Really tasty bento boxes and the matcha latte was really well made. This is quality Japanese food that doesn’t bring anything unique but also won’t disappoint It was about a half hour wait to be seated and the staff were friendly and quick to serve and take orders. The only qualm was the ventilation in the cafe was so cold out meals went cold and stiff before we could finish our meal

We came here for my birthday brunch, and we had a good time. We order the chirashi and it was so fresh, the flavors were very clean and yummy. The rice was fantastic, love it. We order the prawn burger that was pretty good as well. The staff were very friendly. In general, pretty good.

Cute little Japanese brunch spot. Gets super busy on the weekends but we'll worth the wait. You can expect some classic Japanese hearty dishes that will leave you feeling pretty full satisfied and wanting to come back.

Let's throw it back to a wonderful Japanese-inspired cafe in Marrickville called Kurumac! From what I hear, it's quite the community favourite. Not hard to tell given the lengthy waiting time on a Saturday lunch. The word cafe might suggest some degree of "Asian-fusion" brunch dishes on the menu, but what they serve is anything but! You'll see other diners munching on triangle onigiris, or slurping on beef udon and somen noodles. It's actually very reminiscent of the types of food you will see eaten at lunch hour in Japan. I was on a mission coming here though. I HAD to try the chirashi don. I love any sort of chirashi. Kurumac's had a fan of light torched, gorgeous slices of salmon, cubes of tuna, prawn, scallop and salmon roe. Not too much to say about this besides that everything was really fresh and you'll probably enjoy this immensely if you love your sushi. I loved the touch of detail with the tempura flakes between the fish and the rice. I was told the must-order here was the spicy cod roe melt. Indeed, it was really nice! It wasn't spicy per sei, but there was a thick base layer of crispened milky toast underneath topped with a creamy, decadent mix of mentaiko mayo and light melted cheese. The cod roe flavour is great - it certainly makes you want to explore cod roe used in other dishes. I'd recommend sharing this between two. We also ordered the nori ben, which had crumbed yellowtail, fried mackerel, grilled salmon, pickled greens and seaweed. That yellowtail meat was fabulous. Extremely tender, and what a delicious (mayonnaise?) sauce to go with it! Beware that rice bowl servings are pretty big so they'll definitely fill you up. PLEASE NOTE also that this visit was earlier this year, so some of the dishes on the menu may have changed seasonally or are unavailable. It's just the way some cafes roll. If so, you might find good success with any of their other dons or the mazesoba, which I've heard great things about! 📍 Kurumac Cafe, Marrickville

Many reviews mentioned long wait times so I was mentally prepared but we came before noon on a Saturday and it was only about a 5-10 min wait. Make sure you go inside the cafe to put your name down on the paper waiting list as they don’t have someone taking names. On the pricier side but servings are proportionally generous! I do miss their ochazuke (tea broth and rice ball dish) on their winter menu, as a lot of their dishes are cold dishes now even for winter (this is because they use a lot of fresh ingredients though such as sashimi). Their matcha is nice and bitter, and coffee is good! (Note: they have a weekend surcharge of 10%)

Nice and cosy Japanese cafe. Food is delicious and drinks are nice too. Spicy cod roe melt is a must-try (it’s not too spicy though). Staffs are super friendly. There’re plenty of on street car park around. Definitely worth the try.

A pleasant Japanese themed cafe with flavours to match. Came here for brunch, and the dishes definitely surprised and delivered a nostalgic feeling of being in Japan. Ordered the Tantanmen, Chirasi, pork ginger Don. Highly recommend the chirasi as it certainly impresses with the presentation and flavours. The sashimi and cuts were fresh and delicious. The tantanmen was disappointing as it was very salty, but the flavours were all there. Lastly, note that there's a 10% surcharge for weekends... I find a lot of restaurants/cafes are doing this now. The prices here are on the more expensive side so please take note of this small detail.

