the Glen Waverley train line known for its cheap-end Asian food and housed within a newly constructed multi-storey building.<br/><br/>The building is filled with other Asian restaurants from top to bottom, no Chandelier hanging from the exposed concrete ceiling, no 16 pieces of crockery, just two chopsticks, not even Black & White uniformed waiting team, however, this venue is set up so casually "neat", classy, dare I say comfortably funky and filled with rich material, soft vibrant Purple tones, highlighting its Concrete/White wall, furniture and a stunning long glass-block "bar" that displays many of their fine Sakes.<br/><br/>Although the interior seems clean-cut and simple, it is an impressive design and more importantly comfortable; white/grey concrete tones highlighted by hues of Purple. A few seating options; booths on the right side, long communal table with half circle cushioned chairs, black wire chairs complete with cushion, sealed Terrazzo table top on a big black cone leg.<br/><br/>But, to be blunt, we are not here just to gaze, enjoy and admire the interior, we are here to eat 😁 we want to taste what's coming from that semi-opened kitchen at the back end of the restaurant with chef Kazu-san at the helm.<br/><br/>It was a bang to start with the Signature Dish - $35.90 Aoki 9 short course - assortment tray of Prawns, Tuna (superb), Salmon, Wagyu Beef Tataki, Eggplant, Eels (superb), Duck Breast, Quails and Chicken Balls; all good, Quails and Duck Breast were a little dry, however Tuna and Eels were outstanding. These assortments was accompanied by three Sakes that owner Ray educated us.<br/><br/>Salmon Nigiri and Salmon Cream Cheese Rolls to follow, good, although they look ordinary in the company of the other dishes.<br/><br/>Blueberry Duck Breast on Soba with Bonito broth; just balances that East & West heritage with a perfectly cooked and thinly sliced pink Duck meat.<br/><br/>French influenced cream Vegetable Truffle; what can I say but addictive, velvety cream with that Bonito broth.<br/><br/>Closed perfectly Chocolate Fondant Matcha lava, just have to come back for more.<br/><br/>Glen Waverley food centrum has gone upscale with this NKOTB ... the Japanese section is leading the way (surprise-surprise), after the sensational more traditional Japanese Shira Nui a few years back, here comes Aoki Japanese Kitchen. After dining there I think they need to drop the word "Kitchen", it kinda cheapen the place :-) like a food court calibre; secret kitchen, mr. kitchen, etc.<br/><br/>I'm recommending this establishment not because Ray and the team hosted us, more to the fact that they dished out outstanding Japanese modern fusion solid food with high quality ingredients that is very well priced.<br/><br/>Great list of wines and sake too, although we did bring our own BYO sparkling Shiraz.<br/><br/>What an enjoyable, delicious dining experience in Glen Waverley, damn those housing prices will go up again thanks to Ray, chef Kazu-san and the team, trust an awesome business and all the very best dishing out those "beauties" to your patrons.<br/><br/>It's a big call, however AOKI is the one at which to dine and to watch, if you like "refined" modern fusion Japanese food. JT-18/07/2017.

Pleasing ambience, truly enjoyed a fine dining experience! Very attentive team and delicious options - top quality sushi, enjoyed the Yuzu Miso Salmon : )

New Japanese restaurant in Glen Waverley, Another nice place for a nice meal with family and friends. The menu is quite big and variety of sake + pretty looking of cocktails 🍹 I would say I had an amazing night at Aoki and made me want to go to GW more 🙂🙂🙂 <br/><br/>Food good<br/>Service good<br/>Drinks great<br/>Venue great <br/>🌟🌟🌟🌟

