Minamishima is an Edomae sushi restaurant on Lord Street in Richmond, opened in 2014 by chef Koichi Minamishima. Originally from Nagoya, he began as an apprentice in a neighbourhood sushiya around 40 years ago and worked his way through the strict hierarchy of Japanese kitchens before moving to Melbourne. In the 2026 Australian Good Food Guide Chef Hat Awards, Minamishima scored 18 out of 20.
The menu is omakase, set by the chef according to the produce and the season. At the sushi counter, which seats guests in ones and twos, dinner is a procession of nigiri. Groups of three or more sit in the dining room, where the omakase moves into cooked courses drawing on Japanese haute cuisine. Three private dining rooms behind sliding doors each seat up to eight, with a degustation by third-generation sushi chef Yoshiki Tano.
Otoro, bafun uni, Hokkaido king crab and Japanese wagyu are flown in from Toyosu and elsewhere in Japan and served alongside Australian seafood. Depending on the season, fish may be cured, aged or torched, and the rice blends and vinegars change too. The sake list draws on long-established breweries, artisan producers and emerging female toji, joined by rare Burgundies, aged Japanese whisky and Ippodo teas from Kyoto.
Dinner runs Tuesday to Saturday, with counter sittings at 6pm and 8:30pm. Bookings for the following month open at 12pm on the first day of each month, online or by phone.
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