Best Omakase in Melbourne: How to Choose
Searching for the best omakase in Melbourne turns up a dozen counters and a dozen opinions. The honest answer is that they are not interchangeable. They differ on price, on how many seats face the chef, and on what the chef is actually cooking. This page sets those differences out so you can pick the right room for the night you have in mind, including whether that room is ours.
Rōnin is a ten seat counter at 445 Little Collins St serving a Korean omakase at A$195 per guest (no prepayment required). We are the only counter in the city built on Korean cooking, which is the main reason to choose us and the main reason not to if you want Edomae sushi. Here is what changes when the omakase is Korean.
What Omakase Costs in Melbourne
Prices published by the restaurants themselves and in the 2026 Broadsheet and Concrete Playground omakase guides put the city’s counters in a band from about A$195 to A$325 per person for dinner, before drinks. Kisumé’s Chef’s Table is listed on OpenTable at around A$220 midweek and A$245 on Fridays and Saturdays. Akaiito lists A$198. Aoi Tsuki is around A$235, Sushi On in Kew around A$190 to A$220 in 2023 reviews, Yakikami A$285, and Minamishima in Richmond around A$325. Check each venue before booking, as these figures move.
Rōnin sits at the lower end of that band at A$195 (no prepayment required), paid at the end of the meal. Surcharge applies to Weekend (10%) and Public Holiday (15%). There is no cheaper short version and no drinks package built in. What A$195 covers and what it does not is set out on its own page.
How Many People Sit at the Counter
Seat count changes the night more than anything else. Minamishima and Aoi Tsuki seat around twelve to fifteen. Kisumé‘s chef’s table seats twelve. Warabi seats more and runs with three chefs. Rōnin seats ten, with one chef, which means every course is plated a metre from you and the chef talks to the room rather than to a kitchen.
Ten seats also sets the booking rhythm. We release the next month’s seats on the 20th of each month at 8pm through OpenTable, and Friday and Saturday go first. How the release works is worth reading before the 20th.
Japanese, French-Japanese or Korean
Most Melbourne omakase is Edomae sushi: nigiri, fish aged and cured, rice seasoned with red vinegar. Minamishima, Sushi On and Shira Nui are the clearest examples. Akaiito blends French technique with Japanese produce over charcoal. Nobu runs a Peruvian-Japanese version. Yakikami is built around wagyu rather than fish.
Rōnin is Korean. The format is the same, chef’s choice, course by course, but the cooking is jang, fermentation, charcoal and in-house banchan, with Australian produce. If you have eaten omakase before and want something you have not had, that is the difference. If you want sushi, we are the wrong room and we would rather say so here than at the counter. More on the Korean omakase.
Which Counter Suits Which Night
For a first omakase, choose a counter with a talkative chef and a price you are comfortable with, then read what to expect at a first omakase. For a quiet anniversary, the formal sushi rooms suit. For a birthday with a group of friends, a counter that can be booked out entirely keeps the night to yourselves. Rōnin at ten seats is the easiest counter in the city to take over for a group.
If you are choosing by location, the CBD counters are Rōnin, Kisumé, Akaiito, Warabi and Kentaro. Rōnin is on Little Collins Street, a short walk from Southern Cross and Flagstaff stations.
Why Rōnin, in Plain Terms
Ten seats, one chef, Korean cooking you cannot get at another counter in Melbourne, A$195 (no prepayment required), and a release day that makes planning simple. Broadsheet and Concrete Playground both list us among the city’s omakase counters. We do not serve lunch, we cannot alter courses for dietaries, and we do not allow BYO. Those three limits are on every page so nobody books the wrong night.
Which Is the Best Omakase in Melbourne?
There is no single best omakase in Melbourne, only the best one for the night you have planned. For the best Japanese omakase in Melbourne in the Edomae style, Minamishima in Richmond and Sushi On in Kew are where most guides start. For the best omakase restaurant in Melbourne’s CBD without paying top of the band, most CBD counters sit between about A$195 and A$245 a head. For a course you have not eaten before, Rōnin is Korean.
Concrete Playground’s list of the best omakase in Melbourne includes Rōnin, written up after the Korean relaunch under Chef Liam Lee.
FAQ
Which omakase in Melbourne is the cheapest?
Published 2026 prices start around A$98 for a short lunch sitting at Kentaro; for dinner they run from A$195 at Rōnin to around A$325 at Minamishima. Rōnin is A$195 (no prepayment required) for dinner, plus a 10% weekend and 15% public holiday surcharge.
