Okami - Whittlesea

I recently visited Okami and left feeling that, while there are a few positives, the overall experience falls short of what authentic Japanese cuisine should represent. The most noticeable issue was the rice. Traditional Japanese rice should carry subtle notes of mirin and rice vinegar, but what was served was simply plain white rice with none of the expected flavour or texture. This set the tone for a meal that consistently missed the mark on authenticity. Service was friendly but clearly in need of more training. Staff seemed unsure when taking orders, didn’t read them back for confirmation, and lacked confidence when interacting with tables. Food arrived quickly, which is appreciated, but the sequencing was backwards—mains were served first, followed by entrees, disrupting the flow of the meal. The sake was genuinely enjoyable, though the selection was surprisingly limited. A broader range would elevate the experience and better reflect the diversity of Japanese brewing. The chicken donburi was the most disappointing dish of the night. It lacked sauce, depth, and freshness, and came across as something pre‑cooked or store‑bought rather than prepared in-house. The flavour profile leaned more toward a generic Chinese stir-fry than a Japanese donburi. Similarly, the salads served with meals were missing traditional Japanese dressings, leaving them bland and out of place. The sashimi was good, but this is largely due to the inherent quality of the fish itself rather than any skill or seasoning from the kitchen. Overall, this chain struggles to represent Japanese cuisine in an authentic or thoughtful way. With more attention to technique, seasoning, staff training, and menu integrity, it could improve—but in its current form, it doesn’t do justice to the cuisine it aims to showcase.

received very good service from staff. The food was great . noise got up there occasionally but on the whole was acceptable considering it was prime time for dining.

Amazing food and amazing service. Will definitely be back afain

so easy to order by scanning the QR code. it was quiet when we had our family meal. food was served prompt and it tasted great. also we liked that you can choose the portion size so we can have a bit of everything. definitely recommend Okami Whittlesea!

Gave the kids a treat at Okami Whittlesea. Everything was tasty and kids definitely enjoyed the curry chicken and tempura prawns very much. I enjoyed the cold seaweed and mushroom salads and hubby loved the yakiniku beef. Really enjoyable buffet meal that has reasonable kid prices. The Whittlesea branch is easily accessible and not too busy which made it a lovely experience.

Waited nearly 25 mins before being served and some food was cold - teriyaki beef and teriyaki steak - some food ordered just didn’t show up until we asked where it was - been here a lot of times this was our worse experience ever

Poor service even though the restaurant was not busy. Dishes ordered didn’t come out for 45 mins and only after we asked about them several times.

Had a great night, no complaints, food was delicious, great service, thanks

Lovely food was great food yum yum yum yum yum

Food was very nice and not long waiting time for food to be served at the table. Good customer service.

The sushi is always made fresh and absolutely delicious. Our favourite is the tuna

We absolutely love this place! The food is always delicious

While Okami is a chain store , the food doesn't feel like chain store food . It's always well presented and well cooked . Staff are lovely and efficient . We are very happy to return to Okami repeatedly because we know the food is always good.

Always Great food and service. Food was really fresh tonight.

Food was amazing, and great customer service friendly staff. We be returning. 😊

Okami Whittlesea is our go-to AYCE Japanese restaurant. Wvwn our guests from overseas enjoyed the food and experience.

Had a great experience, food and service was excellent. Well worth it.

Great food and great service. Love our local Okami. Such good value for families.

it was really good experience, and forward to dining there again.

Great food and great hosts thank you! Ordering off the QR code was a breeze

Staff were wonderful and welcoming. The food was amazing quality; fresh and prepared perfectly. We will be back again. It was a great evening celebrating my sons birthday.

The staff are lovely! The food is lovely and food i go regualry.

Service was disappointingly slow and we ran out of time to cut my ice cream cake which had to be taken back home. It did upset me 😔

It is always good here! Reasonably priced for decent food.

Not use to ordering via qr code but food came out quickly. Very nice food. Just a pity that customer service contact is dwindling

Fantastic experience. Food was delicious and didn’t take too long to bring it out. QR code to order. Be good if the system showed what you ordered, what was to come and what has been delivered. Other than that it was a great Japanese experience. Would come again for sure.

Food came out promptly and the customer service was great.

The food and service were excellent. We highly recommend and we're definitely coming back.

Attentive staff. Food quality and variety were great as well. Will be back!

Always my go to place to eat, handy how they do not stick to session times if they are not too busy and will try cater for you at any time

food was fresh and tasty, the service was great and recommend

The food was amazing, the sushi was super fresh and quality service

For was delish. Furniture was extremely worn down and uncomfortable to sit on specially as my stepdad is older and sitting on the chairs that look like someone has taken a machete to them with no cushion was unpleasant. Staff were very helpful and service was great

staff stopped brining food to our table after a while

Everything was great as per usual, the food is alway's good and service was really good.

Amazing food and fantastic service. I’m looking forward to going again soon .

Really good food for an affordable price. Great customer service.

The service was very slow, especially drinks. Food was coming our sporadically and not in order of how we ordered them. You are clearly understaffed, please hire more people.

The food was so good and service was awsome loved it

The wait staff did not seem very happy to be working. Not one person smiled or could be bothered to remove empty plates or take more orders. Food was okay. I would like to see Japanese vegetable pancake on the menu.

Lovely and clean , fun family experience and great food

Chairs ripped, restraunt untidy, counters not dusted, did feel great after.

Nice value for money night out for 2 thank you

Amazing restaurant. Staff are great. Family friendly restaurant. Highly recommend.

So expensive food was way too slow coming out and not enough sauce or side options Will not go back

Amazing food and amazing service everytime we come, can’t beat it

Amazing like always, new dessert is so good. Amazing service also

Great food, excellent service. Very happy with restaurant. Will come ag

Was great service & was quick except there was 6 of us and they limited how many serves we could have at the one time. We wanted 6 serves and they are very small serves of Beef Carpaccio to start our meals off one per person and they would only allow us 3. It’s not that you can share that plate Same with other plates We prefer ordering 6 one for each of what we order but not allowed It’s one of our favorite places but it means we can’t all be eating the same thing at the same time we find that way there is less wastage but overall a great place to eat

Staff were exceptional as was the food Will continue patronising