Review Ocha - Hawthorn

One of my favourite restaurants in the world, a must visit every time I’m in Australia to enjoy Yasu and Michelle’s amazing food and hospitality. It doesn’t get much better than this. Stunningly fresh seafood, meticulous technique, great wines / sakes / beers, knowledgeable and friendly staff, this list goes on.

Visited this restaurant recently for dinner with my wife when staying a few days in Melbourne. Loving japanese food, I have been to Japan, frequently cook japanese food at home and also dined in countless japanese joints on a regular basis across the world. I looked up 'best japanese restaurants Melbourne' with the aim to dine in of of the highly recommended places here. A restaurant guide from Dec 2021 listed Ocha as one of the top 20 places to eat. So we made a booking for dinner. We ordered: 12 piece Sashimi plate, Eggplant Dengaku with red miso, Katsu Pork Slider, Agedashi Tofu, Grilled Swordfish Steak with Salad and Yakisoba noodles. The positive: Service was friendly and prompt, so 5 stars for that. The food was of good quality. The dining ambience was pleasant although nothing out of the ordinary and certainly nothing related to Japanese dining. The Agedashi Tofu was delicious, can't fault that. The Pork Katsu slider was nice, although nothing outstanding. The negative: Sashimi plate - I have never seen Sashimi cut into such small pieces, looked like a kids meal. While the quality of the fish was good, it was not anything outstanding and certainly the presentation was not what you would expect from such a restaurant. The Eggplant Dengaku, while delicious - the presentation was disappointing. It did not look appetising at all, there was just this blackish eggplant put on to the plate without any regard for making the dish visually appealing (which is what you would expect for a japanese restaurant). The Yakisoba noodles were a fair and decent sized portion. The taste however is not any better than what I had in places that charge half of that. Watery sauce, large amounts of chunky cut carrots. The biggest let down was the grilled Swordfish steak. While the steak was tasty and perfectly cooked, the presentation of the dish is the worst I have ever seen. A bunch of green leaves of whatever 'salad' that is supposed to be dumped lovelessly on to the plate and then the 2 pieces of swordfish popped on top. Zero stars for presentation. I would not even serve a meal like that to my friends on a weekend BBQ at home. Japanese chefs and restaurants are known for their passion and attention to detail, they take great pride in making the food look as good as they can. This is what japanese cuisine stands for. None of that fundamental principle was evident in any of the dishes we had on that evening. I don't know what the owner and chefs of Ocha consider 'modern' japanese, but to me the only modern aspect of this restaurant is to bring the typical australian 'laid-back' and lazy attitude into the presentation of their so called japanese dishes. And you pay 40$ for that - are you kidding me? Overall - the place is highly overrated and underwhelming. Would not go back and would not recommend either.

First dinner out with my family since lockdown ended. One of the dishes we ordered was the Chef sushi/sashimi recommendation and it was delicious. The cuisine here is what I would describe as modern/ fusion Japanese. Pricey but worth every penny and I would certainly come again.

Was really looking forward to this evening.What a disappointment Huge push for sharing which destroys my pleasure. Customers do not need any pressure. Nice dining? Food wise, yes. Fine dining absolutely not. Noisy and very crowded. Food quite nice but very expensive plus a huge credit card surcharge. Service was just adequate. Uber eats had a huge priority. Certainly would not recommend

OCHA has GOTCHA sorted when it comes to sushi. Staff were friendly and kindly accommodated our order and allowed us to build our own platter. 🍴ocha roll 🍴soft shell crab roll 🍴dynamite roll 🍴unagi & shiso roll 🍴veg chumaki 🍴sushi (nigari and rolls) Lovely variety for sushi rolls and very fresh.

I had a delightful birthday celebration at Ocha Japanese restaurant. Nice ambience, excellent service and delicious Japaness cuisine made for a memorable evening!

The food here is excellent and the service is equal with enthusiastic and friendly staff who are attentive and courteous. A byo is also another good reason to eat here for all who have a nice wine collection to share with friends. A great chef and a special mention to Eric who’s knowledge and service is impeccable.

Awesome experience, the food was brilliant. The drinks however were lacking flavour, I loved how much the waiter/waitresses would come check on the table but I was disappointed on how long drinks took to get to the table. Other than that I love the place!

Great service at this restuarant which also has a separate take away section.<br/><br/>The food was delicious. I tried some Katsu Chicken, vegetable tempura, vegetable and water chestnut gyozas, sushimi, Unagi (eel) sushi, a pork Katsu slider, a grilled salmon slider. Phew hahaha but I shared these dishes. Oh and I almost forgot the miso eggplant which was served hot and this was some of the best eggplant that I've ever had! It was perfect.<br/><br/>Everything was really good, fresh and tasty. A couple of the highlights were the sushimi and the Unagi sushi who h was served piping hot! Yum. <br/><br/>My hot sake was good quality and the Sochu was a winner. The dark kirin beer was a great way to start my meal. <br/><br/>If you like good quality Japanese food at reasonable prices, then I can recommend this place.<br/><br/>Previous review - March 2019<br/><br/>I ordered home delivery tonight and it wasn’t good. I ordered 1 entree combo, some sushi, an okonomiyaki Japanese pancake and popcorn chicken w a can of drink for $70!!!!<br/><br/><br/>I really like Japanese food don’t get me wrong but tonight wasn’t good.<br/><br/>The popcorn chicken was greasy and tasteless. What? No flavour.<br/><br/>The okonomiyaki for $8.50 was literally no bigger than a beer coaster. <br/><br/>The dynamite sushi roll was ok, but that’s it. Again not much flavour other than cucumber. <br/><br/>The entree combo looked amazing but it wasn’t the best. Maybe it was just the home delivery... I hope so.

