The long bar and small tables lining the walls make it feel like a cocktail bar-cum-Japanese restaurant. THey serve really good japanese tapas. Some favourites include the den chicken, sweet corn kakiage, tuna tataki and the grilled pork belly.

I got lost the first time I tried to find this place, and eventually gave up. I returned with my friend who had recommended it to me and was very pleased to see that it was just as he had described. The atmosphere is fantastic, the service is great, the food smelt amazing (I will definitely be ordering some when I return!) and the drinks were perfect.
It's definitely a good place to go while on a night out in town. Highly recommend, especially if you love sake and Japanese cuisine.

Down a long set of stairs, through a glass door, then through a black curtain, down another set of stairs... is the long narrow Izakaya Den full of patrons, music, drinks & food. You'd never know this place existed...for some reason, us Melbournians really love that! ha! We popped in here after a comedy show for Marcus Ryan at the Portland Hotel across the street. Just a drink each and 4 small dishes: the tuna, fried chicken, corn, and peppers. Not being a meat eater, the rest of my party exclaimed over how amazing the tuna was, and my hubby really loved the fried chicken pieces. But I must say, from what I had veg-wise, the cornball things were just corn, in a ball, held together with some mysterious non-flavoured thing. It definitely needed (even just a little) spice or perhaps a dip to go with it. It's probably really good when eaten with meat, but nothing special at all when eaten alone. The peppers were exactly the same as the corn - just peppers. No definitive flavour, and again, probably meant to be eaten with meat and not on its own. In sum, if you're a meat eater (and you like raw tuna) - then this place is a must. If your a vegetarian, you might have to hunt around the menu a bit more to find something with a bit of flavour.

Like many great bars/restaurants in Melbourne, Izakaya Den is safely hidden underground. Unless someone takes you there you could get lost and not find it like a friend of mine. You have to actually go under the stairs and you'll find a door there and inside the door you'll find a very busy and crowded bar. The concept of Izakaya in Japan is actually a place to drink alcohol and chat with friends/coworkers. It's not really a restaurant where you eat big meals. They do serve food but very small serving (snack size). It's a good place to hang with a bunch of friends so you can order many different small dishes to share and the idea is to drink a lot while chatting and having fun. If you come to Izakaya Den to have a filling meal, you'll be disappointed unless you are prepared to spend lots of money for food. I always ordered mojito for drinks and I tried some of their dishes before and all were good. I especially love the tuna tataki (don't order this unless you can take raw fish). They could be very busy on weekends so be prepared to wait.

I went here with a friend & it was very hard to find we almost gave up but eventually found it. I ordered several small dishes for myself and my friend just ordered one (I don't think he got the concept) I really enjoyed all my dishes & especially loved sitting at the bar watching the chefs preparing the food. We also had some drinks I ordered two types of sake,japanese cocktail all of which I enjoyed. I would recommend Izakaya Den to anyone who loves Japanese food & who likes to try a variety of dishes.

Fantastic restaurant..The food was amazing ... the service was good .. however, the price of food is quite expensive... the portion is tiny for what i pay..

Great japanese bar for drinking sake while munching on japanese snacks. Love the miso grilled ox tongue and edamame. Go great with sake or umeshu. I prefer my umeshu with soda water.

Impressive atmosphere/location in a basement off Russell Street. We ordered the set lunch menu and it was quality food - I'd just wish there was more of it considering the high price. We also sat at the bar/bench and was able to watch them prepare/cook our meals while we waited.

I've heard people rave about this place for ages. When I finally went with my best friend we were extremely impressed.
It is located in this pokey basement on Russell Street. You have to peel back these velvet curtains to reveal the restaurant. We got there at 6pm and got a seat at the bar just before it got really busy. Izakaya Den provides fusion style snack-sized dishes which keeps your taste buds wanting more. It's great for catching up with friends - Izakaya is the Japanese version of tapas.
It felt really authentic and it was as the waiters were Japanese.
They had a really impressive drinks menu - we had some Umera Plum Wine.
I really recommend their corn-fritters with green tea dipping sauce. They also have this duck skewers that they cook over the grill. It was delicious.
Regarding the ambience - Izakaya den has this nice dim lighting, modern music and an abundance of patrons creates a fun and light-hearted dining atmosphere.

This is my favourite Izakaya in Melbourne- quite a few have popped up of late, but these guys do this style of drinking and dining the best. Their menu is fantastic - there are a lot of options to suit lovers of Japanese and raw fish phobics alike. Prices are a little on the high side, but the food quality is very high and the flavours are superb. Excellent sake list too.

Approximate cost: $24