Review Japanese Kitchen Iroha - Northcote

Another Japanese gem in Northern suburbs. I really liked their foods including desserts. They are genuinely cooked and well presented. The portions were quite small comparing to the prices. Noting that their place is very small, booking is highly recommended! Worth a visit.

This is the kind of place you know will be good when you walk in the door. The food, service and atmosphere here are perfect for a bite to eat. I don’t usually struggle to choose a meal, but there were so many options that caught my eye. The staff were polite and the food was served with a perfect amount of time to settle and chat between servings. A stand out for me was their Agedashi Tofu, the broth was a perfect amount of sweet and salty, with a great consistency and the tofu was prepared incredibly well. The atmosphere was laid back and the service was prompt with seating, clearing and serving. The music wasn’t over powering and the seating was comfortable. Currently the menu on their website is out of date, however the same type of meals are being served. If you’re around the area and craving something good to eat I highly recommend giving IROHA a go!

Had a lovely night out with friends at this small but incredibly lovely place at Northcote. Our server was attentive and friendly. The food was delicious and I would recommend trying the specials for sure. They certainly didn't disappoint that evening. It is pricey and the servings are small. The more substantial portions where the chicken karaage and the teriyaki pork, both were really yummy. The japanese caramel pudding is a must for any sweet tooth and the sake affogato was also good. I would recommend this place for the drinks and food but if you're really hungry and on a budget, your appetite might not be satisfied by the end of the night.

Such a gem of a place. Staff are accommodating and friendly. The specials board always has something different and yummy to try. Highlights for me every time is the chicken karaage. The spicy dipping sauce it comes with is SO good. Don’t forget to get some Japanese custard has a sweet treat before you leave.

Even though I enjoyed the experience of dining here, I couldn't help but feel it out of place. Not sure if they were going for fine dining based on how each dish was presented, or casual dining based on the whole vibe of the place. The dishes were expensive and the wait times between dishes were long. It is delicious, but it is expensive. The service was great, staff was very friendly and really gave the place an authentic Japanese flair. Food standout was the chirashi albeit the serving could have been bigger. Pork skewers, skip the blue cheese dip, that thing was microwaved, not Japanese, and didn't taste great. Cocktails were good, just ask for their special.

All along the High Street there are rows of McJapanese: tempura, okonomyaki and gyoza. Nice tucker, but depressingly similar. McJapanese, Iroha is not. The menu is limited, interesting and carefully structured – much like the food. Each dish we orderd last week on a freezing Melbourne night was beautifully cooked and delicately flavoured – nuclear grade wasabi hidden in some kingfish sashimi excepted! Pork with pumpkin (this is not a typo; we could have ordered lamb with potato) was exceptional – so expertly cooked it melted. A hot salad involving eggplant was simply superb. The service was excellent. Two people with a disability were attended with care and sensitivity. And the staff were unobtrusive without the now-common and frequent, ‘is everything ok here?’ Iroha is ideal for a special meal and conversation across the table with a special person. It’s tiny, and that is part of it’s charm: it was warm inside.

It's a great little izakaya up the Preston end of High Street Northcote. Their staff are friendly and accommodating, including being very helpful for vegans. The kitchen know their stuff and served up the best Japanese curry I've had, which includes the many I've had in Japan. Their drinks list is not extensive but they have a great range of beers, wines and sake. It's a fair way from my place but when visiting family in Northcote I'll gladly eat there. Do yourself a big favour and try this place out. Arigatõ gozaimasu!

My favorite local Japanese restaurant <3 No doubt their Nanban Chicken Karaage don was the best! Now they have it in a bento version :) The other day I tried the Pork Belly Tonkatsu don and it is now my new favorite dish <3 Crunchy outside and soft inside! It would be good to get more than six little pieces or, alternatively, a bit less rice.... But still very tasteful!

Love, love, love this restaurant! <br/>the food is visually so beautiful and everything tastes delicious. <br/>I love the friendliness of all the staff too.

