Review Tokyo Pop - Melbourne

Byron C

We ordered a couple of meals to go from Tokyo Pop. Beef curry on rice and fried chicken on rice. The positives, the meal sizes were very generous and the price we paid was inexpensive. Each meal was less than $10. So a filling dinner for under $20 was great value. The negatives were that the salad leaves in the meal was bitter and dry. Was expecting a level of freshness from these but unfortunately this wasn’t the case today. We also found a hair in my wife’s meal. Wasn’t hers unfortunately as the hair was short. This wasn’t a great surprise. Hopefully this was a one off as the meal size was great for its value

Scott “NewFunTesting” Winter

I love love this place. Massive servings. Great service. Go here at least once a week for the chicken (A3). Check it out. 😊

Piggy Eatalot

2.5 ⭐️ Had a quick snack at Tokyo Pop and it’s just like any run of the mill, non-Japanese owned sushi takeaway place. Everything was fairly mediocre.

Eddy Heriyanto

Returned visit. It was very good experience we had with the shop. We ordered katsu don and set menu 3. Very delicious and rich meal. I like the katsu cos it was not too soggy. The set menu gives what we need for 1 meal, fruit n vegie salad, chicken karage and the main meal. Also we ordered the tofu. Flavour is whole, not too salty or sweet. Ambience is ok, could not be better. Definitely will return again. Unfortunately we forgot the pics, will upload on next visit. Good one

Rose Sesto

Delicious food & servise is very nice👌👌👍👍

Robert L

I have been to Tokyo Pop restaurant several times and their food really reminds me of the cheap and good food in Japan. Simple but delicious with a great flavour and the prices are cheap compared to other places in Melbourne CBD. I ordered the katsu curry with gyozas and it was just under $20 not including a drink. If you are around Emporium definitely give Tokyo pop a visit.

Hayden N

This has to be the most disgusting Japanese restaurant I have ever been to. I got a deal for the katsu curry which they didn't have and could only offer me grilled chicken with the curry (spoiler alert, they don't go well together). I had to take it because I already paid. The chicken itself was stringy and fatty to the point I physically couldn't chew through half of it. By the end of eating what I could of the meal (about half) I had to throw it out because I lost my appetite. With all of the restaurants only seconds away on foot, please don't dishonour your wallet or tastebuds here.

Graham “Speedy” Robo

The rice was over cooked, the food salty today we go often but no more, not enough dressing use to be 5 stars but no more Please hire a chef not a cook

～Happy Neko~

The cheese wagyu don was full of favour, i would highly recommend cheese lovers to try it :p the tofu was cooked to perfection and it was the perfect side dish for me :P

Ratna Ayu Paramita Utomo

My lunch go to place. Work in central and get 10% disc. Big portion under $15. Ramen only $11 with big katsu, katsu set only $12. Always full after eating here.

Eat_today_diet_tomorrow

Came here on Friday night. The restaurant is at the basement level in Emporium. It is quite spacious. We had Teppanyaki Salmon Set, Special Spice Tempura Prawn ,Chilli Salmon Salad , and DIY bento . The food was good and we really like the idea of DIY bento that you can choose what you want to eat in your bento box unlike other places. The chilli salmon salad was also tasty. The staff was lovely and friendly.

One.hungry.girl10

We visited for dinner before the christmas rush and was impressed to see the range of items. From sets to entree dishes. The set menu is great value for those who want a side and a main. The entree sizes were generous. Our favourite was the unagi don and the salmon salad. Everything was really fresh. They also have the traditional hand made sushi rolls which is great for a quick bite.

