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Ken Yakitori Bar

4.1 (17 reviews)
PriceyJapanese
Open 6:00 pm - 12:00 am (Next day)

Ken Yakitori Bar Photos

KEN YAKITORI BAR ATMOSPHERE

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Recommended Reviews - Ken Yakitori Bar

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Chicken skewer
Jennifer H.

Ordered a chicken skewer and spicy pork belly and onion skewer. They were both quite good although be warned, the sauce on the pork belly one was indeed quite spicy. The grilled flavor on both was great though. Also ordered the karaage chicken which was very well fried and crispy (even in a takeout order). The sauce and cabbage was also the perfect accompaniment. Yum!

Counter
Daniel I.

One of my favorite spots when in Auckland! Wide selection of food and drinks. Real mellow and cozy atmosphere! The skewers are excellent!

Phillipa P.

Ken Yakitori is the perfect place for a birthday meal. You know those ones where you're not turning a significant enough number for a huge party but don't want to be stuck at home with your cat either. If you do want to have a birthday there I suggest you try book the upstairs area. It's a lot bigger and all of you can sit on one table. Whereas downstairs is great for an intimate date or night with a girl friend. The food is so good, great Japanese fare that always goes down a treat. But watch out for their sake, yikes, that stuff is lethal. But definitely helps in keeping the night going ;) The best thing about this Ken Yakitori is that it's so close to everything awesome. You're right in the thick of K road so you can pop to a band afterwards or go the more civilised route and watch something at Aotea Square.

Takoyaki, soft shelled crab, chicken karaage & beer
Kelly C.

I love Ken. Everything makes you feel like you're in Japan- friendly service , banter in Japanese, delicious food - Ken is a home away from home after our time in Japan. There's local beer & sake, great food and a truly authentic atmosphere- the team really want to help you have an awesome evening. Order the karaage with cornflakes, and the Takoyaki , a beer, then sit back and see where your night takes you!

Looks acceptable but tastes unacceptable..

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1 year ago

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3 years ago

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2 years ago

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4 years ago

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4 years ago

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13 years ago

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12 years ago

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12 years ago

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12 years ago

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11 years ago

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9 years ago

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12 years ago

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10 years ago

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9 years ago

Stunning food, great Yakatori, vegetables were the best, fresh and cleansing. A town favorite for sure.

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Review Highlights - Ken Yakitori Bar

That, plus a whole bunch of other things like tempura and agedashi tofu and a huge tofu salad (recommended), beef tataki and karaage (fried) chicken.

Mentioned in 2 reviews

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Asakusa - California Sushi roll- love this taste! They are perfectly match each other prawn tempura, avocado, salmon, fish roe and more and more!

Asakusa

4.4(7 reviews)
5.1 kmRemuera
$$

Low key homey restaurant hidden in the Remuera Village with surprising good food!…read more The place- typical Japanese decor. quite dim atmosphere. 2-4 seaters and a few bar stools. Well maintained. Clean. Some street parkings limited to 30 min during the day. The food- menu is smaller than many other westernized Japanese restaurants but they do bring out good daily specials. Amazing quality seafood. If you are lucky, you may get the highest quality part of tuna (otoro) the menu. Has a rich creamy taste to it. Also recommend the tuna wings. Lightly flavored, juicy and tender. Of course the lunch box options are of good quality and value. The service- as expected from a Japanese restaurant. Helpful and knowledgable. Will definitely visit this place again. Look forward to trying out their next special.

I love to support local businesses, especially when you can have decent chats with the owner. It…read moremakes it feel so much friendlier and that there's a connection there. We've come here heaps of times for lunch and dinner and have always been impressed. The meals are not just your usual Japanese - its fancier! Everything is presented so carefully and beautifully. Check the board for the specials - it will be totally worth trying. And the fresh grated wasabi is really quite something else!

Photos
Asakusa - Japanese Wagyu beef steak. You can check out its beautiful marbling at Asakusa. Chef's recommendation to cook is medium rare.

Japanese Wagyu beef steak. You can check out its beautiful marbling at Asakusa. Chef's recommendation to cook is medium rare.

Asakusa
Asakusa - New menu Japanese Katsu curry. You can choose katsu from Chicken, Pork and Prawn. It comes with rice and bit of salad as well.