We had a table of 5 for a special dinner. The food was nice but not worth the prices in quantity. Our biggest gripe was the website promoted $7.50pp corkage for byo wines but the bill said $10per person. When I queried the waiter about it, he said the manager apologised but the website was 6 Months old. Our bill was over $450 and wouldn’t have taken much to appease our table. No corkage fee at all or some gesture of goodwill but nothing. Our waiters were generally ok but topping up wines was an issue as different wines were mixed together without asking. The coffees were asked to come out with desserts but arrived several minutes earlier. Had the corkage been handled better by management, I would not have been compelled to write this negative review.

I’m quite disappointed with this restaurant as their food is just not worth even close to the price they are charging. <br/>The King fish sashimi was warm and served with a weird soy sauce which would probably taste better with steam fish.<br/>Their special rolls are also not that special. It’s just the very average rolls with fish cucumber that you can get from a sushi takeaway. The sushi sashimi combo was fairly small, although was ok fresh. The bill in the end was $49 per person with an entertainment book discount. I guess when they offer discounts, you can’t expect much.

The sashimi took more an hour to come out. The food portion was tiny for the price. We spent $40 per person and we were still hungry afterwards. We had to go to maccas afterwards. I wouldnt be back as it is overpriced and food came out too slow. I dont understand why it is rated so high as it is definitely not worth the price. We had the chicken ribs and it was so salty that you can only taste the salt. The waiter told us that it is supposed to be that salty and didnt offer an alternative. In addition, the service is not very attentive and rude for the type of dining and price. I know i wouldnt be back. I would give a 1/2 a star if i could.

Super fresh ingredients. Excellent quality of authentic Japanese food. We let the kitchen decide what to serve us - crab and nori tempura, agedashi tofu, soft shell crab slider, crunchy prawn ball and scallop dishes were clean, delicious. Service was on the spot polite, friendly and responsive. Highly recommend.

Amazing food and service, very authentic Japanese menu & cuisine. Been back more than 10 times and always better than the last. Sushi and sashimi is a must !!!

This unique Japanese restaurant is quite different from the others if you are looking for a good lunch/night out and you live by, I recommend it to all. I especially love their great salads.

A nice cosy japanese restaurant situated in Hawthorn. To begin we had edamame, the soft shell crab sliders, crunchy prawn ball and Hokkaido scallops. The scallops were beautiful and soft with a delicious creamy sauce. The crunchy prawn balls had a lot of flavour. The soft shall crab slider had a nice kick to it but could have had a bit more. Next we had the sushi and sashimi combo and new style kingfish sashimi. Both were good but the new style kingfish sashimi had a lovely ponzo dressing with chilli garlic and ginger. The eggplant with red miso was well balanced and the gyoza has lovely flavour. The grilled pork belly mini okonomiyaki was well seasoned, as was the popcorn chicken and tempura whiting and veggies. For dessert we shared the toffee pudding, chocolate pudding and ricotta donuts. The toffee pudding was a clear standout, soft, moist and sweet dessert - all perfectly balanced. <br/><br/>Look forward to returning to try more items on the menu.

Had lunch on a weekday here once. Delicious and good value. Comes with salad and tea or coffee.<br/><br/>The initial waiter wasn’t too hospitable even though there wasn’t too many people but one of the other waitress picked up the lack in service so my friend and I thought it was a good place to spend the afternoon.<br/><br/>Recommended for lunch if you are nearby and looking for good japanese!

Found this place average, and honestly was expecting a lot more given how pricey it was. Sort from the gyoza and the Wagyu, everything else was a bit too bland and underseasoned. If you have a voucher, then give it a go otherwise I'd recommend giving this a pass.

Love Ocha - there’s a reason it’s been around for so long. The food’s fresh and dishes (and people) aren’t trying to be anything too complicated or over the top. Service is always solid, but you do pay for it. Definitely a pricey meal out.

Just took mum here for a quick birthday lunch and was surprised at home great the food was! Haven’t been here since 2013/4, the sushi rolls were as fresh as ever! I loved the fried pop chicken with spiced mayonnaise and okonomiyaki! Great service also, Highly recommended!

3.0. I was a big fan of the old Ocha in Kew. It was a tiny venue and it was often hard to get a booking there. But, it had real atmosphere including an air of exclusivity. The new Ocha has been in larger premises in Hawthorn for some time and it continues the modern Japanese food tradition of the old venue.<br/><br/>There’s plenty to like here. The food is good, sometimes very good, and the bar and table service is terrific. But, I had a couple of issues with our experience here. One, the place is a bit noisy when it’s full. Two, and more troubling, we had to wait an eternity before any food arrived after being seated. More on this shortly.<br/><br/>We started with a drink at the bar which was very pleasant. The bar and managerial staff were totally on the ball both with drinks and conversation. A long humour laden discussion over our drinks about the merits of dirty martinis was both entertaining and funny. We enjoyed the banter and then moved to our table.<br/><br/>We ordered promptly after sitting down essentially leaving the venue to choose the dishes. But, then we waited and waited and waited. So did other tables around us. The food was just so slow to come out. It was basically a glacial one hour wait. I was just about ready to start eating the cutlery, I was that hungry. I haven’t experienced a wait like this for food for years. To be fair to the restaurant, it was clearly the absolute busiest time of the night. The restaurant was full and clearly lots of people had ordered around the same time. I get that. But, aren’t restaurants meant to anticipate these sorts of things and manage them. As we sat waiting and waiting I wondered why the restaurant couldn’t arrange just one appetiser or small dish to tide us over a bit. That plus actually being advised of a bit of a delay would have helped the situation. Instead, we were left hanging and had to make our own enquiries with the staff about when something might be coming. All in all, it was not well handled and it left us frustrated. <br/><br/>Finally a dish and then multiple dishes started to arrive after an hour. Our first was finely sliced calamari. On first tasting, I found the calamari bland and thought it needed seasoning. It didn’t. All it needed was a couple of squeezes of lemon juice from the supplied wedges on the plate and the dish was absolutely transformed. It was very nice. A lovely dish. Next dish was salmon tartare with seaweed. This dish too had beautiful taste and textures. We really enjoyed it. A carpaccio of beef was next. It looked good but we all thought it was a little flat and needed more flavour. The sashimi and sushi combination followed. This was good but certainly short of top draw. There were several nice pieces, the best probably being the unagi nigiri which was delicious. We finished the mains with eggplant with miso which was lovely and tempura crab and beans with a green pepper which was also good. Our dessert was a couple of scoops of green tea and black sesame ice cream.<br/><br/>All in all, we enjoyed the food. It’s good but not spectacularly good modern Japanese fare. <br/><br/>Our thanks to the staff here who were terrific as suggested earlier. The table and bar service was uniformly good and the banter was a lot of fun particularly from the head barman. He didn’t convince a couple of us about his views about martinis but we enjoyed our conversation with him immensely.<br/><br/>(I marked the restaurant down half a mark for the lengthy wait for food. Without that, I would have scored it 3.5)

