Komeyui, Spring Hill: While it has only been a fixture of Brisbane’s dining scene for a little over a year, the name Komeyui has been well regarded by the Australian dining community at large for many years. Hokkaido-born chef Motomu ‘Kuma’ Kumano founded the restaurant in Melbourne in 2011, gradually building it into a go-to for folks fond of Japanese-style fine dining. Guests to Komeyui’s Spring Hill restaurant are treated to a plethora of amazing a la carte and set-menu options, but perching at the 12-m-long sushi counter for Komeyui’s outstanding omakase offering is undoubtedly the best way to experience the team’s artist-like approach to cooking. Komeyui’s autumn menu is flush with phenomenal dishes, such as oysters with grape sauce, yuzu foam, ikura and lime zest, duck breast with tomato consommé jelly and umeshu syrup, slipper lobster with gouda cheese fondue, Queensland wagyu with a marble score of 9 served with enoki, shimeji and shitake, followed by an eight-piece premium nigiri selection.

TakashiYa, South Brisbane: With a 40-year career under his belt, chef Takashi Nami is, perhaps, one of the most skilled chefs in Brisbane. At TakashiYa, his restaurant and bar located at the base of the Emporium Hotel in South Bank, Takashi is showcasing four decades worth of skill and showmanship, with his omakase service representing pinnacle of his of his talents. TakashiYa’s 12-seat private omakase room is Takashi’s domain. Here, the chef flexes his culinary muscle, crafting a premium procession of dishes ranging from one-bite tasters and fresh sashimi to flavour-rich soups and hand-sliced, assembled and presented nigiri. The restaurant offers two Chef’s Table omakase menus – a standard sitting boasting 16 courses and an ultra-premium option with a whopping 19. Highlights of the premium menu (because why not opt for the best?) include pufferfish sashimi, Japanese bluefin tuna toro sashimi, aburi scampi with truffle garlic-butter nigiri, aburi A5 Kagoshima wagyu and foie gras nigiri, and lobster meat and imperador clear soup with yuzu zest.

Sushi Room, Fortitude Valley: Nestled in the foundations of The Calile Hotel is Sushi Room – an ultra-chic fine diner from the brains behind Hellenika and SK Steak & Oyster. Taking cues from traditional Japanese design and mid-century pop culture, Sushi Room’s striking neo-futuristic Richards & Spence-designed interior is a one-of-a-kind setting to enjoy a premium omakase experience. Perched at the 9.3-m solid Japanese Hinoki timber sushi bar (or in the elegant eight-seater red private bar and dining space), guests can watch and marvel as head chef Shimpei Raikuni and his team execute Sushi Room’s enkai (set) menu and omakase offering, which can extend up to 20 courses. Highlights of Sushi Room’s omakase include the likes of chawanmushi, sumi-ika cuttlefish, akaza-ebi scampi, Kiwami tenderloin with a nine-plus marble score with truffle, and caviar ice-cream to finish.

Fumiki’s Sushi Kappo, Robertson: After 25 year working across some of the best Japanese restaurants in Melbourne, Brisbane and Kyoto, Fumiki Hayashi opened his own Kyoto-inspired kaiseki restaurant in 2023. Working behind a slender dining counter with room for eight, Fumiki’s more informal Kappo-style cuisine emphasises interactions between chef and customer. His multi-course meal follows the standard omakase footprint, with roughly 18 courses encompassing cold and warm dishes, a number of artfully prepared sushi, a soup course and then dessert to finish. Fumiki works with suppliers to source exceptional seafood from across Queensland, showcasing cuts of coral trout, whiting, golden trevally, trawler-fresh prawns and yellowfin tuna from the Sunshine Coast. Though small changes are made daily, Fumiki’s Sushi Kappo’s offering will follow a seasonal theme, with broad alterations made as the weather shifts.

Katsu Ya, Fortitude Valley: Katsu Ya might be the hardest restaurant to score a booking for. Why? Well, for one, the restaurant releases all of its bookings for the year at the same time, meaning that foodies often make a reservation for months in advance. Two, if it’s your first time booking, you need a referral from a person that has been lucky enough to dine at Katsu Ya before. As of right now, Katsu Ya is booked for the entirety of 2024 (though you can sign up to the waitlist in case of cancellations). If you are one of the fortunate few with a seat secured, you’re in for a treat. This private six-seat omakase restaurant, owned and operated by chef Katsu Huang, offers a free-flowing omakase menu flush with top-grade seafood like dry-aged bluefin tuna, Ōra King salmon and West Australian octopus, plus the likes of foie gras and caviar hand rolls and Kagoshima A5 wagyu.

Shunsai, East Brisbane: Known for showcasing Japan’s traditional washoku-style cuisine, Shunsai in East Brisbane is about as authentic a Japanese dining experience as you can get. Here, chef and owner Shun Mori serves up kaiseki-style cuisine – a multi-course offering that blends taste, texture and colour in interesting ways. At night, Shunsai offers three kinds of omakase menus – the eight-course Sai menu, the ten-course Shun menu, and an eight-course vegetarian menu. As of March 2024, highlight inclusions range from Spanish mackerel glazed in saikyo miso, whiting and asparagus tempura, Macquarie wagyu with a marble score of eight-plus, assorted sushi and matcha pudding with sugarcane syrup.

The Boom Boom Room, Brisbane City: Descend a set of stairs leading to the bank vaults of the old Queensland Government Savings Bank on Elizabeth Street and you’ll dimly lit underground Japanese restaurant and bar The Boom Boom Room. Inspired by the energetic city of Tokyo, The Boom Boom Room is a great spot to enjoy everything from sashimi to yakitori, but did you know the restaurant also offers two omakase-style menus? Two banquets are available – a ten-course and a 14-course option. The former boasts dishes like pressed pork katsu with curry sauce and curry-leaf powder, Koji-glazed lamb rump with tama miso, fennel and pickled onion, and twice-cooked pork belly with miso apple and pork floss furikake. The larger menu offers all of that, plus additional dishes like shiso-cured kingfish with Bloody Shiraz gin-infused salmon caviar and kombu, grilled half-shell scallop with foie gras, hazelnut furikake and plum vinegar, and 2GR wagyu (with a marble score of nine-plus) with dipping sauces.

Honourable mentions: While not necessarily touted as authentic Japanese-style omakase restaurants, there are a couple of excellent dining spots that draw inspiration from omakase dining. Both Fortitude Valley venues Joy Restaurant and Perspective Dining, and Exhibition in The City offer ever-changing set menus, dictated by the chefs every evening. These restaurants incorporate influences from other cuisines, but the spirit of omakase runs strong across each.