Review Shonan Kamakura - Melbourne

I'm glad this restaurant opened late. We went there around 9pm. The food was not the best, but it's still OK when you are starving. My daughter had the ramen noodles and that was not hot. My beef was the best because it's hot enough. The rice's also cold but still fill me up.

Do not be fooled by the pictures, I wouldn't even recommend this restaurant to a person without a tongue who hadn't eaten in a month. They'd be better of starving than eat this food, at least there would be less suffering Waited for 50+ minutes and then got served terrible food. Prawns from the assorted sashimi platter were clearly defrosted and not fresh. The plate was also missing ingredients on the menu, including the oysters, however looking back it might have been a blessing in disguise as the freshness was very questionable and I do not want to spend my holiday on the toilet. Next the seared scallops were cold and the sauce was underwhelming, no Yuzu flavour at all. The shonan sushi had overcooked rice that more resembled congee and were cut so large that unless you have the ability to inhale a watermelon it could not be eaten in one bite. The tempura soft shell crab had more vegetables than crab, and the gills had not been removed from the crabs prior to cooking. The teriyaki salmon was overcooked with more salad than salmon and finished off with sprouts haphazardly thrown on top with no sauce whilst the puddle of teriyaki sauce at the bottom of the bowl was burnt and runny. The ramen was also overcooked, seaweed soggy, and soup just plain old bland. To top it off we watched the "chef" abuse a customer, throwing a piece of paper at them after they questioned why their food was taking so long. If I could give 0 stars I would, this establishment either needs to improve or shut down. This review of the atrocious food is despite my having just come off a plane having missed lunch and famished.

Quick and really lovely service. Drinks were awesome and the food was top quality! Just the portions were a bit small!

Service was great, lovely atmosphere and the food came out quickly. We ordered the "Tonkotsu Ramen" and it was perfect! Tasty broth, generous serving, simple but tasty ingredients. Would come back again!

Customer service started off wrong and it kept going... waitress clearly didn't know what was on the menu that we had to show them. Orders took 50min from order time. Water had to be requested and had to ask for spoons for my fellow patron's ramen. The takoyaki was well made at least. Looking at the $15 vege tempura, it surely wasn't much. Hadn't I added the $6 dinner set (i.e. rice, miso soup and salad), this wouldn't be much at all. Out of all the Japanese restaurants I've been to, this place doesn't provide tempura sauce. It's lightly salted as they claimed to not need the sauce, but it tasted okay~ nothing much to boast about and it looks quite over fried as you can see.

We were served by Jo yesterday for dinner, her customer service was exceptional and she went above and beyond for our meals. The food was delicious & fresh and the miso soup was the best miso soup I have ever had. With beautiful wall decal and interior design, I highly recommend this spot for your next lunch or dinner!

Very nice staff, in love with the tonkotsu ramen really creamy with tasty flavour not too strong or salty either, the gyoza also very juicy.

Just went on Saturday for dinner. Maybe we got unlucky this time but definitely take caution if you really must eat here. - Ingredients ran out half an hour after opening (NOT a big restaurant but popular according to Google Reviews) and we were the third table to order (a lot of small groups besides us as well) - One waiter was doing everything with one chef in the back for a restaurant with a full house of around 30 seats - Got overcharged but wasn't told when confirming what dishes were being paid for (we cancelled dishes that weren't coming after one hour of waiting) It was the last straw when we saw other tables weren't getting all their dishes and they ordered BEFORE us.

I went here with a mate for lunch. The service from the waitress was excellent, friendly and attentive. <br/><br/>We tried unagi which was delicious and although it had a sweet sauce it wasn’t too sweet. <br/><br/>The chicken karaage bento box was great, the salad was fresh, the rice was good and the chicken moist, juicy and the pieces were BiG!! <br/><br/>The spring rolls were crispy and soo good. No grease and a great flavour. Yummo! <br/><br/>Oh and my watermelon drink was surprisingly really good too, and I liked the fact that it wasn’t too sweet. Yay. <br/><br/>This place is good!

