NewsBite

Advertisement

Melbourne now has a Japanese convenience store like those in Tokyo

Suupaa has brought a taste of Japanese convenience stores to Cremorne.

Suupaa’s pork tonkatsu.
1 / 9Suupaa’s pork tonkatsu.Simon Schluter
Inside Suupaa, Japanese-style convenience store in Cremorne.
2 / 9Inside Suupaa, Japanese-style convenience store in Cremorne.Simon Schluter
White chocolate miso coffee.
3 / 9White chocolate miso coffee.Simon Schluter
Tuna donburi.
4 / 9Tuna donburi.Simon Schluter
Fried egg sando.
5 / 9Fried egg sando.Simon Schluter
“Suupaachiki” fried chicken marinated in spices, soy sauce and sake.
6 / 9“Suupaachiki” fried chicken marinated in spices, soy sauce and sake.Bonnie Savage
Outside Suupaa in Cremorne.
7 / 9Outside Suupaa in Cremorne.Supplied
Joine the queue to order.
8 / 9Joine the queue to order.Supplied
Inside Suupaa eat-in and retail store.
9 / 9Inside Suupaa eat-in and retail store.Simon Schluter

Japanese$

Japan’s 7-Elevens and Lawsons are legendary for their high-quality snacks and cleanliness. Suupaa channels that spirit with polished stainless steel, grab-and-go items like onigiri and donburi (rice bowls), and coffee on tap. But you can also sit down (or even come for dinner on select nights) for udon noodles, hefty sandos and signature drinks, boozy or otherwise.

The bento style leans towards ekiben, the colourful boxed meals sold on trains and at train stations in Japan. Onigiri isn’t wholly bound by tradition, however; there are riffs on popular Spam versions made by subbing in mortadella and a layer of fluffy egg.

That playfulness extends to the dine-in menu, reserved for items that don’t travel as well. The panko-crumbed pork-loin tonkatsu comes with a Vegemite-spiked Bulldog sauce, and a Japanese-leaning udon bolognese is made with a dashi stock base and a rich katsuobushi and parmesan cream.

Restaurant reviews, news and the hottest openings served to your inbox.

Sign up
Emma BrehenyEmma BrehenyEmma is Good Food’s Melbourne eating out and restaurant editor.
Tomas TelegrammaTomas Telegramma is a food, drinks and culture writer.

From our partners

Advertisement
Advertisement

Original URL: https://www.theage.com.au/goodfood/melbourne-eating-out/melbourne-now-has-a-japanese-convenience-store-like-those-in-tokyo-20250509-p5lxzo.html