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New menu Japanese Katsu curry. You can choose katsu from Chicken, Pork and Prawn. It comes with rice and bit of salad as well.

Cocoro - Murasaki uni (bright orange bit at the top) mixed with local Kina (bottom darker brown bit), in a Gunkan boat with Salmon Caviar

Cocoro

4.7(14 reviews)
1.7 kmPonsonby
$$$$

Absolutely a hidden gem! Down a residential street in Ponsonby, and behind an unassuming door…read more I've had my fair share of really good Japanese food globally, including at several Michelin starred places, and this was up there in terms of quality. The pricing was very reasonable for the price you pay, and the service was very warm and kind, efficient, and spot on. Highlight dishes? - The "udon" with clams was amazing. Not had anything like it ever. - Nigri omakase was perfection. And a good selection of expensive and interesting fishes and seafood that you normally don't get in a chef's selection. Definitely will be revisiting Cocoro in the future. Note that if you would like the tasting menu, you need to order in advance, not available on the day itself. It did look quite interesting, looking at the tables next to me, but I think the a la carte menu also has plenty of interesting dishes, some more so than the tasting menu IMO.

Lunch at Cocoro. Nice bright ambience, tranquil, comfy seating. Service is prompt, attentive but…read morenot intrusive. Wine list is good, good selection of local wine & French. Serves good quality Sake (eg they serve Kubota Manju), good selection of Japanese whisky too. Seafood selection & quality is probably one of the best in NZ. They have Ora King Salmon, uni to Otoro tuna from Japan (farm raised though). ingredients are super fresh. I love eating Chirashi sushi rice, it has a bit of everything but often fraction of the price! Price reflects the quality, $145 for chirashi, uni Gunkan, 3x pics of top quality Tuna sashimi & glass of wine. (I feel full in the end!) Definitely will come back again for top quality, best in NZ sushi!

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Cocoro - Interior

Interior

Cocoro - Dessert

Dessert

Cocoro

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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)
1.0 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

Daikoku - Menu4

Daikoku

3.9(14 reviews)
1.0 kmAuckland CBD
$$

We stumbled on Daikoku after wandering a bit off of Queen Street, towards the Sky Tower. We were…read morequickly seated on traditional tatami Japanese seating on the floor (after removing our shoes). After scanning the broad menu, we ordered up two lunch bento box specials, an eel plate and tonkatsu shoyu ramen bowl. Food arrived mere moments later, seemingly faster than your local Maccas! The lunch special included miso soup, takoyaki, tuna/salmon sashimi salad, chicken teriyaki and a bowl of rice (and some unknown yet tasty chicken cucumber marianated dish). Not a bad deal for $16 NZ. Chicken teriyaki was excellent, btw. The eel arrived in a very generous portion (3x what we'd normally get in the states) and delish! Ramen was perfectly flavored (not too salty) and the noodles were tender. A good lunch stop in the heart of the CBD, and a good value if you're used to paying in USD! A nice refreshing Japanese meal preparing us for our upcoming experience in Japan -- should be ranked higher than the 3.5 stars currently on Yelp!

So far is the best authentic Japanese food I've tasted so far. The staff speak Japanese and…read moreEnglish. You wouldn't know it's there until you walked past it a few times. The entrance is dark so you can't really tell if it's a restaurant. Also, it's definitely hard to tell if it's open or not. There are signs, but it's a bit confusing still. Ha! When you do go inside it, the atmosphere is quiet and calm. It definitely does feel like one of those smaller Japanese restaurants that you have been to if you have ever been to Japan. There's a sushi bar area where you can sit. There's also an authentic Japanese dinning area, set up with the tatami floors, walls, cushions and table where you have to take off your shoes in order to be seated there. There are also western seating available where we sat. The staff are quick to serve and are friendly. The food was delivered fairly quickly, and we didn't wait long. The taste of the food was really close to the kind that you would find if you lived in Japan. If you're looking for a good meal, this place I would recommend!

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Daikoku - Dining area

Dining area

Daikoku - I wish I could take this home for my kiwi friend

I wish I could take this home for my kiwi friend

Daikoku - Menu2

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Menu2

Ken Yakitori Bar - japanese - Updated May 2026

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