Our Story
Joel Best is the founder and creative mind behind Besuto and Bar Besuto and as an owner-operator, is actively involved in both venues. On any given day, you can catch him hosting, or creating delicious omakase as Chef at Besuto, or educating guests about Japanese whisky and pouring from his extensive collection, as Chief Whisky Sommelier at Bar Besuto.
Prior to Besuto and Bar Besuto (which are a play on Joel’s own surname - ‘Besuto’ means ‘Best’ in Japanese), Joel operated Bondi’s Best, a hugely popular, sustainable, gourmet seafood takeaway eatery in North Bondi, moments from the ocean. At Bondi’s Best (that Joel operated for 8 years before selling in 2019), Joel was fastidious about the source of his seafood, and that it had been fished sustainably.
This unflinching commitment to quality and sustainability carries through in his current venues. Joel’s knowledge and passion for sustainably sourced fish, coupled with the joy he derives from sharing ‘seafood done right’ with customers, makes him an ideal advocate to spearhead sustainable seafood in Australia.
“Education is the key - I always want to ensure my customers have full transparency over what they are eating.”
In 2021, Joel teamed up with fellow chef, business partner and friend Tomi Bjork, to open an elegant, 14 seater omakase restaurant - Besuto, serving a nightly seafood degustation - that changes according to what’s fresh at the seafood market that morning. Tomi Björck - who is based for part of the year in Bondi, where he lives with his young family - is one of Finland’s most cherished restaurateur and celebrity chef, with multiple restaurants in Finland, Sweden and Australia, 20 television series, six cookbooks, and a resume spanning some of the finest restaurants in the world.
In 2023, the two teamed up again to open their second offering, an intimate, underground, Tokyo-style whisky den - Bar Besuto (just around the corner from Besuto). The whisky bar is partly an excuse for Joel - a whisky fanatic who has travelled to Japan nine times to collect rare whiskies - to showcase and share with fellow whisky lovers, his 150-strong collection of Japanese whiskies.
“I want to give people the chance to taste rare whiskies they probably wouldn’t find anywhere else.” - Joel Best