Super-friendly welcome and service at Aoki, even on a busy Friday night. The restaurant felt like a city eatery, rather than ‘your local’, yet managed to avoid any signs of pretense all the same, we felt very relaxed. Seating was comfortable and well-spaced, and although there was lots of concrete and industrial styling, it was warm within, in spite of a real chill in the air outside.<br/><br/>Much on the menu tempted, but I think The Lovely Man was slightly taken aback that there weren’t any signs of dumpling action, not a single gyoza anywhere – yet he ended up finding so much deliciousness, he really didn’t care. I can’t possibly mention everything we had, we tried so much, but the highlights included: Poke Don – I was apprehensive that this would be too much rice, not enough ‘poke’, but the balance was perfect – generous in fact, with lots of chunks of fresh sashimi grade seafood. Yum. The special options of the day, left us all drooling with antici.............pation, and the gorgeous truffle and thinly sliced beef on rice was A.mazing. The truffle cream, combined with the soy (as the server suggested) was an unexpected delight. He delighted in the BBQ Beef Nigiri so much, he requested it as his ‘dessert’, unfortunately something got lost in translation, and it never arrived. What did arrive as ordered was the Dessert Platter – groaning with good things. It was by far the best dessert selection I have enjoyed at any Japanese restaurant – a lovely combination of rich, fresh, cold, warm, creamy – something for everyone, and everyone found more than one ‘something’. I adored the cheesecake, all of the cakes, the creme brulee, The Lovely Man was big on the doughnuts, kids loved the chocolate cake. It was difficult to fault, umm, it was possibly faultless in fact. Also, not sure why, but the lovely chef brought out some ice-cream for our two youngest, and that made their eyes light up, gorgeous vanilla bean ice cream. I presume it was delicious, that wasn’t shared! Cocktails and mocktails were delicious, the plum wine was the most lovely I’ve tried. We sampled some incredible sake. I am such a novice at sake knowledge, so it was fascinating to have a mini tutorial from our very kind sommelier – he’s your ‘go-to’ guy if you want to learn more about fermented rice. Coffin Bay Oysters were shucked to order, and the sauce, and I am sorry, I can’t remember the name of it, matched with the seafood rather than overpowering it, as so many dressings and sauces seem to. Japanese tea was also pleasing. As far as food was concerned, the only negative I heard was that one child felt their Truffle Honey Porterhouse Steak with Wafu Sauce was under seasoned. <br/><br/>Overall a fabulous experience for us, mostly amazing food, warm, friendly, courteous service from every member of staff, a few little hiccups only. We’ll certainly be keen to return. Big thumbs up.

This is a new Japanese eatery in Glen Waverley. We had the salmon don, egg & chicken don (can't remember the menu name) and the BBQ beef nigiri for lunch. The egg & chicken don was ok but would've been better if it was less sweet and more savoury. Salmon don was ok. Again, it just needed more flavor. Beef nigiri was nice with crunchy garlic but was over cooked. Would've been better medium rare. I hope they get better. As far as Japanese is concerned, Shira Nui continues to set the bar.

Finally A Japanese place worth writing about! Yes yes yes! 100 times yes! For starters an amazing job has been done on the styling and layout of the place. The staff are well dressed and polite. Staff very attentive so I rate the customer service quite high! The food itself was top notch. Flavours in all the dishes delivered and everything was cooked perfectly. Great menu and a great experience!

OMG this place! Located down a quieter side street in Glen Waverley I might never have discovered this gem of a place had Good Food Good Mood not asked me, rather last minute, to be her plus one in a new menu tasting. <br/><br/>It was the night that all the trains stopped working in Melbourne which seriously frazzled me as did the rain so I was in some serious need of calming down by the time we arrived at Aoki. <br/><br/>The owner was welcoming and showed us to our table and explained the new menu. My first thought was of the effort that must have gone into creating a cool and stylish interior. This cannot be overstated. Sleek lines and cool stone tabletops all in subtle grey and bathed in a purple hue. Even the bathrooms had considered style with sleek Japanese tangram "his and hers" tiling. The bar was long and with an amazing variety of sake bottles. Throughout the restaurant was also decorated with flowers. <br/><br/>We ordered two cocktails for starters. I had the Yuzu cocktail which blended G&T with Yuzu,lime & sea salt for the rim, while Good Mood ordered a watermelon, pineapple Aoki cocktail. Both were tasty drinks. We also tried some 50% rice polished sake which was subtly sweet and served cold. To be honest I'm not sure when to serve sake warm or cold or whether that's just down to preference but I did enjoy this cool serving. <br/><br/>The first dish to arrive would have to have been one of the most beautifully presented boxed entrees I have seen. Such care and effort went into all nine squares of the Aoki Nine Short Courses signature entree that when I look at my photos now, I can't believe they are real. Vibrant solid flavours especially with the miso tuna, the solo oyster and the unagi. I could see the french influence married with classic Japanese in the mini dishes of quail and duck. There was something for everyone and I would recommend as a great couples sharing entree.<br/><br/>The next dish we tried was the sushi platter with fresh made to order sushi. There was a hint of wasabi between the fish and rice. I would suggest you ask for that to be excluded from the dish if you are sensitive to wasabi as my dining buddy was. I loved this sushi as it was as well as with additional wasabi and ginger plus the obligatory soy sauce.<br/><br/>I was beginning to get full at this point but made sure I had room for the truffle honey porterhouse steak fingers served like a jenga tower. The truffle honey packed quite an intense truffle taste but you could add as little or, in my case, as much as you wanted to the beef. <br/><br/>Lastly we tried a couple desserts one dessert was on the new menu and was called Chiboust Sakura which doesn't really give much away. The other dessert was a crowd pleaser of a chocolate fondant with both a chocolate & matcha ooze. The fondant was beyond delicious but for me the originality of the Chiboust Sakura won me over. It was made up of a ultra short pastry filled with a green tea cake with a frangipani-esk texture (think almond frangipani tart). There was then a creamy custard layer with Yuzu flavour which was further topped with a cherry blossom mouse. Lastly this was also finished off with a cream brûlée style torched sugar topping and an amazing scattering of fruits, flowers, coulis & meringues. D.I.V.I.N.E and more importantly all working in harmony together. <br/><br/>Hats off to chef Kazu Namura for continuing with what must be his passion for blending French and Japanese cuisines. It really worked well with the desserts tonight and I could also see this in the other dishes we tried. <br/><br/>Most certainly worth coming here for a special meal, date night or just because. The menu is high quality and the price reflects this. Plus... and this is most important, I left full which I've often found a challenge with other high end Japanese eating establishments. <br/><br/>👍🏼

