Wabi Sabi Salon on Postcard

"Wabi Sabi is a Japanese world view representing beauty that is "imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete" – a beautiful concept though Wabi Sabi Salon's cuisine is far from imperfect or incomplete! Nestled in a busy Smith St location, it is a small and unassuming Japanese restaurant that never disappoints. Locals love the lunch time take away sushi options – some of the best I've had in Melbourne (no sushi after-taste from cheap fish, this is the real deal), or sit down lunch specials such as their famous bento boxes, pictured below. Try the crumbed salmon, it's incredible." - Studio Fellow

On the Grid : Wabi Sabi Salon

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@onthegrid

"Wabi Sabi Salon, Collingwood Abbotsford by Studio Fellow. Wabi Sabi is a Japanese world view representing beauty that is "imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete" – a beautiful concept though Wabi Sabi Salon's cuisine is far from imperfect or incomplete!Nestled in a busy Smith St location, it is a small and unassuming Japanese restaurant that never disappoints.Locals love the lunch time take away sushi options – some of the best I've had in Melbourne (no sushi after-taste from cheap fish, this is the real deal), or sit down lunch specials such as their famous bento boxes, pictured below.Try the crumbed salmon, it's incredible."

Melbourne

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Caitlynn Z

Google

I really like the atmosphere here, felt very homey. It was perfect to hangout with friends for a dinner :) We sat in the back, I liked that. Felt very private. Not the next Japanese food I had in town, but for a quick dinner place it's not bad. I did notice the price was a little more than other Japanese restaurants I've been too. With that said, I would definitely come back since it's very close to work, and the place is very good for hangout.

Nina Lin

Google

The presentation of the food was impressive, but unfortunately, the taste didn’t quite meet my expectations. Being a half Japanese, the rice was a letdown — it should have been distinct, chewy, and firm, as you’d expect from well-prepared Japanese cuisine. Instead, it was overly sticky, soft, and almost mushy, which really affected the overall experience. Given that rice is such a key component in Japanese dishes, I was hoping for better quality in that area. On a positive note, I really loved the atmosphere here. The restaurant has a lovely Japanese-inspired style that’s warm and inviting, making it a great place to chill and enjoy a meal. If they improve the rice, it would be an even better experience!

Natasha Sudirgo

Google

A quaint japanese restaurant just a few minutes outside of CBD. One of my friends brought me here to get ramen for lunch; We both ordered the Tan Tan Ramen and the Shoyu Ramen 🍜✨ The Tan Tan Ramen was creamy and very flavourful with minces of chicken and veggies. They're not too spicy either, just enough to envoke flavour. The Shoyu Ramen was lighter in taste but still flavourful. It's served with whole chicken and veggies too, a good option if you can't eat anything spicy. I think the portion and quality matches the price, they were big and tasted delicious. The atmosphere was relaxing and the staff were really attentive in serving us, they gave us water right away as soon as we were seated and took our orders from our seats. I especially like the design for the sitting spaces attached to the wall. Overall, it was a great dining experience.

Jenny Seo

Google

NOT RECOMMENDED. I was absolutely disappointed at their service in this evening. A girl staff was very RUDE since we walked in. I longed for visiting this restaurant so mush as the foods and atmosphere seemed very good. Overall, average food qualities but pretty nice Japanese vibes inside and garden. It can be a small serve for males. Aside from the foods and atmosphere, they made customers feel very ashamed when the customers asked something to them with very bad table services. I won’t revisit this place again as there are many other options in Collingwood and Fitzroy.

Chelsy L

Google

Set out in garden midday and enjoyed a delicious spread as we arrived in Melbourne. Very overpriced but good food and atmosphere. Would you recommend going midday as we walked past later and they were a lot of people

Nanling Liu

Google

This might be the one of the best Japanese restaurants in Melbourne! We walked in the restaurant at 11:55 am as the place opens at 12:00 pm, however, the restaurant was fully packed ten minutes later! We were lucky to get a table without any booking. I loved the interior of the restaurant, which gave me an authentic vibe of Japan. We ordered two Benton lunch sets, 15 minutes later, our food came and they looked gorgeous! They offered us 6 sides to go with the main dish, plus a bowl of rice and some miso soup. Let’s talk about the side dishes first. I loved every single one of them! The deep fried tofu was cooked to perfection, the pickled cucumbers and green vegetables were refreshing. My favourite side was the steamed pumpkin, they added some pumpkin seeds and spicy mayo dressing with a hint of yuzu flavour. That pumpkin was ten out of ten! I ordered some sashimi as my main dish, it was delicious and fairly fresh. My partner had the Teriyaki barramundi, which was also really tasty. We had a wonderful meal there and we will definitely come back again! PS: their toilet was really dark, it would be nice if they can add more lights in the bathroom.

