RFK Cuisine · Japanese · Sydney
Best Japanese Restaurants in Sydney 2026
Japanese · Sydney · 6 rooms ranked · Updated June 2026
Compiled by the Restaurants for Kings editorial team · Published June 20, 2026 · Updated June 20, 2026
Ryuichi Yoshii has been shaping nigiri for close to forty years, and the ten seats at his Barangaroo counter are the hardest sushi reservation in Sydney for a reason: the cold-water fish off the New South Wales coast give a chef of his calibre raw material that rivals Tokyo's. That is the quiet advantage of Japanese dining here — superb seafood, a deep community of Japanese chefs, and a city that has taken to omakase and izakaya with real appetite. The range runs from a glamorous casino-tower dining room to a course-by-course kappo counter to izakaya built for sharing robata and cocktails late. These are the six Sydney Japanese restaurants worth booking in 2026, ranked on the cooking, the room and what the bill buys, with the dish to order and how to get a seat at each.
1.Sokyo
Sydney's most polished modern-Japanese room; book Sokyo for Chase Kojima's sleek dining room or the six-seat, 23-course omakase counter.
Sokyo, inside The Star at Pyrmont, is Chase Kojima's flagship and the most glamorous Japanese room in Sydney — a dark, sleek dining room turning out modern sushi, robata and a famous run of desserts, with a six-seat omakase counter running up to 23 courses for those who want the full performance. Kojima, who trained in the Nobu group, balances precision with showmanship: pristine nigiri and sashimi alongside richer robata-grilled wagyu and the much-photographed sweets. The à la carte lands around A$120 to A$160 a head, the omakase nearer A$250. For a special-occasion Japanese dinner with real polish, book it. Reserve two to three weeks ahead, earlier for the omakase counter.
Reserve online; the kingfish and the robata wagyu, or the omakase at the counter.
2.Yoshii's Omakase
The hardest sushi seat in Sydney, run by a forty-year master; book Yoshii's Omakase for Edomae nigiri at the level of Tokyo's best.
Yoshii's Omakase, inside Nobu at Crown Sydney in Barangaroo, is the city's reference sushi counter — ten seats, one chef, and in Ryuichi Yoshii a master with nearly four decades behind the bar. The format is strict Edomae: aged and cured fish, hand-pressed nigiri served piece by piece, the rice warm and seasoned to the fish, with almost nothing on the plate to distract from it. It is sushi as discipline rather than spectacle, and the small counter means every guest gets the chef's full attention. Expect around A$380 a head. For a connoisseur's sushi meal at close range, this is the city's best seat. Reserve two to three weeks ahead the moment your date is fixed.
Reserve direct; the full Edomae omakase, with a sake flight to match.
3.Toko
The izakaya Sydney has loved for fifteen years, reborn in town; book Toko for Moreton Bay bug tempura and a robata-and-cocktail night with a group.
Toko ran for fifteen years in Surry Hills before reopening behind a discreet door in the CBD, and the second act kept everything that made the first a fixture — a dark, energetic izakaya built for sharing, with a sushi bar at one end and a robata grill firing at the other. The Moreton Bay bug tempura is the signature, joined by sashimi, grilled skewers and a serious cocktail and sake list that keeps the room loud and late. It is the natural choice when you want Japanese food as a social occasion rather than a quiet ritual. Expect around A$90 to A$120 a head when you share. For a group dinner with energy, book it. Reserve a week or two ahead for a weekend table.
Reserve online; the Moreton Bay bug tempura, the robata skewers, and a round from the cocktail list.
4.Cho Cho San
Potts Point's stylish, sociable izakaya; book Cho Cho San for sashimi, robata and a buzzing room that suits a night out with friends.
Cho Cho San, on Macleay Street in Potts Point, is the neighbourhood's good-looking izakaya — a bright, design-led room with an open kitchen and a menu built for sharing across the table. The cooking runs the izakaya playbook with confidence: clean sashimi, charcoal-grilled robata, tempura and a few signature plates, paired with a sharp drinks list. It pulls the inner-east crowd for a reason, balancing serious cooking with a relaxed, sociable mood that never tips into stuffy. Expect around A$80 to A$110 a head. For an easy, stylish Japanese dinner before a night in Kings Cross, book it. Reserve a week ahead, more for a Friday or Saturday.
Reserve online; the sashimi, the robata, and a yuzu-driven cocktail to start.
5.Sake Restaurant
The dependable modern-Japanese crowd-pleaser; book Sake for popcorn shrimp, kingfish jalapeño and a robata menu that scales to any group.
Sake Restaurant, in The Rocks, is the polished, reliable modern-Japanese room that suits almost any occasion — a buzzy, good-value kitchen turning out the new-style classics that Sydney loves: kingfish with jalapeño, popcorn shrimp, robata-grilled meats and a broad sushi and sashimi selection. It is less a destination than a safe, consistently good bet, equally at home for a date, a birthday or a large corporate booking, with a long sake and cocktail list. Expect around A$80 to A$110 a head when you share. For a no-risk modern-Japanese dinner with something for everyone, book it. Reserve a few days ahead, more for a group or a weekend.
Reserve online; the kingfish jalapeño, the popcorn shrimp, and a robata skewer selection.