Shonan Kamakura is a little cosy Japanese restaurant located on Katherine pl. It has a nice wall painting with seatings along a large glass wall. The food in general is really good and authentic. The highlight of our meal has got to be the Nasu Dengaki, which is a toasted eggplant with miso paste. The Hotate Tataki (seared scallop) is also another must-try. <br/>The staff was friendly and service was fast.

4.5 Nestled away in the popular eatery laneway of Katherine Place (home to Hardware Societe) is Shonan Kamakura a beautiful, relaxing and modern Japanese...

Friendly service, simple izakaya menu but high quality. Good price for the standard received.

Service is good!<br/><br/>BUT food is very average. Especially the Ramen! It was like having 2 min noodles and the portions were tiny. I expected alot better for a japanese owned and run restaurant<br/>

Shonan Kamakura, a little Japanese eatery hidden away in Katherine Place away from the bustling main street. It’s small (yep, whatever you see through the window is what you get) but don’t let the size fool you. The service is efficient, friendly and very attentive. It doesn’t matter how small or big your group is, you’ll get the same service. Walking in you’ll be greeted by the bar (who doesn’t enjoy a good drink by the bar) and a mural of Mount Fuji on the side at the back.

No. Of Visit: 6<br/>Overall Rating: 3.5<br/>A relatively high standard JP diner that serves common Japanese dishes like sushi, gyozas, tofu, teriyaki etc. <br/><br/>Tastes are authentic. <br/>Prices are average. <br/>Sashimi are quite fresh. <br/>The ice cream with waffle is recommended. <br/><br/>Although I said it's a place with not much specialties, it has a decent wine list and comfortable seats, which suitable for long chats and catching up friends <br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/>

Shonan Kamakura is a cosy, newly opened Japanese restaurant tucked in the foodie area of Southern Cross, that is Katherine Place. With so many high quality Japanese restaurants in Melbourne, Shonan Kamakura fills a niche in between cheap don-like Japanese meals, and high end Japanese fine dining. With lovely interior design, and a classic, Japanese izakaya-like dinner menu that is relatively affordable, Shonan Kamakura is a hidden gem for those looking for a quiet, romantic date night!

Shonan Kamakura is an izakaya-style establishment located in Melbourne’s bustling CBD, dedicated first and foremost to the art of Japanese eating and drinking, offering a laid back environment for catching up with friends and family with a focus on quality food designed to share in comfortable surroundings.

I really loved the paintings on the walls and thought it was very unique. <br/><br/>The Gyoza had a great flavour but were very oily and soft at the bottom, where it should be more crisp. <br/><br/>The Teriyaki Chicken Bento was good overall, but wasn’t very special or unique. Most of the sides were vegetable based. <br/><br/>Chicken Katsu Curry was probably my least favourite as the sauce lacked a kick or spice. Also the Katsu was more fried breadcrumbs than chicken.<br/><br/><br/>Overall Rating = 3/5

Iv never bothered to do a review but tonight it's an exception as had a feel-good dinner here tonight with my missus. The place was cozy with warm lighting really good for dates. Foods were much better than I expected. I can taste the Teriyaki Salmon was fresh and brilliant with different hints of flavours! Ramen was above average. Chicken Karaage was flavoursome and freshly fried, no yucky or boring bits! The Japanese waitress were polite and attentive. When you take into consideration the environment, the price and the foods, I think it's one of the best place out there.

Ooooo... the tuna katsu... yums... crispy crumbs, melts in your mouth. Also the assorted tempura yums... the amount given is value for money. Sure to return for more.

I don’t recall the last time I scored a place so poorly. But unfortunately this place just doesn’t cut it. The curry tasted like pre-packaged curry, the Katsu was overcooked, the sushi was dry and unappetising and the miso soup was terrible. I don’t recommend this place at all. Sorry.

