Lunar by Hikari

Lunar by Hikari is a Japanese-focused restaurant in Brunswick, Melbourne, offering separate daytime and dinner menus alongside coffee, tea and speciality drinks. The menu moves from lighter options such as onigiri, sandwiches and salads to more substantial set meals, donburi, sushi rolls, sashimi and dinner sets.

There is plenty of variety for exploring Japanese flavours, including wagyu sukiyaki, aburi salmon don, kaisen don, unagi and tamagoyaki, and sansai udon with a choice of prawn or vegetable tempura. Dinner also includes sharing-style tapas such as agedashi tofu, tako carpaccio, chicken namban and shokupan pizza. Vegan choices named on the menu include teriyaki eggplant onigiri and tofu with roasted vegetables.

Drinks include espresso coffee, filter and cold brew, matcha, genmaicha and hojicha lattes, Japanese tea, yuzu-based drinks and Japanese apple juice. Desserts continue the Japanese influence with matcha strawberry mochi, black sesame swiss roll, hojicha brûlée and matcha gateau chocolate. With options ranging from a solo coffee or onigiri to shared tapas and premium dinner sets, Lunar by Hikari suits casual daytime visits as well as meals with friends or family. The venue’s Google rating is 4.5 from 499 reviews.