It’s a wonderful restaurant with fresh seafood and good taste. We tried scallops and oysters as well as sushi& sashimi combo. Oh yeah, and beef tataki. Will definitely go there further and will try something else.

I have been wanting to go to Ocha for ages, so I was so excited to hear that my friend is having a small celebration there.<br/><br/>I let my friend order the food as she has obviously been here many times. Edamame beans were firm and nicely seasoned, my friends all love the gigantic prawn balls (however by all accounts it’s a hit and miss depending on the day) and the agedashi tofu looked good.<br/><br/>The sashimi and sushi platter was mediocre though. The sashimi was just not fresh enough and it was such a disappointment. The sushi rolls were ok but I expected much better quality.<br/><br/>The cooked food was great though. The pan fried chicken salad was cooked perfectly. The wagyu beef steak with salad and another steak dish with stir fry bean sprouts was very nice.<br/><br/>Dessert time and I really enjoyed the matcha donuts and my friend’s chocolate lava cake was good. <br/><br/>Overall it was an expensive meal (almost $100 pp not including wine) for what we got. <br/><br/>

One of my favourite Japanese places In Melbourne! Some things are a little too pricey for what they are, but everything is always excellent. <br/>Definitely one of my top places for oysters! They come with quite a few different dressings, veg vinaigrette, ponzu & wasabi foam are my top picks. Best agedashi tofu I’ve had in Melbourne by far! Unagi nigiri is a must order too!<br/>The cod is the only thing I wouldn’t recommend, it’s nice, but lacking flavour. <br/>Service is excellent! <br/>Wines by the glass are too high in price

We enjoyed the variety of dishes. The ambience was enjoyable and the staff were friendly. A couple of stand out dishes were the salmon wings and the sashimi was fresh. However there were a few dishes that just weren’t of quality. <br/>The bun for the soft shell crab slider was dry and lacked quality (unusual for that type of dish), the cabbage and vegetables seemed brown and not fresh, and the savoury doughnuts were fried but oily and soggy and lacked quality. <br/>Overall, for the price they could look at refining all dishes and focusing on quality of ingredients. They obviously refined presentation which was nice. Wasn’t a bad meal, and may go back in the future.

One of the best restaurants in Melbourne hands down! <br/>Dishes: Black cod, miso marinated and salad + Hokkaido scallop + sushi sashimi + crab tempura <br/>Ocha has been a favourite restaurant for years and every time we go back it gets better. The service is always fantastic and the food is outstanding. Favourite dish is the scallops as well as the miso cod which is beautiful. <br/>Ocha is a must go for anyone in Melbourne cannot recommend enough. 10/5

I had read some of the reviews and had mixed feelings about coming here but I always wanted to try it out as it’s a local restaurant for me and I’ve known the name for many years. <br/>Positives: service was attentive and food came out fairly quickly. The soft shell sushi, grilled cod, curry and calamari salad was nice<br/>Could be better: Disposable wooden chopsticks to me was a turn off, found the other dishes okay but not special- scallop mornay, prawn ball, teriyaki duck. <br/>Might come here next time for specific dishes but will try other places first.

I’m not one to put reviews , but tonight I was extremely upset with the food received. Ordered Uber Eats , and was very disappointed to say the least. We ordered the tofu teriyaki bowl and the chicken teriyaki. I couldn’t even eat the tofu it was horrible. I’ve been to the restaurant a few times and it’s nice and expected the takeaway to be just as nice . It was simply not edible .

Haven't been to Ocha for a while now, as the last time was quite underwhelming. Came here for a business lunch and found that they have taken-over the cafe next door and the decor is not consistent for both the restaurants, seems like two separate restaurants. Gordon Ramsay would give that a FAIL!  <br/>For a supposed fine dining Japanese restaurant and for the price you pay for the dishes, I think they could do better than cheaply-stamped wax paper table sheet, disposable chopsticks and not changing tableware between dishes. <br/>Now the food, the Sushi was ok, the tempura was very oily - almost inedible and the Black Cod tasted weird? We left the restaurant with a bad taste in our mouths, not something you would have after eating at a highly rated Japanese establishment like Ocha.<br/>Combine all these factors with the ridiculously overpriced food.... never again!!

Really disappointing meal tonight at Ocha .....<br/>'GRILLED SALMON' was what we ordered and this is not at all what I would have expected ... $37.50 and I'll eat my hat if that is cooked, let alone been near a grill - despite 3 staff assuring me it was .... it's certainly not what was expected. <br/>$29.50 for 4 tiny pieces of thigh chicken... whilst flavoursome, is hardly a main meal size.<br/>Wouldn't rate it at all. <br/>On the upside, the dog loved it when we got home .... most expensive meal he's ever had!

