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Ken Yakitori

4.3 (19 reviews)
ModerateJapanese, Bars
Closed 6:00 pm - 1:00 am (Next day)

Ken Yakitori Photos

KEN YAKITORI ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Good for groups
Good for kids

Recommended Reviews - Ken Yakitori

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Rachel Z.

I ordered Combo and the cabbage wrapped in the delivery was delicious. Beef Soup is fresh, Potato doesn't taste potatoes, mainly glutinous rice flour. I also ordered Tongue, which was highly recommended, and spent a total of 45.5. There are so many people in this restaurant that the small table can only fit two plates.

Glenn M.

Ken Yakitori on Anzac Ave is such a small and intimate little place. As I walk by the restaurant, the wonderful smells of various skewers of meat cooking to perfection on the grill always makes me forget where I'm actually going, and as my mouth waters I begin to wonder why I'm not going in there. Ken is a traditional Japanese yakitori restaurant which cooks meat and vegetables on a skewer right in front of your face as you sit at the bar/kitchen. You just order a few at a time, and stop when you feel you are full. This can get quite expensive though because it's often hard to stop once you get started. The restaurant has a few tables too, if you'd rather sit facing your friends. Highly recommend Ken Yakitori, even if it's just once for the experience.

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1 year ago

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5 months ago

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Review Highlights - Ken Yakitori

Bamboo and dark woody tones, an intimate little hideaway on Anzac Ave, you should definately track this place down.

Mentioned in 3 reviews

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Fukuko

Fukuko

4.3(15 reviews)
0.4 kmViaduct
$$

Fukuko (meaning 'lucky child' in Japanese) is a small but funky bar tucked away down Tyler St in…read moreBritomart. Serving shochu (somwhere between sake and whiskey) drinks/cocktails and snack food, Fukuko is the perfect place to go to for after work drinks and Japanese bar food. A friend and I came here for a light meal and shochu cocktail one Thursday night. We had just spend an hour shopping as part of Britomart's VIP Winter Shopping Spree. It was relatively quiet when we arrived, but soon filled up while we were looking at the menu. We decided on the shochu cocktails. I ordered the 'Baku' ($16) which consisted of whiskey, lime juice, sugar, mint and blended together with an egg white. Very interesting cocktail, as the egg white made it creamier! For food, we ordered two lots of the Steamed Pork Buns ($5.50) with pork belly, cucumber, spring onion and hoisin sauce and the New Style Sashimi Lettuce Cups ($6.50) with seared tuna, avocado, jalapeno and lime. Both dishes were fantastic! The pork buns were perfect and the sashimi lettuce cups fresh and tasty. I would definitely come back just to try these two dishes again - maybe next time I will order three of each!!!

After hearing rave reviews, Mils and I finally tried out Fukuko on Friday night and I must say, I…read moreloved it. Fukuko is relatively small and dimly lit but being street level with lots of the windows the space still feels open. The vibe is relaxed and casual cool, which is hard to find in downtown Auckland, particularly on a Friday night. The high tables and stools add to the informality as does the laidback hip hop D.J and friendly bartenders, who don't mind a double boston shake...efficiency at it's best. Fukuko is a Shochu Cocktail bar and whilst you can get the Japanese spirit neat, they also have a number of delicious Shochu based concoctions, including a Earl Grey Martini, which Mils opted for (and I tasted....it's as good as it sounds). I went for the Japanese Gimlet, which was refreshing but, as to be expected with a gimlet, a bit boring. I didn't really care too much though, as the drinks were a steal at only $12 each!! As for the food, Mils and I shared a massive bowl of Edamame beans, the Wayku beef and ginger dumplings and the fried chicken with Japanese mayo. All were delish - the Edamame perfectly salted, the fried chicken crispy not greasy, and the dumplings delicate with a hit of ginger (albiet, a little bit underwhelming). Definitely come here if you are after a fun, laid-back vibe but can't bothered dealing with the usual Friday raucous!

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Fukuko
Fukuko
Fukuko

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Genta - Yakisoba,10.90

Genta

3.6(11 reviews)
0.4 kmViaduct, Auckland CBD
$$

Japanese restaurants outside of Japan can be a bit stuffy. But when you've been to Tokyo and eaten…read morein their version of a greasy spoon diner, you realise that there are places where you can eat great food at a reasonable price. A group of five of us arrived at Genta after seeing a show at the Civic. We ordered quite a few dishes from the menu. For me, I was after ramen! The ramen I had was was okay. I gobbled up the whole lot. But it's very hard to compare Japanese ramen with ramen made outside of Japan. As for the ambience, I loved it. This place has a great feel to it and was true to Tokyo dining tradition...apart from the smokers. The smokers were missing from the diner. As a place to share a meal, the dishes are like tapas and able to be shared amongst a small group. You can buy beer towers of Orion Beer but I was happy having a half litre handle of Sapporo Beer. Orders are taken by the waiting staff who then call to the chef to prepare the food in similar fashion to that in Japan. To be honest, you could go to another Japanese restaurant and pay more for a lot less. But why would you? This is how food is done in Japan. Only it's in New Zealand. And I'll definitely be going back again and and again. ;-)

I'm a fan of this place! The prices are reasonable and everything is made delicately. We ordered…read moreour items a la carte as seen in the pictures, but they also have hot-pot available which would be great for those cold winder nights Great japanese atmosphere apart from the fact that they play urban/mainstream music, which wasn't totally a bad thing.

