This was one of the most disappointing meals of 2026. Oden is an oden and sake bar in Melbourne CBD, started by the chef of Ishizuka (LINK). We dined here before our Ishizuka omakase so we had high hopes of a high-end Japanese chef bringing a casual space to the food scene… oh boy, it was very overpriced and lacking.
We got a last minute reservation on Friday at 5pm. There was only 2 tables during our service.
We got a last minute reservation on Friday at 5pm. There was only 2 tables during our service.
Food
We started with half a dozen fresh oyster at $48. This was a lemongrass, cardamon and ginger jelly dressing. It was decent and somewhat refreshing, although the cardamon was too strong and did not complement the oysters.
This tsukune skewer for $10 was dry and chewy. The tare was too sweet, and there was too much drenching the piece; maybe to mask the chicken’s dryness..? Also overpriced. The egg yolk sauce was creamy.
This was octopus karaage for $24 and we watched them cook frozen octopus. It definitely was not fresh. They had a very chewy texture. The kaarage batter was not crispy. The dip was kewpie mayo with Six-Eyed Scorpion chilli. Disappointing.
This market fish carpaccio was pretty but at $24, overprice. The kingfish was decent. The sauce was a yuzu citrus dressing.
The oden set were $22 each. We got one of every to try: egg, hanpen fish cake, bamboo shoot, mochi kinchaku, daikon radish and pork belly. The soup was a mixed of dashi and vegetables over a long period of time. It tasted comforting.
The best piece was the mochi kinchaku, tasting like a tender and flavourful pillow. The pork belly and hanpen fish cake were average, somewhat tender but nothing amazing. The egg was a lazy fill. The bamboo shoots were really tough to chew. The daikon radish was the worst, it had no flavour.
The best piece was the mochi kinchaku, tasting like a tender and flavourful pillow. The pork belly and hanpen fish cake were average, somewhat tender but nothing amazing. The egg was a lazy fill. The bamboo shoots were really tough to chew. The daikon radish was the worst, it had no flavour.
This was the special oden set for $20. The prawn tasted old and lacked flavour. The meatball was a mix of crab and corn. This piece was okay.
This was the Japanese eel for $86. Holy shit, this was the worst dish of the night. It was so disappointing, and yes, price plays a factor. We were literally paying $12.50 for a slice.
The eel was charred too long. It had a very bitter taste to it. And the eel itself tasted frozen or weeks old. It was such a let down, we actually didn’t finish it. You can see how burnt it was. We saw some influencers hyping this dish – DO NOT GET IT.
The eel was charred too long. It had a very bitter taste to it. And the eel itself tasted frozen or weeks old. It was such a let down, we actually didn’t finish it. You can see how burnt it was. We saw some influencers hyping this dish – DO NOT GET IT.
Drinks
For a restaurant having “sake” in their name, their sake range was very limited. There was 4 options in their menu. They had a lot more wines and cocktails than anything else, which was very disappointing.
Service
There was only 2 tables and us during our dining period. It took them an incredibly long time to make the cocktails or even refill our sake (same bottle).
The vibes were also cold. Even though we were seated at the counter with direct access to the chef, there was not a single hi or small talk. We’re not expecting “omakase” style service but when the entire restaurant was empty, and all we could see was the staff mentally preparing for their peak service, we felt it was very poor service. This is definitely a spot that wants patrons to come in just to yap away over food and drinks, and not care or have a passion for food. Souless.
The vibes were also cold. Even though we were seated at the counter with direct access to the chef, there was not a single hi or small talk. We’re not expecting “omakase” style service but when the entire restaurant was empty, and all we could see was the staff mentally preparing for their peak service, we felt it was very poor service. This is definitely a spot that wants patrons to come in just to yap away over food and drinks, and not care or have a passion for food. Souless.
Review
We should have taken our experience at Oden as a red flag for what was to come because we had Ishizuka booked for the very next day (LINK). Please save your money. It was over hyped, over priced and definitely not worth the visit.
Thanks for reading. Happy eating.
Thanks for reading. Happy eating.
