My Favourite Japanese Grocery Stores in Melbourne

When I cook Japanese meals at home in Melbourne, there are a few ingredients I prefer to buy from Japanese grocery stores. I still buy most of my fresh produce at local supermarkets, but there are some pantry items and small extras I almost always pick up from these shops.

If you are looking for Japanese grocery stores in Melbourne, these are the three shops I come back to most often for rice, miso, mirin, dashi, frozen foods and Japanese pantry staples.

If you are not in Melbourne, I have also put together a Japanese grocery shop list by city.

This is my favourite kind of one-stop shop. Walking in always reminds me of a small supermarket in Japan.

They have a wide range of pantry staples and frozen foods, and the location makes it especially convenient. It is right near Prahran Market, so I often stop there for lunch first and then do all my grocery shopping in one go. It’s the kind of place that makes planning and cooking for the weekend feel easy.

Hinoki is on Smith Street and has a beautifully curated feel. It is more like a boutique pantry than a regular grocery store.

I love their selection of condiments, and they often have fresh sashimi fillets, which makes it very easy to put together a simple sashimi plate at home. They also have a great range of Japanese snacks, and even a vending machine inside the store.

At the front, there is also a lovely display of Japanese ceramics and cups, and I always end up wanting to take far more home than I planned. They have a sushi bar for a quick takeaway lunch too.

My favourite Japanese cafe, CIBI, is only about a 7 to 8 minute walk away, so it is a nice area to spend a little time in.

Suzuran is a Melbourne classic. It has a more traditional feel, and every visit feels calm and welcoming.

They have all the essentials, and it is very hard to leave without picking up some of their sushi. It is also the place I go when I want to treat myself to one of their sushi platters for a special occasion.

If you are visiting one of these Melbourne Japanese grocery stores for the first time, I would start with the ingredients that are harder to find at regular supermarkets.

• Japanese rice
• A wider range of miso and dashi packs
• Hon mirin, cooking sake and Japanese soy sauce
• Frozen foods, snacks and small pantry extras

Each of these stores has its own charm, and every visit makes me feel a little closer to home.

- Tomoka