kambei japanese restaurant

the best japanese restaurant in town!!
kambei is the first japanese restaurant that run by japanese people that i know of so they foods are authentic. (don't get me wrong but if you are japanese food freak like me trust me you will know the difference)
they serve best sashimi ever!! here in ballarat even though they have not so many choices.
the rest of them food are too and the service is excellent

the only negative part here is they have limited choice of food selection on the menu. on friday and saturday night the serve only banquet. they are open 5days/week which means if you want al ca cart you have to go on wednesday and sunday night only

hopefully they have more selection in the future

wow what great japanese food. two nights in a row we went for the banquet. the highlight was the sushimi, just incredible cuts of fish and the sharpest knife in history. the baked salmon was super yummy. don't ignore this place if you are in ballarat.

eggplant wagyu was amazing one of the best meals i have had! the teriyaki chicken was even better, mum had that though, food envy big time! i will be back for the teriyaki chicken for sure, it was a must do

the land of the rising sun! japan! delicious food, amazing culture, diverse history…the list could go on forever! however, finding a snippet of that culture within regional victoria can be a bit of a stretch. queue kambei! named after head chef yutaka kimura’s great grandfather, this restaurant both sits comfortably well and seems at the same time out of place in ballarat.

kambei is an amazing japanese restaurant located right next to sovereign hill! being aesthetically pleasing with its japanese interior design, it is easily ballarats best japanese!

the vibe is tranquil, while also being unstuffy! service from the professional floor staff is friendly without being overbearing!

the food is fantastic too, with fresh seafood being shipped to ballarat from the footscray market daily! sashimi is a must, as well as the tempura. desserts aren't as strong in the flavour stakes, but still get the job done!

price wise i think it's pretty reasonable, with banquets being able to be paid for for around $60.

overall a great restaurant the all ballarat locals should try for ace japanese!

japanese food has been one of my favourite cuisines thus i found myself at kampei in ballarat. a free amuse-bouche of tofu and vegetables was a nice touch before we had our sashimi which was extremely fresh, beautifully cut and presented. the wagyu beef tataki was overwhelmed by the grated seasoned radish complimenting it. the vegetarian tempura was a slight let down as it was not as crispy as i would expect and was hoping to see more variety in the type of vegetables used. the chawan-mushi was perfect. for main, i had the grilled eel with rice and miso soup. the serve was generous and the eel was delicious but i would have preferred more sauce on it. overall a good experience and i would return. the waiter seems new and perhaps the waiting staff need more training.. one of them spilled the tempura sauce on our table when serving, and did not offer to wipe the table.

located on the corner of lal lal street and main road, kambei restuarant offers authentic, traditional food and a great atmosphere. parking is limited in front, but there is a small car park with the entrance just to the right of the restaurant.

yutaka kimura is the head chef and in honour of his great great grandfather, who was the leader of his village in feudal japan during the edo period about 150 years ago, he named his restaurant ‘kambei’.

the restaurant was quite busy this afternoon. i arrived in ballarat within an hour of the end of their lunch session, and they were more than happy to accommodate me.

overall, kambei is quite pricey for a japanese restaurant, but you definitely get what you pay for. the staff were very friendly and service was quick. 

check out the review of kambei japanese restaurant in the blog post below.

beautiful food, great service and atmosphere. everything fresh and creatively presented. not far from town but well worth the drive. would certainly go there again when next on ballarat! love the entrance and left very satisfied.

so impressed with this place. it was by chance that we found this place. was craving for japanese and this place came up top of the list on our search. didn't disappoint us at all in terms of flavour and service. lunch special was in big serving size that we were really full afterwards. sushi and sashimi were fresh as well. definitely go back when we are in ballarat.

not bad.... for a regional experience. pretty good. very fresh and everything you'd expect from a good japanese restaurant in melbourne or sydney - but not outstanding.
service is good enough and they try. happy.

i somehow found myself dining at this quaint little japanese restaurant this past valentine's day. thinking about it now, i'm wondering how i found myself in such a position... oh wait, that's right. i have a girlfriend now, hahaha!

anyway, the gentle souls at kambei were serving a valentine's day set menu which we -- yes, we -- decided to try out.

the sashimi, seaweed, maki and miso soup were all great. the beef on the other hand... well let's just say it wasn't really anything special. to me anyway, because i'm asian and i feel like i've eaten that kind of stir fried beef too many times to count in my life that it's just become something... meh. the decor is nice and fancier than mcdonald's, which is a plus if you are like me and have a girlfriend (if i was single i'd gladly go to mcdonald's, every day in fact.. but alas, i didn't choose the boyfriend life, the boyfriend life chose me).

being possibly the only authentic japanese restaurant in ballarat, i would recommend these folks. pop in and say konichiwa if you are so inclined. wait, is that inappropriate?

a nice option for lunch when heading to sovereign hill, as an alternative to a pie and chips. just need to grab an exit pas from the post office before leaving sovereign hill. nice and friendly service. the lunch menu is all lunch sets with option of salmon teriyaki, chicken teriyaki, and tempura with miso soup, rice, and pickle. all food was very delicious.

my wife and i enjoyed the kambei banquet this evening. the food was delicious and the waiting staff excellent. it exceeded our expectations and we'd love to visit again. a highlight of our ballarat trip and a place we'd recommend to others. we dine at many fine restaurants and believe the food quality was up there with top melbourne ones.

enjoyed a perfect evening with family at kambei. the service was professional and polite without intruding during our banquet which was outstanding. extremely fresh and prepared japanese food for a regional area and well worth the visit. food, service and decor all spot on.

good value on the set menu~ had the $65 menu. overall food was good except for the crumbed sea bream, squid and scallop.. not crunchy enough.
overall service is fantastic which got them a score of 4.