Updated October 26, 2026,first published November 11, 2024
14.5/20Gaku Robata Grill Omakase
Japanese$$
Big flavours from a small inner-east kitchen.
Even with its small footprint, roughly half of Gaku’s snug Darlinghurst space is kitchen. Chefs bounce between stove, steamer, fryer and the eponymous charcoal grill, while diners sit elbow-to-elbow across the counter, throwing down ponzu-spiked oysters, gleaming sashimi and marinated tuna nigiri crowned with real pickled ginger instead of the hot-pink stuff.
The chawanmushi, a velvet-soft custard perfumed with truffle and crowned with spanner crab, is heartiness incarnate, while blocks of charred beef tongue mingle with shimeji mushrooms in bright, yuzu-spiked dashi. There’s grilled and soy-glazed eel in a lacquered box, sake in a flight of tiny glassware and a colourful parade of precision from a kitchen that speaks fluent umami.
It isn’t showy, but Gaku’s the kind of friendly, satisfying neighbourhood restaurant every neighbourhood wishes it had.
Good to know: Gaku’s lunchtime ramen menu – offered daily – is the stuff of legend.
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Last visited: August 2026
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See all storiesMore:
- Darlinghurst
- Gaku Robata Grill Omakase
- Sydney
- Japanese
- Accepts bookings
- Vegan-friendly
- Good for solo diners
- Licensed
- Outdoor dining
- Wheelchair access
- Restaurant
- Reviews
- Good Food Guide
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Source: The Age
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- World
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- 🇦🇺 AU
- Publisher language
- EN
- Added to Allnira