Rising Sun Workshop on Postcard

"Motorcycle-workshop-meets-cafe The vibe Alternative The crowd Bike fans and foodies The coffee Local brews The food Asian savories"

Rising Sun Workshop, Newtown, Sydney, Australia - Coffee Shop/Café Review | Condé Nast Traveler

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@afar

"Following the lead of mixed-use space Deus ex Machina in Camperdown, Rising Sun is a motorcycle workshop cum café and restaurant built for the Newtown community. That means garage space with tools and repair bays for members as well as regular workshops (one just for women), art events, and a public night ride on the last Tuesday of the month. Then there’s the rustic-chic café that whips up Asian-fusion cuisine that’s as rootsy and beautiful as the bikes. Come in the morning for breakfast ramen—bacon, roasted tomatoes, and a fried egg floating in bone broth—and a Japanese twist on a bloody mary. Then return for creative tapas and share plates in the evening complemented by a stellar list of Australian beers and wines."

The Best Bars in Sydney

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@cntraveler

"When only a Japanese cafe above a motorcycle workshop will do, head to inner-west Newtown. The airy, plant-dotted café occupies the top floor of a two-story former hardware store on a quiet side street, frequented by bikers and Asian food lovers. Order coffee from regional roasters in all its guises, including hot or iced filter coffee, iced latte, affogato (Workshop-blend coffee over Enmore’s Cow & The Moon gelato), and Fizzy Bubblers (espresso, sparkling, and lime). When you need a bite, go for Korean-influenced Breakfast Bibimbap (with egg yolk, kimchi, and rice) or savor the panko eggplant or pork katsu burgers with gyoza dumplings." - Sophie Davies

15 Best Coffee Shops in Sydney | Condé Nast Traveler

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A2B in an EV

Google

A modern and creative approach to ramen, using great ingredients and flavours. Kids sizes also available which we supplemented with delicious karaage chicken. Also enjoyed the Korean-inspired breakfast platter, unique but exactly what I wanted that day with rice and pickles and fish instead of bread and eggs and bacon. Love the fitout of the dining space here - they’ve done a great reno to integrate it with the workshop. Lovely team serving too.

Stacey Trock

Google

Really lovely spot in an actual working garage (although, not during the same hours, haha). I was a little thrown off at first because it's a legit nice restaurant, which was a surprise! The menu is delicious. Can you tell we ordered a lot? Very veggie friendly and great cocktails. I went with a group of friends and we had a lovely time in a spacious setting. Our waiter was fantastic, gotta love a guy who can remember a ridiculous number of plates without writing them down! Highly recommend. Just a flag, if you're liking for a $15 bowl of ramen, this isn't your place. Come for a comfy evening and enjoy.

Leah Kid Bucket List

Google

We prebooked a table and were unsure where to sit: counter, round tables at ground level or the top. Whilst I booked a round table, I left a note saying that I was unsure where to sit. When we arrived, we were led to the top floor and a wonderful tabe. They really made sure we were well taken care of. We ordered a few things. Gyoka and Chicken Katsu for our entrees. I had The Darkness Ramen for my main, and my partner chose the Bacon Bun (they were sold out of the cheese burger). The Darkness was the BEST ramen Ive had in Sydney. The broth was light and flavoursome. There was so much flavour! Whilst I couldnt eat it all (it was so filling), I wanted to take it home. My goodness - the food is so delicious here! Try everything if you can! It's so so yummy. As a tee totaler, I was excited to find a few non-alcoholic options that made me feel like and adult. I chose the katana. One little thing, and I imagine this is due to the layout and being a working workshop, the toilets are unisex (I think there are 3) and the basins sit on top of the toilet cistern. Not a deal breaker for me, but may be for you?

Alexander Louis

Google

place and ambience is great but the food need attention. just look at the ratio of meat and fat for the pork belly, too many mushroom in one bowl(darkness ramen) , broth tasted average. spend your 28$ elsewhere.

