Japanese budget chain Saizeriya to open first Australian restaurant
Japanese-Italian restaurant chain Saizeriya will open its first Australian restaurant at Melbourne's Highpoint Shopping Centre in November.
Banners at the centre advertising the November launch date, prompted speculation among local diners familiar with the chain's ultra-low pricing in Japan, where meals such as pizzas, pastas and glasses of wine are sold for a few dollars each. Saizeriya operates more than 900 restaurants across Japan, offering Japanese-Italian dishes kept affordable through a pre-cooked meal format similar to airline catering.
The Melbourne opening is not an entirely new venture for the brand in Australia.
Many of the ingredients used across Saizeriya's Japanese restaurants are already prepared in Victoria before being shipped overseas, giving the chain an established supply link to the local market ahead of its first storefront.
Reaction among Australian consumers has been mixed. Some expressed enthusiasm at the prospect of Saizeriya's low prices arriving locally.
“Excited for this. Hope they retain the affordable prices,” one person said on social media.
However, others were sceptical about the affordability that makes the chain popular in Japan, with several predicting menu prices could run several times higher than those charged overseas.
“The best thing about Saizeriya is the price and I bet it’s not going to be the same in Melbourne. It will be three to five times what it is in Japan,” said another.
“Most people in Japan only like Saizeriya because it’s cheap. If it’s going to be expensive, then what’s the point,” another commented.
Jonathan Jackson, 21st September 2026
