Review Minamishima - Richmond

Finest Japanese you'll have in Melbourne, sitting at the bar is great as you see it being made as well. Omakase changes seasonally so always good to visit once in a while. As you'd expect the quality and taste of everything is superb

Amazing experience. Beautiful atmosphere and delicious food. Sat at the sushi bar and had the omakase menu, worth every cent. It will ruin other sushi for you

Minamishima is a true dining experience right in the heart of Richmond! From the moment you enter the quiet side door you are greeted by beautiful, friendly staff who will wait on you endlessly to make sure you enjoy your experience. With chefs bench seating option you can watch your own chef individually create every single piece of the best Japanese nigiri, sushi and more in Australia. Using the best of Australian and Japanese ingredients from seafood to Wagyu, all individually carved, seasoned and prepared to your plate, it truly is a must try at least once experience. You'll walk away with a new found appreciation for Japanese cuisine. This place is not cheap, but the service, quality of food, and experience is worth it for a special occasion. The 15 course degustation menu is perfectly balanced and you won't go wanting for more, despite specials on offer if you need. The wine/drinks list is divine too. Top marks and a great experience.

Had an amazing omakase experience which consists of ~10 nigiri and a few seasonal dishes in-between, finishing off with dessert and tea. Each piece of sushi felt substantial and satisfying; rice and topping is seasoned so soy sauce is not required. Although this place specialise in sushi, the other dishes were just as amazing. The ingredients, creativity and balance of flavour and texture in each dish was exceptional. There is also an option to add additional dishes if you don't mind spending more. Highly recommend the counter seat to see the sushi chefs at work but probably only possible for small groups.

I was so excited to go to Minamishima, expecting to be blown away. Instead i got my sinuses cleared by the overpowering amount of wasabi they put in the sushi. I've never had such an unbalanced and underwhelming experience. Service felt rather robotic as the only time our waiter really interacted with us was to upsell extra sushi before we had even started eating, or to explain each course in a monotone voice. The wine we were recommended was good but the kyoho grape cocktail was super disappointing for the price. I was sat at one of the tables not the sushi counter so atmosphere was nonexistent. There was pretty much no music whatsoever to provide ambience only the sound of other diners' conversations and the kitchen whenever the kitchen doors opened. Nothing really impressed me overall. You can definitely find better sushi elsewhere for much cheaper.

Great food, great service, great atmosphere. Would certainly come back again. Sushi bar seating was very comfortable and had great view and interactivity with the amazing chefs.

A great Japanese fine dining experience that really celebrates the essence of the cuisine - the freshest produce, presented beautifully, enhanced by subtle technique. Our group had the special fugu cheek and the otoro maki. The former was good but the latter was spectacular. The rest of the omakase was full of flavour that was always well balanced. Definitely one of the best fine dining experiences out there. I will definitely be back (if I can get another booking!).

Fan-Fugu-Tastic. A 1st rate experience. Beautifully prepared sushi cuisine with nicely paired Sake and knowledgeable staff. Had a table for the intimate date experience, feel like the chefs bench may have even better. Not cheap but I didn't feel gouged.

The food is exquisite. Amongst the best Japanese food I have had in Asia, US or Europe. The service is outstanding, the venue is attractive, the wine list top notch as is the sommelier. However, two points of view that may be controversial. Firstly, the tasting menu does leave you with plenty of room for more. I would argue that an extra dish is missing. Secondly, the meal is overpriced. The quality is excellent but you could eat at 2 or 3 Michelin star restaurants in Europe for less.

Over rated. Worst service I ever had. Food was very normal quality compare with tradition restaurant in Japan. First time food poisoning in Melbourne. Still surprising why they are recommend as 3hats. Absolutely not worth it. Manager was not flexible and doesn’t know how to deal with customer and seems like undereducated being a Restaurant manager.

Food was great, atmosphere is lacking, too sterile. Japanese imported seafood no better than Aussie fish. Overpriced severely compared to other Melbourne Japanese in Melbourne that I rate more highly.

Wow! An exceptional experience. You don’t realise how amazing sushi can be until you eat it at Minamishima! Incredible in every way and every ‘course’ was memorable and a taste-bud extravaganza. Worth every cent.

Excellent high quality sushi that was well executed. Comparable to the ones I've had in Tokyo! There's been comments on the pricing. Believe it or not, it's actually reasonable in comparison to other high end sushi restaurants I've been to including Taka sushi. I do think water should not be charged at 20 per head though.

Very good...probably the best sushi I’ve ever had (and I’ve visited Japan about 20 times), but with matched sake and one optional additional course, it was $800 for two. That’s very expensive by anyone’s standards. I’ve spent less at 3* Michelin restaurants.

Best proper edomae sushi in Australia. Shame there aren't more like this in Australia given the amazing produce. $150 is a steal given my other experiences in NYC, Singapore & London. The cost of my meal in other cities can easily go $200-280 (take into consideration the 4 toro nigiri & uni gunkan) Some people are saying it's too expensive, maybe they're expecting conveyor buffet sushi.

Great experience! Quality of food was great and the customer service was amazing. A bit of a question mark on the price though but I wouldn't mind coming back with the wife once in a while :)

Closest thing to high end Tokyo I’ve had in Melbourne. Amazing quality of food, wine list and service. Very much looking forward to my next visit!

sushi okay, but doesn't match with the price. I believe they purely inflate the price because they fall under the FINE DINING categorie. It is one of those places you go there once and will not return. If you really want good authentic sushi, go to Komeyui Port Melbourne.