Haven't been here for a couple of years, but was pleased to find the quality of the food and friendly service is still very good.  The sliced duck and the tempura potato cake were the highlights. Bit on the pricey side, but worth it

Finally got to try ocha, ordered the sushi sashimi combo, this was declious. Edamame was over cooked and there was left over water in the bowl due to not be drained properly which made the bottom Edamames soggy. The tempura felt like it was food court quality. The rib eye steak was salty and felt like it was just throw on a bed of beanshoot. Poorly presented. Oh the crab slider that was meant to be the favourite was bland and crab was dry.<br/>Now the service, to begin with, I didn't feel like they were attentive, our soy sauce dish for the sushi remained on our table for the whole dining experience, when we no longer needed. We had the same plate to use for three of our dishes, so I placed my plate along with the food clearing hoping to get a new plate, never did. Then we got the bill and was told to pay upfront. There's better jap places around..

We were expecting big things from Ocha, booked for our parents' golden wedding anniversary and came away very underwhelmed compared to our experience 5 years ago. Let's start with the positives. We were able to get a booking for 9 people 3.5 weeks prior (perhaps this is not a good indication of popularity) and the venue was very accommodating with our booking. We were welcomed on arrival and the restaurant is clean, visual and has a lovely ambience with all tables occupied. Our main waiter was good but not excellent and despite paying corkage we grabbed many of our own bottles of wine to open and refill ourselves. We had to ask for plates when a course was bought out (ours had all been taken away 15 mins prior) and I had to ask for my water to be refilled from empty plus a beer that was ordered and not delivered. The 8 chef courses were not amazing. Bean shoot refresher was tasteless, the scallops in Hollandaise were tasty, Salty mini prawns were average, a calamari dish was ok, sushi and sashimi  - had a lot better elsewhere and even though the duck was amazing, why it was served as the last dish after a beef dish is not acceptable as we had no pino left by this stage and duck is always an earlier course. I brought my own homemade cake and that was beautifully cut and presented by the chef and honestly that got the most compliments for taste and presentation on our table. We still enjoyed ourselves but we went away with a very different impression than last time. If you want 'special' look elsewhere. If you want nice ambience, good to very good food with minimal table service then go to Ocha. It pains me to write this review but it seems a few agree with me that standards have slipped dramatically.

Great food excellent service slightly expensive for what is on offer.. tried most of the dishes stand out was seafood selection oysters were fresh, scallops amazing! Loved the soft shell crap sliders and prawn crunchy balls! Very tasty food and made with passion which is always appreciated would go back again! Our waiter Chris was cool! Think his name was Chris tall dude very knowledgeable and honest cheers

Ocha is one of my favourite modern Japanese restaurants for excellent food and service! Their food is delicate, beautifully presented and of course, extremely tasty. Never disappointed from a night out here!

Amazing Japanese in a great setting. The place was buzzing on a weekend. Love the attentive friendly service. Fresh ingredients and good selection of sushi and sashimi. Great menu options and interesting dishes with a decent wine and sake listing.

Such a charming restaurant, the fit out here is lovely, the staff and food was equally as lovely.  We were a table of 4 and we shared some entrees and ordered our own mains.  The food was served in a timely manner and our waitress was fantastic on offering suggestions.  My only gripe is that we ordered a large sushi & sashimi combo and we received the small instead.  Luckily someone counted the pieces and checked, I didn't do any counting as I was too busy eyeing off which piece of fish I was about to hoe into! lol They rectified this immediately and brought out some additional pieces, however not enough and not as per the large size which is 42 pieces.  This restaurant offers BYO - WINNING!! Sorry no pics, we were all hungry and I didn't want to be 'that' person trying to take photos of each dish haha

The meal was delicious- best Japanese food in Melbourne!! The service was great and the staff was friendly. Highly recommended the marinated black cod and the scallops, but to be honest everything was amazing. Definitely will be back!

I've been here over the last few years. I Didn't even realize I haven't written the review. If I had written the review last year, this would of been on my 4-4.5 ratings. But over the last few times, I just haven't been able to really enjoy my time here. To a point, just recently, partner suggested to go and I said "nope" - which is quite unusual for me. <br/><br/>This is the run of events. And this is where service is a make it or break - I still remember the first time we were here, our wait staff had given us the recommendation and we were happy to just go ahead. All dishes were beautiful. Subsequent times were also fun. We tried being adventurous, plus we couldn't quite remember what she had organized for us. We went a few more times, sometimes sitting in a spot whereby we would nod to the chef in appreciation of the good food, sometimes asking the wait staff to see whether the kitchen can do a certain dish. Sometimes the kitchen can, and if they can't, came back with another suggestion. There was once, our original wait staff was on shift and she remembered us. She remembered I like my plum wine hot. So I knew she wasn't just saying she remembered. It was genuine. This all happened sometime in the last few years and at that point, I was so happy w this place, it would of been a 4-4.5. Fast forward to this year. Technically, the food hasn't changed, but due to the service and uncomfortable experience, I felt the food wasn't on par as well. Just lost the taste. <br/><br/>In the last few visits, the below was experienced: 1. when we asked for recommendations, the wait staff literally said "it's all there" - as in the food is all seen on the menu. Didn't recommend, and told us she will give us a few minutes and come back to take our order. I was so surprised. <br/>2. We can smell the cleaning detergent and there was still a few tables left. It's just so off putting. Im still trying to eat. The cleaning smell overtook the food smell. Felt absolutely crap. <br/>3. When we asked whether the kitchen can do garlic friend rice, the wait staff immediately said 'no'. But we have had it here before! She didn't even bother to go ask. <br/>4. Another wait staff wasn't equipped with uncorking bottles. Looked so clumsy. <br/><br/>My last visit - I insisted my partner not leave tip. <br/><br/>I'm not even sure whether the food has also gone down hill or whether the front of house experience has dampen my liking to the food as well.

Salty, lots waiters but service too slow. It is not like a commercial kitchen style. Pricey, over 100 per person. My friends and I wen to Box hill for another dinner after finishing dinner on Ochoa.

