Izakaya Chuji

4.5 Below Average

Food  5      Ambience  2      Service  6      Value  5     

Ok service and decent food but below average in a city bursting with great, cheap eats (especially so close to Chinatown). Value was ok, with the wine very reasonbly priced. A food highlight were the beef sticks which had a great smokiness and were well cooked. Sashimi was ok and fresh but not the greatest quality plus quite expensive for a small plate. All in all ok.

Feb 07, 2012 

6.8 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  6      Service  6      Value  7     

I have been here several times. They serve decent, not too expensive, relatively authentic japanese food, more than can be said for the vast majority of japanese restaurants around Melbourne. Only thing is, as others have mentioned, the layout is a bit cluttered, downstairs is crowded, and, though the upstairs tables are great for larger groups, it can be hard to get service.

Nov 16, 2010 

5.8 Average

Food  7      Ambience  5      Service  5      Value  6     

This used to be one of my favourite restaurants but the level has dropped in recent years, the price has gone up but the quality has not kept up with the price! We ordered some Yukke (raw beef with raw egg and dressing) and it seems like it was put straight out from the fridge. May be they are too busy so they chose to prepare their food first and keep in the fridge but it just didn't taste fresh. Service- do not expect much as they are just too busy..

Jul 14, 2010 

3.8 Below Average

Food  6      Ambience  3      Service  2      Value  4     

I recommend do not expect good service there. Staff is not rude but quite lazy. You have to call the staff so many times to get a menu and order. Food is average, nothing special, it s ok. Just because cheaper than other place, this is the point in this restaurant. I am japanese, so I can say taste is not bad, but they really need to consider the interior and service and location of the cashier!

The group who were eating behind us who left without paying! coz cashier was in the middle of the restaurant, so no one realised, stupid. Atmosphere is quite bad, its quite messy. They need to hire someone to rebuild the restaurant. I won't say don't go there, but do not expect high.

Feb 24, 2010 

4.8 Average

Food  5      Ambience  5      Service  5      Value  4     

They actually have another one in South Melbourne (179 Clarendon St). Went there looking for Daimonji, but to no avail. Saw that it was established since 1989?, thought I'd give it a go.

We just ordered okonomiyaki and taroyaki. Had seen the reviews for okonomiyaki in a forum, but was somewhat disappointed. The 2 dishes tasted the same, a lot of mayo and tonkatsu sauce. Might or might not go in future for their other dishes.

Oct 25, 2009 

6.3 Average

Food  7      Ambience  6      Service  5      Value  7     

Fun japanese bbq dinner with group of friend. Fun drinking place. Interior is gloomy and old.

May 18, 2009 

3 Below Average

Food  4      Ambience  1      Service  1      Value  6     

I will never come back to this place. The staff were extremely rude and the place really needs a make over. I was extremely disappointed after hearing all the good reviews about this place.

Apr 04, 2009 

6.3 Average

Food  7      Ambience  4      Service  7      Value  7     

There is a downstairs and an upstairs to this place. The downstairs has normal japanese food and upstairs has a japanese BBQ. I have been to the downstairs part many times and it used to be quite good, but I think the quality of the food is getting progressively worse,

Upstairs with the japanese BBQ, is always YUMMY! the marinated meats are beautiful. Can get quite hot up there tho, so don't go on a hot day. The place over all is pretty shabby looking, and is in desperate need of a make over. The staff are nice, always busy and may need to be waved at to get service. The price is very reasonable. I will be going back to the BBQ for sure.

Feb 21, 2009 

7.3 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  7      Service  6      Value  8     

It's been a couple of months however, I've been to Chuji quite a few times. Always great food, and I've never been disappointed yet.

Sep 20, 2008 

3.5 Below Average

Food  4      Ambience  3      Service  3      Value  4     

We've been going to Izakaya for the past couple of years as we’ve always regarded it as one of the few authentic, decently priced Japanese restaurants in the city. We went again last Friday night and have noticed the standard has dropped considerably.

We ordered the combination sushi platter and the presentation and freshness were not up to scratch. Worse still the size of the nigiri sushi had shrunk. The okonomiyaki was also tiny and going by the taste and appearance, I have a sneaking suspicion it came out of a frozen packet. Our gyoza (mushy and tasteless) and miso (which was rather strange and came with bean sprouts) were both forgotten by our waitress and were served right at the end of the meal.

The only dish that was still excellent was the fried squid with mayonnaise and lemon. The meal was topped off with surly waitresses who sadly couldn't crack a smile all night. Sigh…so disappointing.

Jul 21, 2008