Correction (4 October 2026): an earlier version of this page listed places and details we could not stand behind. It has been rewritten from scratch: every place below was confirmed at two independent sources on 4 October 2026.
Looking for a Japanese sit-down meal in Brunswick? This page covers five places: three in Brunswick and two in Brunswick East, all listed as Japanese restaurants or izakaya.
Each one was checked against at least two independent sources, drawn from OpenStreetMap, the Australian Good Food Guide (AGFG) and the venue’s own site. Where hours come from AGFG or an OpenStreetMap tag, we say so, because those can be out of date.
We have not printed dish prices, since we could not read any on these places’ own pages. Where a menu does not name a regional style, we do not name one for it either.
The quick picks
| If you’re after | Head to | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Izakaya evening, BYO-tagged | Shinwa Izakaya | 139 Sydney Road, Brunswick |
| Japanese breakfast or lunch | Ima Asa Yoru | 1 Duckett Street, Brunswick |
| Japanese lunch and weekend dinner | Lunar By Hikari | 458 Sydney Road, Brunswick |
| Sit-down Japanese on Lygon Street | Matsumoto | 48 Lygon Street, Brunswick East |
| Izakaya with alfresco seating | Kumo | 152 Lygon Street, Brunswick East |
Shinwa Izakaya — 139 Sydney Road, Brunswick VIC 3056
Shinwa Izakaya sits at 139 Sydney Road, and its own site lists evenings only: closed Monday, open from 6pm Tuesday to Sunday, finishing at 9:30pm on Tuesday, Wednesday and Sunday and 10pm Thursday to Saturday. AGFG tags it with Bar, BYO, Vegetarian Options and Gluten Free Options. Its site also has a menu page to check dishes against before you go.
Decoder: An izakaya is a Japanese pub-style place where drinks arrive with a run of small shared dishes, and because AGFG tags this one BYO, ask about its bring-your-own terms before you carry anything over.
Ima Asa Yoru — 1 Duckett Street, Brunswick VIC 3056
Ima Asa Yoru is in the Nightingale Village at 1 Duckett Street, and its site says it serves traditional Japanese breakfast and lunch during the day, using the word asa, which is Japanese for morning. AGFG lists Tuesday from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM, Wednesday to Saturday with the same daytime hours plus 5:30 PM to 9:00 PM, and Sunday from 8:30 AM to 3:00 PM, with Monday closed. Those are AGFG hours, and the venue’s own site lists different times, so check its site before you go. AGFG also tags Breakfast, Child Friendly, Disabled Access and Vegetarian Options.
Menu says: The site’s own words are traditional Japanese breakfast/lunch during the day, so that is the daytime menu to read first.
Lunar By Hikari — 458 Sydney Road, Brunswick VIC 3056
Lunar By Hikari is at 458 Sydney Road, and its site headline reads ‘a gourmet journey to japan’, with menu, gallery and reservation links in its navigation. The only hours we found are an OpenStreetMap tag, which lists 10:00 to 16:00 Monday to Friday, and 10:00 to 16:00 plus 18:00 to 21:30 on Saturday and Sunday. A single map tag can be out of date, so confirm with the venue. We did not find dish prices on its pages.
How to order: Use the reservation link on its site, then read the menu page before you go, since we have no published dish to point you to.
Matsumoto — 48 Lygon Street, Brunswick East VIC 3057
Matsumoto Japanese is at 48 Lygon Street in Brunswick East, and its own site lists Sunday to Thursday from 11:30am to 9:30pm and Friday and Saturday from 11:30am to 10:00pm. An OpenStreetMap tag for it lists slightly different closing times, so confirm which is current before you go. We could not read dish prices on its pages.
Order this first: Check the menu on its own site, since we could not read dish prices to steer a first order.
Kumo — 152 Lygon Street, Brunswick East VIC 3057
Kumo is at 152 Lygon Street, Brunswick East, and AGFG’s tags for it run long: Alfresco Dining, Bar, Child Friendly, Disabled Access, Gluten Free Options, Halal Options, Vegan Options, Vegetarian Options, Pet Friendly, Takeaway and Delivery. AGFG lists Tuesday 5:30 PM to 10:00 PM, Wednesday and Thursday to 10:30 PM, Friday and Saturday to 11:00 PM and Sunday 5:00 PM to 10:00 PM, with Monday closed. Those are AGFG hours and may be out of date.
Region: None of the pages we read names a regional style for the menu, so we are not naming one; treat the AGFG dietary tags as your cue to ask the venue about specifics.
Quick answers
Which Japanese restaurant in Brunswick serves breakfast?
Ima Asa Yoru is the one to check. AGFG tags it Breakfast, its own site says it serves traditional Japanese breakfast/lunch during the day, and AGFG lists Sunday morning hours, but the venue’s own site lists different times, so confirm there before you go.
Which Japanese places in Brunswick are closed on Monday?
Shinwa Izakaya’s own site lists Monday as closed. AGFG lists Ima Asa Yoru and Kumo as closed on Monday too. Matsumoto’s site lists Sunday to Thursday from 11:30am, which takes in Monday, and an OpenStreetMap tag for Lunar By Hikari lists Monday daytime hours, though a map tag may be out of date.
Is there a BYO Japanese restaurant in Brunswick?
AGFG tags Shinwa Izakaya at 139 Sydney Road as BYO. Ask the restaurant about its bring-your-own terms before you go.
Where can I find vegetarian or gluten free Japanese food in Brunswick?
AGFG tags Vegetarian Options at Shinwa Izakaya, Ima Asa Yoru and Kumo, and Gluten Free Options at Shinwa Izakaya and Kumo. It also tags Kumo with Vegan Options and Halal Options. These are listing tags, so check specific dishes with the venue.
How we checked
We checked every place on this page against at least two independent sources on 4 October 2026: OpenStreetMap, the Australian Good Food Guide and the places’ own websites. We copied no menu prices from these places’ own pages, so this page prints none. Menus, prices and opening hours change, so check with the venue before you go. The cover photo is illustrative, from Unsplash, and does not show any place on this page.
Seen something out of date? Email [email protected] with the page link and what has changed, and we will check it again.
Sources
- Shinwa Izakaya: openstreetmap.org/7053663494, agfg.com.au/shinwa-izakaya-43107, shinwaizakaya.com
- Ima Asa Yoru: openstreetmap.org/12197867563, agfg.com.au/ima-asa-yoru-78541, imaproject.co/asa-yoru
- Lunar By Hikari: openstreetmap.org/12583349397, agfg.com.au/lunar-by-hikari-120098, lunarbyhikari.com.au
- Matsumoto: openstreetmap.org/1671554424, agfg.com.au/matsumoto-japanese-restaurant-61441, matsumoto.com.au
- Kumo: openstreetmap.org/1671557051, agfg.com.au/kumo-izakaya-31433