Food was amazing. Unique mix of flavours in each dish of the degustation menu

Really good food for special occasion. Fugu with foie gras was so full of flavour!!

Sublime seafood-served with style and ceremony-"with soy sauce" or " no soy sauce"-ignore these instructions at your pearl-great overall experience

Outstanding! Service excellent. Food was absolutely delicious. Thoroughly enjoyed our evening.

No words! Amazing! Just go! FB tells me that reviews must be 40 chars or longer in length, hence this sentence.

Then the main event, Chirashizushi (for two). It had 50 million tiny pieces of absolutely perfect fish on top of a bed of sushi rice and egg slivers. According to the menu we had o-toro, engawa, prawn, tamago, ikura, tuna, trout, Hokkaido scallops, anago, nori, kinshi tamago, cucumber, shiitake, kanpyo and bamboo shoot.<br/><br/>The highlights were the incredibly buttery torched engawa and the super sweet and tender scallops, but honestly every bit of it was amazing. Even the pickled ginger that came with it was extra delicious.

Pros: the flounder.. was glorious, definitely my highlight. It literally melted. All sushi were fresh and succulent and amazingly delicious. Service was incredible. Ambience, very classy. The chef and waitress keep an eye out on which hand you eat with and cater the sushi towards that side (I admit I confused them a bit because I eat with both hands because I'm ambidextrous and tend to swap hands while eating 😅).<br/><br/>Cons: yes, this place is expensive for what you do get and I admit you are never quite full most the time but the service and experience is worth to go at least once. Also kind of wished there was a little menu to list what we were eating.

Beautiful atmosphere, beautiful food, beautiful service. Came here for a special occasion and loved the experience. Quality of the ingredients was amazing, the fish was incredibly fresh; and presentation was lovely. Dessert was absolutely delicious as well.

Minimashima is the closest you will get to authentic omakase in Melbourne. The standout dish was the engawa (flounders edge). All the dishes had simple flavours, however, they all showcased the freshness of the produce. I was a tad disappointed that sake pairing was unavailable, but given the current climate, perfectly understandable. Service was excellent, drinks were continually topped up. Will definitely return!

Went for two friends 30th, went for the Okamase set, what an experience, the delicacy of the produce was amazing, bite and you get a full array of flavor from each dish, the stand out for me was the scampi, best piece of food I’ve eaten in a while, the scampi was so light and with the hit of lemon was delicious, the only criticism I have is with some of the nigiri dishes served, some I feel did not require wasabi inside as it detours away from the beautiful produce. Also at some stage I asked for tap water and towards the end I found they gave me sparkling water but very little nick pick things. Very exy for the dinner but great experience. Service was excellent and attentive.

Loved this restaurant experience. I was able to dine at the chef's table and watch the entire process which was amazing. Absolutely loved the torched flounder and the chawanmushi special.

Authentic Japanese culinary experience in a minimalistic fine dining setting. Visited for an anniversary dinner to enjoy an unforgettable omakase at the sushi counter. <br/><br/>Ambience:<br/>Pairs were mostly seated at the counter and small groups at tables or private dining spaces. At the counter we watched 3 sushi chefs finesse and serve specialty nigiri from the chopping board to our black lacquer plates. Slightly dimmed lighting to spotlight the sushi counter and service plate. The kitchen was hidden as staff seemingly emerged out of the wall, retaining the sleek interior.<br/><br/>Food/Omakase:<br/>I’ve included 2 collages of all the omakase dishes apart from one nori and rice cake piece from the chef’s hand directly to ours. The seasonal specials were a puffer fish and a wagyu nigiri. For an additional cost we opted for the wagyu. Highly recommend it; tender, juicy, perfect balance of fatty, soft, flavourful Japanese wagyu beef. <br/><br/>The omakase experience entails chef selection and preparation to accentuate the highlights of seasonal seafood prepared traditionally. To start we had a mandarin soba and rice cake in nori; a refreshing sweet and savoury appetiser, one cold one warm. <br/><br/>Then the nigiri was served one at a time; each piece had vinegared rice and featured seafood detailed with combinations of a brush of soy sauce, blow torch searing, wasabi variations and various other sauces. We watched the chefs skilfully craft each nigiri, place it on our plates to enjoy by hand too. <br/><br/>Sushi counter service finished with a tamago cake; sweet but refreshing. This was followed by a savoury soup and dessert of green tea cakes and dessert tea.<br/><br/>My personal nigiri favourites (see photos) were the wagyu, toro, scallop and one other fish which I can’t recall. While it is an expensive experience in total there were 18 omakase dishes (, we added the wagyu nigiri for a total of 19 (see collages, note rice cake in nori not pictured)<br/><br/>Service:<br/>Service was impeccable, from the chefs timing each serving to your eating pace, explanations of every item and very attentive wait staff. The result; a satisfied belly, drinks topped up and your own plates as clean as the decor. Chef Minamishima was there too, focused during service but also very friendly.<br/><br/>Overall:<br/>Truly an amazing experience to indulge in (even if you’ve recently returned from Japan like me!) while the price is steep I would return again on a special occasion.

Such beautiful interior and exceptional service. The chef and waiters were informative of each dish that came out. A beautiful selection of handmade Japanese cuisines. The omakase is a culinary experience lead by the most amazing chefs 🍣. <br/><br/>I came here for my birthday and we ordered the <br/>Omakase set. <br/><br/>16 carefully curated dishes. The seafood is so fresh and the tuna cuts are perfect. <br/><br/>We ordered an additional wagyu nigiri which was on the house special. Exceptional with the most marbled and tender meat that melted in the mouth. <br/><br/>All dishes were so fresh and delicious and flavoured enough to not require any sauce.

