Signage at Highpoint Shopping Centre points to a November 2026 opening, although Saizeriya has yet to announce a specific launch date. The company formally confirmed its Australian restaurant expansion plans in April 2025, when it announced a new wholly owned subsidiary to operate Saizeriya restaurants in the country.
(Image: Saizeriya restaurant opening soon at Highpoint, source: ins@Food_sack )
Founded in Japan in 1967, Saizeriya built its reputation around affordable Italian family-style dishes including pasta, pizza and doria. As of August 2025, the group had 1,682 restaurants, with 1,053 in Japan and 629 overseas.
Australia, however, has been part of the business long before becoming a restaurant market.
Saizeriya Australia was established in 2001, with its manufacturing plant in Melton, Victoria, beginning production in May 2003. According to the company's website, its Melton plant was established to access quality raw ingredients, reduce processed-food purchasing costs and produce highly prepared ingredients that require less work at restaurant level. It uses Australian-grown meat and vegetables and manufactures chilled and frozen products for food-service customers.
The Melton facility has since become part of Saizeriya’s international supply chain. Saizeriya Australia says it provides food solutions to more than 900 restaurants in Japan, while the group’s Singapore operation sources products including beef and white sauce from Australia. Saizeriya Hong Kong also identifies the Australian factory as a production base supplying restaurants across international markets.
For Saizeriya, the Australian launch therefore follows an unusual path: Australia became a production and export base more than two decades before it became a restaurant market.
The move also comes as Australia’s prepared meals production industry continues to expand. IBISWorld values the sector at around $1.9 billion in 2025–26, with 246 businesses operating in the industry, and expects further growth through 2030 as demand for convenient meal options continues.
The arrival follows another Japanese take on Italian dining in Australia, with Tokyo-based Pizza Studio Tamaki recently making its Sydney debut.
(Cover image source: CdnLovesTravel787 from TripAdvisor)