Yum yum! Had matcha latte which was amazing, smooth, creamy and full of flavours. Also tried their crossaint and loved it! Crunchy, flavoursome. For main I had Tantan noodles, it came with a hot spring egg and after mixing everything together, the sauce became very creamy and thick, goes well with the noodles. The portions are good too! Be prepared to wait as it is very popular.

Ate here for the first time over the Easter break. Interesting Japanese menu (not just the usual), all the food was delicious, the staff were really friendly, the interior is really well designed and the coffee was good too. Definitely try the Takoyaki croissant! The flavour was excellent and the pastry was super flakey.

Weekday trip meant the cafe had a steady flow of people rather than the weekend crowds- the meals were very presentable and per expectations for the price. The servings size portion is just right, I had a coffee prior to visiting so struggled to finish two bites, not intentionally! It was a great meal, the seaweed is met with care, the miso soup was not overpoweringly salty and was high quality. The rice is above average koshi. I had the salmon don and the stand out was the scallop, surprisingly given the title (!!) the produce used is good quality no slimy residual or smells, (although one of my salmon pieces appeared par cooked but that did not bother me just curious). The pickles across both dons we had were very tasty and not drenched. Thumbs up. Decor was bright at the front - darker in the back, it’s a cute little store front. Would visit again, saw they had Tenacious pastry and Sample coffee, looks like they are all about quality and they nailed that with their offerings on the menu.

On Sunday mornings it is way too long to wait. I really liked this place before however after they changed their menu I feel the food has become very healthy/salty. Well it’s still good amount of food for brunch.

The Oxtail curry was rich and flavoursome! The meat was very tender, and the curry was delicious. The wagyu beef udon's texture and taste reminded me of the beef don at Yoshinoya. The Matcha orange juice was a pleasant surprise. Never would have thought to combining these two ingredients together until i tried it here. The subtle aftertaste of matcha pairs very well with the sweetness of the orange juice! Environment was very nice. The cafe is situated in an old terrace style shoptop building. Staff were friendly and polite.

(4.5 stars) The interior of Kūrumac is an exercise in minimalism: think black tiled floors, white walls and pressed tin ceilings, spartan wooden banquettes and schoolroom style chairs. If it sounds a bit austere, don’t worry, the feeling of being enveloped in a warm hug shines through in everything they put on the plates. From a simple spicy cod roe melt ($13) where mentaiko-spiked mayo. is squiggled across toasted, white Japanese bread, all the way to a more substantial noriben ($25), everything seems aimed at being comforting and nourishing. Presented on a little wooden tray, the latter dish—its name a hybrid of nori and bento—presents three different fishes (yellowtail, mackerel and salmon) in three different ways (crumbed, battered and grilled) with pickles, over nori-topped rice with a miso soup. It’s high in protein and wins for those who like diversity in their bowl lunch. Japanese curry is a clever addition to the crumbed fish burger ($22). It isn’t cheap but it is substantial, with a big crisp katsu fish fillet sandwiched with curry, lettuce, tomato, cheese and tartare inside soft milk buns. Team it with a wonderful Mapo hojicha gelato milkshake ($9.50) for the full Japanese burger’n’shake experience. I also enjoyed the matcha latte ($5)—presented in a simple earthenware cup—as it had good bitterness to offset the milk’s natural sweetness. I look forward to returning to try the rest of the succinct but interesting menu here.

A cute little cafe with yummy Japanese style dishes. We ordered a chirashi bowl, mazesoba, and eggplant katsu sando. Everything was pretty delicious and we left feeling satisfied and full. We got there at 11am (lunch menu starts at 11) and a couple of their popular items were already sold out. Makes it a little difficult to try everything you want in one visit if you need to get in early enough for some items but late enough for the lunch menu :')

One of the best traditional Japanese breakfast in Sydney. I love the onigiri set, the eggplant is amazing. The mocha latte is great too.

