Izakaya Hosaku

Here’s a polished, firm but fair negative review you can use or adapt: ⸻ Review: Unfortunately, our experience at this restaurant was quite disappointing. The beef tataki was sliced so paper-thin that it lacked both texture and flavour. The sashimi was decent, but definitely overpriced for the portion and quality. The spider roll was mostly just batter — we could barely taste any actual soft-shell crab. The beef hotpot was another letdown. It arrived without a burner, and although we ordered it as a main, it tasted more like a dessert because it was so sweet. But the most upsetting part of the evening was the timing of the dishes. All of our mains were served while we were still eating our entrée, making the whole meal feel rushed and poorly coordinated. Overall, it was not the dining experience we were hoping for.

Absolutely love this place. Beautiful food, knowledge staff and great drinks! Will be back!

The whole experience from service to quality of food was amazing

The food was amazing and the staff was lovely :)

Nice cozy Japanese place, good food selection. Convenient location too

Great Japanese food in a cool venue. Good value. Loved the Sake tasting flight.

The music didnt really suit the atmosphere and it kept cutting out. I loved the food but there were some things in the set where I wish we were given a little choice between 2 things. Service was great.

Fantastic venue, with even better staff and most importantly food

Food was fresh and beautifully presented . Would recommend to people

Great presentation and great taste! Mucho Goodo, Muy Deli !

We had a wonderful meal, lots of choices for those with special dietary needs

The food quality was great and fresh. Service was very attentive. I will definitely return.

So gooooood thank you for the food and service and ambiance!!

Excellent food generally. The soft shell crab batter was a little soggy otherwise I would have rated the whole experience amazing.

Went for a dinner in a group of five and loved the food and atmosphere. Would recommend this place for a special occasion.

Fantastic food and service. Planning to go back again. Thanks

Decent Japanese fair, good quality sashimi, beef gyoza the best dish!

All around great dining experience at Izakaya Osaku - happy with all our orders, cozy and casual ambience, friendly staff. We’re definitely coming back to try more dishes.

The food, service and overall experience was a 10/10. This was our first time and we will no doubt be back.

I love this place so much. The staff is always attentive and the food is delicious. It's usually empty when I go. Definitely will come back

Good service, good food 🫶 more variety set lunch would be great 🤔

always a great experience. food is delicious and service is great.

Good place,good food and nice location would recommend this place

Amazing food and service was fantastic 👌 set menu was elite

Amazing service and amazing food. First time visiting and absolutely exceeded expectations

Had the wagyu fried rice, oysters and chicken karaage. Everything was perfect.

Excellent service, food and ambience. Thank you. Would definitely recommend and come back.

I had a lovely experience at this Japanese restaurant. The atmosphere was warm and inviting, making it a great place to catch up with friends. One of the highlights was the lack of wait time — we were seated right away, which is always a plus. The noise level was just right; we could have a proper conversation without having to raise our voices, which can be rare in busy places. As for the food — everything was fresh and full of flavor. You can really taste the quality in each dish. The only downside was the pricing, which was on the higher side, but given the overall experience, it still felt worth it. Definitely a spot I’d return to for a relaxed and tasty meal.

Food and service was amazing Staff was very super friendly

Loved the sake flights and the sudoku sashimi boxes! Amazing combinations and flavours. Will definitely visit again.

Okay to average experience, but probably would not come back again

The food was delicious here, I would recommend it to anyone ❤️

The foods are all delicious and staffs are so friendly as well^-^

Have walked past Izakaya Hosaku so many times and always wanted to try it. Service was amazing, all the staff were super lovely and communicative. Cocktails were fantastic! The food was delicious and arrived promptly after ordering. Some items a little on the expensive side but all very yummy. Will definitely return!

Quality of sashimi was the same as the food court. Overpriced for what they’re offering

Amazing food and service! Definitely a hidden gem in Melbourne CBD

Nice little restaurant in the city, food is good and they have good happy hour drink specials if you arrive before 7pm. It is a very small store though and we were seated next to the toilet. Food was good but I felt slightly overpriced for the quality/quantity.

Very good services and food to enjoy the local Japanese food

What a great spot- beautifully presented food and friendly staff

Food was excellent. Staff were friendly and attentive. Will go back for dinner at some point

Really authentic and fresh food, service was amazing and thanks to the hard working chefs and staff

The food was delicious and the ambience was lovely. I would visit again

Serving size were a bit small for the price, other than that overall experience was great. Will come back

Attentive and friendly service; food was fresh, tasty and good quality (sashimi, chicken karaage). Atmosphere could be improved - the front door wouldn't close properly which made the seating area drafty and cold. We left to go have dessert elsewhere because of this. Toilet floor was wet with puddles, which was unappealing

amazing service, atmosphere, service, prices and food. thank you so much!

Food was great… really enjoyed our meal. Thanks for everything

The sashimi and nigiri was amazing and a really enjoy the wagyu fried rice. Will definitely be back.

Amazing food, very tasty, great service and very friendly staff..

Everything was incredibly delicious and the staff we're extremely friendly and helpful. 10/10 experience

Some of the best Japanese we've had for a long time. Very good quality and freshness. Every dish we had was beautifully presented and perfectly executed. An absolute pleasure to eat this menu, we will be back regularly! Looking forward to trying the rest of the menu! But will be almost impossible to pass on the Deluxe Sashimi Box, it was stunning! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️