The sushi chain that had CBD office workers queuing around the block for a quick midday roll is in serious financial trouble. The Mitsuki Sushi liquidation has hit four of the companies behind a chain that operated five venues across Brisbane’s inner city, while a fifth company, which shares its name with the chain’s Fortitude Valley restaurant, has entered a formal restructuring.
Director Chien-Teng Kao did not reply to requests for comment. Sydney-based Balance Insolvency, the firm handling all five appointments, was also approached and did not respond.
Mitsuki Sushi liquidation filings hit the ASIC register
Notices published by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission on 24 August 2026 show that four companies entered creditors’ voluntary liquidation on 21 August: Mitsuki Pty Ltd, Mitsuki Ann St Pty Ltd, Mitsuki Creek St Pty Ltd and Mitsuki JLB Pty Ltd. Nicholas Charlwood and Timothy Cook of Balance Insolvency were appointed as liquidators.
On the same day, the same two practitioners were appointed restructuring practitioners for Mitsuki Katsu Pty Ltd, the company that shares its name with the Valley’s Mitsuki Katsu and Sushi Bar. Under this process, known as small business restructuring, a struggling company keeps trading while it puts a plan to its creditors for paying down its debts. If creditors reject the plan, the company can still end up in liquidation.
The notices do not say which company ran which venue.
Five venues in four years
Mitsuki Sushi opened its first shop on George Street in May 2021, and the expansion that followed was rapid. A large-format outlet opened on Ann Street in April 2023, and two more shops landed on Adelaide Street that same year, one in September and another in October. The final venue, a full restaurant in Fortitude Valley, opened in 2025.
The CBD outlets built a reputation as a fast, no-fuss lunch stop. At peak hours the queues spilled out the door, and a broader menu than many nearby competitors kept office workers and passers-by coming back. For plenty of city workers, a Mitsuki hand roll became part of the weekday routine.
The Fortitude Valley restaurant
The Valley venue, at 1000 Ann Street, was the chain’s most ambitious project. It went beyond the grab-and-go model of the CBD shops, offering a full dining menu alongside a sushi train. It also had a robot waiter that carried plates through the dining room, a novelty that drew plenty of attention on social media.
What happens next
For staff and regulars, the big question is which, if any, of the five venues will keep trading. The four companies in liquidation are being wound up, which means their assets will be sold to repay creditors. The Valley restaurant’s company is in a different position, because the restructuring process is designed to let it keep trading while creditors weigh up a repayment plan.
Neither the director nor Balance Insolvency has offered further comment.
Related: Fresh to Go to Close After 30 Years in Fortitude Valley as Owners Retire