Jessica G

Google

Wow. Just incredible ramen. What more do you need to know? Above that, super cute space - upstairs and downstairs. I chose the upstairs because I was hot and I saw a fan. There are several choices of seat. Like a bar seat, or a couch seat, or a regular ol’ table seat. Just lots of options and it’s laid out super cute. Ordering and waiting took no time at all, and again. Super delicious. The pork was like, melt in your mouth no need to chew. It was super crazy delicious, and I’m not even the biggest pork fan. I’m here for the ramen, and I still ate all the pork first. If your thinking about it, stop thinking and go’

Eevee Zhou

Google

I’ve been to Japan 5-6 times. I’ve also been to hundreds of ramen places throughout New Zealand, Australia, China and HongKong. And never in my life have I ever had a ramen that was just so specifically designed to be as bad as possible. No this is actually hands down, the worst ramen place I’ve ever been to. Let’s rewind, I came here because of a coupon I received from a rising sun advertisement on Facebook. Hopes were high as the reviews this place had on Google seemed overwhelmingly positive. Unfortunately, I ended up being extremely disappointed (understatement of the year) by the food and service. Not only did the staff members refuse to accept the coupon I had (until the manager was brought forth) but the food was also extremely bland. There was zero richness/umami/flavor in my ramen broth (it just tasted like salted water with soy sauce??), the bacon tasted burnt, the tomatoes were raw (and extremely out of place in opinion???) and worst of all; the noodles were UNDERCOOKED. And I’m not talking about slightly undercooked either, I mean they’re ROCK HARD AND CRUNCHY as indicated in the pictures (how do you even miss up boiling ramen anyway? It takes like zero effort to make). Your 28$ would be more well spent on eating instant ramen seasoned with corrugated metal than the ramen served at the Rising Sun Workshop (please also change the name of this place, it’s a disgrace to Japanese cuisine).

Adam Chung

Google

Overall: 5/7 A very hip and cool venue built into a still functioning bike workshop, it’s a nice place to meet up for a meal. Their ramen is honestly quite poor with noodles that come literally uncooked or clumped together in a large bundle. The broth is also quite bland and has no depth of flavour. Their pork belly bowl is fantastic though, and the only main I think you should be ordering here.

Lan Huong

Google

great concept and service, however the ramen was rather disappointing. i had high hopes due to the high ratings and i’m also a ramen enthusiast so i thought i would give this place a try. i had the darkness ramen which is apparently the most popular ramen option, but personally i found it very salty. the broth is salty, the bamboo shots and mushroom were so salty i had to add water to water it down. i’ve had ramen a million times so i’m aware that sometimes it can be a bit salty but this level of saltiness is incredibly unbelievable that i am convincing myself that it was only my portion was like that. besides that, plus points include nice decoration, cool store, i’m guessing this place is more on the fusion side because the presentation of the dish is very beautiful but i didn’t find the ramen nearly authentic. i didn’t try any drinks but the drink menu did make me feel curious, might come back for a drink and the vibe but definitely not the ramen.

A2B in an EV

Google

A modern and creative approach to ramen, using great ingredients and flavours. Kids sizes also available which we supplemented with delicious karaage chicken. Also enjoyed the Korean-inspired breakfast platter, unique but exactly what I wanted that day with rice and pickles and fish instead of bread and eggs and bacon. Love the fitout of the dining space here - they’ve done a great reno to integrate it with the workshop. Lovely team serving too.

Stacey Trock

Google

Really lovely spot in an actual working garage (although, not during the same hours, haha). I was a little thrown off at first because it's a legit nice restaurant, which was a surprise! The menu is delicious. Can you tell we ordered a lot? Very veggie friendly and great cocktails. I went with a group of friends and we had a lovely time in a spacious setting. Our waiter was fantastic, gotta love a guy who can remember a ridiculous number of plates without writing them down! Highly recommend. Just a flag, if you're liking for a $15 bowl of ramen, this isn't your place. Come for a comfy evening and enjoy.