Timinmelbourne

3.5/5 This is a casual Japanese restaurant on the ground floor of the Emporium in the city. May partner and I initially shared a pork Katsu don which was deep fried pork Katsu w an egg omelette on steamed rice. The crumbed pork was good and reasonably moist and juicy. The egg omelette was tasty too. What I liked a lot was that got to choose your own bento base, then you got to choose your own side and then your own main in your bento box. This was a lot of fun and an excellent choice for fussy eaters. I tried the Saba Shioyaki Set which was grilled Japanese mackerel on steamed rice, green salad, fruit and miso soup. My mackerel was 2 large pieces of fish and it had a lot of edible bones which is good for calcium hahaha. The sushi was fresh and the korokke (think crumbed potato croquette) was steaming hot! My partner had the Honey Oat Chicken Katsu Set. Thanks was deep fried chicken w oats. Topped w honey and Japanese mayo, steamed rice, green salad, fruit and miso soup. The chicken was delicious, sweet and tasty. The salad was fresh and this was a good dish. Overall it was a good experience and this place is definitely worth a visit if your looking for some good Japanese food in a relaxed environment. Thanks to the owners for the opportunity to visit their restaurant.

MELBFOODIEEE

pretty bloody delicious japanese food - a bit pricey for some items, but they’re not too stingy with the serving sizes. the classic fried fish bento is very traditional, highly recommend! also strongly recommend trying their okomomiyaki as they make it piping hot and fresh to order, one of the best i’ve had in melbourne

La'Toya Lee

Really disappointed, the food looked yummy but lacked flavour. Soy sauce and teriyaki sauce on the table saved the day. Expected a crispy Katsu but was soggy.

Y

Maybe 3.5 Good sushi, and common delicious combinations. Their are many options of Japanese food beside sushi hand rolls, but I haven’t had them before. After trying their hand rolls, I would be looking forward in trying other options on the menu. I brought 4 vegetarian sushi hand rolls for $10.00 during closing hours. It was delicious as I love the classic cucumber and avocado option.

Derrick Lim

More of like a Chinese based ingredients, noodles taste like la mien, gyoza tastes like some chinese dumplings, and pork combination is like with oyster sauce as well. But then, good price good food, not just what i expected to be.

Custardbun

The sushi rolls are not bad. The salmon & avocado roll was very fresh, and the kid devoured the 2 tuna rolls. Pleasant surrounds to sit and enjoy your lunch.

Foodielover

Great little japanese eatery in emporium that do quick service meal. Of course not the best quality you will find for japanese food but its value for money you paid what you get. Food is enjoyable

Tifa Cheung

Review based on END OF DAY FINAL SALE AND PRICING with reflection on quality and service. Although their hand rolls are rather simple and nothing out of the ordinary, at the final minutes of the day, they have a 4 hand rolls for $5 deal. Very cheap considering others are usually still $2 cheapest. Friendly staff willing to let me mix and match the rolls I wanted even though they were already ready to leave and all packed. I got the honey chicken, spicy fried squid and spicy prawn. I do have to say the flavours were rather simple, although I did enjoy the honey chicken. That being said, the rice was nicely seasoned and it satisfied my cravings for a quick bite. Worth the money if you just want a simple sushi roll (or 4). Not sure how fresh the sashimi and such will be, may come back to look at sales and try the other rolls! 3 stars because taste is average.

Paola Chiappinelli

I was there two hours ago and I'm still quite angry about the "surprise" I found on the bottom of my bowl of chicken salad: a moth, alive. I showed it to the waitress, she gasped in surprise and rushed to the kitchen. The rest of the staff started giggling and the person in charge came out to apologise "Sorry, sometimes they go in the veggies". Yes, I know, but they shouldn't end up in a dish, unless that's your secret ingredient. Dear kitchen staff, instead of giggling, next time check what you serve to customers.

Piggyeatalot

2.5 ⭐️ Had a quick snack at Tokyo Pop and it’s just like any run of the mill, non-Japanese owned sushi takeaway place. Everything was fairly mediocre.

