Izakaya Yu — Restaurant in Mullumbimby

My son and I used to head to this place years ago for sushi in Mullumbimby. I know it was closed for a time during COVID, but being back in Australia, I was excited to re-visit Mullumbimby sushi and was glad to see it show up in the search results for “best restaurant Mullumbimby”.

Izakaya Yu was a delightful experience that I encourage you to book in for dinner and enjoy some great Japanese food in a laid back setting. The staff were welcoming and attentive, making sure our dining experience was pleasant. The menu offered a variety of traditional Japanese dishes, and we decided on the some Lotus Chips, Miso Soup, and we got the Yu Yu Roll and Eggplant and Tofu mains to share. My son got the Karaage Chicken and some tuna and avocado rolls.

I like being able to see the kitchen teams work and at one point the chef ran over to give me an extra spoon for Miles which showed real teamwork and great service which we appreciated.

The Lotus Chips were crispy and disappeared quickly. The Miso Soup was comforting, with a depth of flavor that I enjoyed. The Yu Yu Roll was a standout for me, well prepared and bursting with fresh delicious seafood. The Eggplant and Tofu dishes looked great and the flavours were beautifully balanced. My son devoured his sushi and chicken and the piece of chicken I stole was crunchy and flavoursome.

Izakaya Yu is definitely more expensive than the Middle Pub in Mullumbimby but was worth the reminiscing for the family, and I enjoyed an Asahi and a Ginger Sake cocktail to ensure I was maximising my exposure to the authentic taste of Japan. Despite being over full, we tried the Ice Cream and can definitely recommend making the room if you like Hazelnut, Green Tea or Black Sesame ice cream (you get to choose two).

To the team: "arigatou gozaimasu" (ありがとうございます) - we look forward to...

Decided to give these guys another go after a horrible experience a few years back (paid cash and was given the wrong amount in change by a school aged child managing the till). They have a small bar section which was always good for a walk ins. I arrive early and there’s 2 tables with 2 people. I get told there is a 30-45 mins wait. There’s literally no one there. They state they are expecting large crowds who have booked - that’s great but your establishment is empty! In the time it took to wait for a table I could have ordered, eaten and left. I ended up going down the road, ate at a place which is always supper busy, was sat and served promptly and came back and the place was still largely empty. Ridiculously inconvenient and really should up their customer service experience, especially for the prices they charge. There are loads of other friendly, happy places to go to in Mullum. Not this one. The good staff leave and the objectionable rude ones...

Exceptional food and wonderful service. I have been going to this restaurant for 5 years plus and can’t fault the quality, freshness and authenticity of the food. Beautiful little restaurant tucked away in Mullumbimby with cozy and relaxed ambiance. Would recommend to order different things to share between guests as they bring it out as it is ready and this makes for a tasty dining experience. Sometimes the wait time can be a little longer than one might want however everything is made fresh to order so this should be expected especially when the restaurant is busy. Really can’t speak more highly of this local business. Also I suggest to book ahead as they can get full in the evenings and you definitely want to make sure you get a spot. Spicy Prawns are my family’s...