Kira Norman

Google

Genuinely pleasantly surprised that a restaurant I found on instagram in passing turned out to be so fantastic. Booking process was simple and you have the ability to put in any special occasions if you were celebrating something. The restaurant itself was easy to get to via public transport. Our table was up stairs through a little doorway, on the loveliest private and eclectic little balcony. Even when 2 other groups joined us it was still lovely and quiet. The food was some of the best I’ve had in a long time. Shout out to the pork belly wrapped asparagus - simple but incredible. After the meal the wait staff even brought up some ice cream because I had written that we were there celebrating a promotion. Honestly overall just an incredible touch of hospitality that I haven’t seen in a very long time. It was 10/10 for us. I wish we could have fit more food in to be honest, we will just have to come back! What a shame hehe. Thanks team!

bunny bb

Google

amazing atmosphere and food! interior is gorgeous and the tables out the back are amazing to eat at. food was great, sashimi was fresh and sides were all very delicious!! i recommend booking since it can get quite busy.

Caitlynn Z

Google

I really like the atmosphere here, felt very homey. It was perfect to hangout with friends for a dinner :) We sat in the back, I liked that. Felt very private. Not the next Japanese food I had in town, but for a quick dinner place it's not bad. I did notice the price was a little more than other Japanese restaurants I've been too. With that said, I would definitely come back since it's very close to work, and the place is very good for hangout.

Nina Lin

Google

The presentation of the food was impressive, but unfortunately, the taste didn’t quite meet my expectations. Being a half Japanese, the rice was a letdown — it should have been distinct, chewy, and firm, as you’d expect from well-prepared Japanese cuisine. Instead, it was overly sticky, soft, and almost mushy, which really affected the overall experience. Given that rice is such a key component in Japanese dishes, I was hoping for better quality in that area. On a positive note, I really loved the atmosphere here. The restaurant has a lovely Japanese-inspired style that’s warm and inviting, making it a great place to chill and enjoy a meal. If they improve the rice, it would be an even better experience!

Natasha Sudirgo

Google

A quaint japanese restaurant just a few minutes outside of CBD. One of my friends brought me here to get ramen for lunch; We both ordered the Tan Tan Ramen and the Shoyu Ramen 🍜✨ The Tan Tan Ramen was creamy and very flavourful with minces of chicken and veggies. They're not too spicy either, just enough to envoke flavour. The Shoyu Ramen was lighter in taste but still flavourful. It's served with whole chicken and veggies too, a good option if you can't eat anything spicy. I think the portion and quality matches the price, they were big and tasted delicious. The atmosphere was relaxing and the staff were really attentive in serving us, they gave us water right away as soon as we were seated and took our orders from our seats. I especially like the design for the sitting spaces attached to the wall. Overall, it was a great dining experience.

Jenny Seo

Google

NOT RECOMMENDED. I was absolutely disappointed at their service in this evening. A girl staff was very RUDE since we walked in. I longed for visiting this restaurant so mush as the foods and atmosphere seemed very good. Overall, average food qualities but pretty nice Japanese vibes inside and garden. It can be a small serve for males. Aside from the foods and atmosphere, they made customers feel very ashamed when the customers asked something to them with very bad table services. I won’t revisit this place again as there are many other options in Collingwood and Fitzroy.

Chelsy L

Google

Set out in garden midday and enjoyed a delicious spread as we arrived in Melbourne. Very overpriced but good food and atmosphere. Would you recommend going midday as we walked past later and they were a lot of people

Nanling Liu

Google

This might be the one of the best Japanese restaurants in Melbourne! We walked in the restaurant at 11:55 am as the place opens at 12:00 pm, however, the restaurant was fully packed ten minutes later! We were lucky to get a table without any booking. I loved the interior of the restaurant, which gave me an authentic vibe of Japan. We ordered two Benton lunch sets, 15 minutes later, our food came and they looked gorgeous! They offered us 6 sides to go with the main dish, plus a bowl of rice and some miso soup. Let’s talk about the side dishes first. I loved every single one of them! The deep fried tofu was cooked to perfection, the pickled cucumbers and green vegetables were refreshing. My favourite side was the steamed pumpkin, they added some pumpkin seeds and spicy mayo dressing with a hint of yuzu flavour. That pumpkin was ten out of ten! I ordered some sashimi as my main dish, it was delicious and fairly fresh. My partner had the Teriyaki barramundi, which was also really tasty. We had a wonderful meal there and we will definitely come back again! PS: their toilet was really dark, it would be nice if they can add more lights in the bathroom.

Kira Norman

Google

Genuinely pleasantly surprised that a restaurant I found on instagram in passing turned out to be so fantastic. Booking process was simple and you have the ability to put in any special occasions if you were celebrating something. The restaurant itself was easy to get to via public transport. Our table was up stairs through a little doorway, on the loveliest private and eclectic little balcony. Even when 2 other groups joined us it was still lovely and quiet. The food was some of the best I’ve had in a long time. Shout out to the pork belly wrapped asparagus - simple but incredible. After the meal the wait staff even brought up some ice cream because I had written that we were there celebrating a promotion. Honestly overall just an incredible touch of hospitality that I haven’t seen in a very long time. It was 10/10 for us. I wish we could have fit more food in to be honest, we will just have to come back! What a shame hehe. Thanks team!

bunny bb

Google

amazing atmosphere and food! interior is gorgeous and the tables out the back are amazing to eat at. food was great, sashimi was fresh and sides were all very delicious!! i recommend booking since it can get quite busy.

Wabi Sabi Salon

Wabi Sabi Salon

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Highlights

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