Food is always excellent the drinks are braid and cocktails are very good and well made <br/>The service. Well we've been there 3 times. But this visit the service was terrible clearly a new kid on the block which was a shame if I hadn't been here before I wouldn't go back , I hope the manager talks and trains the the young boy on listening and quality of service. Fast he will kill your guests with inefficiency <br/>Till next time but if he serves me I will happily complain directly

Went with high hopes after visiting Japan recently and thought this place would be similar. Unfortunately the food was way too salty which over powered the delicate meats leaving an often tasteless flavour. The service was also very ordinary and inattentive leaving what could have been a great restaurant feeling like a bistro. Have left feeling extremely unhappy given the prices are far higher than the experience.

It's been around this long for a reason. The food is fresh and you're always guaranteed a great Japanese meal. Waiters tonight perhaps not as attentive as they've been in the past...

I wanted to like it. I went there before it moved to the new location and had fond memories of it tasting so fresh and authentic. After visiting tonight, I regretted coming back. Super small servings, average sushi sashimi platter... Thats all.

The quality of the ingredients was great, and the dishes all tasted delicious.. BUT the reason why the rating isn't as high is because the pacing of the delivery of the food was slow.. And this being my first time here I couldn't tell which dishes would be big enough to share for 3 ppl or which would be too small..<br/><br/>Eventhough the food was yummy, don't think I'll go back given the price in comparison to the servings.. if I was rich and had lots of money to spend, then yes wouldn't mind going back

Flawless! Food is very fine - modern Japanese using top quality ingredients. Hokkaido scallops and teriyaki fish are a must-try. Staff are very attentive, friendly - yet polite- and quick. Ambience is very pleasant. Been here a couple of times and will definitely go back.

I had wanted to try this restaurant for a long time. Sadly, I was sorely disappointed with our dinner experience tonight. The dishes were overpriced for the portions served. While we were still having our mains and waiting for another 2 dishes, the waitress came up to us with the dessert menu. She mentioned that we might want to look at it while waiting for the rest of our food. <br/><br/>When our 2 other dishes arrived, she asked if we wanted to order any desserts. We declined, as we have not even started eating the 2 dishes that had just arrived! Once I finished eating, the waitress came over with the bill, while my friend was still eating and without any of us asking for the bill! It was very obvious that she wanted us to vacate the table. The other patrons around us were there before us and they were still there chit chatting after their meals. One table had even paid for their bill but they still sat there chatting. The restaurant was not even full and had many empty tables. We can't understand what's with all the rush. We spent $150 for 2 people. Definitely not coming back here again!

A modern looking restaurant, not what I expected. From outside, I thought it would be more traditional Japanese looking. I came for a work function of small group, and I cannot remember all the dishes we had or how many we had (it has been a while), but I remember overall it was pretty good experience. Okonomiyaki was probably the best thing we had that night. Gyoza was okay, cannot tell if I would have eaten somewhere else cheaper. We also had yakisoba fried noodle which was okay, and beef dish which was okay too. Oh, we also had a appetizer of pickled beansprouts (which to me reminds me of side dishes in Korean restaurants). Everything was served in dainty and small portions.

Food: lovely quality. We had agedashi tofu, sushi/sashimi platter and nabeyaki udon for dinner. We really enjoy the flavours and beautiful presentation. Came out fast. <br/><br/>Ambience: Overall cozy and quite nice but minor detractions like flooring, tiny table top and wobbly table needing fixing. <br/><br/>Service: definitely friendly and our waiter quickly fixed up a misheard order with no fuss. But the service overall seemed more like friendly students doing a casual gig rather than professionals. <br/><br/>Presentation: The kitchen staff were wearing polo tshirts and host greeting us dressed NQR - cheapened the overall look. <br/><br/>Overall nice food and I'd go back but not as impressive as it used to be.

Food was good, unfortunately service was terrible and extremely slow, this was a weekday lunch, restaurant wasn't busy with customers at all. Waiting staff standing around without chasing up our orders, 2 bottle drinks took 30 mins to arrive.

It was a good start with some nice oysters...but the food experience went downhill afterwards...the prawn balls were a bit oilily....pancakes were just okay...then....the rest of the food took so long to come...the poor waitress had to apologize so many times..she said the kitchen messed up with orders...well...whatever the excuse was...we were left hungry for at least 45min till out first main comes...then again the endless waiting...the worse part was the main were as nice as the entres...if we knew thats what was going to be served...we probably would have left the restaurant half way...not impressed with the main dishes and certainly not worth the ridiculous waiting time for them to come...dont think we would ever return there...no good

Drive past this place many times and never thought about going. As it is part of a pub and never imagine there is a boutique fusion Japanese located here. Walking inside is unexpected. Formal dining that's more western than Japanese. Food is okay I still prefer authentic Japanese

I have been meaning to come to this restaurant for a while now & I am so glad I finally did. I love their concept of ordering a lot of different dishes to share. The food was so tasty, very light & came out very quickly. I will definitely be back as there are so many dishes I have yet to try.

Been wanting to try this place for a while now and we're not disappointed. The scallops were delicious and the sashimi was so fresh and some of the best sashimi I've tasted. Waifu steak, prawn balls and tiger prawns were a bit average but still overall the meal was great. Staff were very friendly and attentive and with the entertainment book voucher the meal was very good value

The service was appalling. We waited for our food for over an hour (not exaggerating) and there was no apology as if this was normal. Asked one staff member when we will be served and she just ignored me and went straight to another customer. Felt so worthless and insulted. Food was average, and over priced too but 1.5 hour wait was the worst.

food was just ok. <br/>service was attentive.<br/>interior design was quite nice and a real upscale feel to it (along with an upscale crowd)<br/>pretty expensive for what you're paying for though

Contemporary Japanese fine dining experience was let down by overcrowding, overpriced dishes & 1.75% credit card surcharge. <br/><br/>Staff tried their best to cope with inpatient diners through narrowed walkways. Service wasn't great but acceptable under such conditions.<br/><br/>Apart from scallops, grilled oysters & prawn balls, the rest (sushi & sashimi combo, teriyaki chicken, tempura) was pretty ordinary. <br/><br/>Not ideal for a young family ( service was a bit unpredictable & kids could become jittery), a romantic night out (too many people in too little space), parties ( not enough room to manoeuvre) nor those expecting good value for money. BYO should be the rule if you go there.

