Gigi

I absolutely love this place, good cheap Japanese food! I never walk out of here having spent more than $ 30 & I never walk out hungry. The staff are super friendly and know the whole entire menu which has over 200 items on it! I love their fresh sushi and sashimi! I could live on sashimi if given the choice.
This is not a place to go if you want a quite dinner experience, it is a fast, cheap place but I have nothing but great things to say about the menu and the food!

This isn’t the world largest place to eat but the food is great and doesn’t cost the earth! I’ve never had a bad feed here and I’ve been kept coming here off and on for the past 3 years. I also love that you can sit outside as well… good for a lazy Sunday lunch. The customer service is great too, they’re pretty quick when it comes to bringing you menus, drinks and meals. Never had to wait long for a meal!

I totally agree with Alex — the tempura sushi at Gigi is a real treat, although you do kinda lose that smug feeling you get after a regular, healthy sushi lunch.
I’m also a big fan of Gigi’s gyoza (if I’m honest, I’m a fan of any gyoza but theirs is particularly good) — nice and crispy with a rich meaty dumpling inside. Yum! A perfect greasy little snack for when you’re feeling queazy, best washed down with a can of the black doctor…
Being on Swanston Street, it’s not the most atmospheric of the Japanese cafes in the city, but it’s not as bad as you think, either. The staff are generally pretty friendly, and the service is fast. The food at Gigi’s offers good value for money — if it was in a nicer location I’d probably pay more with a smile still on my face.

I had just finished up a big sessions at the gym and could not fathom the thought of going home on my empty stomach.
I stepped into gigi late, on a week night. There were a few patrons sitting inside a couple outside, not packed. I was greeted and served with all with one hand gesture (it’s amazing how they do that).
I ordered and the meal the was delivered infront of my very hungry eyes within 10 minutes. I got a Vegetarian noodle combination and was impressed by the portion and the price.
When it came time to pay i was told i could not pay by card (Dammit!) so i told the waitress i would have to get money out, i insisted on leaving my wallet with her and only taking my card but she had full faith that i would return (which i did) shortly and pay for the delicious meal.

Ambiance: I came here at about 6 PM dinnertime and it was packed full. As a result, the restaurant was pretty cramped full with people but luckily I got a little table.
Customer Service: Actually really really good. The servers were kind and respectful, and one university-​age Asian girl with glasses was smiling as she worked, EVEN WHEN SHE WASN’T ATTENDING TO A CUSTOMER. Give her a raise, Gigi Sushi Bar — that is customer service right there.
Food: First thing’s first — I need to applaud the menu. It has the widest variety of foods I have seen in any restaurant — not only Japanese. Several pages of donburis, bentos, sashimi, etc. And the drink section had coffees, chocolate milk, juices, and more. It was so difficult for me to decide what I wanted because well — I wanted everything.
I ended up setting for a plate of Gyoza (a little over 5 dollars), Salmon Donburi (9 dollars), and iced chocolate milk with ice cream (4 dollars) — really cheap prices!
Iced Chocolate Milk w/​Ice Cream — Yes it is as good as it sounds. Enough said.
Gyoza — Pretty unique, and okay-​tasting but not amazing. The wrap is thin and egg-​based when my favourite type of gyoza is a nice thick wrap with juices from the meat still inside. But it was still pretty good.
Salmon Donburi — Killed it for me. The salmon was thin and unsatisfying, there wasn’t nearly enough sauce so the majority of the rice was plain and uncovered (I had to use some soy sauce to make up for it), and there were just massive amounts of Chinese-​style stir-​fried vegetables. After 18 years of my grandma’s cooking, I can tell when something is Chinese. My suspicions were confirmed when I noticed a little metal pot on the side of the table — lifted it up — Chinese red pepper chili sauce that you get in every Chinese restaurant. IMPOSTERS!
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Overall, the food wasn’t too shabby, though the Salmon Donburi was not very good and I probably should have ordered something else. The service was phenomenal and so was the menu though.
Sometimes, I like to try and come up with the perfect restaurant.
Gigi’s service and menu, Kimurakan’s chefs, and the Royal Exhibition Building as the venue. Awwww yeaaahhh. Can some insane, mega-​rich entrepreneur PLEASE do this?

Melbourne locals might find it passé to eat smack bang in the middle of Swanston St, however there is one small delight that has kept my patronage at Gigi’s for several years. Tempura sushi. Imagine two sushi rolls of your choice sliced and deep-​fried in a light crispy tempura batter served with a ginger/​light soy dipping sauce.
As an avid fan of fried food I can justify this because hey, sushi’s healthy right? As well as this «healthy» lunch delight there is the usual Japanese fare, Bento boxes, ramen noodles, beef tepanyaki etc. During lunch expect fast and blunt service, its all about turnover remember.