Found out about this joint from EatClub, it was pretty quite for a Friday evening.. We tried the fried oyster croquettes, raw octopus, tonkatsu ramen (with extra chasu) and katsu curry karaage.. The portion was not too big.. For the price after the discount it was a really worthwhile meal.. Probably would only come here if there was a EatClub deal..

Ordered the chicken karaage bento and grilled salmon bento for dinner tonight from app. Was very basic, acceptable meat and salad. Filling and ok taste, but for the price I would expect a bit more variety like ajisen ramen with piece of sushi or fruit (price comparable).

Been here a number of times and have been generally satisfied with the food and service. Tonight however, I encountered terrible service. I entered when there was only one table occupied, I sat and waited to be served. The waitress spent quite a long time taking that table's order, but that wasn't why I got mad. A group of six Japanese men arrived while she was taking their order, she stopped everything she was doing, took them to a table, apologised to me saying that she'll take my order soon, then proceeded TO TAKE THEIR ORDER while I was still there watching her. I waited a few more minutes but thought that wasn't good enough. She was still taking their order when I left the restaurant. What a fantastic way to make some of your customers feel second grade.<br/><br/>Edit: Gave this restaurant a couple of more chances as I really like the food here and it's convenient for me. Was treated well and service was friendly and attentive. Almost made me forget the sh%tshow that was reflected in my initial review. Changed my review score to reflect my following experience at this restaurant.<br/><br/>Good Ramen! Agedashi Tofu a bit on the small side but tasty broth. Try the Yuzu lemonade, delicious and no added sugar!

I ordered the karage curry in regular size. The rice and curry were normal size but then what I got for the meat was 4 small pieces of chicken karage. For $13 meal, a decent amount of meat was expected.

Good cheap eat, I would recommend it for a lunch pick. Quick service and very affordable meals and fair portions. Would definitely return again

Discovered this place through the EatClub app and we got 30 percent off using the app which was decent. Everything we ordered was reasonably priced to begin with anyway. We had renkon chips, tonkatsu ramen and Matcha cheesecake with red bean. The renkon chips with Japanese mayo were delicious; crisp and not too oily or salty. The ramen was nice but I wouldn't call it amazing. The broth was only slightly salty and I noticed it more towards the end of it so maybe the salt was sitting at the bottom. The noodles were actually potentially the best part of the ramen; more on the hard side than the soft side. The chashu was not exactly melting in my mouth but it was tender enough and it wasn't too fatty. Not a lot of it though. The egg was cooked properly. I guess it's a smaller portion of ramen than what you can get at some other Japanese places. It's more of a 3.5 but I gave it a 4 because the Matcha cheesecake was excellent. It wasn't too sweet nor too bitter; it had the perfect balance in terms of taste. The texture was that of what you'd get with a proper cheesecake (hate the ones that are more of a panna cotta style). It was also warm which, in my opinion, can make a big difference. The biscuit base was perhaps a bit too soft but it was good regardless. The red bean on the side was a nice addition especially if you like your dessert a bit sweeter. It complimented the not so sweet cheesecake. There are a good number of choices for sake and plum wine. Lovely staff, fairly small but enough tables and chairs. Was not so busy on a Saturday evening though they did have a few people dining in.

The food was yum and the service is so friendly. I had the special bento for the day. Everything in the bento was delicious, including the beef, the salad, spring roll, avocado sushi and the tempura prawn. The pickled veggies were so refreshing as well. And they also serve free hot Japanese tea in a cute tea pot ;)

Firstly, it's a really sleek, modern and spacey venue. The service is friendly and quick. I had the veg udon, veg gyoza, and sushi. The veg udon was fantastic! The noodles were really soft and chewy, and the broth was so warm, hearty, and delicious. The sushi was really fresh and tasty. I think the only underwhelming thing was the veg gyoza. It had a bit of an odd taste to it and I can't say I really enjoyed it. Apart from that though everything was awesome! One thing to note is that the udon is fairly small, so you would probably need something on the side to complement it if you really want to fill up (unless you're just peckish and looking for a quick eat).