Really under our expectations, mediocre food. Waste of your time.

There is a reason why this place is booked out and has a loyal following. <br/>The seafood is fresh from Japan, New Zealand, Tasmania etc.<br/>The service is attentive and genuine.<br/>You must sit at the sushi bar to get the best experience of what is arguably the best sushi bar and nigiri in Melbourne.

We had the pleasure of dining at Minamishima in December for our Christmas celebration. We booked a table for 2 at the sushi bar to get the full experience, and it was amazing to see Minamishima himself in front of us not only preparing our dishes but also serving them to us.<br/>The courses were mainly sushi/sashimi style, and it was wonderful! The quality and presentation of the food was remarkable. Everything was fresh and delicious!<br/>Among the set course meny offerings, we also opted to order additionals, one of them being the ‘fugu fish’ (blowfish/puffer fish). Such an amazing experience I must say and definitely a must order when you’re here!<br/>We had a wonderful time, with great food and service, and we are definitely thinking of going back and trying the table seating experience.

Arrived on time, but cost me too long to find the parking place.<br/> My girlfriend arrived prior to me, She was told that we didn’t book the sushi bar table by misunderstood. So, it’s fine for us to set on the normal table. But, the manager who wore the glasses was spoke very impolitely with the words ‘no way’.<br/> The food and price is just fine to meet the level my expectation.

Went here for my birthday with my partner. Modern interior. Chef who served us had years of experience from Japan. Each dish was delicious and refreshing. Would return. Definitely an experience to try if you love sushi and want to try fine dining. We were served with 14-15 dishes with additional special dishes available such as pufferfish. We tried the pufferfish and it was sooo good. Customer service was very attentive that they noticed which hand you eat with and arrange your chopsticks or spoons accordingly. The quality and attention to detail of each dish definitely made the dining experience a unique, special and memorable one. Still in awe. 😍

Great food a must visit.... book months in advance. Great experience

Went here for my friendship anniversary dinner. The people there were super nice and patient despite us coming in late (one of my friend came in super late because her uber drove to the wrong highway😂).<br/><br/>The food was excellent, the beef, nigiri and oh my god the chawanmushi was the best chawanmushi I’ve ever had. Price was okay for an omakase dining experience ($299/pp because we ordered extra sashimi and the champagne-infused strawberry dessert). The quality of the ingredients were fresh, except for the tuna nigiri that I found slightly fishy. But the the rest of the nigiris were little pieces of heaven🥰, literally melted in my mouth.<br/><br/>Overall, it was an amazing experience everyone should at least try! Might come back for our next anniversary dinner🤪

Definitely a one of a kind experience. You'll need to book in advanced and if there is only 2 of you, ask for a spot at the bar where you can see the chefs prepare everything. Service was really lovely, staff super attentive and friendly. You get 14-15 pieces with the option to try their optional menu. We tried the wagyu, sea urchin and pufferfish and would recommend them all.

Went here with very high expectations after being recommended here and the high score on Zomato. Although we had a great night out, I don't feel the experience justifies the high price (especially considering the prices went up considerably this month to $225 for the set menu - we went just before this). <br/>The service was friendly and abundant, however, there were quite a few that didn't speak English well enough for us to understand what they were saying. The consequence was that we didn't know what we were eating and drinking most of the time.<br/>The food was mostly nice, but only a few dishes were amazing and very special.<br/>There were a 3-4 sushi dishes with 4 different pieces each. When we asked if we could get a few extras of some of these sushis the prices for single sushi pieces were around $20 and up from that. This seems crazy and not in line with the price of the total menu either.

Last night I went to Minamishima, I’ve heard a lot of good things about it and I have been dying to try it. I had in mind that this was Melbournes best sushi.<br/><br/>My experience at Minamishima was underwhelming. For the price we payed I thought the produce for very mediocre and average. Majority of the produce was locally sourced. Maybe only one or two sushi out of the 14 included stood out to me, which was the Hokkaido scallops and toro, which the toro was average local blue fin tuna belly.<br/><br/>I thought the 14 dish omakase would at least include sea urchin, but it is a seperate item for $24 a piece. Mind you this was first time I wasn’t given sea urchin as part of a omakase meal. Although I did order the pearl fish sashimi which was ok.<br/> <br/>Out of the 14 dishes one of them was “Japanese mountain yam” which I couldn’t justify that it was part of the main selection, it seemed like an appetiser for the $180 price tag. <br/><br/>Reading other reviews and hearing from other people’s experience, it seems like the selection has dropped a lot. Some reviews seemed like they had 4 different selections of tuna, where as I got 2 and the rest were majority white fish.<br/><br/>Also all the sushi’s were pre cut and prepared by different chefs around the restaurant which I couldn’t exactly see the chef preparing and <br/><br/>Maybe it was a seasonal thing? <br/><br/><br/>Also toilet was filthy for a fine dining venue. Overall I don’t think it was worth it and also i felt like it was more money focused. Don’t think I’ll return.

Had high expectations based on the reviews here. Not the best omakase. Rest room was rather filthy as well. Not worth the money and definitely over hyped. However, service was brilliant.

Melbourne's finest Japanese restaurant!<br/>From the polished service to the food quality, you know you're in for a treat at Minamishima.<br/><br/>We are truly blessed in Melbourne to have Minashima as their standards are on par with what you find in Japan.