Leah Kid Bucket List

Google

We prebooked a table and were unsure where to sit: counter, round tables at ground level or the top. Whilst I booked a round table, I left a note saying that I was unsure where to sit. When we arrived, we were led to the top floor and a wonderful tabe. They really made sure we were well taken care of. We ordered a few things. Gyoka and Chicken Katsu for our entrees. I had The Darkness Ramen for my main, and my partner chose the Bacon Bun (they were sold out of the cheese burger). The Darkness was the BEST ramen Ive had in Sydney. The broth was light and flavoursome. There was so much flavour! Whilst I couldnt eat it all (it was so filling), I wanted to take it home. My goodness - the food is so delicious here! Try everything if you can! It's so so yummy. As a tee totaler, I was excited to find a few non-alcoholic options that made me feel like and adult. I chose the katana. One little thing, and I imagine this is due to the layout and being a working workshop, the toilets are unisex (I think there are 3) and the basins sit on top of the toilet cistern. Not a deal breaker for me, but may be for you?

Alexander Louis

Google

place and ambience is great but the food need attention. just look at the ratio of meat and fat for the pork belly, too many mushroom in one bowl(darkness ramen) , broth tasted average. spend your 28$ elsewhere.

Jessica G

Google

Wow. Just incredible ramen. What more do you need to know? Above that, super cute space - upstairs and downstairs. I chose the upstairs because I was hot and I saw a fan. There are several choices of seat. Like a bar seat, or a couch seat, or a regular ol’ table seat. Just lots of options and it’s laid out super cute. Ordering and waiting took no time at all, and again. Super delicious. The pork was like, melt in your mouth no need to chew. It was super crazy delicious, and I’m not even the biggest pork fan. I’m here for the ramen, and I still ate all the pork first. If your thinking about it, stop thinking and go’

Eevee Zhou

Google

I’ve been to Japan 5-6 times. I’ve also been to hundreds of ramen places throughout New Zealand, Australia, China and HongKong. And never in my life have I ever had a ramen that was just so specifically designed to be as bad as possible. No this is actually hands down, the worst ramen place I’ve ever been to. Let’s rewind, I came here because of a coupon I received from a rising sun advertisement on Facebook. Hopes were high as the reviews this place had on Google seemed overwhelmingly positive. Unfortunately, I ended up being extremely disappointed (understatement of the year) by the food and service. Not only did the staff members refuse to accept the coupon I had (until the manager was brought forth) but the food was also extremely bland. There was zero richness/umami/flavor in my ramen broth (it just tasted like salted water with soy sauce??), the bacon tasted burnt, the tomatoes were raw (and extremely out of place in opinion???) and worst of all; the noodles were UNDERCOOKED. And I’m not talking about slightly undercooked either, I mean they’re ROCK HARD AND CRUNCHY as indicated in the pictures (how do you even miss up boiling ramen anyway? It takes like zero effort to make). Your 28$ would be more well spent on eating instant ramen seasoned with corrugated metal than the ramen served at the Rising Sun Workshop (please also change the name of this place, it’s a disgrace to Japanese cuisine).

Adam Chung

Google

Overall: 5/7 A very hip and cool venue built into a still functioning bike workshop, it’s a nice place to meet up for a meal. Their ramen is honestly quite poor with noodles that come literally uncooked or clumped together in a large bundle. The broth is also quite bland and has no depth of flavour. Their pork belly bowl is fantastic though, and the only main I think you should be ordering here.

Lan Huong

Google

great concept and service, however the ramen was rather disappointing. i had high hopes due to the high ratings and i’m also a ramen enthusiast so i thought i would give this place a try. i had the darkness ramen which is apparently the most popular ramen option, but personally i found it very salty. the broth is salty, the bamboo shots and mushroom were so salty i had to add water to water it down. i’ve had ramen a million times so i’m aware that sometimes it can be a bit salty but this level of saltiness is incredibly unbelievable that i am convincing myself that it was only my portion was like that. besides that, plus points include nice decoration, cool store, i’m guessing this place is more on the fusion side because the presentation of the dish is very beautiful but i didn’t find the ramen nearly authentic. i didn’t try any drinks but the drink menu did make me feel curious, might come back for a drink and the vibe but definitely not the ramen.

