Saizeriya Set to Open Its First Australian Restaurant at Highpoint in November

Japanese budget Italian restaurant chain Saizeriya appears to be preparing to open its first Australian restaurant at Highpoint Shopping Centre in Melbourne in November 2026, bringing one of Japan’s best-known low-cost family restaurant brands to Australian diners.

Japanese budget Italian restaurant chain Saizeriya appears to be preparing to open its first Australian restaurant at Highpoint Shopping Centre in Melbourne in November 2026, bringing one of Japan’s best-known low-cost family restaurant brands to Australian diners.

Fresh on-site imagery posted via Reddit from Highpoint on September 10, 2026 shows a Saizeriya-branded shopfront under construction with signage advertising an “Opening November” launch. The development lines up with Saizeriya’s previously confirmed plan to launch restaurants in Australia, including earlier reporting that the company was targeting Melbourne for its first Australian restaurant during 2026.

Saizeriya Is Taking Shape at Highpoint in Melbourne

Highpoint is located at 120-200 Rosamond Road, Maribyrnong VIC 3032, around eight kilometres from Melbourne’s CBD. The centre has more than 450 retailers and an extensive restaurant and takeaway offering spread across several dining precincts.

If the November signage remains on schedule, Australians should therefore only have to wait another couple of months to see exactly how Saizeriya adapts its famously low-price Japanese restaurant model for Melbourne.

Saizeriya Had Already Confirmed Plans to Open in Australia

The arrival itself is not a surprise.

Saizeriya Co formally announced in April 2025 that it would establish a wholly owned Australian restaurant subsidiary, provisionally named Australia Saizeriya Restaurant, specifically to operate Saizeriya restaurant outlets in Australia and expand the business. The company planned approximately ¥300 million in capital for the operation.

Japanese reporting subsequently said the company was targeting Melbourne for its first restaurant during 2026, making the new Highpoint shopfront consistent with those expansion plans.

Saizeriya’s latest published company profile lists 1,682 restaurants, comprising 1,053 stores in Japan and 629 overseas stores as of its 2025 financial year. Its international network has traditionally been concentrated in Asian markets, while the company has been progressively expanding into additional countries.

The Australian restaurant will be particularly unusual because Saizeriya has actually had a substantial Australian presence for more than two decades, just not one where customers could sit down and eat.

Saizeriya Has Been Making Food in Melbourne for More Than 20 Years

Saizeriya Australia already operates a food manufacturing facility in Melton, Victoria.

According to Saizeriya Australia, the local plant began manufacturing in May 2003 and uses Australian-grown meat and vegetables to produce food for the wider Saizeriya business. The company says one reason for establishing the Australian operation was access to high-quality raw ingredients and the ability to reduce food procurement costs.

Saizeriya Australia currently describes itself as providing food solutions to more than 900 restaurants in Japan. Its local business produces frozen and chilled food products, with the Australian operation historically functioning as a manufacturing and supply base rather than a restaurant chain.

That makes the Highpoint development an interesting reversal. Food produced in Victoria has been travelling overseas to support Saizeriya restaurants for years, while Australians themselves have not had a local Saizeriya restaurant.

The new store should change that.

Australian Menu and Prices Have Not Been Announced Yet

The biggest question for Frugal Feeds readers will probably be how cheap Saizeriya will be in Australia.

Saizeriya is particularly famous in Japan for its aggressive value pricing. Its current Japanese menu lists the signature Milano-style Doria at ¥300 including tax, Spicy Chicken at ¥300, Margherita Pizza with buffalo mozzarella at ¥400, Hamburger Steak at ¥400 and Peperoncino pasta at ¥300.

Even its current Japanese glass wine is listed at ¥100, illustrating how strongly value is built into the chain’s positioning.

However, none of those Japanese prices should be treated as an indication of what Saizeriya will charge at Highpoint. Australian wages, rent, taxes and other operating costs differ substantially, and Saizeriya has not yet published an Australian menu or price list.

For now, what can be established is that Saizeriya previously confirmed its intention to open Australian restaurants, Melbourne was reported as the location for its first outlet, and new Saizeriya signage at Highpoint now points to a November 2026 opening.

We will need to wait for Saizeriya or Highpoint to publish the formal launch details before confirming an exact opening day, the Australian menu and whether the chain can reproduce the ultra-low prices that have made it so popular overseas.

If you’re excited about the launch, let us know what you think in the comments!

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