Dohtonbori — Restaurant in Melbourne

I would give this place zero stars if I could, but the only redeeming factor was the staff in black uniforms, who were actually polite and helpful. They helped cook the food and provided much better customer service than the so-called manager—the short guy in the blue striped shirt (clearly not in uniform). I’m assuming he’s the manager because he certainly acted like he was in charge, though based on his behaviour, I have no idea why he’s in a leadership position.

Let me start with the absolute worst part of the experience: the manager’s disgusting attitude. His behaviour was APPALLING—he had zero respect for his staff and treated them like absolute garbage. My friends and I watched in disbelief as he barked orders at one of the younger workers in a black uniform in the rudest, most condescending way possible. "Put that down NOW." Excuse me?! How about you learn some basic manners? He wasn’t just giving instructions—he was belittling his own employee in front of customers, making the entire atmosphere uncomfortable and tense. It was honestly disgusting to watch, and I felt awful for the staff who were just trying to do their jobs. No one should have to deal with that level of disrespect at work and that is not okay.

Moving onto the food, it was genuinely alright, nothing special. The tapas such as fried squid, takoyaki etc were the only enjoyable dishes but everything else was genuinely mid, and honestly not worth the price. Given how they advertise themselves on social media, I was expecting something better but it was absolutely nothing like that.

We were celebrating a birthday, which is supposed to be special and a fun celebration. However the whole experience was overshadowed by awful atmosphere created by the horrible manager. A birthday dinner is supposed to be special, but thanks to the negativity in this place, it felt like we were dining in a hostile work environment rather than a restaurant. The whole vibe was completely ruined.

And don’t even get me started on the shady five-star reviews. The only reason this place has so many glowing reviews is because they bribe customers with points to use their claw machine in the restaurant. So if you see a ton of five-star reviews raving about how “amazing” the place is, take them with a huge grain of salt. This isn’t a five-star experience by any means.

Final thoughts: The only thing stopping this from being a total disaster was the hardworking, polite staff in black uniforms. Management is a complete joke and the positive reviews are inflated. Save your money and go somewhere that actually respects both its employees and customers.

Would I return? Absolutely not. And if you’re thinking about coming here for a special occasion, don’t. Unless you want your night ruined too.

attached a photo to show proof that I did dine here in case they try and act and say that I wasn't an actual customer. I can even show proof of the transaction at...

When I think of Okonomiyaki in Melbourne, my mind immediately goes to Dohtonbori, a DIY teppanaki restaurant where you can cook and assemble your own Okonomiyaki ! We tried the -

▪️Snow Crab Okonomiyaki $28.90 ▪️Corn Cheese Hiroshima Yaki $26.90 ▪️Salmon Sashimi $26.90 ▪️Oyster (Yuzu) $12.00

Definitely a very fun and interactive experience! Been here a few times before and it’s been an enjoyable experience every time. It’s great that you can have a go and make it yourself, but if you’re ever feeling too chicken, the friendly staff can help you out too. It’s made fresh so it’s nice and hot, a very comforting meal to satisfy all your cravings. Worth noting that it’s super filling too, very generous portions! I’d say two Okonomiyaki‘s can easily fill 3 people up.

The DIY Okonomiyaki experience is definitely the highlight. All the recipes are from Japan so the procedure is authentic, the ingredients tasted fresh and not just pre-mix mixture that you find at the supermarket. The Okonomiyaki is Osaka style and was more fluffy, whereas the one from Hiroshima was more layered, and more textures from the crunch of the cabbage and noodles. Both were super tasty but I think I preferred the Osaka style a bit more. They had soo many different fillings available, whether it’s vegetarian, seafood and so much meat options, I need to go back and try more combinations!

The sashimi pieces I had were good, but I think it’s a hit and miss as half of my friends slices still had bones in it which was unfortunate. The oyster was a bit fishy and bitter, Other than that, was nice to have something more light and fresh alongside the hot Okonomiyaki. The drinks were really refreshing and tasty. The ice cream was soooo smooth, loved the flavour and the consistency was fabulous, definitely recommend getting some ice cream after your Okonomiyaki feast, it ended the night on such a good note.

I loved how interactive it was, super fun and the food was amazing. We had the best service from Young who was really friendly...

Worst service ever. Arrived there alone (solo dining) and was kept waiting for 10 long minutes before anyone noticed me. And they were not busy! Staff were hanging around!

Then finally, a girl who is probably a pimply school age teenager on work experience approaches me and asked what I wanted.

So told her I knew what I wanted to order since I've already seen their online menu.

She tells me that is not the way to order and she won't take my order this way but she will fetch me one of their iPad/Tablets to self service order.

Back she comes and plonks the thing right in front of me without explaining how to navigate their app, let alone help me order on their app, which some places will do if they are not busy.

So I'm wondering where to begin in the first place on their overcrowded tablet app screen. My fingers hovering but not doing much.

Then a male colleague indicates to her that there is a problem and explains it to her....

Girl walks back to me as says that she had given me the wrong tablet, that was meant for another service (Big Banquet?/Teppanyaki?), "can she have that one back and fetch me the correct one?"

By this time, I had given up, I was in a hurry, cold and hungry. At any other restaurant, they would already have taken my order the old fashioned way and by now, my dish would have beem in the process of being prepared.

So I said to her, "Tell you what, let's not worry about this okay? I'll go elsewhere".....With that, I got up and begin to leave....and she and the male colleague, they didnt' even bat an eyelid - as if they didn't care....and this was on Saturday the 16th of August dinnertime.

Don't know why this restaurant can't train their...