I was delighted to be invited to try the brand new menu at Aoki debuted last night just as I was experiencing a huge Japanese craving. Immediately upon entering I was struck by the stunning interior. Bathed in a beautiful pale purply pink lowlight the gorgeous layout and furniture would not have been out of place in a New York bar. The ambiance actually kind of reminded me of Rock Sugar in South Yarra, you certainly wouldn't think you are in the outer suburbs of Glen Waverley. What an absolute treat for locals. My last few reviews have complained of a glacial chill in the air so I immediately appreciated the pleasantly warm temperature inside the minute I opened the pretty Sakura blossom door. These cute little details are everywhere even extending to the unisex toilets. The pale pink tiles, pendant lighting and split circular mirror complete with black furnishings results in the sexiest bathroom I've ever seen. I don't even want to know what they spent on the fitout but I basically want to live in that bathroom. <br/>I started with the aoki cocktail. As a bit of a cocktail connoisseur it was seriously right up there with the most delicious I've had. I loved the fairy floss garnish and the combination of gin with watermelon, pineapple and yuzu for a Japanese citrus twist was perfectly balanced. The bar is seriously impressive too not just for its aesthetic but the extensive range of sake. I'd never really tried it before being more of a plum wine girl but the Dassai 50 that we had (imported from Japan) was very smooth. <br/>Headed up by head chef Kazu Nomura who's skills I have delighted in when he was at Miyako, there's a wonderfully French twist to the food that comes through on the desserts owing to his previous experience owning a French restaurant in Toorak. I didn't realise he was in the kitchen prior to my arrival and had I know I would have been even more excited! He has a fabulous reputation well earned from all his successes and the level of detail in his plating can truly only be described as works of art. <br/>To commence the meal we had the 9 short courses which is a selection of signature entrees all STUNNINGLY presented with some vibrant florals. There was blueberry duck, a very sizeable oyster, eggplant with benito flakes, quail, miso tuna, eel, aburi salmon with roe, seared beef with edamame and mayonnaise prawn. A really great opportunity to sample a bit of everything. It's also available in a course of 6. <br/>We then had a selection of sushi which was beautifully laid out and super fresh encompassing tuna, salmon, snapper, kingfish, scallop, salmon rolls and (my favourite) seared salmon. I found this entire evening faultless apart from one issue with the sushi. There was a thin layer of wasabi on the rice underneath the fish. I'd never seen this before and as someone who doesn't like wasabi I didn't appreciate it. My dinning companion had experienced it previously so I suppose it's not unheard of for restaurants to do so. Word of warning if you're like me and like to keep life wasabi free I'd let the kitchen know when ordering. Next up we shared a main of truffle honey porterhouse steak. This was strikingly presented in layered strips Jenga style and was extremely tender. <br/>As someone who generally doesn't love Japanese desserts I loved the French influence that allowed us a chocolate fondant. It was so visually appealing and that was before I cut into it! Out oozed a picture perfect amount of decadent chocolatey gooeyness along with a matcha sauce. To me there was the perfect amount of matcha as it can be quite an overpowering flavour if used in the wrong ratios. We were told that everything on the dessert plates is prepared in house (other than the fruit and flowers!) and you could certainly taste that in the gorgeous vanilla ice cream. I could picture the chef painstakingly splitting vanilla beans to deliver that perfectly delicious flavour. <br/>We eat with our eyes and the Chiboust Sakura was a visual feast of perfect layers. The name doesn't give much away but luckily the menu has photos to aid the ordering process. This was a textbook super short pastry underneath a layer of green tea with an almost frangipani texture. Then a lovely creamy yuzu custard, followed by a sweet cherry blossom mousse and a brûlée top. Every bite was heaven.<br/>I really just loved everything about it from the amazing atmosphere to the delicious meal. The paintings on the wall struck me as some sort of avant garde Picasso style pieces until we were told they were done by very young children which was a really cool touch juxtaposed amongst the stark slate coloured walls. Aoki is definitely going to shake up the Kingsway food hub. And I'm still thinking about that chocolate fondant

