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. 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$165 to A$295 per person before drinks. Kisumé’s Chef’s Table lists A$195 for dinner and A$165 for lunch. Akaiito lists A$198. Aoi Tsuki is around A$235, Sushi On in Kew around A$245, Yakikami A$285, and Minamishima in Richmond A$295. Check each venue before booking, as these figures move.
Rōnin sits at the lower end of that band at A$195, paid in full when you book. The price is the same every night we open. 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, 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.
Common Questions
Which omakase in Melbourne is the cheapest?
Published prices in 2026 start around A$165 for lunch sittings at Kisumé and run to A$295 at Minamishima. Rōnin is A$195 for dinner, the same price every night.
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.
Book a Seat
445 Little Collins St, Melbourne VIC 3000
Wed to Sat, 6pm to 11pm (dinner only)
0401 721 491 | info@roninomakase.com