I was saving my 300th review for something special. And when I visited Izakaya Kintaro, I decided…read morethat it deserves that designation. This Japanese-owned spot slightly hidden off in a small street right in downtown Auckland is a true gem. Here, you can get a full meal for $14.90 NZD and they have $5 NZD draft Orion beer at all times. The Salmon Sashimi Don (meaning on rice) and the Assorted Sashimi Don was fresh and plentiful, containing way more slices of sashimi than described on the menu. If sashimi isn't for you (but why wouldn't it be?), then there are a variety of other options containing cooked items from $14.90-19.90 NZD as well. Super fresh, cheap, and great service. I would recommend for lunch or dinner anytime in downtown Auckland.

First of all the staff at this restaurant are extremely friendly as I remember them the first time…read moreI ever visited Auckland about 4 years ago. So the wait service can't be faulted. Before we get to the food quality itself, there were two things I found strange in my experience here. Firstly I was dining alone and really wanted Gyoza which comes in servings if 10. I asked if I could have 5 and that wasn't an option according to the chef. Then my food came all at once. I had ordered 2 appetizers and a main meal. So half my food went cold. Finally getting to the actual food the Teriyaki Salmon was fresh, agedashi tofu was certainly different to how it's normally cooked and edamame was fine. I'm general this place has lost its authenticity a bit. But food was OK...

Chef's skill was a little lacklustre, not exaclty suited for the performance aspect of a tepanyakki…read morechef either... New restaurant, could use some improvement

Theoretically in my opinion I don't need to have to write a whole review about here....one word…read moresums it up...FANTASTIC!!! ( or any other similar large words of praise one can think of ) But I should mention a bit more about this Japanese Teppanyaki restaurant which has recently opened in the middle of the city. For a start the interior looks good and as one would expect of somewhere not long opened very clean. The service standard as I have found in most japanese restaurants is very good. With a smile and efficiently. As for the food ...it was delicious. We went at lunchtime and had the teppanyaki. The chef was very good at setting fire alight on the hot plate, so lots of photo opportunities there. I started with Japanese Garden Salad with the chefs salad dressing ...very nice. Of course there was miso soup. Prawns followed with yum yum sauce which was definitely yum yum. I know I may say it a lot.....but it was so delicious. Then beef with seasonal vegetables and rice. Oh, don't forget I washed it all down with an Asahi beer. Nice...Overall top marks and hope it stays that way.

Truly an experience! I felt like I was back in Tokyo. The lighting, decor, and the 80's music made…read morefor a good vibe. The food was great for drinking beer! We had the snapper salad, salmon, pork belly, grilled veggies, chicken thighs, everything was great. Definitely worth checking this place out if you're hanging out in AKL.

This is an amazing find! The door is kind of hidden and you go down and you see a nice bar room…read more All the food we ordered was amazing. Their yuzu plum drink was great. This was a great dinner. The place is a little loud. The staff were very sweet and quick to serve. We walked here from our hotel so not sure on the parking. :(

Been going here for years now.. birthdays.. band hangs.. Christmas functions.. karaoke nights.. fun…read moreplace with great staff. Traditional Japanese welcome as you enter.. the best hot sake in town. Pricey.. BUT worth it!!

Sorry I don't mean to be mean. However, this Japanese place is not my favor…read more One thing you can tell whether a restaurant is good or not, is from the customers. You should see local people enjoying , and also with people from the origin country. For instance, a Chinese restaurant here should attract both Chinese people and kiwis. But in Nippon, I see most of the guests are kiwi, not from Japan, or even from Asian countries. So here comes the confusion. A Japanese restaurant should be decent, quiet in a certain way, clean, cozy. It should leave some privacy space with the customers, not that loud and full of quirky music that piled up your stomach. Maybe people find it funny to get a drum hit once coming a new customer, however, I don't quite fancy this idea. Then the menu is a bit confusing, seats a bit narrow, the grilled beef tongue is way too salty, Ginger slices of roasted pork is too thick for chewing, and the whole presentation is not Japan delicate. Of all the dishes we ordered, perhaps the roast vegetable is the best. In our mind, Tokyo Bay in Takapuna is really a good example of what a proper Japanese restaurant should be. Sorry Nippon, I just don't feel you are the right cake for me.

Best experience here on our honeymoon visit to New Zealand!…read more The restaurant is trendy and romantic. Service was so friendly. We ordered the Tokyo platter which had so much variety!