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Genta - Aburi Salmon,9.90

Aburi Salmon,9.90

Genta - Menus

Menus

Genta - Menus

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Menus

Yoshizawa - Tonkatsu set; very juicy pork cutlet and the breading was crunchy and perfect! Potato salad was flavorful too! Really loved the tea as well!

Yoshizawa

4.8(6 reviews)
0.6 kmAuckland CBD

I ordered the tonkatsu set, which came with a generously sized cutlet, a small bowl of rice, miso…read moresoup, mixed greens, Japanese potato salad, and a cup of tea that tasted like genmaicha. The tonkatsu was spot on. The pork was juicy, the coating was crisp, and everything tasted fresh. I added an order of potato croquettes and enjoyed those too. Price-wise, it's a bit on the higher side, but it's Auckland. My Kiwi coworkers warned me that eating out here isn't cheap, though it's still relatively affordable compared to the US. My total was around $35 NZD including a can of Coke, which comes in under $20 USD. Honestly, that feels like a bargain since you'd never get a tonkatsu set under $20 in high cost of living cities like LA, SF, or NYC, let alone a tonkatsu set along with 2 croquettes and a drink. Service was great. The cashiers and servers were friendly and welcoming, which may just be a Kiwi thing. I also appreciate that the place is actually Japanese owned and operated. The food quality shows and is noticeably better than most spots I've tried back in the US. The ambiance feels very similar to a small restaurant in Japan. Minimal, clean, and limited in seating. They have solo dining spots, small tables, and some bench seating, but I wouldn't recommend coming with a group larger than four since you'd end up taking over most of the dining space. Overall, I really enjoyed the food at Yoshizawa. I even came back later in the week and tried the chicken katsu, which was just as good. This place is definitely going on my list for a comfort food fix every time I'm in Auckland.

Growing up in Japan tonkatsu and katsu don were my comfort food. After moving around and living…read moreabroad for decades when I find a good katsu restaurant I am in heaven. Visiting Auckland I immediately Googled where I can find a good katsu place and this place showed up. I was so happy I came here. It is not a big place, but the service was quick, orderly, and efficient. The food was very good! I ate every morsel presented to me. It is right near the university so you see many university students having lunch here (lucky them!). Would love to come back here next time I am in Auckland.

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Yoshizawa
Yoshizawa - Katsu Gozen

Katsu Gozen

Yoshizawa - Tonkatsu don

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Tonkatsu don

Ramen Daikoku - Menu

Ramen Daikoku

4.0(11 reviews)
0.5 kmViaduct, Auckland CBD
$

Another of my favourite " nothing flash " eating venues. It's small ;so seating can be limited if…read moreit gets busy ; the staff I find are quick in taking order and then the food coming out. The menu consists of all the usual in these sort of Japanese restaurant plus they have monthly specials. The price is pretty good , the place clean and a good thing is you can watch the food being prepared as the kitchen is open. But I find their portions of meat a little less compared to another Japanese restaurant I reviewed but barring that it is equally delicious. Drinks are available as well as help yourself water. No credit card facilities though , only cash or eftpos. It's tucked away in the queen st side of Tyler st and could be easy to walk past if not really looking.

Seeing is believing. However, when it comes to restaurant, it should be eating is believing…read more I believe it is a fairly nice Ramen place to fill the hungry stomach in this crowded city pace. Soy sauce, Miso, Salt and Tonkotsu Ramen, four elementary Ramen but classic to choose. There are more to come if you would like some special treat to your noodle. Quite a Japan Style! Honestly, for this kind of noodle place, always try the basic and best one. Tonkotsu is not a bad choice. Nice soup, slow cooked pork slice, bamboo shoots and fresh spinach for a taste bonus. What's more, you can choose fried dumplings, they call Gyoza and some pork stew for small bites. They are both quite authentic. Just wish they could turn these seats a bit more tidy, then it would be closer to my Ramen Place expectation.

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Ramen Daikoku - Menu

Menu

Ramen Daikoku - Outside on Tyler St.

Outside on Tyler St.

Ramen Daikoku - The menu

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The menu

Ken Yakitori - japanese - Updated May 2026

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