Great service, chill music and well laid out place. Although the food was a wait it was worth it. Tried the waygu beef burger and slow cooked pulled pork burger with matcha bun. The matcha bun is ok, a hint of matcha but nothing special. The slow cooked pulled pork burger is amazing; tender, well marinated and the plum sauce compliments. Beef waygu is juicy and tender. Chips are well seasoned with herbs and black cumin sprinkled on.

Aoki was a great restaurant and food was great and service was great, however portions are small so you would only be filled if you have a 3 course meal. Also quite expensive.

Excellent service!<br/>The presentation of the dishes are amazing. <br/>The oyster we ordered was very fresh and the sauce make it taste different. <br/>Eel on rice with the green tea is very unique. Never tried this in other restaurants but the rice did go really very well with green tea :)<br/>

I tried this restaurant with a group of friends who are Japanese food aficionados . I found service and ambiance to be terrific. I found that the food was a modern Japanese fusion which traditionalists may find different. I tried the unagi ochazuke which had a distinct flavour with a flavoursome broth. I also tried the dessert platter which included a selection of churros, sorbet and cakes. I especially enjoyed the sorbet which was fresh and tangy. Overall, I enjoyed the experience as it was different approach to Japanese cuisine.

Went here on a Sunday night and honestly, the people are one of the nicest people you'll ever meet on earth. They were super happy, very kind and friendly and always made sure your needs were attended to. And I'm reading reviews bagging out about the language barrier! Honestly would u rather have a rude waitress who will rush your order who speaks perfect English or a waitress whose English is still good but not the best, BUT they give you the best service ? <br/>Me and my friends had the dessert platter which was presented beautifully and every component was tasty. My favourite part of the platter was the Earl Grey Creme Brûlée which captured the smoothness of the tea so wonderfully. The drinks were nicely presented in cool glasses and the decor of the restaurant was absolutely gorgeous. Also you will just know that the Owner is just such a genuine and kind person working hard at his new restaurant as soon as you talk to him, I really hope for good things for him and Aoki to come! <br/>Will DEFINITELY be coming back!

Friends recommended us to try this restaurant, we were there for lunch time, we got the Aburi salmon donburi, Ika mentaiko spaghetti and the lobster roll, It is so yum. Also the desserts here, they made my day🤤<br/>They are not the traditional Japanese restaurant but the fusion one, its kinda between Japanese and western style, totally different than the local restaurants. Really a nice place to chitchat with friends and family, the music and the decor of the store are really good, ofcuz including the service here. The friendly staffs helped us to solve our "choosing problems" at the first time. <br/>We will definitely come back again.

Friend talked about this new Japanese restaurant at Glen Waverley who has just recently open! <br/>He had the savoury mains here but was told that the desserts looked so pretty (i'm a sucker for pretty food art designs)! So we decided to go here after our dinner, around 8ish pm...even had a thought that it might be packed because it was a Sunday night. Thank god there was seats!<br/><br/>Sat down, service was beyond! The anterior was pretty funky, I would mistaken it as a bar that sells casual drinks and not dinner food for a sec! <br/>We ordered the Desserts platter and holy lord! It was delicious!! Just missing tea and coffee but hot green tea works well also!<br/><br/>I didnt managed to take a photo but it's exactly like the photo in the photo gallery. Love the sorbet and the especially the Earl Grey Bulee!<br/><br/>Waiters are so thoughtful! And you can tell that they are working their best to communicate with us knowing how nervewrecking it could be!<br/>Cannot stop thinking how well the service was! Makes me really miss my trip to japan because of its very polite service!<br/>(The Negetive thing about this was thatthey couldnt stop topping up our Green Tea for us, for me, i drink my tea fast and having them come every seconds to refill my cup while the teapot was on the table beside me was a little distracting. But its nothing too serious nor too major! Since I read another reviewer who feels the same so I just wanted to agree also!)<br/><br/>Toilets are clean<br/><br/>I would bring my friends here again because i wanna try out their mains also! And heaps of people been asking "wheres this place?!" On snapchat once I snapchatted the desserts! <br/><br/>Will be back to write another review on their savoury items!