A gigantic leap ....<br/><br/>From the old super tiny Tokyo inspired place on Pakington St to this current venue.<br/><br/>The Menu has gone upscale too; presentation and price.<br/><br/>Service is hit & miss at best.

Good sit down dinner option for Japanese in Hawthorn. Attracts Hawthorn and Kew families for dinner and celebrations, and others, no doubt. Enjoyed the prawn balls, the small sushi/sashimi platter, and the special menu's mini okonomiyaki with pork atop. Will visit again. Not cheap and cheerful but still a pleasant option in the area.

Felt like Japanese for lunch and came across this little place in Hawthorn. As a family, we had sushi rolls and sashimi to share but what stood out for me the most was the scallops (with hollandaise), it was so good everyone loved it! Each of us ordered a 'lunch box' which were served on regular plates, interestingly, and with large portions of rice. I definitely think that fusion is a good idea but to make it a bit more traditional, they should at least add some extras on the side like some salad, dumplings or even takoyaki balls - just food for thought.

Good food and pleasant service. A lovely evening of various foods and platters. We enjoyed a mixture of dishes and shared them. Keep up the good work Ocha.

Friday lunch @ Ocha was fantastic. The lunch set menu was great value for money allowing us to sample different dishes: Tempura prawns with udon noodles, sashimi, tempura prawns & vegetables, sushi, salad, miso soup and rice.

Occupying its now familiar location in the Bee Hive complex in Hawthorn, over the past 16 years  Ocha has become a Melbourne institution. This is no surprise given the excellent contemporary Japanese dishes flowing from the kitchen. . Inside, the the dining room feels upmarket in a warm and intimate way - a relaxing place to settle in and indulge. The menu, crafted by chef and co-owner Yasu Yoshida utilises traditional Japanese techniques to craft contemporary interpretations which are best shared.

Went to Ocha for the 1st time with my wife last night, had heard it was good,we travel a lot and eat out most nights, and know our food, let me tell you this food is on par with any shopping centre japanese food, in fact I have had plenty better at shopping centres  and other low priced Japanese, this place is a joke, do not go if you are hungry and make sure you have fat wallets,<br/>I am honestly bewildered why people think this is good????? the dishes' tasted sweet and cheap, and what about the sashimi 12 piece, each slice is approx size of 20 cent piece you get 12 in total, $28.00 !!!!!! drinks are also way over the top,<br/>Please take my advice if you want a nice japanese meal, look elsewhere.

We dined here to celebrate our wedding anniversary and were<br/>not disappointed.  All meals are served<br/>for a shared dining experience.  Once we<br/>ordered, we were given an appetiser of pickled bean shoots, we set the palate<br/>straight and wanting to begin our food journey. We started with an entrée of<br/>tempura prawns, fish and vegetables which was tasty with the addition of the<br/>dipping sauce.  Next we, had the<br/>sushi/sashimi platter together with the Ocha Roll which was filled with<br/>avocado, salmon, prawn & cucumber - delicious!  Our final course before dessert was the<br/>Yakisoba with pork and vegetables, which was very tasty.  To finish off we shared the Ocha donuts with<br/>white chocolate and green tea dipping sauce, which was a great way to end the<br/>meal.  Our waiter told us it was his<br/>favourite dessert and we agree with him.<br/><br/>The only thing we didn't like was how noisy it was as we had<br/>trouble hearing each other.  Our table<br/>was also quite close to the other tables where there were other couples dining<br/>out on a romantic evening.

Such a special restaurant, the service is exceptional always.<br/>The food is just divine.<br/>Really faultless, everything here is just lovely.<br/>We will always come back to Ocha.

Really nice food but really expensive for what they are. Good experience overall but don't have the budget to dine there often. If I do, I'll still take my money somewhere else nicer.

I marked one whole point down as it is horrendously noisy. I wouldn't recommend going on a date here. If you don't like noisy restaurants please head to another Japanese restaurant.<br/>The presentation of the dishes are beautiful. I've had better flavours at other Melbourne Japanese restaurants. My top 3 favourite dishes were the gyoza, the prawn balls and the crunchy spicy fish. The mirin chicken wasn't very good quality chicken meat, it was fatty and gristly.<br/>The other half mark I took off was for the average service and over priced menu.<br/>My review sounds mostly negative so to close off- the food is fresh and they specialize in fish/seafood. I would look at other Japanese restaurants if you are wanting to impress your guests.

I will preface this review by saying I'm not a seafood fan. Because that's what people say... "You didn't like that place because you don't eat seafood."<br/>Liking seafood is irrelevant. I ate the food off the menu and anything on the menu needs to meet a standard. It didn't.<br/>I started with the wagyu skewer which had no flavour of beef, the wasabi mash covered anything. The chicken kaarage again had no flavour, it was barely even crispy. Quail... broken record... yawn. No flavour.<br/><br/>Poor.

6 of us went to Ocha last night to celebrate a special birthday. We have all been there many times and always loved it. The food was fantastic as always but totally destroyed by the service or lack thereof! Food very slow to come out, they forgot the gyoza until reminded so had that last. The wine was not served unless requested. Very disappointed as it is a special place to go.

och is a very reliable western+japanese restaurant, it has good variety of sashimi, sushi, noodles, steaks and drinks, but there are two problems they have to work on, the first is the speed, every dish takes a bit too long to come out and i did feel hungry while waiting, the second thing is their portion's a bit small, but does taste very well

I had the Kingfish sashimi - melts in my mouth.  Prawn ball is average.  Oysters are barely there but very fresh - I should have ordered more.  Chargrilled quail is not extra-ordinary.<br/><br/>Service is passable.  Service will neither make you come nor not make you come back.  Maybe it will be the food.