Just found this little pocket of delicious authentic Japanese cuisine around the corner from our place. Food was quite delicate and sophisticated. Ordered the Yuzu chicken salad and the chicken was sous vide to perfection! The beef tataki and the duck portion sizes were quite small and pricey but nonetheless delicious. Will be coming back for more! Staff were so friendly and greeted us with such enthusiasm as we walked in and out<br/>

My partner and I thought we'd try this place for the first time. We ordered the Beef Tataki and asked if it could be cooked well done. The waitress said she'd check with the chef. She returned and said that the dish would be nicer if it's served rare. I told her that we don't like undercooked meats and that we don't mind if the meat is dry or tough as long as it's cooked well done. I then added that if I see any pink or red in the meat, I'd send the dish back.<br/>When our meal arrived (which took a while), sure enough, I could see the blood oozing out of the meat. What was even worse, there were only about 5 or 6 very thin slices of beef.<br/>At this point, I was furious and called the waitress to send the dish back. She apologised a few times, but I don't think an apology was good enough. She sent the dish back and we had to wait even longer for our meal to arrive, almost an hour's wait in total. Nothing complimentary was offered to compensate for their mistake (or arrogance).<br/>The bbq pork teriyaki cost $24 and was very low on meat. The pork had the fat and skin left on and there were two very small pieces, each being no more than three bites.<br/>The roasted lamb consisted of 2 small cutlets for $21, again being very poor value for money. We also ordered the crispy chicken, 2 servings of miso soup and 2 servings of steamed rice. Overall, we spent $95 and only had one soft drink to share between the two of us. We left feeling hungry.<br/>Furthermore, the chairs were uncomfortable (they were stools with no backs). The thoroughfare behind my chair was so narrow that I had people regularly bumping into me as they were trying to get past. It was also freezing cold inside the restaurant which made us feel very uncomfortable.<br/>If you want high quality Japanese food, excellent customer service, a lovely ambience and great value for money, go to Yokoso which is a short distance South of this restaurant on High St. near Separation St. You won't be disappointed. We definitely won't be returning to Iroha.<br/><br/>

Have a lunch here with special lunch menu. Ordered the yasai curry, in menu said come with five grains rice but I got the dish with plain white rice. I asked the waiter he told me that if I want the five grains rice I have to pay extra. I don’t mind to pay but they shouldn’t put in the menu that dish served with five grains rice. Very disappointed.

Very beautiful food , service was also lovely and nice ambience inside the restaurant. Menu was also very interesting with a range of various foods

Tasty, fresh food and a cut above your average local Japanese restaurant. Beef dish is a must try with its delicious sauce and sashimi is very fresh. It's a fairly limited menu and I would love to see some more options, especially for sushi. The dishes are best for sharing, and you'll need 3-4 dishes for 2 people, so this is not the place for a super cheap dinner. Nice environment but not great for big groups given the small space and the set up. Quality food will keep me coming back.

We didn't book a table on a Saturday night (with a baby in a pram too) and the staff were very accommodating. As you enter the restaurant all staff and chef welcome you in Japanese - which is a really nice way to be greeted. We ate edamame, lotus chips for starters, both yum. The standout dish was the beef tataki - we ordered the 5 grain rice which we tipped onto the plate to ensure we got to eat all the sauce! We also ordered the ocean trout dish was nice. The helpings are small so the rice was a good addition. We finished off with dessert / matcha green tea brownie and red bean ice-cream (need to be eaten together, otherwise a bit on the dry side, but good flavor). <br/><br/>When we got the bill the staff went through it and made sure we were being charged for what we ate (and picked up a charge for a drink we didn't have so I was appreciative of that touch). Staff were attentive and helpful throughout the meal too. <br/><br/>A nice touch we witnessed was a family come and as the restaurant was full they were offered an outside table on a. Cold chilly Melbourne night. The staff brought out some blankets and put the outside heater nice and close. I was warmed by this consideration <br/><br/>We will go back to try some other yum looking things.

About as authentic Japanese cuisine as you could get outside of Japan. We had the sashimi bento box and the panko crumbed chicken curry for lunch. Fresh and delicious. Lots of tables for 2 that can be pushed together to make larger tables. Friendly staff. Will be back.