Probably the worst experience👎 I never ever had in Australia. 😠I booked omakase but I got so many hot food not sushi(9 pieces). I didn’t get any notice I can’t seat at sushi counter because we have 4 people. They only allow 2 people seat there( I take one month advance booked). Also I paid same price and I got different omakase menu as sushi bar. Also no one noticed me. (Same time have another table complain same thing)The manager so rude argue with me they never change policy should be noticed me and just said apologize. I Been so many Japanese restaurant had different omakase before if i know i gonna have different menu less sushi I will 100% not book it. If i can. Only seat at corner can’t see chef how to make sushi why i book omakase? I am not that stupid. And I work at this industry as well. I know how fake of this apologize and how rude of his attitude even he keep smile to me. When I pay the bill he just left me on the recitation 5 minutes then the manager drop the pos machine and run away. Maybe this restaurant had so many awards but you try to trade customer like that depend the nationality or skin color I think you probably go to the wrong way. 👎👎👎

Everything was executed very very well. We dined in a private room as there were 6 of us. Service was great, wine pairing was great on most parts. Lovely dinner, satisfied!

The food here was absolutely phenomenal! It’s hard to critique it at all. Expensive but unbeatable

Was a really nice experience for fine dinning. Japanese food lover so I keep to trying different place. This one is definitely good quality one. We ordered set menu and sake. Wagyu sushi was surprised me..really nice and smooth.

We loved 😍<br/>We came here to celebrate a special occasion and the chef definitely made it memorable for us.<br/>We sat right in front of the sushi chef and everything was delightful! The sushi was very fresh and took me back to japan! <br/><br/>It was a little heavy on the wallet though!

We had the Omakase menu which was lovely. The food was delicious (8/10) but not worth $180 per head in our opinion. It also took ages for each dish to come out. Somewhere to go if you’re looking to have taste of everything (small bites) but not if you’re looking for a fulfilling meal.

HANDS DOWN the best sushi experience in Melbourne.<br/><br/>Getting a table is always tricky in a popular fine dining place like Minamishima. My advice to all who want to try- call the restaurant and ask them for their available timeslot, take whatever they offer!<br/><br/>Ok now back to the experience. Wow, from the moment we stepped in the door to we left, the quality of service and food were just uncomparable. The store fitout was on the spot, minimalism, neat and professional. Love the combination of black and timber.<br/><br/>We sat on the bar table as requested upon booking. I mean you have to get the best experience out of omakase. 3 chef were working on the night.<br/><br/>Customer service was so attentive. I went to the bathroom and when I was back someone will be helping with my chair.. the special menu was well-explained and all our needs have been taken good care. <br/><br/>All sushi were perfect, so much attention to details, super fresh and taste went from light to heavy. Shout out to the WAGYU NIGIRI, It was just stunning. It cost $28 per piece but I think it was totally worth it. Melted in your mouth instantly and the wagyu was super juicy and tender.<br/><br/>Love their tea chocolate dessert and also came with a cup of hot green tea to clean the palate.<br/><br/>Finally been to Minamishima and I am still excited about it. It was truly a tasting journey to Japan. Highly recommended.

Everything here is done right, from the attentive service to the ambience and possibly the best omakase experience in melbourne. The chefs know how to take seafood to the next level, and is a must-go for any sushi lover.

Minamishima is a Japanese fine dining restaurant with exceptional quality food paired with excellent customer service. Was brought here for my birthday and we had the 14 course set menu with the added special of the Wagyu beef dish. Beautiful flavours, dishes were very authentic and the vibe was professional, luxurious and incomparable to any other 😋

It is unfortunate I have to give one star.&nbsp; The restaurant completely underdelivered the quality of food.&nbsp; 14 pieces of sushi were served.&nbsp; The starter was Mochiko (it is a Japanese rice cake) hand roll.&nbsp; The texture was OK yet it was a surprising starter.&nbsp; The following sushi pieces were mostly local fishes including Tuna.&nbsp; Only Toro (fatty tuna) and Saba (they claimed Sawara) were from Japan.&nbsp; They also served a Japanese mountain yam sushi.&nbsp; Omakase usually ends with Uni (sea urchin)/Tamago (egg custard)/Unagi (eel).&nbsp; They served the most terrible Unagi.&nbsp; They premaid battera unagi sushi.&nbsp; Before it was served they torched the top of it. The bottom of the rice was still cold like grocery store sushi yet the sauce on the top was very disappointing too.&nbsp; Instead of tamago sushi, they served a piece of eggy castella. &nbsp; Overall the fish was fresh yet their approach is their own style of expensive sushi focusing on local fish. &nbsp;<br/><br/>My real problem was that there was a residual bitter taste in everything they served.&nbsp; I wonder whether it comes from the kind of salt they use.&nbsp;<br/><br/>The initial impression of the atmosphere was quite nice.&nbsp; I was one of the very first people for the evening service.&nbsp; However, the way they organized the sushi chefs&#039; workflow, the high end omakase zen feeling was not present.&nbsp; The chefs were constantly waking across the long sushi bar.<br/><br/>Great omakase places provide services so called &quot;ninja&quot; services.&nbsp; They are behind you quietly.&nbsp; Whenever something needs to be done, they come swiftly and quietly take care of whatever&#039;s necessary.&nbsp; They were mostly attentive, yet not the types of services I am used to in New York.&nbsp; Instead, they were busy trying to sell 3 extra items with additional charge.&nbsp; Each item costs an average of 30 dollars a piece.&nbsp;<br/><br/>It may be a great place for a date night, certainly not for serious sushi eaters.