Came here with boyfriend and sister, had a load of oysters all prepared differently and they were all absolutely mouth watering. Sashimi was beautifully fresh and our udon was just right. Staff was extremely attentive and friendly, only downside was we were sat at the bar as all other tables were booked early.

Great Japanese food! Really nice ambience that is good for entertaining. Service isn't great though. I've loved every dish that I've tried so far.

I am quite disappointed for the dinner tonight. We spent 170$ /2 which was obviously not cheap. The service was generally slow- I believe they were understaffed. It took at least 10 mins to serve the next course. Also it took them 25 mins to serve us drinks, then we were asked whether we would like to order drinks or just happy with having water and we replied with we ordered sake but hasn't arrived even we finished our entree. When we were having sukiyaki casseroles they forgot to serve us raw eggs until we asked for it again. Then the soup turns out to be very extremely salty. I gently told the waiter that whether they could do something with soup but was told it is supposed to be a salty dish. I told the waiter I have been to so many Japanese restaurants serving sukiyaki and personally know how to sukiyaki. Although it is a soy based soup, it is not supposed to be salty like that! Then we were offered some hot water as they couldn't do anything else! For how much we paid, and the service we received , I think they are not coordinated! To be fair, the sushi sashimi platter was very good, fish were fresh. Not coming back again.

Exceptional Japanese Restaurant that never fails to impress. Casual vibe at lunch and truly delicious food.<br/>Always order the oysters as a selection of them is a great way to start a meal. Wasabi Mornay Oysters a standout.<br/>Even with just two of us we had a wide selection of small serves and every one was delicious and beautifully plated.<br/>Can't wait for a return visit.

This has always been my favourite restaurant. Everytime I come here with my wife, we always order the standard dishes. Oyters (wasabi mornay, kilpatrick, yuzu sorbet, and ponzu), prawn balls (to die for), beef tataki, gyoza (Very juice and tasty), agedashi tofu, spicy calamari salad, soft shell crab rolls, and nabeyaki udon. We dont order any mains (steak, duck, or pork) as they are average. They serve really good entrees like above, a bit of salad, tofu, and sake - nothing can go wrong right?

We dined here as a large-ish group on a Saturday night (restaurant was about 90% full, so bookings are probably essential). Because there were so many of us we were able to order quite a number of dishes to share. Overall the food was perfectly cooked and prepared. The dishes arrived in pristine fashion, and it was evident great care was taken in the details. Of note, the crispy chicken wings, miso marinated black cod, and the sushi & sashimi platter were excellent. Very little to complain about overall. Given the portions, and taking into account the quality of the food, prices are still a tad high though. But it's a great place for a large gathering on a special occasion to share some great Japanese food!

My favourite Japanese in Melbourne. I have been here. a number of times and the food is always amazing. The staff are friendly and very attentive. I highly recommend Ocha.

Amazing food.  We have been there a few times and have always let the chef take care of our menu. We have never been disappointed.  Desserts are fantastic.  I love their green tea ice cream.  Sushi and sashimi are superb.  Definitely worth a visit.

Gorgeous meals but average service considering the price we paid.

Brilliant service. great fun!. Food and Wine organised with dietary requirements and smile. Left of field wines but enjoyed it completely Wow Ocha you desire your reputation. Look forward to the new menu!

The first thing I noticed when I sat down on our seats at Ocha was the noise - from the table next to us. The seats were not spaced too well that I heard every bit of gossip of women chattering about their husbands and how she regretted not having lived her life after having a few drinks. She tried to keep her voice down but unfortunately, it's too late. If you're looking for a romantic night out, this is not the venue for you. If this was for a family function or group dinner, it is a possible option but not for the price. Quality-wise, it's good but there are better places in Melbourne for great Japanese food. Our best dish of the night - Soft Shell Crab Roll ($17.50) and the Sushi and Sashmi Combo (main $42). The crab was lightly fried but still very crunchy, you won't notice the mushy texture of the crab. The daikon wrapped around the sushi was so delicate, it was really made with skill. The sushi rice was vinegary and sweet but not overpowering. Sashmi was fresh and succulent. Def

Last minute birthday celebrations for ET brought the girls together at Ocha for some fancy japanese. We were met by warm service, a neutral toned comfortable room and a fully packed restaurant. We began with some birthday sparkling – courtesy of E’s visit to Mornington Peninsula earlier in the day and Ocha’s BYO policy. So many enticing choices on the menu steered us away from our first choice of the chef’s antipasto platter and thus we whetted our appetite with some fresh oysters with tangy yuzu sorbet.  Our only meat dish of the night was mopped up quickly (with 2 vegans on the table), featuring thin slices of wagyu in a sweet ponzu sauce and ground radish. The delicate dish was colourful, with all of the following plates beautifully presented. I love my rare meat (sorry J&E) so this was the perfect starter. Can’t go past sushi and sashimi at a Japanese platter, and Ocha’s offered a variety in the form of nigiri and sashimi. Can’t go wrong with fresh fish, with our niggle being that

Ocha (3 Church Street, Hawthorn) is something of a suburban legend. The Japanese restaurant built up a huge following at its original location in Pakington Street, Kew - so much so that it relocated to its current location in the revamped Beehive complex in 2010, effectively doubling its cover size from 35 to 70 plus. Comfortably settled in next door to schmancy gastro-pub Barkers Wine Bar (old-man-pub the Beehive Hotel in another life), Ocha is still notoriously difficult to get a booking at. I haven't tried their degustation ($120.00 per head), held on the last Monday of each month - but I imagine it, too, would be very popular. Ocha has even released its own ranges of dressings and sauces for home use. MERCH! My, that is confidence personified. Bottled. Whatever.