6.Kappo-Yama
An intimate kappo counter most of Sydney walks past; book Kappo-Yama for a course-by-course set built around the day's best fish.
Kappo-Yama is the quiet specialist on this list — a tiny CBD kappo counter where the chef cooks a course-by-course set in the refined, conversational style that sits between sushi omakase and a full kaiseki. The format means the menu shifts with the market: clean sashimi, a simmered dish, something grilled, a rice course to close, each plate built around the day's best produce and served directly across the counter. It is the room for a diner who wants the intimacy of a counter without the pure-sushi format, and it seats very few. Expect a set menu in the region of A$120 and up. For a calm, focused Japanese dinner for two, book it. Reserve a week or more ahead, as seats are limited.
Reserve direct; the chef's set kappo menu, with a sake pairing.
How Sydney eats Japanese
Sydney's Japanese scene splits cleanly into two experiences. The counters — Yoshii's Omakase, Sokyo's omakase bar, Kappo-Yama — are the quiet, expensive, reservation-hard end, where a single chef cooks for a handful of guests and the seafood does most of the talking. The izakaya — Toko, Cho Cho San, Sake — are the loud, sociable, shareable end, built for groups, robata and drinking late. The smart approach is to match the room to the night: a counter for a milestone or a date, an izakaya for friends. The city's cold-water fish is the thread that runs through both.
Geography spreads the scene across the harbour. Barangaroo holds Yoshii's Omakase and The Rocks keeps Sake; Pyrmont has Sokyo in The Star; Potts Point keeps Cho Cho San; and the CBD has Toko and Kappo-Yama. Omakase runs from around A$250 at Sokyo to A$380 at Yoshii's, while a shared izakaya dinner stays nearer A$90 to A$110 a head; sake and cocktails add up, so factor the drinks in. Tipping is not expected in Australia beyond rounding up. For the rest of the city, the full Sydney dining guide maps it by neighbourhood and occasion, and the best sushi in London guide makes an interesting cross-city comparison for the omakase format.
Where not to look for it
Skip these for a serious Sydney Japanese meal
The conveyor-belt sushi train, as a real meal. The kaiten-zushi chains in the malls and food courts are fun and cheap, but the fish is pre-cut, the rice is cold and the format is built for speed, not quality. For sushi that justifies the word, book a counter seat at Yoshii's Omakase or Sokyo instead.
The all-you-can-eat Japanese buffet, for the sushi. Sydney's AYCE Japanese rooms are aimed at volume, and the sushi and sashimi are the first things to suffer. Eat the cooked dishes if you must, but for raw fish at any real level, the counters and izakaya above are a different world.
Frequently asked
What is the best Japanese restaurant in Sydney?
Sokyo, Chase Kojima's modern Japanese room inside The Star at Pyrmont, is the city's most polished — a sleek dining room and a six-seat omakase counter running up to 23 courses, with a sake list to match. For pure sushi, Yoshii's Omakase at Crown Sydney, with master chef Ryuichi Yoshii and nearly four decades behind the counter, is the connoisseur's pick. Choose Sokyo for a glamorous full dinner, Yoshii's for an Edomae sushi master at close range.
Where is the best omakase in Sydney?
Yoshii's Omakase at Crown Sydney is the city's reference Edomae counter — a ten-seat bar where Ryuichi Yoshii shapes nigiri from aged and cured fish with the precision of a chef who has done little else for forty years. Sokyo runs a more theatrical six-seat omakase inside The Star, and the kappo counter at Kappo-Yama offers a course-by-course set in the same intimate spirit. Book any of the three weeks ahead; the counters seat very few.
How much does a Japanese meal cost in Sydney?
An omakase at Yoshii's runs about A$380 a head and at Sokyo from roughly A$250, before drinks, the premium experience in the city. A full à la carte dinner at Sokyo lands nearer A$120 to A$160, and the izakaya rooms — Toko, Cho Cho San, Sake — sit around A$80 to A$110 a head when you share robata, sashimi and a few plates. Kappo-Yama's set menu falls in between. Sake adds up quickly, so factor the drinks list into the bill.
Which Sydney Japanese restaurant is best for a group?
Toko in the CBD and Cho Cho San in Potts Point are the group rooms — buzzy izakaya built for sharing robata, tempura, sashimi and cocktails across the table. Toko's Moreton Bay bug tempura and the robata grill anchor a sharing menu that scales well, and Cho Cho San's open kitchen keeps the energy high. Sake Restaurant works for larger bookings too. For a quieter or more special occasion, the omakase counters seat only a handful and suit pairs.
Does Sydney have good Japanese food?
Yes — Sydney has one of the strongest Japanese dining scenes outside Japan, built on excellent local seafood and a long-established community of Japanese chefs. The range runs from exceptional omakase at Yoshii's and Sokyo to lively izakaya like Toko and Cho Cho San and refined kappo cooking at Kappo-Yama. The cold-water fish and shellfish off the New South Wales coast give the sushi counters raw material that rivals what you'll find in Japan itself.
More Japanese, by city
More from RFK
Browse the full Sydney dining guide, compare the global picks in the best Japanese restaurants worldwide, read the verdict on The Star's Sokyo, plan a night to mark a birthday or anniversary at the omakase counter, find a first-date table in Potts Point, or open the full RFK cuisine index.
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