Izakaya Midori — Restaurant in Gold Coast City

A group of 12 of us, all vegetarians, went to Izakaya Midori tonight. Having a degree in Japanese has taken me to Japan many times where l have eaten in many Japanese restaurants. I have also worked in a couple of top Japanese restaurants in Melbourne and Sydney. Being a cook, l have also learnt to cook certain Japanese dishes.The food in Izakaya Midori was extraordinary and better than any Japanese restaurant l've ever been to. The flavours of each dish were so delicious, each with their own sauce and exquisite presentation, a work of art. Truly a delight to behold. A real feast for the senses. It's amazing what only two chefs were able to create as we put them through their paces, ordering many of the dishes on the menu. The nasu dengaku ( an eggplant dish - it was on the specials board ) was the best l've ever had. The gyoza ( tiny dumplings ) were also the best l've ever had. Their presentation was so original and gorgeous.The miso soup was also the best l've ever had because they added delicious ingredients to it, which gave it a full boddied flavour (instead of the traditional Bonito fish stock). The vegan sushi was as delicious as it was beautiful. In fact each and every dish ( we had so many) was so beautiful and as delicious as its beauty promised. Many of us had to travel a fair way to get there and it was absolutely worth it. The staff were amazing. Their customer service was second to none. This is now definitely our most favourite restaurant on the Gold Coast and we have already made plans to return. As it's an intimate place and it's reputation has gotten out, l...

With the smile and energy we were greeted with, I knew the food had to be good! And it was. A very unassuming restaurant in an unassuming part of the Gold Coast, Reedy Creek. Very nicely done and welcoming like the smile I mentioned already. Two for lunch and we had smoked edamame beans, a beautiful version of nigiri sushi with avocado, photo attached, ; to die for, fake chicken don, agedashi tofu( to die for..two deaths and anymore we were going to need a defibrillator), miso soup...yummo. All the food was amazing and service fast but not rushed. All vegetarian with simulated meat but I doubt a meat eater would find it difficult unless they were a steak and chips person. Wonderful. The website is kept current so you can see the menu there but the seasonal menu I have added to the photos. Highly recommended. April 2023, we visited again for lunch. I think the owners are new but they have kept the tradition going, beautifully. The gorgeous welcoming smile, the attentive but never overpowering service and the food... Agedashi tofu...fantastic last time, amazing this time. Chiki Avo Nigiri, chickenish katsu with avocado and a teriyaki sauce..just amazing , truly. And a Nasu Miso Don which was eggplant cooked and covered in a sweet miso sauce. Extremely nice but we should have had a salad or edamame beans as well to have some respite from the flavour bomb. We shall know next time and it is not a criticism at all just an observation....

SERVE!!!

Izakaya Midori is always the best option! The finest Vegan on the coast! Also the only vegan Japanese food on the Gold Coast! Their service is always extremely fantastic, warm and friendly! Shoutout to Vonny/Vonni who is always there and is a bit of a queen ! A lovely and friendly person! She’s cvunty on the phone too We’ve slowly worked our way through the menu, however the menu items for this review are the Sushi, Karaage Curry and Karaage Don. Though I don’t find necessity at all in a meal to have vegan faux meats, the ones at Izakaya Midori are fantastic! Perfect texture and flavour! We had the terichiki avocado sushi, which was the perfect balance of Avocado and Terichiki filling!

The food is bought out in a staggered manner so you aren’t crowded with food bought to the table all at once. The Japanese curry is fantastic! The perfect mix between sweet, spicy and umami. For me I would have loved a little more rice so that the balance of rice Vs curry was a little more even however I loved the flavour and texture of the Karaage on the curry also!

The terichiki Karaage don was another great option! The ratio of rice Vs protein Vs salad was perfect!

As always the hospitality was fantastic and I can not recommend this place enough! Fantastic staff, setting, decor and atmosphere as well as the pricing being great for what...