My favourite dish of the night would definitely be the seared kingfish sashimi. Being a huge sashimi eater I was glad that there was something else apart from the regular salmon and tuna sashimi. The slices came dressed in ponzu sauce which complemented it nicely. Although I was quite full by the time this dish was served, I still found it so tasty and had most of it for myself! (Dear hubby decided to give me most of his share after seeing how much I liked it.)

Silly question really… The dessert menu is definitely worth a look, once again there are lots of choices! We went with this super crispy banana fritter and a perfect “ooey, gooey, chocolate pudding”. deep fried crunchy rice flake covered banana with chocolate sauce & green tea icecream

making Asian food sexy, a seemingly insurmountable task but both faring well. Ocha has a fairly traditional menu, and yet they put their own little twist on various dishes.

Ocha, having moved from its tiny Kew location to a reasonably sized space in the Beehive Building in Hawthorn, opposite the Tram Depot, serves up innovative and modern Japanese food, all impeccably executed. The young waiter suggested we let him choose some of the best dishes from the menu and we were happy to oblige. I am such a sucker for decision-and-stress-free dining! Like a complete rookie, I forgot both my camera and my blogging book at home, so please excuse the grainy iphone photos. roe.

Ocha is amazing! In their new home since 2010 the Ocha website provides some lovely insights into their humble beginnings Back in the mists of time - 1994 - a small restaurant opened in Kew with the express aim of bringing superbly crafted Japanese food to an Australian audience. Here, in a tiny converted butcher's shop that barely seated 30 people, Ocha was born. The toilets were outside and elbows were kept tucked in, but this unassuming little star was on the rise. It wasn't long before this suburban restaurant captured the hearts and taste buds of the locals (and interlopers from all over Melbourne!) and quickly built a fiercely loyal customer base. The new restaurant has a wonderful welcoming feel and is light, airy and the staff are quietly attentive..... Read more at my blog

Salmon pan-fried and glazed with teriyaki...sauce was not thick enough and not very tasty. However, the vegetables were quite good and the best item of the evening.

Tender seared pieces of beef and starting off brown at the edges transitioning to pink and then to a beautiful red bullseye in the centre. Flavours were well balanced and we loved the thicker than usual slices .

Ocha's new home is cool, modern and reminded me a bit of the old Circa decor. We had a later booking and arrived to find the restaurant

Chef and owner Yasuhiko Yoshida first opened Ocha in 1994 by and after 14 years they have moved to big and better premises in hawthorn, the expansion has not stopped the hoards of loyalists and new customers trying to get a table at this suburban gem. Boo

Many many moons ago, I had made a booking with my fellow food bloggers, Danny, Mellie and Anna to go to Ocha for dinner at it's old smaller location. However, I had decided to help out a friend fix his computer that day. And if you've ever tried to fix a computer, a task that you think will take two hours inevitably takes eight hours. I made the cardinal sin of changing something when everything was already working. The conclusion of the computer fixing story ended well, I managed to get everything running. However, that was many hours later, well past the booking time of my table at Ocha. Fast forward many moons and when my friend Hien and I were looking for a restaurant to dine at, I suggested Ocha. At it's new location, it is still extremely busy but we managed to get a seat at the bar, which was fine with us. I had read a lot about the amazing sushi at Ocha so that was a must order for me. We shared the Sashimi Platter and I have to say that I was disappointed. The fish all tasted

The food was nice, but way overpriced. As other reviewers have noted, the serves are small. I've had nicer and more generous serves of sushi from a takeaway restaurant in Blackburn. As other reviewers have noted, the service is poor for the price. We had waitresses top up sparkling water with tap water and were just about pushed out of the door for the second sitting. I won't be going back.

Great food great service. Came in last night for dinner with my partner and was greeted by friendly staff who were great throughout the night. Highlights were the teppanyaki eye fillet and the teriyaki duck - both cooked to perfection. We will be back for sure!

Was happy with the food but the service was not just inattentive but overly unfriendly from the moment we entered. I'm not sure if the waiter was having a bad day but left us unimpressed. Will not be returning

For dinner we had mostly the entree size specials that were AMAZINGLY delicious, when we shared a main if wagyu with vegies we were very disappointed...may be better to just stick with entrees only

It was okay but not worth what we paid. That's what i exactly want to say...especially last dish we had was tofu dish and i wasn't sure i was in japanese restaurant or Chinese. it has too strong sake or kind of alcohol taste so i was extremely unpleasant as non alcohol drinker. i wont go back there again

Tired and falling behind a little in the menu. It was busy so maybe I missed something but Iwil go back for another try but that is one strike. No better food than at Sakura in Camberwell wich is 40% of the cost

It was ok.... The worst dish of the night was the tofu steak which had too much thickening and was super bland. The tempura lacked flavour and had too much batter. Overall, good food but overpriced.

Extremely disappointing. Nothing special or amazing about the food here.<br/>Had high expectations and it was tasteless and not generous.<br/>We had the oysters with caviar and something else there were 2 balls of caviar ( expecting at least half a teaspoon) and whatever they put on the oysters that tastes like ice just ruined it.<br/>The hollandaise scallops did not compliment anything just tasteless and disappointing.<br/>The warm calmari salad consisted of crumbs of calamari ... Just embarrassing for 23$ <br/>The waygu beef was flavourless, The tempura prawn was ok nothing special, The sashimi was also okay, again nothing special. It was fresh, We ate everything out of being hungry, The presentation was good, but execution of each dish was disappointing. Not recommended in my books for upper class cuisine. Definitely not $270 worth.

The food was good but not superb!! Comparable to stone grill!! Service not good at all for a 1 hat restaurant... We were to be served by Andrew and personally felt he was not trained to serve in a one hatted restaurant!! Very poor service!!

Duck main was returned to kitchen as I wanted it cooked further. Even though I requested this when I ordered only to be returned to me saying this is how the kitchen cooks it!! To the defence of my waiter and the manager, they took this meal of the bill. English waitress was the only waitress that stressed I eat it the way the kitchen prepares it!

Best Japanese food in town but priced for special occasion only!

I love you Ocha