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.

Perfect evening with our magnificent chef (Daehee)....our guests had a marvelous time, they enjoyed…read moreDaehee's warm personality, his great charm and humor, his entertainment skills and his out going and friendly attitude. We rate Daehee and Shin's Teppanyaki 10/10.....Thank You....a night we will never forget and highly recommend to all. ありがとうございました Arigatōgozaimashita

if you want to get friends over but can't be bothered to cook then this is the perfect option! They…read morebring everything to you-table, food, cutlery, plates, napkins all you need to do is worry about what to drink on the night. The chef is very entertaining and cooked us yummy food-9 courses for$50 per head-way cheaper than a night out at a restaurant and it was a great team building experience especially when we had to catch the egg in our mouths! Definitely recommend, it's a great concept

Came here for our last meal in Auckland before heading back to the US. We were fortunate to be…read morestaying in the Rendezvous Hotel, so our commute to the restaurant was delightful! Here's the breakdown: Food: So, so, so GOOD! We ordered: Bento Box with scotch beef, salmon avocado roll, edamame, and kingfish sashimi, miso soup, and rice- Everything in the box was great, except the scotch beef. It was slimy and smothered in sauce. We couldn't eat it. The sashimi and roll were absolutely incredible. By far the best and freshest fish I have ever had in my life. I will be dreaming abut this fish for the rest of my life. 5 course chef's tasting menu: Tuna, kingfish, and salmon sashimi- again, all phenomenal Jumbo prawn tempura- So juicy and delicious! Chef tasting sampler- I cannot recall everything that was included in the sampler, but I remember it all tasting wonderful. Salmon- Fresh and delicious. Trio of desserts- meh. The sake creme brûlée was pretty good, but the others were not very good at all. Seaweed salad- YUM! Really, really delicious and fresh! Service: We had the best servers. The ladies who assisted us were just so kind, sweet, and attentive. They made the evening lovely. Atmosphere: Cool and sleek. Prices: A little pricey, but considering it is located within a hotel and the food was as good as it was we were good with the overall cost of the meal. So why not a 5 start rating?? Well, I will tell you. As I mentioned above, the scotch beef in the bento box was inedible. We asked the server if it would be possible to order something else in substitute for the beef. The server went and spoke with the chef and came back to inform us that the chef said we could have something else, but would have to pay for it. Now, in all of my past experiences if I have ever had to send something back to the kitchen it was always taken off the bill and I was urged to order something else that would also be free of charge. I do not believe I should be charged for something I do not eat because it tastes awful and I do not believe I should be charged to order something else. Alas, we did not end up ordering a substitute for the beef and were very disappointed to see the beef on our bill. Overall, the fish is fresh and the service is lovely. I would recommend this place; however, be careful because if you don't like what you're eating- too bad, so sad for you and your wallet.

Katsura was one of my favourite Japanese places in Auckland growing up. They were infamous for…read moretheir decadent Friday buffets, and all-round great service and authentic cuisine. Recently, it appears like the restaurant has undergone new management. Lined with new decoration and completely new faces, the charm that's brought us here previously is now gone. We came for a set lunch on a weekday, and it remains well-patronized but quiet. As a rundown of our experience: Our host tried to upsell us to a premium green tea when we requested tea. She made no effort to explain what or why, but it came at a cost of $5 per person. Usually their complimentary green tea is great, and was what we wanted; and it came at a bit of a "haggle". After our sushi and salad appetizer, immediately came our mains - a shrunken portion of what used to be a generous portion of beef or chicken. We were told that our rice and miso soup were right on its way: this came 20 minutes after. By then, most of us had either finished our mains, or had waited patiently until they were cold. The wait staff made no attempt to see that our table was cluttered and stacked with plates and did not clear them as they came by countless times! Lastly, our tempura dishes came about a 15 minute wait after we had finished our mains. Don't these usually come before the main dish? Our sauce was served together with our sushi and sat at our table the entire time. It came cold, the batter was not drained, and definitely not the standard it once was. Katsura, being an above-average and luxurious restaurant, was loved by our family for years because of its impeccable hospitality and food. It appears as if that charm is gone. How unfortunate!

This is the best sushi / Japanese restaurant I've ever been to, ever since Ying Sun Takeaways shut…read moredown, we have been coming here for takeaways and I was never a fan of sushi before I tried this. The sushi is just delicious it has a flavor that draws the attention to your taste buds. Customers are very nice even though there is a language barrier. I would recommend having the chicken / salmon donburi even though there is an extra 3 dollar charge. Deserves a 5 star

Love this place! The staff are friendly and the food is incredible! Great pricing and large…read moreportions. The restaurant is clean and tidy as well :)

Totoya is one of those Japanese restaurants that you go to and all the customers are Japanese - to…read moreme that is a good sign. I work nearby so I visit for lunch quite frequently and have always been happy with the quality of the food. The sashimi is delicious, if you like your fish raw! While the atmosphere isn't amazing by our kiwi standards, it's actually pretty authentic in terms of Japanese eateries. The friendly staff will give you a big welcome when you come in and serve hot tea to drink while you're deciding what to order and for your food to arrive. At $14-15 for a dish it's pretty good value. There is a lot of stuff on the menu that can be a bit difficult to know what it is so you might find yourself sticking to the well-known classics. That's what I do, but I'm sure the staff can help out with explanations if need be.

I have no words to say about this place during dinner…read more The lady just looked at me and ignore me for 30-40 mins and didn't sit us down or ask us to wait... She didn't even clear out the plates. One thing I'm disappointed about as I have heard good things about this place For now 1 star

Gorgeous food. Love the fanfare during the cooking process. Ex-Daikoku chef who certainly knows his…read morestuff. Enjoy it every time. Give it try. It deserves a lot more recognition than it's getting. Even an 8 month old baby being fed at the table and loving It!

