GOLD COAST RESTAURANT GUIDE
The best restaurants on the Gold Coast
Etsu Japanese Izakaya Restaurant Mermaid Beach Gold Coast
Name: Etsu Japanese Izakaya Restaurant
Type: Japanese Restaurant and Bar
Address: 2440 Gold Coast Hwy Mermaid Beach Gold Coast
Opening Hours: Open 7 days, 5pm till late
Phone: (07) 5526 0944
Website: http://www.etsu.com.au/
Etsu Japanese Restaurant is a traditional Japanese izakaya (Japanese pub) which serves a range of food to be shared. From the outside the only thing that gives this away as a Japanese restaurant is the red lantern at the front next to the large sliding door. You slide open the large door to discover a buzzing bar restaurant with amazing decor, a well stocked bar and a range of dining tables, large communal tables and seating at the bar.
The menu is a range of Japanese food meant for sharing. Small tasting plates to be enjoyed with your favourite Japanese beverage. They have a number of Japanese beers on tap including Asahi, Kirin and Sapporo beer. They also have a lot more beers to try in the bottle. A must try is the Japanese rice beer. Etsu Izakaya also has a range of Japanese sake and shochu.
The food menu includes a range of meat or vegetable skewers cooked on the grill, sushi and sashimi, a range of tempura dishes, soups and salads and a range of food from the oven including delicious pork gyoza dumplings.
As in a traditional Japanese izakaya, rather than order all your food at the same time, here you can order a drink and a few dishes and then order more food each time you order another drink. The food and drinks keep coming until you are content.
Etsu Japanese Restaurant Reviews
Review submitted 8th November 2014 - from Dennis
Etzu restaurant is hard to find (considering it is on the Gold Coast Highway) but once there and inside is quite an eyeful. We were there early Saturday night and it was already buzzing.
We were shown to our table that had a tree sprouting from the middle of it. Lucky there were no creatures in the branches so we were able to eat without undue distraction. And eat we did - 1 dozen small selections from the menu washed down with Japanese beer.
The chicken, beef and pork on skeweres were fine but a little on the bland side - certainly nothing you could not have cooked at home. But the more exotic dishes were very good. A special mention to the softshell crab, deep fried chicken and teryaki.
An overall very good eating experience.
Review submitted 7th November 2014 - from Jean Murray
I am still gob smacked at the entrance, you slide open an old wooden barn type door to get in. I thought the place had closed down except for the red lantern out the front. Once you walk in the place is a hive of activity. A fabulous long bar with different types of tables and lean to's.
The beers were nice and very very cold loved them, then the food started coming firstly we had skewers of all sorts of meats and seafood. But then the real food came out we had dumplings, fried chicken, but best of all was the Soft Skin Crab.....yum, service was good and would definitely go back and I give it a 8/10.
Review submitted 6th November 2014 - from Scott
This Japanese restaurant is a hidden gem on the Gold Coast. You could easily walk past this place without knowing it is a restaurant, with just a very small sign listing it as Etsu Japanese Izakaya. The only thing giving it away is the red latern out the front. It looks more like a run down warehouse but inside the restaurant has fantastic decor and is hive of activity. We went in at 6pm on a Saturday night and the place was already almost full with just a few tables available. Reservations are recommended especially on a Saturday night. The service from the staff was outstanding. The food and environment is top notch. I would give this place 8.5 / 10.