Went here as a group of four for a birthday celebration. The food was amazing. A bit on the pricey side but everything was delicious and the fish was really fresh. We did order an extra two sushi’s to feel full.

Had the Omakase. Fresh flavours. Cozy private dining room with a twist. Well paced and delicious. Knowledgeable staff. Minimalistic and bold decor.

Incredible, sensational, amazing. These words don’t even come close to describing this place. I can see why they are a 3 hat venue. After reading some of the negative comments and 1 star reviews I firmly believe those people have rocks in their head!. <br/>I went in with high expectations and they were blown away!!.

I believe in good food and that it comes at a price. And it's worth it at minamishima. As someone who's a big eater, I wasn't entirely full even after we had opted for all three specials on top of the omakase, and I still wouldn't have passed up this experience.<br/><br/>All the dishes were beautifully presented and the ingredients super fresh, both the wagyu dishes were a definite standout. They literally melt in your mouth and slide down your throat. There was also a fantastic flounder nigiri (I may be wrong) that was deliciously creamy and fatty, just amazing.<br/><br/>This place is actually worth every penny.

Very tasty rice. Looking forward to the introduction of a vegan option following the election of the greens candidate Michael Lyon this weekend

Went here for my birthday and got a seat at the bar. Very friendly staff and great service.<br/>Sensational sushi, fresh and practically melts in your mouth. The tuna tartare was an optional upgrade - don’t pass it up, was worth every penny.

The best dining experience I’ve had. The overall experience was faultless. Every bite was a journey, every sip I felt that I arrived at my destination. Happiness. My pockets were a lot lighter after the specials but you could not wipe the smile from my face afterwards. Sublime.

Just perfect. Couldn’t fault this restaurant everything exceeded my expectations. From the waygu to the tuna belly to everything in between I loved every single dish ❤️

Super delicious omakase with no bite of forgettable note. It was a wonderful experience to be sat in front of Mr. Minamishima and watch him prepare the sushi throughout our seating which lasted approximately 2 hours.<br/><br/>Flounder and otoro crushed it for me. Will return!

Ordered the omakase. Not the best restaurant that I’ve tried at this price but still acceptable. Great service and fresh toro. Not a great fan of the sake jelly dessert tho - the texture is not very favourable. Also using too much ponzu in the sushi course.

We treated ourselves for our joint birthday dinner at Minamishima.  I am a huge sushi/sashimi fan, my partner is not much of a fan of seafood, although he loves great food and will try anything.<br/><br/>I would love to make my rating 4.5 star, as I feel the true rating is closer to 5 instead of 4, but I am stuck with the rating system as it stands!<br/><br/>The food was lovely - the sushi was gorgeous, the flavours delicious and my favourite dishes would have to be the soy cured tuna, the tuna belly and the kingfish (I think it was kingfish - a white fish, very oily, but deliciously so!).  The wine and sake pairings were also great, although I think I enjoyed my wine paring better than my partner enjoyed the sake... but it was all part of the experience and I'm glad we did both.<br/><br/>The atmosphere and service were wonderful.<br/><br/>Our only complaint, and why I couldn't rate them a 5 - is that it was not great value.  We left quite hungry still and for the price you pay you would not want to feel hungry whatsoever after the meal.  The experience was well worth it, but since it was not so great value, in my opinion, that would stop us from returning.

What I liked：<br/>Being a fan of japanese food, i have been to quite a few restaurants. <br/>No doubt, all dishes met my expection and for that I should say it might be "one of the best sushi restaurant in Melbourne". However, if there is a different between good and suprisingly good, Minamishima is the former one. <br/><br/>What I didn't like :<br/>It would be nice if the decoration style was more japanese. Dark and simple decoration style, confused hand washing faucet, it was definately not my type and maybe not for romantic dinner if you care about environment.<br/>Be warned, if you are hungry, you might need to drive off to Mac for a burger. <br/>I can understand that every famous restaurant is difficult to book, I hope them to be a little more serious about the booking time. I called at the appointed time from website, but no one answered even at 12:30.

This is the second time my partner and I ate at Minamishima and to be honest, it felt like it was better than the last. <br/><br/>The food was just absolute bliss! We went to Japan recently and ate at a one Michelin star sushi restaurant in Tokyo and I must say, Minamishima was much better, not to mention only half the price of that in Japan. The Omakase (in order words you are leaving it up to the chef to decide the dishes) include one appetiser, 13-15 dishes (I can’t remember exactly how many) of nigiri (and also one hand roll and and ikura or salmon roe with rice), soup and the dessert. We also had a special, which we could choose between wagyu beef sushi, scampi nigiri or puffer fish nigiri. We chose the puffer fish one (or of curiosity) and it was decent, but I prefer the wagyu from our last visit. There’s also the option of having more sushi from the menu, which I would have gotten the flounder or otoro (they are just heavenly) if we haven’t already got the puffer fish. The service was also impeccable, as the staff and chefs are very attentive when our ginger and sake were running out. It was also delightful to watch the chefs create the dishes.<br/><br/>The only thing I was quite disappointed in was the dessert. We had a agar agar jelly rather than the nama chocolate, which I really loved from our first visit. But overall, still a fantastic dinner!

Booked a reservation for 5, would’ve preferred bar seats for proper omakase but was told that they only do bookings for a maximum of 2 pax for the bar so that was pretty disappointing. The menu was definitely different than what you’d get if you were to sit at the bar. Some dishes were pretty average, some were pretty good but overall, it definitely wasn’t worth the price we paid. I’m sure my thoughts on it would be different had we gotten the bar seats and a proper omakase menu instead.

