Matsusaka Backstreet — Restaurant in Sydney

I’m giving them 5 stars — not because of the free drink, but because the food was genuinely legit and the staff were next-level friendly, super attentive, and friendly even though the place was absolutely packed. They made us feel really welcome, and it honestly added to how much we enjoyed the night.

It’s a real hidden gem. I came to Matsusaka Backstreet as part of my birthday celebration, and it turned out to be such a fun and memorable experience. If you love BBQ, especially all-you-can-eat Japanese or Korean-style BBQ, this place is definitely worth checking out.

Let me start with the food, because that’s really the highlight. The all-you-can-eat yakiniku menu is honestly amazing for the price. The cuts of meat were great quality, and there was a really good variety to choose from: different types of beef, pork, chicken, plus seafood and sides like kimchi, rice, miso soup, and veggies. Everything arrived fresh and fast, and the staff were quick to refill orders whenever we asked. You cook everything yourself at the table, which makes the whole dining experience feel interactive and fun.

One thing to note: there’s a lot of smoke from the grill, like, your clothes and hair will absolutely smell like BBQ by the end of it. So maybe hold off on washing your hair beforehand (especially if you’re heading out after). It’s part of the vibe though, and personally I didn’t mind it at all — it’s a real smoky BBQ experience.

The staff were honestly lovely. Super friendly, helpful, and very attentive even though it was a full house. You can tell they work hard and genuinely want guests to have a good time. They made the night feel even more special, especially since it was my birthday.

Now for the part that could use a little improvement — the entrance. This place is truly a hidden gem, but maybe a little too hidden. To get to the restaurant, you have to go upstairs through what looks like a kind of run-down building entrance. When we went, the front door glass was cracked or broken, and there weren’t many clear signs guiding you up. It actually felt a bit sketchy at first. If they added some colourful stickers, signs, or lights along the stairwell, it would make such a big difference, not only would it feel more welcoming, but people would know they’re in the right place.

That being said, once you’re inside the restaurant, it’s like a whole different world. Cozy, busy, and full of energy. It’s definitely popular, so I’d 100% recommend booking ahead, especially on weekends. We saw a few people turned away because it was full, and it gets busy fast.

Overall, I’m really glad we came. It was such a good birthday dinner — great food, good vibes, and just a really enjoyable night out. Definitely bringing friends back...

This is my second visit, I had a great experience the first time and had great things to say. I even brought a friend who I’d hope would love it too. This second experience was very disappointing. Frozen meat, short changing your time and staff who does not want to hear honest feedback.

The meat arrived frozen which is a sign of poor quality. The size of plates have shrunk. One serving of mushrooms is 3 quartered slices of one small button mushroom - not even a full mushroom.

We did not get our 90min and were rushed out. We arrived at 5:40pm, by 6:30pm we saw it was the last order and at 6:55pm the staff said we had 3 mins left because they had others waiting. This means we only had 80 min to eat but paid for the full 90 min buffet. Short by 10 min. I remember there use to be a timer showing your seating and how much time you have left. This feature has been removed. Removing transparency is a sign of dishonesty. Also our dessert came 5min before we were due to leave based on their time and having our plates cleared and tables moved to make room for the new guest as soon as we put our plate down is unwelcoming and ensures no return.

When asked if our dinner was ok, the lady at the register was dismissive and argumentative when told her were short changed by 10min. Her response was “but we told you”, and argued that because she told us we only had a few minutes left and there were other waiting left, it was ok to shorten our 90min buffet time to 80min. This is unacceptable in principle - should they want to seat someone else, then would it be ok to shorten a current guests time by 15-20min? No - so why is 10 mins ok? If guest can only get their full 90min by arriving every half hour then don’t seat us.

A note to management - When receiving constructive feedback, a simple acknowledgment for example, “we’re sorry, I hope you’d come again” would suffice.

Overall this yakiniku is below average. I don’t recommend it. Save your money and go somewhere else. Ending dinner with an argument at the till for giving honest feedback is not how you want to...

Budget buffet - order via menu to your table style. Please don't expect above average experience. The experience for me was commensurate with the price. Which I did get what I paid for. Average food in average, greasy environment. Service was curt. But granted they were busy sending out orders and clearing plates through the night which they were efficient at. The interior was greasy everywhere. Floors, tables, walls, windows. There was not a lot of ventilation or exhaust systems in a small busy smoky indoor BBQ grill plate restaurant. One side of the restaurant had an elevated floor marked by a stretch of totally worn out warning tape with a full row of diners sitting alongside the edge. A diner who shuffled his chair too far back, took a dramatic fall over the edge backwards onto the floor. The crashing noise startled everyone in the restaurant who turned to look as he quickly got back up onto his feet and surveyed how dangerous seating is along the edge. A waitstaff quickly shuffled over and apologized a few times before scurrying back into the kitchen for duties. The OH&S in here is really lacking. A group of approx 14 diners came in for the buffet approx half and hour before last orders were called. I don't know if they were forewarned but most of them appeared surprised and hurriedly called for consensus to place orders. Pardon it took me this long to get to reviewing the food... much of it came out frozen, not fresh. The fried battered chicken came out with the skin batter looking plump and moist. Clearly reheated. The cheesy dip came out frozen solid. The waitress placed it on the grill for it to defrost before we can start dipping fries into it. A lot of the food looked way better on the menu photos than what was served up. Photos were promising but the food looked like a lot of cost cutting measures were put in place. Portion sizes of popular dishes were less than what I feed to my small pet. Albeit you can repeatedly reorder til satisfied. Look, it is a budget buffet. I wasn't expecting quality and I did get served a...