Try and make it for the 6pm special! Prices are way cheaper if you can get there in time. But even…read moreif you can't it's definitely still worth it! It's Teppanyaki so they cook the food right in front of you. I always think this is great as it's entertainment while you wait and because the food comes in instalments (probably not the right word but you get what I mean... they give it to you as each part is cooked). I always get the chicken special. You get Miso soup, a salad, rice, chicken and veges! And they are all superb. I think the thing that keeps me coming back for more is the delicious gingery Japanese sauce they give you! I could probably eat dirt if it was lathered in this stuff! YUM!

Wide range of Japanese food including traditional, fresh and clean with great service. This is the…read morekind of Japanese we were looking for and finally found. Highly recommend :)

I like the concept of conveyer sushi. Most offerings are appealing, and is actually best to go when…read morebusy as food is really fresh. Grab what you want off belt, Plates have a cost, and are tallied at the end of the meal. Order a soup or tea to round off the meal. Less busy times you can see the same plate go around a few times. Kids have a menu too, or can help you pick and choose.

The sushi were not that tasty and the balance of meat and rice are not fair. The amount of fish was…read moreso little. The price is not equally to the quality of the food. Especially the ramen noodle was a ripe off.

I shared a Kyo-ya Special between two, which was fresh, tasty and nicely presented…read more With a shortage of excellent Japanese restaurants on the Shore I would probably come here again if I was looking for a casual dining experience close to home. There is just a lack of atmosphere and "wow" factor with the food however it is a lovely place with good service and very handy to the beautiful Takapuna beach. Even on a busy night such as a Friday Kyo-ya is popular but you can probably still get a walk-in table, another bonus opposed to facing the crowds in town.

I love this place, one of my favorite Japanese places to eat at in New Zealand…read more The food is amazing and fresh The staff is wonderful....Konichi-wa Ai-san I tried most things on their menu but my favorite is beef tataki, shrimp tempura and all of their sashimi Beautiful presentation, all food is soooo fresh...its not that cheap but this place makes me happy...give it a try, it is real Japanese , delicious

Eccentric but awesome dining evening!!…read more We booked the day before, online over Facebook, explaining that one of our diners was soy intolerant (but still loved Japanese food.) The owner was cool about it and we organised to be there at 6pm. We arrived at the venu, just a doorway with an unassuming sign between two shops. This instantly reminded me of some of the places we ate when we were in Japan in 09. Walking upstairs it opens up to a two table dining room with a small kitchen at one end. The decor is quirky, with Japanese memorabilia adorning the walls and mismatched Japanese cutlery on the table. There is a Japanese cooking gameshow on the TV in the corner. The elderly Japanese cook greets you from behind the kitchen and motions for you to sit. Since we are the only table to book, Ochiai San is all the staff tonight. There is no menu. We sat down and ordered some Asahi super dry and prepared ourselves. Degustation/ omakase style, heaps of small plates with delicious Japanese food start appearing. The chef was quiet at first, busy behind the grilles, but warmed up with jokes and banter as the night went on. Food was fresh and delicious, made from whatever could be sourced locally and turned into savory creations. 12 different "dishes" served over about 10 plates ranging from Japanese pickles to brothy soups to dumplings to wagyu beef to choco-nanas. All very tasty. I don't normally like degustation style dining but I was happily full at the end of it all. After dinner Ochiai San came and chatted with us about all sorts of stuff, Japanese dining etiquette, what we liked about the meal, took goofy photos with us with some pre prepared photo frames, he really does feel like he runs the place because he genuinely loves cooking. Really great experience, looking forward to going back there again.

We had been planning to visit Sakura Kitchen for ages. We stumbled upon it years ago when going to…read morethe adjacent supermarket and called in to ask about a booking. However, from memory they were booked up weeks in advance at the time so we put it on the back burner. Since then we've heard so many good reports that we made a date to go with some old mates. The unassuming entrance to this restaurant is sandwiched between a pizza shop and a butchery and is actually easy to miss if you are focussed on the pizza or the meat shopping. There is no menu. The Japanese owner cooks for you, seemingly whatever takes his fancy on the day. It's a small and intimate setting and you can chat to the chef from your table while he cooks. There were only three people working there: the chef, and two others who helped prep in the kitchen and wait on the table. We were a group of 12 and we were the only customers, all seated at one table which filled the whole restaurant. The chef will also open the restaurant and cook for just one couple, as he did for some friends' anniversary recently. I don't think the waiting staff were there so he just served them himself. If you are a fussy or picky eater, don't bother going to Sakura because you won't enjoy or appreciate the effort that goes into the food. If you must go, please be well-mannered and don't pout or turn up your nose at things you don't recognise. It's really immature and insulting to the chef. And don't announce to your fellow diners why you don't want to eat it - they don't want to know! But really... just don't go. We had about 10 courses I think. Each course comes on small serving plates, like a Japanese degustation without the wine to match. There's everything from vegetable to meat (Wagu), chicken and seafoods. It's all very good. Not being Japanese and not having a menu to refer to I don't know what the dishes were called but everything was delicious and presented beautifully with accompanying dipping sauces and condiments. There was so much food that we were all struggling at the end, but had room for the unusual green tea ice cream at the end. They are fully licensed but the selection is very small. I was offered a red or a white wine! They also do sake which some of our party imbibed a little too freely.. A trip to the bathroom is amusing, there is a heated Japanese toilet seat which does other things, (see photo). Our bill came to approximately $70 per head but would be less without alcohol. It was a great experience, unique and special and we'll be going back again.