Watch out: If you are ever sick and need to cancel on the night after 6pm - they will not answer your calls and will BLACK LIST you.<br/><br/>I was an avid fan of Koichi san since his Kenzan days. I always thought his sushi was the best in Melbourne. Needless to say my first Minamishima experience last year with my partner was pretty fantastic. We didn’t mind the $900 bill at the end for two people as it was a special occasion. I have also referred the restaurant to many of my friends and relatives who have also had similarly enjoyable experiences.<br/><br/>Sometime last year, my partner made a booking to take his mother to Minamishima for dinner at 8pm. Unfortunately, the ramen he ate for lunch made him feel quite ill towards the late afternoon. <br/><br/>He decided to wait a little while as these things can settle down with digestion. He went to rest in exhaustion and around 6pm, I tried to call the restaurant to let them know that the dinner appointment needed to be cancelled.<br/><br/>I called for hours to speak to someone at the restaurant (phone ringing and ringing with no voicemail). Around 8.30pm the restaurant called and, having woken up, my partner answered the call. <br/><br/>Now, I had tried to call them every 5 minutes or so up until this point to no avail. My partner was aware of this and after apologising profusely, he asked why the phone was not being answered. The lady simply answered “we don’t answer phone calls during service hours” and ended the call.<br/><br/>This week, my partner called to enquire about a dinner reservation for my birthday. They swiftly took the booking and confirmed the reservation for 6pm this Friday. A moment later, they called back to cancel the reservation and advised him that they could not accept any reservations from him as he had been blacklisted as a no-show.<br/><br/>We thought about booking under my name instead but decided against it as we felt that we could not enjoy the experience anymore. <br/><br/>Fair enough if we had not tried our utmost best to contact the restaurant as soon as we knew that the appointment could not be honoured. It is a very popular restaurant that many want to dine in and it is a loss to their business if they turn away guests under the impression that they cannot take any more guests. This was not, however, one of those cases.<br/><br/>I also note that there is nothing on their website or anywhere that notes this unconventional practice of not answering calls after 6pm. In fact, the restaurant does not even have a simple cancellation policy. <br/><br/>If they wanted the reservations honoured without fail, they should take upfront credit card transactions. <br/><br/>There are, of course, genuine circumstances like my partner’s case that may prevent attendance but the restaurant could work out a reasonable cancellation policy to counter different scenarios - eg. charge a cancellation fee, provide a single chance to rebook within 3 days, etc.<br/><br/>We would much rather have been charged a cancellation fee than being insultingly banned for life from this restaurant. We would have happily paid a $100 cancellation fee.<br/><br/>Im short, the food at minamishima is authentic and a cut above the rest. Sadly, however, it’s amateur hour at their management desk, trying to run the restaurant like it’s Jiro and failing badly at it. <br/><br/>We are bitterly disappointed by this incident and will be taking our business elsewhere.

We didn't get to sit at the bar for omakase because we were more than 2 people but we enjoyed our experience nonetheless. The sushi was enjoyable and fresh. Our only comment was that the rice was very prominent and had a real chew. The order dishes we had were also beautiful and not at all inferior to the sushi pieces. We were full at the end of the meal.

Absolutely sensational omakase. The best Japanese meal I've had in Australia.<br/><br/>Great pacing - the meal took about two hours and was the perfect amount of food.<br/><br/>If they give you the upgrade option for the wagyu dish, TAKE IT. At $28 per piece, it is about as pricey as it gets in Melbourne, but that single slice of beef was probably the greatest beef dish I have had. It really was transcendentally great, I felt transported to a different place. If I could drop in and just order that, I would do it!<br/><br/>At the price point, it's not exactly a value meal - it's the kind of place you go to for very special occasions.<br/><br/>Highly recommended, I don't see any way you could be disappointed in this place. Everything was perfectly executed.

The sushi is exceptional, the sake pairing magnificent. The hot dishes and desserts were ok, not great. The bench seats are uncomfortable, and the floor staff seem a bit inexperienced

Came here for my birthday, when you walk in it feels like luxury hotel.<br/>The lay out of the restaurant is very"well.<br/>The service and the food was fastastic!<br/>

We came here because my fiancee received their gift card as birthday present. We were seated at the bar and enjoyed the view of where the chefs are doing all the magic. Some sushi are better than the others but overall we had a great meal and night out. Service is lovely and attentive.

If you're looking for an outrageously remarkable evening in Melbourne, then a visit to Manamishima should be high on the list.<br/><br/>Truly world-class service with incrediblely prepared dishes in a beautifully tranquil setting is sure to leave you impressed.<br/><br/>Certainly a move expensive evening, but well worth it if you value outstanding dining experiences.

Simply one of the Best!<br/>11 course Omakase which we added the 3 extra specials. <br/>All the dishes was really great with one exception, the octopus sashimi was not fresh and had that stench that was hard to stomach.<br/>That was the only fault for the whole night.<br/>My favourites were the seared flounder skirt which was AMAZING! So soft and flavoursome with it slightly chard and the wagyu sushi was the ultimate! <br/>The service was 110% perfect. Water never reached half empty as the staff were very vigilant in topping it up. Napkins was changed regularly, every dish was place on the table in unison and at the exact same angle. Everything was exceptionally thought out.<br/>The decor was simple but classy.<br/>The best restaurant that I have eaten at so far.