Fantastic Japanese food at Iroha always! Delicate and beautiful flavours, cooked expertly! We go there all the time and the menu changes slightly with the seasons too!

Japanese food with a hippy soul - amazing agadashi tofu, green tea soba salad, and vegan sushi. The matcha brownie with red bean ice cream is divine. Good value with exceptionally friendly staff. Highly recommend eating here.

Have been here quite a few times now, and keep coming back for more. Love this place! Amazing food and lovely welcoming atmosphere every time!

Surprised by low rating of 3.3. I've been here 3 times and each time the food was fantastic. All the people I've been with enjoyed their meals thoroughly as well.<br/>Attentive friendly staff. I love the Japanese restaurant greeting where they all stop and yell hello.<br/>Only downside is the cramped space and small stool seating. If you're against the wall it's not so bad but in the aisle is uncomfortable.<br/>

I was expecting average to below-average food from the existing 3.3 rating but definitely deserving of a 4 for both food and service. It's not exactly traditional Japanese food but every dish was deliciously well done - even the Chicken Breast (which is often a miss at most places as they come out dry). Everything we ordered was a hit, including: Agedashi Tofu, Beef Tataki, Kingfish Sashimi, Chicken Breast, Matcha Brownie and Creme Brûlée. Only fault would be that servings could be larger but in saying that $100 for a shared Entree, 3 Mains and 3 desserts isn't bad at all

Girls are friendly and goodluck to them but i just ordered takeaway sashimi deluxe pack. Drove home hungry and open packet. ......<br/>I assumed they did mistake. No way $25 deluxe sashimi as menu sais. Girl on phones english not good. After 10 minutes she understood what i was asking.<br/>She said its homemade and fresh......<br/>Hmmmm not worth $25<br/>Maybe restaurant should be in toorak.<br/>Anyway i opened a can of tuna to fill me up

Friendly staffs greeted us with warm and welcoming smiles when we visited this place for the first time this evening. Food was what we were after so we didn't even look at the drinks menu. The food was modern japanese fusion style and most items on the menu looked quite interesting. We had the seared kingfish sushi, duck, prawns, and ocean trout (sorry peeps, can't remember the names exactly) to share between 3 people. Oh also 2 steamed rice and a miso soup. <br/><br/>The portions were pathetically small...like...so small I wanted to cry but I thought I would waste too much energy crying and wouldn't be able to replenish my health with the food we ordered. 😣<br/><br/>Anyways, the food tasted great though. kingfish sushi was delicious, definitely one of the better sushi I've had in melbourne. The ocean trout was exceedingly well done, totally umami. Duck and prawns were good too but not spectacular. The miso soup was amazing!<br/><br/>So...in all I think it's good food but pricey, possibly will visit again but not so soon and not with an empty stomach. Probably a great place to enjoy sake and sashimi on a weekend tho.

Went here for the first time after hearing it was good- loved it! The service was wonderful, friendly and attentive. We had the ageadashi tofu (divine!), sanshu Sashimi (perfect, fresh and beautiful), the duck (gorgeous), and the matcha green tea brownie with red bean ice cream (stunning!). They go out if their way to make the place feel like a Japanese home for their customers, which is a really nice touch. The menu feels authentic and traditional but also modern and unique. We'll be back!

Yes, yes, yes! This place was recommended to me by a girlfriend. I wish that I had come here sooner. It is on the pricey side, but I feel it was all well worth it. All food was fresh and delicious. We had the edamame, renkon chips (an absolute must-try 100%!) and then the pork belly to share. We also tried one of the saki-spritzer type drinks which was yummy. Our waitress helped to explain the menu to us. They also do take-away which I cannot wait to try. Absolutely wonderful. I will be returning with my hubby :)

Ate here last night with a group of 8. The wine flowed & the food just kept coming. Soft shell crab was so nice we got more and the wagyu steak sushi style was such complex flavors but so simple too. Bit of a pain that we couldn't split the bill into more than one card, but a great night with wonderful food.