Is Rōnin a sushi omakase?
No. Rōnin is a Korean omakase. The format is chef’s choice over about ten courses, but the cooking is Korean: jang, fermentation, charcoal and in-house banchan.
How far ahead do I need to book?
Seats for the following month open on the 20th of each month at 8pm. Friday and Saturday sell first, midweek seats stay open longer.
Can I compare the menus before booking?
Omakase counters do not publish menus, including Rōnin. The chef decides each course on the day from the produce available.
What is the best omakase in Melbourne CBD?
It depends on the style you want. The CBD counters include Rōnin, Kisumé, Akaiito, Warabi and Kentaro. Rōnin is the Korean one, ten seats at 445 Little Collins St, and Concrete Playground lists it among the best omakase in Melbourne.
What is the best affordable omakase in Melbourne?
Published dinner prices run from about A$195 to A$325 a head. Rōnin is at the lower end at A$195 (no prepayment required) for about ten courses, plus a 10% weekend and 15% public holiday surcharge.
Where is the best omakase near me in Melbourne?
From the CBD, Rōnin is a short walk from Southern Cross and Flagstaff stations. The suburb guides give the distance and the trip from Richmond, South Yarra, Glen Waverley and other suburbs.
What is the best Japanese omakase in Melbourne?
For traditional Edomae sushi, Minamishima in Richmond and Sushi On in Kew are the usual starting points. Rōnin is not a Japanese omakase: it uses the same chef’s choice format for Korean cooking.
Book a Seat
445 Little Collins St, Melbourne VIC 3000
Wed to Sat, 6pm to 11pm (dinner only)
0401 721 491 | info@roninomakase.com
Guides
Akaiito Price and Booking, Compared With Rōnin · Aoi Tsuki Price and Booking, Compared With Rōnin · Best Date Night and Romantic Restaurants in Melbourne CBD, Compared · Best Fine Dining and Fancy Restaurants in Melbourne CBD, Compared · Best Private Dining and Group Dining in Melbourne CBD, Compared · Birthday and Anniversary Dinner in Melbourne CBD · Chae Price and Booking, Compared With Rōnin · Chef's Table in Melbourne · Date Night in Melbourne CBD at a 10 Seat Counter · Degustation in Melbourne CBD: A Korean Degustation Menu · Dietary Requirements at Rōnin: What We Can and Cannot Do · Dinner Near Southern Cross Station: A 10 Seat Omakase Eight Minutes Away · Doju Price and Booking, Compared With Rōnin · Intimate Fine Dining in Melbourne CBD · Is Omakase Worth It in Melbourne? An Honest Answer From a 10 Seat Counter · Ishizuka Price and Booking, Compared With Rōnin · Kentaro Price and Booking, Compared With Rōnin · Kisumé Chef's Table Price and Booking, Compared With Rōnin · Komeyui Price and Booking, Compared With Rōnin · Korean Fine Dining in Melbourne · Korean Omakase in Melbourne · Minamishima Price and Booking, Compared With Rōnin · Modern Korean Restaurant in Melbourne CBD · Nobu Melbourne Omakase Price and Booking, Compared With Rōnin · Omakase Prices in Melbourne: What A$195 Covers at Rōnin · Omakase vs Kaiseki: What the Difference Is, and Where Rōnin Fits · Places to Eat Alone in Melbourne CBD: Solo Dining at the Counter · Private Dining in Melbourne for 10 People: Book Out the Counter · Rōnin on Little Collins Street: Getting Here · Sushi On Price and Booking, Compared With Rōnin · Tasting Menu and Set Menu in Melbourne CBD · Tipping and Service Charges at an Omakase in Australia · Warabi Price and Booking, Compared With Rōnin · What Is Omakase? Meaning, Etiquette and How It Works · Work Christmas Party and End of Year Function in Melbourne CBD
Journal
November at the Counter · What Is Banchan? Korean Side Dishes Made in House in Melbourne · 10 Seat Korean Omakase in Melbourne: Why Rōnin Keeps the Counter Small · What to Expect at Your First Omakase in Melbourne: Etiquette, Timing and Price · Korean Omakase vs Japanese Omakase in Melbourne: What Changes at the Counter · How to Book Rōnin Omakase in Melbourne: The Monthly Release on the 20th · What Melbourne's Food Press Says About Rōnin · Why There Is No Printed Menu at Rōnin Omakase, Melbourne