Ocha Japanese Restaurant

I can't believe I have lived so close to this amazing restaurant and never been, until now. Absolutely 5 stars. Definitely coming here again.

One of my favourite restaurants in the world, a must visit every time I’m in Australia to enjoy Yasu and Michelle’s amazing food and hospitality. It doesn’t get much better than this. Stunningly fresh seafood, meticulous technique, great wines / sakes / beers, knowledgeable and friendly staff, this list goes on.

So many flavours. Just beautiful food. The Okonomiyaki is world class. This hidden treasure has made my day. Thank you 👏🤛

We've visited several times since they moved here in groups of 2-4, and always enjoyed exceptional Japanese food. Crunchy prawn balls or agedashi tofu are a good place to start followed by one of my favourites carpaccio of porterhouse or perhaps one of the daily specials.
Ocha occupies two shop frontages so there are a good number of tables plus a bar area. Experienced staff contribute to a delightful meal so I'm sure we will be back again. Take-away also available.

Fantastic flavoursome Japanese food, service was also great and attentive. Everything tasted fresh. Beef tataki was different to what I am used to, would prefer with ponzu dressing but was still nice. The black cod dish is the high light

The food here is always amazing. Everytime we come the taste is very consistently great. One of our favourite Japanese restaurants in Melbourne. The service is usually good. Recommended to book in advance to secure a spot. It can get very busy. Recommended dishes: sashimi platter, oysters, scallop, zucchini flower, salmon, agdashi tofu. They also have very good desserts. Also look into the entertainment book for a discount. Highly recommend place to try.

Delicious!
I finally found proper Japanese in Hawthorne!
Sushi and sashimi was on point. Excellent wine and sake list to match and the staff were knowledgable and friendly👌
Shout out to Dylan for looking after us all night long😛

Modern contemporary Japanese, designed to suit the western palette, the specials were tonight's first highlights. The Wasabi Beef and the Whiting Tempura were delightful, the beef so soft and the wasabi mash on top was flawless. The sashimi and sushi were good, but perhaps not great value compared to the specials or the oysters. The desserts were amazing, my wife had the toffee pudding, she told me to stop taking hers and eat my matcha doughnuts, unaware that the second she tried one she would be begging to swap! I highly recommend the Matcha Doughnuts. Staff were great and service was quick once each plate was finished.

First dinner out with my family since lockdown ended. One of the dishes we ordered was the Chef sushi/sashimi recommendation and it was delicious. The cuisine here is what I would describe as modern/ fusion Japanese. Pricey but worth every penny and I would certainly come again.

The goto Japanese restaurant if you want to impress someone. Some items not to miss out on: edamame, tempura and the sashimi!
If asked about the sashimi, opt for the 18pcs, trust me it's not a lot as it sounds. The 12pcs plate is not worth it.
Also good idea to try their deserts as they come up with some unique creations.
Did I forget to mention that they have a very good variety of wine available! See photos for more details on the food and desert.

Simply superb food and service. I let them just bring food as they see fit. An extraordinary selection. Could not fault the service or any of the exquisite dishes

Great food with many options to choose from. Fresh, light and delicious

Was 5 star. For a few years it dipped to 4 star as the service was poor but the food was still great. The last year or so the service has been good again. So back to 5 stars overall. August & November 2023, still 5 stars for me. Early 2024, we went for lunch, which we'd never done before. It was a good experience. The food was as excellent as ever. And while most tables in the room were occupied, it wasn't as noisy as nighttime can be. We were one of 5 tables that lingered for a long lunch. And we weren't hustled out like many places do.

I had a delightful birthday celebration at Ocha Japanese restaurant. Nice ambience, excellent service and delicious Japaness cuisine made for a memorable evening!

Great atmosphere good food and private room for a special occasions. Keep up the good work thanks.PN

Yasu 💜. You never disappoint. Thank you for being such a great friend for over 30 years. From humble beginnings at Akita. To now owning OCHA. You and Michelle have done amazing things with your restaurant business. Congratulations. 🍾🥂💜💜💜💜

My wife and I ate at Ocha for the first time tonight and can happily say we will be back time and time again. The service was amazing and the food was delicious. They easily catered for a coeliac diner, which was a massive plus as well. Highly recommended to all!

Awesome experience, the food was brilliant.

The drinks however were lacking flavour, I loved how much the waiter/waitresses would come check on the table but I was disappointed on how long drinks took to get to the table.

Other than that I love the place!

Always been a standout for Japanese cuisine and an asset to the Hawthorn neighbourhood.
Fantastic food and even better service.

The best service and Japanese food in Melbourne. The Bento box is the best I have ever had including in Japan. Cannot recommend highly enough!