Mitsuko’s Japanese Cafe

Great little Japanese café. We sat outside with our dog. The service was quick, friendly, and polite. Food was yummy, flavoursome and nicely presented. Servings seemed a bit small on arrival but just filling for lunch. Typical of the sort of café I might expect to find in Japan. Definitely definitely recommended. My compliments to the owners. Arigato !

After my experience with Mitsuko’s, all I really have to say is — avoid this place.
Ambiance: Very minimal with not many tables and chairs — so definitely don’t come with a large group. We had a group of 5 people and dominated the entire eating space and had to squish anyway.
Customer Service: Not very good. They were kind, but unfortunately a tad bit clueless. The food came out all at different times and when you’re in a group of people, that gets to be a bit awkward when it gets to the point of food 10 minutes apart and someone starts eating when someone else is already done. Also, my friend repeated that she wanted Vegetable Ramen twice and they still gave her Udon.
Food: Alright. I ordered the Katsu Don, which are fried breaded pork cutlets with a tangy sauce, rice, and salad. They put way too much vinegar in the sauce so it’s more sour than flavourful. The pork was too thin and crispy with way too little substance, and the salad was a bit dry and bland. All of it was edible, but a minimal meal. It’s not too expensive thankfully (less than 10 dollars), but if I could go back in time I definitely would’ve made another choice for a restaurant.
Mitsuko’s needs to up their quality by a mile to compete with all the great Japanese restaurants Melbourne has to offer.
Starting with the food quality and customer service.

One of few sushi bars to be found in this part of town, Mitsuko’s doesn’t disappoint and always delivers fresh Japanese cuisine fast.
They have a wide variety of sushi rolls to takeaway if you are on the go, but if you are eating in they have a lengthy Japanese menu that will have you asking which meal to get it!
They are famous for their classic Gyu Don dish (well, famous at least in Kew) of which they also offer a brown rice version for those that are health conscious. But personally I am a BIG fan of the classic Bento Box. Perhaps it is one of those dishes that can’t be done badly, but I am still always impressed.
There is a variety of soft drinks available (including some Japanese drinks) to accompany your meal, but no booze.
All up, I am always wowed by the freshness of the food available at Mitsuko’s and the speed at which they can get it to you.