Shyun Sumibiyaki

Japanese$

Grab a group of mates and huddle around a sizzling charcoal grill.

Japanese barbecue – yakiniku – is a relatively new vein in Melbourne’s pulsing J-dining scene. But if you’ve been to Korean barbecue, you’ll feel at home with the set-up and rituals.

A waiter seats you and asks if you want to do barbecue then gets busy preparing the copper tabletop grill. Peek through the mesh and spot the winking orange of charcoal. Unlike most DIY barbecue restaurants, this one doesn’t run on butane – efficient and cheap, but with none of the delicious smokiness of hot coals.

It’s charcoal that transforms chicken thigh from “ignored middle sibling” to most popular kid. Beef intercostal stays juicy as its edges crisp, while pork belly in a soy-based barbecue sauce caramelises within minutes.

You can order standalone cuts of meat or go for one of five tasting plates but definitely add snacks and a round of Suntory Premium Malt’s while your barbecue heats up. Japan’s baseline yakitori, chicken thigh with spring onion, arrives from the kitchen hot and smoky. Sashimi, fried chicken and favourites like edamame provide contrast. And to compliment all the grilled meat, add radish kimchi and seaweed salad.

Not sure what you’re doing? Get a banquet and win back time to chat with mates while you grill.

Good to know: This venue is from the same owners as Shyun, a quality sushi bar (now across the road in bigger digs) that opened on this site 17 years ago.

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Last visited: January 2026