NoCapsicumPlease

The teppanyki chicken combo is quite big with plenty of vegetables and meat. However the watermelon is a bit slimy. The teriyaki beef on rice is just average

Kevin & Emily

K: Located at the bottom of Emporium amongst a host of other Asian cuisine restaurants, Tokyo Pop drew my attention with its interesting decor and large selection of Japanese eateries. Bento boxes, sushi, katsu, curries, there seemed to be all of my favourites! Today I opted for the Katsu don with egg, pork cutlets and rice. To be honest the taste was okay, the pork a bit dry and the overall flavour of the meal decent, however it was just missing the extra factor- perhaps a curry or extra sauce or seasoning. I had to put extra soy sauce on to enjoy the meal a bit more, albeit the rice and everything combined did taste okay, just not fantastic. A good value, decent feed just not comparable to other establishments offering similar. Food: 3/5 Service: 3/5 Ambience: 3.5/5 Value: 3/5 Overall: 3/5

Laura Samantha

CHEAP , YUMMY AND GENEROUS PORTIONS! I love this place , it’s my go to for a cheap yet equally filling and delicious meal! Good portions for the affordable price . I especially love the grilled squid set . The squid is so yummy , chewy yet crispy and the meal comes with rice,miso soup, fruits and a salad with AMAZING DRESSING! Best place to go to for a quick casual meal!! Ordered the fish this time, really good !

Michael Lew

It was a good morning for lunch. Everything was warm and came out fast. The curry was pre made and probably microwaved. Not authentic as it is run by Chinese people. Most of the food is extremely salty.

Nay Nay

Thought I would try somewhere different for a sushi don't know if it was wise. wasn't anything special really just an average sushi place with a fancy name.

Tangertalks

I enjoyed the Yaki Udon, it was very saucy and full of sweet soy flavour (probably on the salty side) but really tasty regardless. The meat was very tender and I would order this again. I wouldn't order the gyoza again just because it was quite small and it wasn't anything special. I also tried the okonomiyaki which was a decent size, very saucy (again salty) and again tasty. Tokyo Pop is quite clean and convenient for a quick eat. I wouldn't expect anything amazing but it's not bad and the food is decent. I've been here a couple times before to try their tofu and salmon and it was decent. The main reason that I don't come here regularly is because their prices aren't that competitive. For this type of pricing I could go to a more private restaurant, or alternatively go to a cheaper eat (more food court style).

KC

We were exploring their food court again, here we ordered salted mackerel set and miso ramen. Mackerel was nice but a bit dear for what it is n the ramen was promising when I tested the broth however it didn’t come together at all. Continues to search for the great bowl of ramen

Sharrelle

Great cheap japanese food..I had the japanese pancake and it was huge...freshly cooked so it was crispy on the outside and moist in the middle...loads of cabbage onion carrot...just needed more sauce but that is just me....will be back.

Cynthia Giang

Tokyo Pop is located within Emporium - located on the bottom floor it is a little out of sight. It is a simplistic, cheap Japanese eat with a pretty decent selection of items. It's pretty decent for the price you're paying. Nothing super fancy, and a good spot to drop by to something quieter while shopping.

Mags0709

THE SALAD DRESSING IS SO GOOD OMG I LOVE THIS RESTAURANT SO MUCH!! IM CRAVING THE KATSU CHICKEN RIGHT NOW BUT I LIVE SO FAR AWAY FROM THE CITY!! ALSO HIT ME UP IF YALL NEED A WAIT STAFF BECAUSE WOW IMAGINE WORKING AT A RESTAURANT YOU LOVE 😍😍 SHOUT OUT TO THE CHEFF AS WELL!! BEST FOOD I'VE EVER HAD IN MY LIFE!

Sylvia's POV

A very spacious and bright restaurant serving quality Japanese cuisine at reasonable prices. The staff will warmly greet you and politely take your order. I ordered an Ika Maruyaki set (grilled squid with terriyaki sauce). It was more than enough to fill me up. The squid was cooked perfectly and I really liked how fruit was included in the set; the perfect pallate cleanser.

