Wagyuto Clovelly — Restaurant in Sydney

Wa Gyuto is a modern contemporary Japanese Restaurant that has opened in the eastern suburbs location of Clovelly. Filling the spot that homed one of my favourite restaurants Darley St Bistro, this new restaurant will soon became a favourite too, with its delicious Japanese dishes.

Chef / owner Andy Yoo’s restaurant Wa Gyuto, is named after the Japanese version of classic Western Chef’s knife and the intent of the restaurant is to preserve the authenticity of Japanese culinary art and dishes. We found that they certainly did this. Much of the menu is what you know and love about Japanese food, with a modern flair, and served on beautiful ceramics.

We opted to share some of the dishes, selecting from the entrees, mains and yakitori. They also have ala carte sushi and sushi sets and sashimi, as well as daily specials displayed on the brown paper hanging on the wall. You can also have their tasting menu if you’d like a bit of everything. Quite a good option if you’re hungry.

Kurt began with a little taster their kombu sliced potato, pressed into what looks like a golden brick, topped with creme fraiche and salmon roe, a great little bite sized morsel.

Then onto entrees. We always love a miso eggplant dish and the one here was nice. The eggplant was glazed in miso, cooked nice and soft and sprinkled with sesame and shallot. This is also a great choice for gluten free, dairy free and vegan diners

My choice was the refreshing Kingfish sashimi, seasoned with a smoked ponzu, finger lime, pickled shiso and I really enjoyed this light meal and it was beautifully presented.

We also enjoyed the wagyu tataki sushi and but was this huge! So good. The sushi was filled with avo, asparagus, and topped with char grilled wagyu and shallot. So delicious.

To get some more veggies in, we tried the oyster mushroom yakitori. With mushrooms that good, who needs meat!

We were quite full, so we didn’t need dessert, but they do have a short dessert menu. The restaurant also has Beer, wine, non alcoholic mocktails to drink and our selection was a glass of sparkling and the Yuza and salted cucumber mocktail.

I haven’t seen too many people I know dine here so hoping this helps to get the word out, for...

I’m writing to share our experience at Wagyutu in Clovelly, which was unfortunately very frustrating. As someone with six years of hospitality experience, I understand the challenges of running a restaurant, but our visit fell significantly short of expectations.

Our order was simple: edamame and miso eggplant for entrees, two wagyu steaks (medium rare) for mains, a glass of Prosecco, and a Coke Zero.

From the start, it was clear the front-of-house staff were unprepared for a busy Saturday service, especially for a restaurant of this caliber. For example, after requesting Coke Zero, we were served regular Coke. Upon pointing this out, the staff checked and informed us Coke Zero wasn’t available—this is understandable, but it reflects poorly when basic inventory isn’t managed before service begins.

The real issue was the 45-minute wait for our mains, which we never received. After 20 minutes, a waitress informed us the steaks would be ready in 2 minutes. Ten minutes later, she claimed they were being prepared on the chopping board. Another 5 minutes passed, cutlery (not steak knives) was set, but still no food arrived. We eventually left, hungry and frustrated.

What made the situation worse was the lack of transparency. If the order was forgotten, delayed, or burned, the best approach is to tell the truth. I understand these things happen. However, offering false reassurances and failing to deliver is both offensive and unprofessional.

Suggestions for Improvement:

Train your front-of-house staff thoroughly to ensure they can manage service expectations and communicate honestly with customers.

If the kitchen is overwhelmed, reduce the number of available tables to give chefs flexibility and maintain quality.

If this level of delay is recurring, it may be time to assess kitchen operations or staff capacity.

Many customers, including us, were visibly uncomfortable and dissatisfied, waiting for food and glancing into the kitchen for answers. This isn’t sustainable for a business aiming to provide a high-quality dining experience.

I hope this feedback helps improve...

Beautiful Food, Warm Service, Great Value

We had such a great meal at Wagyuto. The food was fresh, full of flavour, and surprisingly affordable for the quality. The staff were friendly, genuine, and clearly care about what they do and it really shows.

We started with the pan-fried pork gyoza, which were crispy on the outside and juicy inside. The chilli oil and soy sauce combo was spot on. Absolutely delicious.

The salmon sashimi was super fresh and beautifully sliced. I could’ve happily eaten a whole plate on my own.

Then came the miso glazed eggplant which was easily the best I’ve had in years. It wasn’t overly sweet like most places tend to do. Just balanced, silky, and packed with flavour.

My daughter ordered the karaage chicken, and I stole a few bites. It was crunchy, tender, and full of that deep umami hit. A proper comfort dish.

The standout for me was the yuzu crème brûlée. Honestly, it could have come out of a French fine dining kitchen. The citrus from the yuzu and desert lime gave it a really nice lift.

We also tried the cinnamon donut with salted caramel, which was perfect for the kids (or the young at heart). Not too sweet, just the right amount of caramel.

The only slight miss was the spicy tempura prawn roll. Still good, but a bit heavy on the mayo and tricky to eat in one go. The flavours were there, though, so still worth trying.

Overall, this place is a gem. The food, the service, the pricesm it all just works.

It’s casual, welcoming, and seriously tasty. We’ll...