Hakoya Izakaya

Food here is delicious, it comes out pretty quickly and the ordering system is efficient. Everything was really tasty but the Aburi salmon roll is a standout. The sectioned seating also is nice as it gives you a bit of privacy from others around you who might prefer it louder/quieter etc.would recommend booking though as it gets busy.

I've eaten here several years ago and it's still delicious. There are still a lot of people queuing up. It's recommended to arrive between 5 and 6 o'clock.

Popular izakaya (Japanese tapas) spot on Lonsdale street which doesn't take reservations so you should definitely come early or after rush hours. The menu ranges from the small tapas dishes to main sharing dishes. The soba tempura was just average, the dipping sauce was a little bland to my liking although the tempura was cooked nicely. The sukiyaki and unagi roll were great. The combo Katsu was probably our favourite for the night, it has nice crispy yet light coatings. The cheese Katsu was a different take on the dish too. The place has been decorated nicely but felt very narrow and close to other tables so not ideal for kids in prams.
Food - 8
Service - 9
Vibe - 8

Hakoya Izakaya has such a cozy vibe, I love it! It's the best spot to chill after a tough day, and their udon noodles are always so satisfying!

My friends and I had an amazing experience at Hakoya Izakaya. The atmosphere was lively and the food was delicious. We especially loved the yakitori skewers and the miso soup.

Amazing restaurant, have fantastic foods drinks and service
That was the exactly same quality as real Japanese restaurants

Add udon to Nagasaki and enjoy! The rice bowl was delicious (it tasted like bulgogi sauce)

When with a friend, had to line up about 30minutes. It has this Japanese vibe as the each table is in a small chamber. Food was nice, wagyu was tender, the staff was efficient but not very much services as the ordering was done via QR code. The takoyaki was alright, but wasn’t great compare with the amazing ones I had in the past. Fun memories if you want a small room intimate environment meal.

The 30 to 1 hr wait requires the food to be at least 9 or 10/10 but i was appalled by the taste, the donkatsu and udon dishes were something you could make better at home, i really dont understand other ppls ratings here but it seems as tho melb ppl never tasted decent japanese food, donkatsu felt bland and soggy after 2 bites, udon was quite salty and oily wit the meat saving the dish to a 6/10, unfortunately this is not sth i will wait for again nor pay 25 dollars for a dish, i felt bad for my friend paying for it, please be aware of this false hype, ppl here have no idea what decent japanese food is

Food came out super quickly! Really great variety too. The beef slices in the hotpot were super tender

The food is amazing, but was told we should wait for a long time because we “didn’t have a booking”? On the website it said you take no bookings? Very confusing

Kingfish is fresh and the nabe was so warm and heartwarming. The katsu was crispy especially the prawn texture is amazing and the cheese ohhhhh so yummy. Perfect place to hangout and drinks with friends 4.5/5

I ordered the Tonkatsu sets that includes the bowl of rice, tonkatsu (pork katsu) and the miso soup. It taste wonderful and I really like it. Definately will come back again there soon!

Strongly recommended Tonkatsu set! It was so delicious! The pork was so juicy and tender but very crispy outside And also went very well with their katsu and mustard sauce. We ordered pork roll sukiyaki nabe, the soup was not too sweet. I really like their ponzu dipping sauce. It smell good and fresh.

Words of mouth made me choose here to celebrate a friend of mine’s long-waited employment. I am so glad we went here. Although we waited almost an hour in a wait the food was totally worth it.

Having lived for almost 6 yrs in Melb CBD, I’ve seen many restaurants go through up and downs. For now, I believe it’s safe to say Hakoya is the finest Japanese restaurant in the city. Definitely recommend here.

Please do not come here. They don’t speak English here and serve really badly. I paid upfront yet they still treated us like trash. Just don’t come here. Bad services

Great Japanese food.

The seaweed salad was bigger then we expected and was fine.

The aburi salmon roll was very nice.

The vegetable tempura came in an assortment of different vegetable and was very crispy and tender.

The pork tonkatsu meal was great. The pork was crispy and extremely tender. The sauces on the side complemented the pork very well. The cabbage salad had a nice dressing.

The food came out quick and service was good.

The atmosphere was nice inside the booths.

The place is a bit expensive but the food is good quality.

Overall a good place to visit.

Four of us came to Hakoya Izakaya on a Wednesday evening for dinner. We ordered the karaage fried chicken, kimchi udon, salmon sushi, and pork and vegetable hotpot. We were very pleased with the quick service and especially happy that the restaurant gave us a table even though it was very busy and we didn’t have a booking. The restaurant is really cute and each table is tucked away and feels very private, but you can still enjoy the atmosphere of the restaurant. The staff were really attentive, coming back every few minutes to check the hotpot. The food was also really delicious and I would definitely recommend coming here. Thank you so much Hakoya Izakaya!

My friend suggested this Japanese Restaurant while i was visiting for holiday.

I tried the fried / katsu menu because i heard they were good, and they were

Glad i didn’t ordered all the cheese tonkotsu otherwise i would’ve been nauseous

Didn’t try the beef sukiyaki menu because we don’t think we can finish it lol, definitely will come back to try!

I love the interior which is mostly booths, so it feels like you’re in a private room at the same time not suffocating you because its open on one side.

Decent Japanese Experience. Good size portions, fresh ingredients and nice ambience. We had the Tuna sashimi, wasabi crisps and Tori Karage.
The hot pot broth was delicious and the steamed pork was ok.
Quick service, friendly staff comfy seating.