We lined up for 30min and good dining-in experience at the weekend. The food quality is quite good in terms what we ordered as assorted sashimi and ox tongue curry which are the most pricey on their menu. Our average spending per person is $40+ including 10% weekend surcharge.

I love Chirashi bowls so much and this is one that has never let me down. Always topped with generous ingredients, everything awesomely seasoned and I really dig the little tempura flakes in the rice. The items on the rest of their menu are amazing as well. If you love Japanese food, you must try this place.

We came in at 9am on Thursday for breakfast, plenty of tables available. So come in early if you don’t like long waits. Love that salmon congee, very generous amount of salmon. Salmon skin is super super crispy. Very friendly staff. Absolutely a place I will be back.

This cozy Japanese restaurant is a popular spot. The wait time can be long, especially during peak hours, so it's best to arrive early. The food is a bit expensive compared to other Japanese cafes. We were seated in the second section inside, which was quite dark. If you're an avid food photographer, I recommend sitting closer to the window next to the cashier. Overall, we had a great experience at this restaurant. The food was delicious and the service was friendly. I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a great Japanese cafe experience.

Nice little cafe with options for everyone. Staff are onto it, fast service but it’s very popular with no bookings allowed so be prepared to wait for a table! (Worth it though) Must have: can’t go wrong with anything! Every dish we got was delicious but the fish burger was the best I’ve had.. light, crispy, fluffy 🔥🙏

Love their matcha latte. It’s got the rich matcha bitterness which I indulged in. Food’s great and they’re pretty standard Japanese food. Wanted to try something else on the menu but seems like it’s been removed from it. The staff’s pretty attentive to our table but the room’s a bit dark for a cafe even though there’s lighting.

Food was great but still nothing special especially for the price we paid. Was looking forward to it after hearing all the hype about the place. Still not a bad place to go but not sure if it’s worth waiting in the cold for.

Always miss out on their breakfast but luckily their lunch menu is still tasty! Japense style white toast with seaweed butter, is nice a soft with subtle flavours, spicy cod roe melt is my favourite! The French toast with hojicha gelato, assorted seafood sashimi and crumbed and grilled fish with omelette, pickles and rice were okay but a bit heavy me. Definitely prefer the bread 👍🏼😋 🍞

I was thoroughly impressed with this place and despite the pricier prices, I actually think they justify what they ask for. We came at a good time on a weekday afternoon so there was no wait and the wait times for each dish wasn’t too long. Each dish was cooked well and the flavors and textures impressed me. This is most evident in the ox tongue curry as the meat was well prepared. I was also a fan of the shake as it wasn’t too run down and was actually thick which is something I always appreciate in a shake. Would definitely return for other food items. Not sure if everyone will experience this, but mobile data seems to be blocked or limited inside the restaurant.

Overall: high 4/7 Overall good food that’s well seasoned and cooked. However it is quite expensive for something that doesn’t quite stand apart from what’s available at other Japanese restaurants. So -1. I think this is a restaurant that is a very ‘safe’ option to go to when you’re unsure of where to go or what impression to make. Nothing on the menu is offensive and there’s probably something for everyone. Braised wagyu beef udon: 5/7 Certainly not what I expected from ‘braised beef’ - rather than bigger chunks of beef they instead presented thinly sliced pieces… But in the end it all tasted good. The broth is clear and has strong soy / dashi / beef notes. Don’t really understand the need for an onsen egg in this but… it’s there. Nasu tomato somen: 5/7 Very refreshing dish with well cooked noodles that still have a considerable bite. Highly recommended on a hot summer day. The eggplant was cooked very well.

Nice small Japanese café at Marrickville. We tried the Nori Ben and Chirashi, they are really delicious. If you're a Japanese food fan and would like to try something other than ramen, this café is the one to have a go.

Great Japanese food and great coffee. Just wish there were options at breakfast. Thanks for being so consistently yummy. Have had the ebi burger, the eggplant Sando, Pork Ginger Don, Breakfast plate and all are great.