Nice little place for reasonably priced Japanese food. We had the katsu curry (mini serve was the perfect size), ramen, pork gyoza and edamame which were all nice enough, but the stand out was definitely the lotus root chips - so delicious, A+

In a slightly longer than normal walk I reacquainted myself with Katherine Lane, which is you aren’t familiar you should probably get familiar. Shonan Kamakura is a busy Japanese place that does a bumper lunchtime trade. There was quite the variety of options of the Don & Bento variety and as well as Ramen deals. It was the kinda place where you have to watch out for all those additional special sign boards. I was feeling like curry so picked the medium Kastu (my wife accuses me of always ordering the brown dish... very true). This version was quite mild in curry heat but they gave you a shaker in shichimi to spice it up which I did. Size wise the medium is reasonable. There was a suitable crunch of the Katsu crumb. Good

Omg what a great find this place was. We ordered the tofu teriyaki dinner set and everything was so fresh and delicious. We had asked for our meal to be made vegan and they were so careful to make sure to explain that each item in our dinner set is vegan. The service was so good. The food so delicious. It was great value for money for what we got. Will be returning.

Delicious food and good hospitality staff!!<br/><br/>I really love it( °∀°)<br/><br/>Japanese sake "Dasani" Amazing wonderful.<br/><br/>Thanks Shonan kamakura!!<br/><br/>I'm going again!<br/>

Hi, I just went to Melbourne with my Japanese friends.  Found this cute restaurant nearby our accomodation.  I always feel I don't eat enough veges when traveling but this restaurant has many fresh'n yummy Japanese vege dishes.  Not only vege dishes, seafood and meat dishes are very fulfilling.  If you are health conscious and want to enjoy really good Japanese food without emptying wallet, go there.

Excellent home style Japanese food. The service is fast, polite and to the point. Great price point. Excellent meal deals and great hand made sushi. My favorite is the deep fried oysters. Order a hot sake, a cold beer and revel. Top value in Melbourne.

Go to lunch place in the city. $10 will buy you the bento box of the day, which is usually comprised of rice, some sort of meat or tofu, a hot food item, salad, pickles and vegetarian hand rolls (normally avocado or cucumber). It's a pretty good deal and tends to be consistent good. For something different, the agedashi tofu and udon noodles are very good also!

Visited this place during my trip to Melbourne. Definitely a place I'd recommend for delicious Japanese food... they even had rankon chips!!! Their sushi was fresh, so glad I got the sashimi. Staff were very friendly and the mood was good.

Today was my first visit here. I came for lunch. It's a nice cosy place. The staff were very friendly and the food was delicious! Will come back again.

The ramen here is absolutely delicious!!!<br/><br/>Came here for lunch and opted for the Miso-ramen. <br/>The first impressions of the soup based miso was creamy and full of flavour with a bit of chilli. Perfect, not salty, the noodles is genuine. What I like best is that lovely soy sauce eggs. Great portion of soup and optionally able to enjoy kaedama (extra noodles).<br/><br/>Overall, atmosphere and the staff were lovely and food served in a timely manner. I quite enjoyed eating here and definitely coming back again!

Arising from the ashes of Ponshu Kiroro is another Japanese lunch spot – Shonan Kamakura. The Dear Luncher was crestfallen to learn of the demise of Ponshu Kiroro, this was a great place. However, the world must keep spinning and Your Dear Luncher must keep eating.<br/><br/>Shonan Kamakura’s menu is a little more conventional. Bento boxes, sushi rolls, Donburi rice bowls and udon dishes. To kick off proceedings, The Dear Luncher opted for a Kaarage chicken (+ Cajun seasoning + brown rice) Donburi rice bowl ($10). Miso soup as well for $2.50. Oh and an Asahi for $6. The Donburi bowl was good, but could probably do with a little more moisture elements to combat the large quantities of rice lurking beneath. However, apart from that minor issue the dish was enjoyable and certainly generated enough by way of interest for a return one day. The staff members were pleasant and helpful. <br/><br/>Well priced beer and some excellent enticing happy hour meals and beers (e.g. $4 Asahi stubbies).