This my favourite Japanese restaurant in Melbourne. The food is always perfectly presented, fresh and tasty. always a great place to take someone who cares about Japanese food and wants only the best

It was four years ago since we tried it last time. Food quality and service still maintained high standard. Dessert was a bit let down as we expected something more proper, although taste was great of that jelly. Dashi was pretty bland.

I'm a sushi lover and I went to the sushi omakase restaurants in Japan multiple times.<br/>As I heard many good things about Minamishima so my partner and I gave it a try.<br/>We had high expectations going in, just to find out that the food was average, we left hungry even after extra order, and overall just definitely could not justify the price. <br/>I don't see myself going back.<br/><br/>We got a place at the sushi bar on a Friday. The place was decorated beautifully and classy. We got the omakase (of course) and watched as the chefs prepared each course in front of us.<br/><br/>The first four courses were great and had a perfect mix of sweet, sour and savoury. Then the positives stop and negatives start to creeping in. The rest of the dishes tasted bland and some of the fish were so cold, as if they came straight from the freezer. This was worsened by the fact that they use cold rice (many of the high end sushi restaurants in Tokyo use luke-warm rice, which makes the whole dish taste better). <br/><br/>Apart from the usual course, we also ordered fugu fish sushi for each of us, which was nicely presented but did not stand out in the taste department (not worth the $32 pp). So after over 10 courses, we were served tea flavoured chocolate dessert to close out the night. Unfortunately there were not enough courses to keep us satisfied, and had to drive through for a quick bite.<br/><br/>Overall we spent over $500 for two, including sake and the special dishes. The experience certainly did not live up to our high expectations. If you are looking for high end Japanese sushi experience, there are definitely better and cheaper choices out there. I don't see myself going back.

Such attentive staff. Beautiful warm ambience, combined with a very 'chill' vibe. We sat at the Sushi Bar, as we watched three chefs prepare our meal with precision and concentration. A very enjoyable experience!

Best Sushi in Melbourne. Especially the specials, I can feel the beef melting in my mouth. Highly recommend! Since it is Omakase, definitely worth to go there again in another time.

The only thing I want to say is perfection. Every single piece of sushi is perfect. Can not fault anything. Worth the money. Service is perfect as well.

Firstly, please take note that this place offers only Omakase, so you can't choose the dish one by one. Since it's an Omakase, what you'll and what I got might be different, especially if you're coming in different seasons. For me, I had 2 entrées, 15 nigiri and 1 dessert. This costs $185 per person, with additional $125 if you'd like a sake pairing. <br/><br/>Secondly, you have to book in advance to get a good seating. I'm talking like 2 months in advance.<br/><br/>Anyway, it was crazy good for me. There were some hit and miss, but I loved it anyway. What blew me away was the excellent customer service.<br/><br/>If you'd like to know more about the food reviews, you can find it in athaliact.com/minamishima

Amazing night, albeit a bit pricey. The chef was professional, sushi was served just like it is in japan. Rice was perfectly cooked and room temperature, wasabi and seasoning was judged just right. The waiting staff were attentive and smiles all around. Sushi daddy provided the goods 🔥

Rating: 4.5<br/><br/>It is always a pleasure visiting Minamishima. It is definitely one of the best, finest quality Japanese fine dining in Melbourne. Unfortunately, we’re not as fortunate compared to Sydney as they have more Japanese fine dining restaurants.<br/><br/>Food: 4.5/5<br/>Service: 4/5<br/>Ambiance: 4.5/5<br/><br/>Would I recommend Minamishima to friends and family? Yes, absolutely! It is definitely worth the experience.<br/>Would I come back to Minamishima? I have been back a few times a year already and I’m definitely not going anywhere else. <br/>

Absolutely the best omasake in Melbourne. The ambiance was fantastic. Tucked away in an alleyway it might seem inconspicuous at first, but when you enter, you cannot help but to admire the simple Japanese charm. From the dim lighting to the wooden sushi bar, you will feel right at home in this Japanese hideaway. Hats off to the sushi chefs who are all brilliant and their attention to detail is out of this world. For example, the chef and the waitress quickly noticed that I am a left handed and promptly shift the pickled ginger and chopsticks to my left. Needless to say, I was thoroughly impress. The sushi was out of this world. The order of the sushi was thought out in advance so that the fatty portions are served to you towards the end prior to the soup. The dessert is complimented by an earthy Japanese green tea. I was in heaven. The service from the sushi chef was exceptional, but the waiting staff were not up to the standard one would expect given the quality of the food and it falls behind places such as Heston (only in regards to service). The pricing is what you would expect from a restaurant like this where they import the finest fish from Japan. We have been here a couple of times and we will definitely go back again.

Had a splendid dining experience here tonight & I loved every second. 😍 As we booked 2 months in advance we had the wonderful opportunity of sitting at the counter! It was a feast for the tastebuds & the eyes! 👁🤤 Every dish was there for a reason and the order made a lot of sense. You could see the chef's effort in bringing out the freshness of every ingredient 💦. Every bite was bursting with flavour, and almost like a foodgasm, & in no way surfeiting. 😋 The bridge between the savoury & the sweet was very well thought out as well. 👏🏻 It was such a great experience & I would definitely return for a special occasion. 🥂 Definitely recommend booking way in advance given how popular this establishment is! 📞

How did I not review and rate Minamishima after the number of times I've gone? <br/>My first venture was on our first anniversary - we had omakase and were impressed by the service, the food, the atmosphere.<br/>My second trip there was with friends - this time (and the next few times) I had the a la carte due to the large group I was with. <br/>Every single time I've been there I've enjoyed the food, the wine, and the experience. <br/>Definitely my favourite Japanese fine dining restaurant in Melbourne.