Love this place. The bento box is delicious, especially when they do the chicken wings! Friendly staff and top chefs. Highly recommend A++++

Went for the first time and was very disappointed. The menu sounded great and the Food was ok (but not as great it sounded). However it was very overpriced and v small portion sizes. Won't be returning

Have been there twice for lunch and had "deluxe" sashimi bento for our third lunch. 5 slices of salmon and 5 sticks (close to butsu giri) of Tuna were served for $25. I was pretty underwhelmed. Spring roll and potato salad are lack flavour. Green beans salad was a bit stingy on sesame. It was soon after my trip to Japan but I felt pretty disappointed on the value and taste of meal. Other bento boxes around $15 are much better value and satisfying.

Been here twice now, dinner and lunch.<br/><br/>It serves a modern take on some dishes as well as traditional dishes.  Dinner is expensive with small servings.<br/><br/>I think when Iroha tries to do something a lil bit different from the norm, they don't go bold enough.<br/><br/>The pan seared duck with chocolate miso and braised cabbage was tasty enough.  I couldn't really detect the chocolate.  I think it would have been nicer if the skin was crispy and the fat rendered.<br/><br/>The ponzu jelly with the oysters did nothing as the oysters were strong in flavour.<br/><br/>The grilled kingfish was cooked perfectly and I couldn't find any fault with that.<br/><br/>The matcha brownie was also very nice but such a small sliver! The red bean ice cream had many icicles, so that was the letdown.<br/><br/>For lunch, I thought the pan fried kingfish bento box was nice enough.  I enjoyed my sides more! The sweet potato mash,  the braised lotus root and the soft shell crab.  The balsamic teriyaki sauce was disappointing, where's the balsamic?  My kingfish was also slightly overcooked.<br/><br/>Service on both occasions have been friendly at Iroha.  I hope the staff do check out the reviews on this page.

Really impressed by this small Japanese restaurant. Definitely will be returning and food was incredible and presented well. Special thanks to our waitress Miaco.

This place is alright but it's at the pricier end for Japanese food. The menu is designed for sharing and the four of us did that. They had some interesting fusion-y dishes but some of the traditional dishes disappointed. The sashimi plate was very expensive for what it was and disappeared quickly between us. Not a bad experience on the whole but I won't race back there any time soon.

One of my favorites in the area. The staff are friendly and welcoming. The food is always exceptional. I've been here so many times I've lost count and have never had anything but a great experience. Can't recommend highly enough!

Just had dinner and had been looking forward to trying Iroha. The flavours were nice and service fantastic but spent $60 on some edamame and a couple of mains that left us hungry...so came home and made a second dinner :( Chicken salad with quinoa also a difficult one to eat with chop sticks.

UPDATE 07/07/2018Awesome and beautifully presented dinner ... Beef Tataki is a must, albeit a bit much on the sauce, I think ...<br/><br/>UPDATE 17/04/2018.<br/>Another amazing Kingfish Bento lunch.<br/><br/>PREVIOUS<br/>Don't let location and its modest look deceived you. Authentic Japanese, modern twist without leaving its roots. <br/><br/>It's not often we stumbled into an establishment that becomes a family treasure that encompasses that feeling of love, familiarity, comfort and joy. We have a few of those in our memory banks, some even patronised by 4 generations of our family. I would say today I've stumbled upon one.<br/><br/>I can see more visits, checking out the rest of the menu dare I say although it's a bit of a drive.<br/><br/>Kudos to the Chef and team.<br/><br/>23/06/16<br/>Bentos are still impressive and enjoyable.<br/>Good Pinot Noir too.

We were excited to spot this new Japanese restaurant in our area and went to try it the other day for a laid back dinner. While the food was amazing, the serving sizes were tiny given the price, especially the ocean trout main, and we had to go next door after to get a pizza. Staff were lovely and attentive but we probably wouldn't go back.

I had a fish bento box for lunch and was really impressed. I've lived in Japan and find it very difficult to find authentic, delicate Japanese food in Australia, however this was. Truly a welcome find.

