Shinmachi Newtown — Restaurant in Sydney

Amazing little gem of newtown for good Japanese food. Great vibes and love that there are booths available for more cosy & intimate settings. We were seated in one of the booths with the views of King St.

Service is top notch by the staff. As it was our first time to the establishment, the staff took the time to introduce some great options. They were mindful of dietary requirements and checked with the kitchen too for further assurance. They were also very attentive to notice when to clear the empty dishes and when we were about to finish the bottle of table water by quickly replenishing with a new bottle of table water.

The ramen was just like what their menu stated - killer ramens. The broths for the soup were delish, and great unique flavours came through for both the scallop ramen and black ramen. We were initially not quite sure what to expect for a vegan karage but were blown away by the flavoursome teriyaki sauce and refreshing dipping sauce it came with. The only improvement aspect for this is for not having the lotus root chips placed at the bottom of the vegan karage as it made it less crunchy. The meal overall was very filling for us and satisfying. It also left a fab impression for us to want to come back again. Oh, and not forgetting, the homemade peach tea was nice but was a bit sweet for my personal liking, though the peach fragrance came through beautifully.

A slight drawback for me is the smell of the toilet though it didnt seem to bother the other patrons. May just be my sense of smell.

Few tips: Both cash and card accepted. Bookings accepted even for small groups To get to the restaurant, patrons will need to climb up the stairs to the first floor. Some of the booths have a nice street view of King St but not all. Booths can fit between 2 to 6 persons (varies at different locations of the restaurant). There is a surcharge for Sundays and...

Was choosing between the scallop ramen & the salmon avo tartare. We booked ahead of time to ensure we got a seat and had 1.5hrs seating time.

Place was really warm on the inside like a sauna so i opted for the salmon avo tartare as per reviews l suggestions i saw. It was a good serving size and the crisp around it was really nice. The dish itself tasted fresh, however i felt it would have been better with some sauce. The dish felt more Mexican than Japanese. It was layered as fish roe at the top, then salmon sashimi, avacado, tomato and onion with coriander. The dish was okay, but I think i'm a bit bias when i say it's okay only as I really dislike coriander and there was a lot in the dish. So maybe it would have tasted better for me if i ordered it without coriander. I also ordered takoyaki as a side which was delicious. Would have been even better if the outside was a bit crispier.

My friend had the chicken skewers which they said was good, but a bit burnt on the sides. And the edamame was good too. You can also order chilli powder for free on the side if you want to add some spice to your dishes.

The food came quickly as we had a 6pm table so it wasn't very busy when we arrived. The staff was really nice and friendly as well.

Maybe next time I come back, I'll try the...

Super lovely place to eat in Newtown! It has the perfect mixture of being clean and put-together while being cosy as well

There was a really impressive range of Vegan and gluten free dishes on the menu. I was very glad to see that when you order on the iPad, it clearly states whether something is: Vegan, GF or whether it's celiac friendly or not.

The staff were so so lovely and accommodating. We asked for the sauce drizzle on the lotus chips to be served on the side and they happily completed the request. The serving of lotus chips was also very large and generous which matches the price, well worth it :) everything is priced very fairly

Food comes out SUPER fast and fresh after you order it on the iPad. Everything was tasty and I would absolutely recommend the vegan sashimi tacos! They were surprisingly filling and one of my favourite dishes there.

I did have the oysters, which were nice but just alright. The vinaigrette is definitely on the very sweet side

There are little windows if you get a booth seat that looks down on the street in Newtown which is nice

We came here with a booking on the night of King's Birthday

I love this place now and I will definitely be back

Very happy to have found a new dinner spot...