Minamishima was a lovely experience, the food, wine and atmosphere was spectacular. <br/>Celebrating my birthday here was an experience like no other. <br/>Minamishima stands out compared to other omakase places as we were able to have a lovely conversation with Chef Koichi Minamishima about his passion and his backstory was amazing

Second time here and the food was just as amazing as before. Service was perfect, food was amazing, love the ambience too. Highly recommend this place for people who love sushi.

As this was my first omakase experience, I didn't know what to expect. Walking in, the ambiance was definitely fine dining with dim lighting and nice simple interior. We were greeted as soon as we arrived and walked over to our chairs. The service was attentive, as they constantly filled our glasses with water and adjusted and changed our plates once it got dirty. The foooood was ahmazing, I couldn't fault it. Everything was so fresh, as expected. I'm a big fan of Japanese but these tastes were definitely different to what I've had before. Watching the chef's prepare the nigiri was also great and interesting to watch. We also added their two specials onto our set which was the Wagyu beef and sea urchin nigiri. I was a little unsure about the sea urchin but I'm glad I got it because it tasted a lot better than I had expected! Definitely an experience worth trying out!

Best Japanese meal I’ve had in a long time (ever since kappo closed down). Must say it’s very pricey.. but each dish is perfect! The sushi course was exceptionally delicious.. worth every cent.

First omakase experience. Heard good reviews about this place. The restaurant was not so big. We got a private room. The food came one by one, and the gap between each serving was quite long. The dishes were really small. Overall, nothing was bad, they were all good, especially the sushi. The extra dish that wasn’t included in the set was the wagyu sushi. It was really good. However, for the price, I won’t be returning soon, because there wasn’t any dish that really stood out for me. They were all good, but it wasn’t that memorable, especially for the price, the expectation was high. But it was overall a really great dining experience. The waiter was really friendly and helpful. It was a great place for anniversary dinner, or other special occasion, especially if you get the private room.

Unlike any Japanese experience i have had within Melbourne. Each meal was well thought out, Each dish upheld amazing taste and freshness within every bite. My particular favorite was the final desert which featured three different matcha flavored chocolates (tasted amazing). The ambience of the place at night is dimed, the low lighting within minimishima upholds an intimate setting. futhermore the staff where also extremely polite and diligent. Impressive information from staff members about the dishes was also provided as the staff are knowledgeable on the origins and contents of what they are serving you. Overall a great dining experience would reccomend to any japanese food lover!

Best of the best in Melbourne. Whether it's their omakase or sides/specials, they are all perfectly crafted and made. I also tasted the best uni from there. It was definitely a memorable experience.

Every course delicious and paired perfectly with my choice of sake.<br/>Many eye openers of fine food I've never experienced before. Highly recommend to all food lovers.

Lives up to its hype in every way, truly an amazing experience.<br/>I had the fugu supliment, because how could I not! That however was over rated

Superb.  <br/><br/>Japanese cuisine with an absolutely fastidious attention to detail.  Sushi shines -- with the freshest of seafood from Australia and Japan -- but the accompanying dishes are equally superb.  On my most recent outing, particular favourites were the Uni (sea urchin) from Tasmania, o-toro from Japan and a mushi-Anago, chawan-mushi with a sesame twist.....  In truth, every dish was carefully thought out and was an absolute delight!<br/><br/>Equally impressive is the wine list with a huge variety of sake and a surprisingly varied selection of Japanese tea from Kyoto (from the famous Ippodo tea house), which is unusual (most places would just serve a generic green tea which is usually pretty....generic).<br/><br/>Service was impeccable, and each dish was accompanied by a careful explanation.<br/><br/>I would have to say this is the best (or perhaps in the top 3) Japanese restaurants in Melbourne, and dare I say, in Australia.

We diner at Minamishima for Birthday dinner, great service and great foods. We ordered Omakase for 10 courses and extra two entrees.<br/>Spend $500 for 2 ppls

Very nice and fresh fish executed superbly by the master sushi chefs. One of my party was left handed and the chefs noticed immediately and started placing the nigiri in the direction of her left hand. The service staff also followed. The food here is simply amazing although very very very pricy!

Faultless. My partner proposed to me and they were very accommodating with the surprise portion of the evening! The quality of food was of a standard that very few places are offering in Melbourne at present. Very subtle flavors let the produce shine. Excellent services as one would expect. Paired back decor which again just lets the food be the star of the show. Wine list also excellent.

This visit was back in July. So rather than trying to describe individual pieces of nigiri, this will be more about my overall experience at Minamishima. Seeing as its a three hatted restaurant and touted as one of the best restaurants in Australia for nigiri sushi, I couldn’t wait to try their sushi. Since they opened their doors back in 2014 I thought the hype may have somewhat died down, but I still ended up having to book two months in advance.

I have been here for two times. Minamishima is really amazing! My friends and I are big fan of it! Every dish makes me feel like “ a dream comes true” .We always order more sushi after tasting all. The sushi bar is the best place from my perspective. I really like the chocolate!

It’s a beautiful restaurant with excellent service. The food is delicious and well presented. The foods use the fresh seafood from Japan, Australia and New Zealand. They don’t use strong taste, everything is light and not oily. Let people get the real taste of the food. The proportion of the food was just right for me, not too full. But it didn’t give me any big surprise.

We came here for our anniversary/graduation dinner and it was the most lovely dining experience. We sat at the bar (omakase!) and really got to converse and get to know the chefs. Every dish was exquisite and a delight to try.