Very good Authentic Japanese Food. Food was great…read morePrices reasonable Service was great Family run restaurant. We enjoyed our dinner here very much Thank You Arigato

Good food. Looks like a mom and pop owned business. Chef worked hard to cook as well as prepare…read moresushi and sashimi. All of the food was decent and tasty. The only issue was service. Expect food to be served over a longer period of time since wait help was limited. But we all know the difficulty of labor shortages so just be patient with this homely restaurant.

I've been to Samurai Sizzle several times with my husband for date night dinners out. We haven't…read morebrought the kids, but I think it would be fine to bring older children. The restaurant is in a spot on Victoria Street that looks like it could be a bit shady (from the outside), but the interior is new and comfortable. There is a large teppanyaki cook-top in the restaurant with probably close to 20 seats that can sit around it. Unlike some other places, the chef cooks here consistently (there is some entertaining as with other teppanyaki places, but there is no waiting for a table to fill up). You can also order from the teppanyaki menu even if you are not seated around the table. Every time I've gone I've ended up getting the teppanyaki venison. I was intrigued by the offering of venison the first time and it's been awesome each time I've ordered it. My husband always gets beef and he's always been happy with his food as well. We like to supplement the usual teppanyaki sides (soup, salad, rice) with seaweed salad (we just love it). They do take reservations and if you have a large group (or you want to sit around the cook top) it would be worthwhile to call ahead.

Booked a few days a head for me and my girlfriend, when we got there they had given our table away…read more We got there on time, the grill was vacant, but as soon as I got in I said my name and they just got us to sit in possibly the worst seat, a tiny table against a wall. Not in a corner. I got up a few minutes later to say we had booked for the grill, and that it was OK when I had booked a few nights earlier but she told me that it was now full. Secondly, the restaurant has no atmosphere. It's basically as quiet as it is awkward, and they play modern pop music in the background instead of a Japanese themed music. Thirdly, with the all you can eat, they take SO LONG to bring you more plates that it really isn't all you can eat! We were waiting up to 20 minutes in between plates, and when it would come, it would be 5-10 small bits of chicken on a plate. As soon as a new plate would get here, we would order another, which wouldn't be out for another 20 minutes. The service was bad. The food was alright, but you got it in such little portions that it wasn't worth it. Even if we had got the table we had booked, there was nothing at all worth returning for. Especially at that price range, there are a hundred better places to go. I had been looking forward to eating here all week. Just go somewhere else.

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!

Delicious and affordable food. The service from the staff was fantastic. clean and tidy dining…read moreexperience.

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.

One of my favourite little places in town for sushi. The staff are super friendly and always greet…read moreyou once you enter the shop. The sushi is fresh and you get the standard variety. Anytime I buy this sushi for others they always ask where I got it from! They also do hot meals but I have yet to try it.

Went around lunch time.. we were the only ones in there so service was quick.. just how we like it…read more I went with my sister and her husband.. we each ordered the biggest combo meals that came with a salad, rice, miso soup, and 3 choices. we each got mixed tempura, chicken karaage as our two choices and I got the spicy chicken which was super tasty.. my sister go the teriyaki chicken and her husband got the teriyaki salmon as our third choice. everything was cute and delicious.