The food is fantastic... but the serves are tiny and prices high. We spent a lot both times we went, and just felt like it was an entree before going home for the main course! Overall we found the two visits enjoyable, but I guess we'd never go back due to the micro-serves.

Had a lovely veg bento box, with rice, crquets, beans, potato salad and miso. reasonably priced, friendly staff, cute little place, will go back again for sure.

Gorgeous fresh tasty bento boxes beautifully presented with excellent attentive and friendly service lovely new lunch spot find

Stopped in for a last minute lunch as was running late - it was on closing time and it was no problem! Great service and the meal was amazing. I had the tuna sashimi salad with orange and fennel and the best dressing ever. Can't wait to go back and discover this gem.

We had a fantastic experience at Kitchen Iroha, the staff were friendly and the food was absolutely delicious. We had the chicken wings, slow cooked pork belly, arancini, and the mixed sashimi - all were exceptional. For those who are into sashimi the fish was very high quality and very fresh. We spent a month in Japan earlier this year and Kitchen Iroha brought back memories of all the fantastic food we ate over there - the Japanese have a real love of good food and Kitchen Iroha is a fine example of this.

Friendly and attentive staff.<br/><br/>Good selection of imported beer.<br/><br/>Been a number of times now, never fails to disappoint. Love the idea of different meat and fish for the bento box. <br/><br/>Recommended!

This place is cute as a button and thrilled to see a new local, but sorry to say, bento box was pretty underwhelming. Beef overcooked and green salad, a few cold edamame, potato salad, and bland miso not enough to make up for it. Might try it again but would only be to support the locals.

Oh my actual god. So. Good.<br/><br/>Confit trout of the gods. <br/>Wagyu sushi that required a moment of quiet contemplation where nobody at the table was allowed to talk because delicious. Shhh. Having a moment with the sushi.<br/>Kara age chicken wings that would make you swoon.<br/>Tender duck breast, just pink in the middle, with savoury miso.<br/>Even the parsley dip - a mere condiment - was so good that we could have eaten it with a spoon.<br/><br/>(Agedashi tofu was not mind-blowing, but without an imperfection, it just wouldn't be wabi sabi, would it?)

Best Japanese food!. Had a wonderful evening at Kitchen Iroha. Absolutely superb food and great mix of vegetarian and meat and fish dishes. Friendly, welcoming service, great atmosphere. Will be back!

Really Yummy Vegan Japanese. Absolutely loved our meal tonight. The food was delicious. Fresh, tasty, beautifully presented. Only criticism is that there was only one warm dish that is the vegan part of the menu (Age dashi Tofu) that had a sauce to be served with rice. As we ordered the Arancini and Sushi rolls we thought more rice would be too much but next time I'd get rice as this wasn't quite enough for us this evening (we were really hungry). It would be lovely to have noodle soup or vegan curry on the eat in menu would be great. We did notice curry is on the take out menu so we will try that soon.<br/><br/>Thanks for a delicious dinner and wonderful service.

Best Japanese in the north. Incredible clean flavours. True Japanese food. Would go again and again

Great food, great atmosphere. We were very happy with our dinner at Iroha last Friday. The menu is creative and well composed offering a good diversity despite small size. The food was delicious and service was very friendly. Will be going back soon!

Ace new place! Delish and different Japanese. All the Staff, owner, serving Staff and chefs are lovely. The tuna Main is amazing.

Wonderful!! I went here with my wife and baby and will be back! The staff were very friendly and accommodating. The food was terrific (try the 5grain rice) and was a welcome departure from the normal japanese fare being served up around melbourne. The flavours were bold, sashimi fresh and meat dishes superb. Finally, a japanese resturant on high street that knows japanese

Great decor, warm & friendly staff and excellent food. We will definitely be going back to try the other great dishes on their menu.

Fantastic food, great staff and a good vibe.

Good food. Some interesting dishes. A welcome addition to the neighbourhood. But the prices are too high for the portions, atmosphere and the service. If it were half the price it would be great. <br/>Take away bento box wasn't very good.