Leafy F.

Yelp

I was looking for a place that catered to my food allergies, and Rising Sun did not disappoint with their gluten free ramen option. The kitchen was knowledgeable about ingredients and service was friendly. They also make the best chai I have ever had! A perfect drink on a rainy day.

Kim B.

Yelp

It's a pretty interesting concept and good on them for thinking of it. Half decent Japanese food and pretty good coffee in a relaxed setting overlooking a workshop with diverse projects happening below. It makes for a surprisingly good atmosphere and it's definitely worth a visit.

Kim L.

Yelp

We always come here and we're never disappointed. I always get the light Ramen and my partner gets the dark one. It has a very clean taste and it'd quite a good serving. Relatively priced for this area however it is a bit hard you find if you're not from around here. It's tucked behind an alley way and it also doubles as a bike workshop!

Alicia L.

Yelp

whoever thought of putting a ramen bar in a motorcycle repair shop? but it WORKS. like a dream. really good, intricate ramen (albeit with kinda heavy broth) and interesting gruff cozy vibes. also seems to have coffee and alcohol, though didn't try. also they let me chill here to facetime for two hours on their wifi, so that's a plus. located on a quiet side street, tucked so it's a bit hard to find -- look for the garage doors.

Adam P.

Yelp

Went here for ramen and came away loving everything about this place. It's a cafe with a twist. Food is heavily Asian inspired and I loved the ramen and the pork katsu burger. The ramen was a luscious broth, but not tonkotsu. And that's a good thing as it's nice to have reasonably thick ramen broth which isn't tonkotsu. The burger was amazing. The hint of wasabi was nice, but I could have doubled that for a real sinus hit. The pork was super crispy and super tasty. Coffee here was good as well. I'd be happy to drop in for a coffee on its own if I was between meals. But at meal time, I'd be happy to come here every day of the week.

Angus Y.

Yelp

As far as positive reviews go this one is hollered from the top of a mountain. Rising Sun (if you don't already know) is first and foremost a facility for DIY motorbike owner/mechanics to maintain, build, or rebuild their machinery vintage or new. The community facilitates workshops to teach newcomers, and regularly hold "ladies only wrench nights", and motorcycle themed movie screenings (like mad max, easy rider, etc). Then comes the Cafe component. A kitchen of friendly chefs prepare an ever-evolving menu of Japanese inspired dishes. These are pared with a variety of local and craft beers on tap, and excellent coffee. Rising Sun is a perfect centrally located hub for you to spend a whole weekend, a few hours, or passing through takeaway coffee. The staff are legends too. Keep it up everyone. You'll see be back there soon

Cara P.

Yelp

Delicious ramen right next door to home. But not your typical noodle stop. Motorcycles, modern, stylish, friendly. They're vegetarian and vegan friendly too. And they've got good wine. The morning coffee is damn fine too. I'm looking forward to plenty of meals and good times here. :)

Gavin L.

Yelp

Really interesting environment with bomb ass ramen! It's cool to be in a place that wants to combine food with experience. I had the breakfast ramen with bacon and roasted tomato. I made a tentative decision and was not disappointed. The creativity of the food was a great complement to the creative environment.

Katherine S.

Yelp

Love the food. Love the staff. They've been a saviour during isolation but so nice to get their warm hospitality again at the restaurant. A hidden gem! And feel very looked after.

B J.

Yelp

Great cafe and community bike workshop. Amazing ramen and great customer service! This business is an inspiration to those following their passion with good food and beverage, good community conscience and willingness to share.

Jennifer A.

Yelp

One of our favorite places while visiting in Sydney. Breakfast Ramen was amazing.

Rising Sun Workshop

Rising Sun Workshop

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