Kath's Food Indulgences

Tried the chicken katsu set and it was tasty, well portioned and at a good price! The chicken was very crispy! The dish itself is technically simple but I liked that there were a lot of components in it. We also tried a ramen special that wasn't on the menu (forgot the name!). It was a crispy ramen with pork, seafood and veggies, with a thick sauce. I didn't like this as much and will probably go with the soup based ramen dishes next time.

Miss_ZXC

It's in the UG of the emporium, at the corner of the shopping center near the toilet. Good place for meal when u r tired of shopping. Guy don is no gravy there and we asked the staff for more sauce . It is not the teriyaki sauce which I tried before. Kastu don is ok but the rice is too dry. Anyway when it's good for dinner, and the price is reasonable.Jithin Wilson

M_James

Great little spot. A touch crowed and staff were not too great at clearing tables. Overall a pleasant quick and tasty lunch! Great value too!!

Vegemite Girl

Nice fast food, but also nothing that great. We had edamame, okonamiyaki, chicken teriyaki don and the salmon salad. My salad was nice but didnt look like the picture, nor did it have as many salmon pieces. I dont like the backless chairs but i do like the table condiments.

Ling Yap

Nice food and reasonable. The squid set priced at $14.50 is a big portion. Waiting time is 10mins. Its located next to Dainty Sichuan on ground floor of Emporium. There is free water provided too.

Kimky

Been here for the past two weeks for lunch. I got the set menu - chicken katsu set ($12.8). The food is not bad, actually very tasty and not too expensive. Foods came out fast. As it is a set, it comes with miso soup, salad, a small pile of fruits and rice. And you can find seats available even though there are always people ordering from the counter. Tables are a bit small, and water are self-service. NB: the pork katsu curry rice is also not bad ($10.5), but the unagi don does not taste authentic. The eel seems not to be grilled long enough to bring out the favour of the roasted eel. Also they don't have the sansho to sprinkle on top of the unagi, which is normally done in Japan.

Albert Woo

Every time I go to a Japanese restaurant, I would like to order a katsu curry rice. I have been here to eat katsu curry rice all the time. Tokyo pop is the best for me.

Julie MacKay

My first CBD restaurant review! (Been spinning around in the suburbs.) We’ve eaten here several times in the past and we enjoy the meals and they are good value/well priced. The customer service was friendly today. The tables seem to be arranged to seat singles or couples, rather than three or more people, but as we were a party of three, the waitress put two tables together for us, which made it better. Our meals were served piping hot (big tick!) and we enjoyed them. I had the Grilled Squid set (S3) and the squid was cooked right, it wasn’t too rubbery like it sometimes can be at other places. I wasn’t a big fan of the soup that came with it, but that is my personal taste. I will be back here again some time in the future on another trip into the City.

Erin Jiang

I had the Ika Maruyaki set and it was delicious and it was served really quickly. My friend had ordered a handmade pancake and she said it's really tasty for a Japanese cafe pancake. I would recommend to go there to eat every once in a while.

Donutsam

Nestled in the food court dungeon of Emporium is a little and chirpy Japanese eatery called Tokyo Pop. They play terrible music but the food’s okay and the service is fast with charming service staff. I ordered the katsu curry chicken on rice and this was an alright dish with good value for under ten bucks and nothing much to really complain about.

Kayluminati Nati

This place is awesome! What to order: Vegetable pancake- the teriyaki sauce ans mayo is bomb! Chicken salad- crispy chicken resting on mesculin mix with cuvumber and tomato, dressed in roasted sesame which is sweet and a little salty but creamy and all so sesame-my Order a rice or obento dish to share Or even some selection sushi as the fresh ginger is delicious and not gross like single serve ones which leave more pickling juice taste than a nice pickle taste and CRUNCH above all else bring a friend to share and wnjoy your quick recharge break after a big day of shopping or simply a bite while on a halfa.