Food and service were excellent!!! Reasonably priced and friendly staff!<br/>We had dishes of sushi set large, teriyaki tofu, vege spring rolls, dashimaki tamago, pork gyoza, soft shell crab, chicken karaage, cajun karaage, renkon chips, miso soup and icecream( black sesami&greentea)with sweet red beans.<br/>I really enjoyed everything, especially I loved cajun karaage the most!!! People went together said cajun karaage and renkon chips go well with beer! They also have a variety of sake!!!!You can't get this quality of foods at any other places in Melbourne!

I loved that Happy Hour was actually at a convenient time! The deal they offered was also great value; you can get draft beer and chicken karaage for just $9. I also recommend the gobo chips which are a tasty and healthy alternative to regular fries. Being from interstate, I have to say I appreciated the location- right near Southern Cross Station, making it easy to access. The staff were very friendly. Will definitely visit when I come back to Melbourne!

Really loved the food from Shonan Kamakura.  Very delicious and very good price! If you are after Japanese food, this place is just the place for you. We went for dinner and it was the best.

Really love this restaurant and have returned more than once in the same week! Great food, good value and the staff are super lovely too. Definitely worth a visit.

Shonan Kamukura had me at $4 Asahi's! A little gem in the corner of the city, oustanding service and yummy Japanese food! Love your work guys!

Checked this place out for an after work dinner and it ticked all the boxes: delicious food, quick and budget friendly.<br/>Special mention to the smiling stuff who'll bend over backwards for their customers. Very refreshing!<br/>Will be back for lunch.

Shonan Kamakura shows that you don't have to go to the like's of Brae or Dinner by Heston for good service. Shonan Kamakura is a recently opened Japanese restaurant on Katherine Place in the CBD.  Offering up the usual Japanese culprits on its menu, Shonan Kamakura serves up the likes of sushi, sashimi, donburi and bento boxes.

Hidden great Japanese venue, and very reasonably priced.<br/><br/>Dishes we had were - <br/>Soft shell crab<br/>Chicken karate<br/>Edamame<br/>Takoyaki<br/>Dashiki tamale<br/>Dinner set<br/><br/>Every dish was tapas size which was perfect for two of us. Dinner set was decent serve and we were very full after finishing meals. <br/><br/>Service was friendly and excellent.<br/><br/>If you are after Japanese with a nice atmosphere at very reasonable price, Shonan Kamakura is the place. You can’t go wrong!

Was staying at Aura Apartments for the weekend and went to the restaurant that was closest.There weren't many reviews for this place but we gave it a go and have to say we were very pleased.Food tasted delicious (should try the gyoza , sushi and beer!), service was excellent, and the atmosphere was nice and relaxed.  <br/>Will drop by again when I come back to Melbourne

Tried this joint in Katherine pl. I went just after work for an early dinner and have to say the Japanese food was amazing. They had a happy hour going until and I got a chicken and beer and then ordering a dinner plate for take away. The service was great and quite cheap even without the happy hour.<br/>Will go back again with friends

Really nice place for a casual dinner. Everything was fresh and tasty. The soft shell crab and salmon nigiri were particularly good and the staff were incredibly friendly.

I have been here several times for dinner and every time the food has been great.  It was definitely one of our better experiences in Melbourne for Japanese cuisine.<br/><br/>Everything was so tasty that it was hard to pick our favorites but we did really enjoy the sushi, karage and creamy Sapporo beer.<br/><br/>Overall, we found everything to be a great value for the quality of the service and food vs price point. We look forward to going back and trying new things!

Love this place. The staff are super friendly, window cushions are super comfy, great lunch bento special, cool photos of Mt Fuji with surfing. Yay :)