So delicious! It's worth it!<br/>Dessert platter is delightful. Entree 9 courses were good to start with drinks. It came out fast too. A lot of people said it's pricy but I'm from Japan, I have high standard with Japanese food, and I loved every single items!!

This restaurant gave me mixed feelings. <br/>We were thinking it's tapas buts it's more a 3 course dinner place starters main dessert with sake and drinks. The decor was beautiful and the service was excellent, very attentive, always topped up water, superb.<br/>The food was visually nice, I ordered their meat patty dish which came in a pan, I was expecting a burger when I saw patty on the menu, The dish was visually nice and cooked nicely but something was missing and I can't figure it out, the flavour wasn't quite there, I think it was missing salt. We had the dessert platter, was very nice, I'd recommend this if you go to Aoki. So overall their service was superb, decor was nice, food visually nice, flavour needs improvement, if they can work on their flavours, they can do a lot better than a current 3.0 in zomato

First time in 7 years that I've finally found a place with a friendly environment , great customer service & the best dishes. They deserve a 5/5.<br/>I'll definitely visit again soon.<br/>If anyone hasn't tried this place yet I do highly recommend you to try it out it won't let you down.

Decided to try out this place as it recently opened in Glen Waverley. We started off with the 9 short course which was nice, I like the tuna dish the best. We had the Wafu Steak which was juicy and the blueberry duck was something different but delicious. My favourite dish was the soft shell crab. Also had the dessert platter, I liked the the churros dipped in green tea sauce the best. Service was really attentive. Overall it was nice modern Japanese restaurant just a little bit on the pricey side.

love it～ nice dessert ever～ the chicken and beef is absolutely delicious. The service is five star, really friendly. The environment is quiet sweet. The grapefruit sake is the best part. Have to try if you come here!!!

My friends & I decided to visit this new restaurant for lunch out of curiosity and also because the menu offered lobsters rolls as we were all lobster roll fans.  The venue was quite fancy and looked quite nice inside, service was also good..our waiter was nice however there seemed to be some language barriers but nothing overly bad. <br/><br/>Unfortunately the biggest let down we had was the lobster roll itself which we were all looking forward to...we all felt unsatisfied, there was way too much going on in the roll, they used some green roll? with the lobster, combination was a bit weird, it kinda ruined the taste of the lobster, i also felt the lobster was old and left frozen for awhile as it left a bad after taste in my mouth.  Personally i think lobsters rolls should be kept simple. The bill was also quite expensive, 28 dollars for a small roll with chips? I definitely dont think it was worth the price. Just my honest opinion.<br/><br/>All in all it would probably be hard to convince myself to come back again unless im ever curious of something else they offer on the menu.

The aesthetics of Aoki Japanese Kitchen were the biggest stand out for me. It is evident that a lot of planning and effort went into the design and feel of the restaurant. Loads of booths running down one side as well as an eye-catching neon sign lead your eye straight to the back of the restaurant where you can see the chefs preparing your meal through a cut out in the wall. The coloured lighting is carried on through the sake bar which is so neat that you would feel bad using it. The table water bottles were even branded! <br/><br/>The food was good, nothing outstanding, but there is something for everyone even though their lunch menu is quite limited. We did notice the serving size of the chips differed greatly between the burger meals that were ordered in our group. Not sure if that was intentional. Again, the presentation of the food was tops. <br/><br/>The staff were all very friendly and super helpful, but somehow they were just too helpful. I felt they were very rehearsed and awkward. Our waitress was a bit over the top with refilling our glasses with water after every sip and was still continuing to top up our glasses after we had paid the bill and were getting up to leave. We had to kindly tell her that she could stop now. I'm sure this was because the restaurant is still so new, so I'm hoping next time I go they would have gained more confidence and loosened up a bit. I will definitely be back to try their dessert.

