kambei japanese restaurant

as a regular patron of this restaurant i recently discovered that there has been a change of hands to kambei. although thefoodis still delicious, the service was absolutely appalling. it's lost that true attentiveness the previous owner gave each and every customer. i do hope they improve or this well loved restaurant will be a thing of the past.

always high qualityfoodand experience. i love everything about kambei - the atmosphere, quality and authenticity. the set menu is recommended and a great way to experience traditional meals i would otherwise not know to order. the service is always exceptional!

normally wouldn’t write but i was so disappointed with my dining experience it’s made me put in a review.

came here bc the reviews were great but arrived 6.30pm on a saturday night to be presented with a one page menu, no beef or chicken dishes, just seafood. was also told they had run out of tempura for the day as well.

for the price they charge, i would expect myfoodto be of at minimum decent quality. our rice was mushy and overcooked, the fish that came part of the side dish was cold and the fish was over cooked, it was unpleasant to eat and the edamame beans were so small, 80% of my bowl didn’t have anything inside them at all!

and one more thing, they helped pour a tiny serve of soy sauce and walked away with the rest, we had to ask for them to return a couple of times.

for anyone wanting to go, don’t go by the pictures as they are old. they have changed their menu. ratings no longer reflect the quality and their service they use to provide.

a lovely japanese restaurant, theirfoodare really fresh and delicious. if you want to save on your pocket, get their takeaway bento at $50, $40 and $30. if you want to stay then be prepare to spend a bit more. for a family of 2 adults and 2 growing kids, i spend about $140. however, we loved everything about them. their bento sets are quite good value, as 1 main will cut u back about $30 to $40. i will come back if i am in the area.

beautiful little restaurant that i definitely wouldn’t have expected to find. i got the kambei course for 40aud that included edamame, small dishes, sashimi, grilled fish, rice, and miso soup.

really even the sashimi and small dishes at the start would’ve set you back 40aud at any japanese restaurant in the city. flavours were rich and simple and thefoodwas filling.

will definitely go back!

this is a beautiful place with great service. thefoodand the service are the real japanese deal. the ingredients are fresh and top quality

kambei is the best restaurant in ballarat. this is the must place you should go if you are after authentic japanese. thefoodis amazingly fresh - especially sashimi. i selected their course menu which restaurant staff recommended. i was glad to take their recommendation. i enjoyed the beautifulfoodand nice friendly service. i will definitely visit this restaurant again!

ambience 6.5/10
service 7/10
food 9/10.
food was outstanding, without question the best in ballarat. authentic and amazing, this quality could easily stand up in japan. service reasonably good/ok.
ambience -the vibe of the place is slightly cold and not the nicest.
if you want some amazing japanese in ballarat you cannot go past this place.
fairly $$$ but worth it for a splurge.
amazing to find this quality offoodin a regional town.

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 japanesefoodfreak 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 themfood are too and the service is excellent

the only negative part here is they have limited choice offoodselection 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

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

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!

thefoodis 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!

japanesefoodhas 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, traditionalfoodand 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.

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. allfoodwas very delicious.

my wife and i enjoyed the kambei banquet this evening. thefoodwas 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 thefoodquality was up there with top melbourne ones.