ILZA JAPANESE CAFE

There are mixology, beer and coffee, and there are many changes in meals, but the location is hard to find.

Good dining experience in the CBD. Would be good to try once but it’s not the restaurant that you would come back regularly.

Incredible food…. And very very well-priced too! We had the baos, beef steak don and the salmon tare tare with lettuce chips —all so freakin delish!

im honestly surprised we even managed to get seats, this place needs to be packed all the time.

Had to line up to get a table, but the line moved quickly. Yummy menu, including Japanese drinks. Great to have another good food option in Docklands.

Really friendly service and delicious food. Have been there four times, will come next time!

Love their Japanese foods here! I really enjoyed their beef steak with rice! Love the grilled taste and the softness of the beef! It was really cooked well.:) everything was good! I also liked their cold match drink. It was refreshing. The staff were also accomodating even we ordered near closing time.:) we will visit again surely.

ORDERED:
  Renkon chips with spicy mayo ($7.00)
Pork Belly Don ($19.00)

I paid $26.39 which includes the 1.5% venue surcharge and the card payment fee.

REVIEW:
️  The renkon chips are fresh and crunchy. It doesn't have the stale taste that some restaurants do when they have their renkon chips fried a while earlier, so I would highly suggest getting these for you and frens at Ilza you wanted a snack before hitting the mains.

The best was truly the pork belly don. Bits of caramelised fatty pork has flavour, with a drizzle of umami sauce and a perfectly cooked egg. You can pop the egg to add an ooze of creaminess. Salad and fluffy rice wraps up the meal and you're set for the rest of the day.until dinner.

  Service is efficient. Table is already set up with cutlery.
Booking a table at docklands is pretty tricky through their website, but the secret is to click directly on to "Reservations" and then follow the prompts!

A decent Japanese/Korean cafe that gets very busy during the weekend (I'd highly recommend making a booking in advance).

I think the portion sizes are a tad small for their pricing. Plus, the place felt a little too cramped.

However, their service was great and the food tasted delicious.

I found a bug in the beef don, then I changed to a bowel of noodle, which is 4 dollars cheaper. But I didn’t get refund for the 4dollars.

Great quality delicious food! The atmosphere is fine, it's location is away from the hustle and bustle and super easy to get a table (Friday lunch).
Matcha strawberry latte was pretty special I'd come back for that!

Had their beef sando nice flavour and crunchy. Bit understaffed though. Would like to come back another time.

[Hidden Gem cafe] your guide to Melbourne’s down-home Japanese dishes served in unpretentious surrounds outside Marvel stadium. @ilzacafe

Delicious food served in a cozy little cafe. Nice place to have Japanese style brunch. Highly recommend

Terrible service didn’t listen when I said I wanted my order to dine in not take away. I even sat at at table after I mentioned this.

Never had such bad experience. We ordered two dishes, but the onsen egg that was supposed to be on the menu wasn't included. When we asked about it, the staff didn't apologize and just said they ran out of eggs. Shouldn't they have informed us beforehand? They then asked if we wanted the egg. Later placed a nearly fully cooked egg on our table without any apology. (I thought they ran out? I guess not then.) The attitude of the staff is very poor and rude. Running a business should not be like this. Please think twice before going.

This is located near Marvel stadium and they have a range of Japanese alcohol and cocktails. However, the seats aren't comfortable so you can't stay here for long. Also, I've been to a few Japanese cafes but this place seems unwelcoming. No greetings and just sit down and scan your code and order. No one there to help out if you want to know more about the menu. I tried the premium beef don and I must agree with the other reviews and say it's average. Nothing spectacular, it's like Dondon but slightly pricier. Give it a try if you're in the area but I wouldnt go out of my way to eat here. 6/10 at best.

Hole in the wall shop that delivers excellent quality Japanese food and matcha drinks. I had the pork belly don which was seared to perfection.

The best food I've had in Melbourne thus far. Highly recommend the strawberry matcha latte: it was life-changing. The mazeudon was impeccable, as was the katsu sando and baos. My friends really loved the matcha panna cotta too! I wish I could live in that restaurant, it was just that good: ") <3

When I'm back in Melbourne, I'm 1000% going to come back here for more!

Nice food and a great atmosphere, love the music. Just keep in mind to mention to the staff that you would like both dishes to arrive at the same time.

Great food. The café definitely feels like what you would expect if you are dining in a small hip area in Japan. Highly recommended.

Brilliant little cafe with amazing food. Highly reccomend the cheese hamburger udon and beef steak don.