Overall, a pretty good place to have a relaxing Japanese style western meal with fantastic dessert. The menu was very compact, a limited selection of sashimi and sushi.<br/><br/>We tried the signature entree (9 box), wagyu tataki and soft shell crab. Soft shell crab was made to perfection. Wagyu tataki was not the normal kind of gyu tataki, it was a slow cook special.<br/><br/>Then entree was a great selection of a little bit of everything, ranging from fish to eggplant to duck.<br/><br/>Main:<br/>Japanese style burger patti with crumbed prawn <br/>Pork mince was cooked to perfection, the sauce that came with it was just nice, not too heavy <br/><br/>Wafu steak<br/>Beautifully made medium rare steak with special Demi glacé sauce<br/><br/>Blueberry duck<br/>Cooked to a soft perfection, with the slight sourness of blueberry complementing meat with matching sauce<br/><br/>I highly recommend this restaurant's main dishes as they were made with a harmony one cannot find elsewhere.<br/><br/>Dessert:<br/>We had the dessert platter (minimum 2 pax and maximum 5 pax). Beautiful, not just in sight but in taste too. The selection include earl grey creme brûlée, Yuzu pudding, banana muffin, assorted cakes and churros with matcha sauce. There's also sorbet served with assorted flavours. <br/>The main ingredient at the moment seemed to be matcha, green tea and Sakura. <br/><br/>Dessert lovers may choose to just come for dessert as it is very filling indeed.<br/><br/>All in all, a great eat-in experience that doesn't come cheap. Prepare to spend $70+ if you want entree, main dessert with one drink. However, you won't be disappointed with the quality of the main and dessert.<br/><br/>One thing that bring the rating down for me is the lack of sake list. There is a drinks list that does not include the variety of sake on display behind the bar. Slightly disappointing as I was hoping to order some sake to share amongst us but it's just difficult if we have to look at the bar display to choose. Sake pairing was offered but it's not suitable for all.<br/><br/>I am excited to see this restaurant improve as I can see the potential for a lot more exciting dishes presented.

Most 5 reviews come from people who were invited to their soft opening. This was not a 3+ restaurant. The service here is very awkward - waiters trying to convince you to go with the sake and food pairing because "that's what this place is all about", and hovering to take away plates that are not quite finished. The menu is confused - each section has a different feel and some can be shared, some can't, what can be combined to make a full meal is unclear (i.e a main+ an entree is not enough for 1 person). 3 adults and 1 child with no alcohol come down to $250. Some dishes (soft shell crab, salmon) were really well done while some were very lacklustre.

We went here for their soft opening and was very impressed.<br/><br/>The food was quite good, although some of the flavours in the box with 6 dishes didn't quite click for me. <br/><br/>Their matching sake was expertly matched to our meals and even though I'm generally not a fan of sake, I enjoyed and finished every glass.<br/><br/>But the highlight would definitely be the dessert. Amazing. Every last tidbit was eaten and thoroughly enjoyed.

Very impressive food. Tastes good, I took my friends to have dinner in aoki, the pork belly is amazing, so is the dessert platter. definitely going to come back!

It's really a good Japanese restaurant, the lunch menu is quite special. They do lobster roll, and rice don as well. I'll recommend to all of my friends!

My wife booked a table at Aoki. It seemes just open for 1 week. Tried the 6 shorts， soft shell crab and dessert platter at Aoki. Nice food and friendly service. <br/>I will come back to try the lunch later.

Good service. And many delicious fresh food. Especially Lobster Burger. And the desert - Chiboust Sakura. The environment is pretty elegance. I pretty like this restaurant.

Could the best Japanese restaurant in Melbourne hide in Glen waverley! No matter the food, service and quality of good. You must have try it! <br/>5 stars service and full stars of the food. I like the 6 short course and the desserts is very good!<br/>In a word, must try!

Exceptionally delicious and very delicate taste with elegant presentation. The dishes are filled with love from the chief and kitchen stuff. It is such a privilege in this experience. It is not only the food that made me smile but also the passion and love from the owner and professionals. Thank you for this wonderful and tasty journey!

Omg!!!!! Taste so good !!!! Wanna cry. The best Japanese kitchen in Melbourne!!!!!! Very reasonable price with unbelievable taste!!!!!!! Love it

It was a meal incorporating Japanese and French cuisines in my opinion, best steak and desert plate we have ever tasted. Definitely try the sake, it ll blow your mind.

Went to the trail night today, such a great Japanese restaurant with most delicious food and nice staff. Love the Tuna - the source just so so so so beautiful.

A really fancy new restaurant featured with Japanese food and desserts. Once I tried the wasabi ice cream on the street, it was so nice and special. Also, the matcha ice cream was so so tasty. The decoration is really impressive as well, the chairs and tables are nice and clean. They have an open kitchen which can show you how the food is made.