One of the most popular sushi trains in Melbourne, Sushi Hotaru serves a large variety of sushi at one of the lowest prices in Melbourne. Those looking to dine here should arrive early since they have no bookings available so waiting times can be upwards of thirty minutes to an hour during busy times.
Usually a long queue here
The train
Unlike other sushi trains where the price of the dish varies and is colour coded with the plates, Sushi Hotaru has an almost universal price of $3.30 per plate, except for the gold plates of sashimi and some of the larger items you can order.
Takoyaki (Missing a piece)
Soft shell crab handroll
A personal favourite of mine, the soft shell crab handroll, is an item you can order from their menu which comes hot and crispy. Every time I dine at Sushi Hotaru I make sure I order at least a couple of these.
Seared scallop
Tuna negitoro gunkan
Spicy tuna nigiri
Seaweed salad gunkan
Beef nigiri
Scallop and salmon box sushi
The rest of the sushi was of decent quality. I personally enjoy the different variants of the box sushi as well as the soft shell crab hand roll and some of the side dishes you can order. Although the price recently rose from $3.00 to $3.30 on the basic plates, they offer a 10% off if you pay with cash. The service here is also what you would expect from a restaurant that is trying to rotate people in and out quickly. Even then the staff serving us always had a big smile which I love to see, this along with the cheap food always has me coming back for more.
Food Rating 7.5/10
Overall Rating 8/10