Once again Yelp reviews failed us. We were looking forward to this restaurant by Nic Watt, but the…read moreexperience left us underwhelmed. Restaurant itself is very prettily decorated. Lively ambience. Our waitress was "nice", but nothing beyond the bare minimum. Food was just ok. The crab hotpot was more like a porridge. Drinks were watered down.

Cozy spot. Love the sliding door. Service was quick. Food was very good. And the Staff was really…read morenice.

Try here, if you are looking for an authentic Japanese food. Tons of Sushi places in Auckland CBD,…read morebut most of them are operated by Koreans or Chinese. Here the Sushi chef & the staff seem all Japanese, so it means they offer the REAL thing. Most of Sashimi are all fresh(of course it depends on the season tho). The atmosphere is more "Izakaya"(Pub/Tavern) rather than restaurant, so you can order bit by bit. Reasonable, casual, friendly, yet polite. Good Japanese place. 韓国系・中華系のSushi屋はたくさんありますが、こちらはちゃんとした(笑)日系居酒屋です。お刺身は新鮮だし、天ぷら・照り焼き・焼き鳥などのいわゆる現地受けするメニューも豊富。お寿司は巻物の巻きがやや甘く、ぼろぼろ解けてしまう点がマイナス点(NZと豪州はお米がどう炊いてもパサパサなので、致し方ないかな)。Queen's stからもほど近く、旅行者にも訪れやすいロケーションです。

This place has become one of our favourites. I would go so far as saying we would like to be…read moreconsidered regulars. The food is always fresh and Kuni is a great host. Hard to name a stand out dish as they are all great!

Out cerebrating a friends birthday with a large table. Very tasty (just IMHO not as good as Nishiki…read more(http://www.nishiki.co.nz/) Japanese with a few twists that you don't normally see. Being Tapa's style I ordered way too many dishes and left totally stuffed, I wish I could of convinced the table to go with the set menu as it seamed like a very good deal at $35 perperson.

After a walk around the Ponsonby Market day , my friend and I were verging on the lighter end of…read morehangry ( hungry / angry probably due to the choice of places to eat ! Decisions , decisions !) anyway after a looksie at Ponsonby Central , sushi seemed like a good idea . With a miss 2 ¾ in tow, sushi was a good kid friendly option . Bento boxes started at $25 and seemed very substantial , I went for the beef teriyaki Katsu bowl and my friend the chicken karrage Katsu bowl . Both were alright portions and seasoned nicely , tho miss 2 ¾ was more down with the chicken karrage than her own sushi roll and ate most of mums fried chicken . Service was fast and friendly , but I've never really had bad service in a Japanese place and hope not to . And at $50 for two , lunch with beer and wine is a winner on the day for me , will probably be going back .

Finally found a real Japanese restaurant in Ponsonby. Awesome food and Service !…read more Friendly waiters and the Size of our plates worth the price of it.

NEW ADDRESS! One of my best meals in Auckland so fire ramen and beef skewers are the hitters…read moredefinitely hit if you love Japanese you won't regret 5/5

Awesome yakitori joint! Felt transported back to Japan eating at Ken's. I lived in and around Tokyo…read morefor two years and this place took me back. If you want GREAT food late night, hit up Ken's Yakitori. Ken-san is a master at his craft. His movements at the grill are rhythmic, the way he works the skewers from hot spots to low spots, the meats were all cooked perfectly. Tender, moist, lightly charred, and so flavorful. And the sides were just as good! We had the karaage, OMG the best karaage, the ramen, the curry rice, edamame, miso shiru. If you want something delicious to eat late at night, Ken Yakitori is the place to be!

The ambiance is fun, feels like Japan and I appreciate the all Japanese staff, but best to stick to…read morecooked food here. As a former sushi chef apprentice I was frankly offended by the sushi and sashimi. We ordered a 6 piece hamachi sashimi and it came with 5 decent pieces, but the 6th was a pile of chopped "lesser quality" fish. We also ordered two rolls, a spider and a rainbow. The centers were sparse at best and there was SO much rice around the roll it was like kindergarten sushi. The fish on the outside of the rainbow roll was weak in multiple ways. Our salmon misodare and chicken karage bowls were a bit better. If you want good sushi, look elsewhere, sorry.

Wouldn't have found this one without Yelp. It is a small little restaurant in the CBD with…read moreauthentic Japanese food. Service was excellent, friendly and fast. This could have been right in Tokyo as everything was perfect. Thanks.