Claire Bakker

really nice Japanese food here at Tokyo Pop. The sushi is very big, fresh and cheap. The vegetable pancake is delicious and just right for a quick snack! Very friendly staff as well as speedy service. :)

Notafoodie

Came here for dinner last night with a friend. FOOD + fairly large serving, I couldn't finish my curry katsu rice (but it might be because I ate lunch rather late) + curry had a kick of spice to it ~ price was decent - not a lot of potatoes but A LOT of the red ginger(?) which doesn't go down well when all you have left in your meal is rice and the curry sauce SERVICE - my friend's ramen came out quickly and it took another 5~10 minutes for my dish to arrive, a point at which I thought that they forgot my order since another table which arrived later than we did received their food before me (one of them even had a curry katsu rice as well!!) ~ tables were a bit squished together

Mai Lam

This will probably be the shortest review I will ever do and for a good reason. Food: Don't bother. I've been coming here for my breaks during work and probably 7/10 times, the chicken teriyaki don is too sweet and under/over cooked - or on some occasions, a singular piece of chicken would be over cooked and dry in one part and pinker/flesh-like in other parts. The sushi is stock standard - Normal sushi that has been in the fridge for a few hours before opening. As for their ramen, their broth was just meh. Nothing fresh. The one thing that they did not mess up on is the cold soba. It is literally noodles you cook and wash out in cold water. A child could even cook it. Staff: They're all very polite. Restaurant: Mostly clean. Overall: You can't really expect much from a food court restaurant. However, giving customers undercooked meat is never a good thing, regardless of the standard.

We Nomz

Had tori teriyaki don for lunch at Tokyo Pop. Add a dollar and you get a hot green tea. Good portion of chicken and rice, but not enough sauce for me. Overall, quite satisfied for its value. A quick and cheap lunch if you're in a hurry.

Marshall Tan

Had the cooked tuna roll and the Salmon tobiko. Cooked tuna roll.. Really? Uploaded the back of the roll, hardly any filling in it and distribution was top heavy. Dissapointed. Flavor of the tuna and avocado was on point, just structural flaws! Salmon Tobiko, not a bad meal. It had salmon, avocado and cucumber in it. Covered by some tobiko. The structure and design of this meal is cheap! Or money scabbing as the tobiko covered only a few of the front rows and not evenly spread either. Cucumber was missing in some of the pieces. Overall sushi rice of both weren't bad, very very slight classic vingery taste, needs to be slightly more pronounced.

Mel B

Best Japanese food ive had. I ordered the katsu chicken set and got more food than i could eat but it was great because i only paid $11 for it. If you're looking for a nice Japanese restaurant, i would definitely recommend Tokyo Pop. Staff are very nice and welcoming.

Stackcats

I've been to Tokyo Pop several times for lunch. Most of the time I ordered the hand rolls, which are pretty decent. Most of them (with white rice) are $2.5 each, they also offer hand rolls with brown rice at extra cost. I'm happy with the hand rolls, although they have to go easy on the mayonnaise in some of their products - in case they are reading this. The packaged sushi, however, aren't the best. I ordered the 'Tokyo rolls' once, they looked nice enough, but the nori inside the rolls were clingy but at the same time fell apart very easily. Taste was average, so I wouldn't buy that again. Overall, at this price range, they are quite OK. I will go back to Tokyo Pop in future to try other things on their menu

Meilia Clarissa Tejasoewita

Bought their chicken teriyaki that cost me $6.80. I always like buying their sushi. Overall, its a very cheap meals that I could find at Emporium but the portion of the rice and chicken were not proportionally equal.

Karma Clarke

We had a delicious and well priced meal here the other weekend. I ordered some cold buckwheat noodles ($4.50) - a generous serving for the price with great flavour. We also ordered some salads- salmon and tofu/seaweed, my fave being the latter. The tofu was silky and pillowy mixed in perfectly with the greens, cucumber, radish, seaweed and tahini dressing. It was a great lunch, delivered quickly in a very very busy environment. The place was packed- good sign for sure! I look forward to ordering that salad again!

