Gaijin - Optional Chopsticks

The Main Dinina Area

If you're looking for a Japanese restaurant in Mumbai that does more than just serve food, Gaijin is it. Tucked into Khar, this isn’t your standard sushi joint. It’s gritty, cinematic, and unapologetically bold. The space doesn’t ask for your attention—it demands it. And that’s exactly why we signed on to design its sound system. When a restaurant wants to feel like a Tokyo back-alley record bar and a cutting-edge izakaya at the same time, the audio has to pull serious weight.

Gaijin’s name—Japanese for “outsider”—says a lot about its attitude. The menu reads like a mixtape of Japanese tradition and outsider influence. Small plates show off craft and confidence, with flavours that punch hard but stay balanced. One minute you’re eating spinach gyoza, the next you’re chasing dessert laced with miso and dark caramel. It's a no-rules kind of dining, and that sense of freedom bleeds into every part of the experience. So when it came to building the sound, we weren’t just wiring up a playlist. We were creating a system that could transition from dinner ambience to late-night vinyl sessions without missing a beat.

The Dj Booth

The main room is equipped with two Danley Sound Labs SH75 loudspeakers, chosen for their power and precision in handling complex acoustic spaces. Low end is delivered through a Void Acoustics Stasys 118 subwoofer, which brings depth without boom—just clean, muscular bass that doesn’t drown out conversation. The DJ booth is fully analogue, a rare find these days. It’s fitted with two DJ-ready Audio.

Technica LP120X turntables and an Allen & Heath Xone 92 Limited Edition mixer. Every fader, knob, and cue was chosen for people who know how to work a room, not just play through it. Delay zones are covered by Biamp speakers, keeping timing tight and energy consistent no matter where you’re standing. Powering it all is a suite of Powersoft amplification, giving the system the clean energy it needs to sound full at any volume. A space like this lives or dies by its details, and Gaijin nails them across the board. You feel it in the way light bounces off the textured walls, in the way the staff moves through the room, in the way the music sits in the air—never too loud, never too soft. The audio isn’t an add-on here. It’s an ingredient. It’s the bassline to the restaurant’s entire rhythm. For anyone searching for a Japanese dining experience in Mumbai that’s unexpected, immersive, and sonically dialled-in, Gaijin is the answer. It’s food, culture, and sound woven into one unforgettable night out.

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