Donovan

The staff here are incredibly rude and almost make it seem like they're doing you a favour to serve you. The sushi isn't very nice either. It's chewy and has a weird taste. I asked them to cut the hand rolls and they didn't cut them properly either - so I kinda had to pull it apart. Avoid.

Carlos Rafael Pangan

Okay. I love their curry chicken. Although it was better back then as it was a bigger serving and was served with miso soup for free. But what keeps me still attracted is their low prices.

Chris

Not the same. I absolutely loved this restaurant when it was Tokyo Pop, now it has become part of the Yoyogi chain and the dine-in menu has completely changed! The variety is gone along with my favourite soba and tempura set meal. So disappointed, won't be returning.

S

Fantastic sushi!. So much more generous then sushi sushi and most other places! Not just the size of the rolls but also the amount of filling! Hopefully they don't start getting stingy like 80% of the other sushi shops in Melbourne.. Also the sashimi salmon was fresh and not at all chewy and they're generous with kewpie!

Chocolatte-owl

Best sushi!. They make the best salmon sushi! Just enough spice. The spicy salmon at sushi sushi is weak as hell.

Monique Bajada

This is my favourite place in Melbourne for Sushi, they are so fresh and generous in size. Highly recommended.

Barry

Nasty Oyako Don. I ordered the Oyako Don for lunch. When it arrived it looked great, but almost every piece of chicken in the dish came with an attached hard lump of gristle. It really was quite unpleasant.

Amy

Best teriyaki chicken sushi/maki. I love japanese food and sushi is always my go to takeaway. Tokyo pop has the best teriyaki chicken sushi! they really dont skimp out on the meat. I love this place - even their dons are delicious! Try anything with teriyaki chicken in it.

Stan

Sushi rolls were generous, fresh and tasty. Donburi was average but overall recommended

Lach.bates

Great food at a great price!. I had the Katsu Curry Don with Pork (you can have Chicken if you like), it was huge! It came with a side of Miso Soup as well. Had a Calpico Grape Soda as well. All of it was excellent! Tasted so, so good and at 12.80 (including drink) you can't go wrong. I will definitely be going back.

Adam

Excellent. Great little place with extremely friendly wait staff. The chicken teriyaki and sushi zanmai were superb.

Rianto Soputro

Chinese Style Chilli Oil. Seriously? A Chinese style chilli oil in Tokyo Pop? This place used to be quite authentic and nice, looks like soon you'd be able to order Chao Kwetiaw & Yeung Chao fried rice soon. I'm not saying non Japanese can't run a Japanese restaurant, but please don't butcher it to be one of those mass produced food chain outlet. Looks like my last time here, oh well back to Don Don! -----09 Jun, 2014----- Nice Japanese food and good serving size. Friendly service too.

Kiana

Fresh sushi with great wasabi. I had temaki sushi at this place - lobster, tuna, and fried prawn. All of them tasted great and fresh, specially the lobster one. Very polite and friendly staff too, will definitely go back.

The Food Society

Urban Kitchen Emporium Melbourne Launch

Katherine Chiu

This is a new place in Emporium. There is inside and outside seating. The place was not too busy on a Friday night. Some of the waitresses are Japanese and some are Chinese. I had the Chirashi sushi ($12.60 for a huge bowl). Waitress had no idea what that was eventhough it was on the menu. I would have thought that they were trained in the knowing the menu items The rice was lukewarm, but the fish and prawns were fresh. And there was a whole mound of rice in there. I would have liked to have seen some avocado and cucumber in there, but there were none. maybe they ran out I also had the Agedashi tofu ($6.50 for a bowl of four big tofu pieces). The tofu was alright and I enjoyed the moving bonito flakes and the fresh spring onions. I also enjoyed the free miso soup which comes with every rice meal. It had heaps of seaweed, but no tofu. The green tea was alright but a little bit pricey at $2.40 per cup. I would love to come back to this lovely gem.