A local fave, especially for its delicious chicken teriyaki dish and good variety of sushi and…read moreother options such as dumplings. Clean and aesthetically pleasing :)

Easy choice for lunch, pick your own sushi, sit outside in the sun and watch the world go by…read more Nothing out of the ordinary, but well presented (the usual lineup, with both hot and cold options).

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

The sandwich board advertising Makoto Sushi was propped up against a table inside therefore…read moredepriving all passing traffic, both vehicular & foot, of it's location. The fact that I had been there before meant I found Makoto with ease and with a grumbling stomach, perused the range of delicious boxed bento available from the menu. You order at the counter & your food is brought to you. The Makoto Special Bento consists of tempura, chicken teriyaki (you have a choice of chicken, fish or pork) sashimi, sushi, rice (of course) & miso. There were a few basil leaves sprinkled with a vinaigrette, hardly a salad so I'll call this "garnish". This food is freshly prepared & you can taste it. Even the rice, infused with sesame seed, was flavoursome & plentiful. A masterpiece in the art of Japanese cooking & presentation. In Japanese tradition, it is customary to leave some food on your plate as a compliment to the chef. Well, I apologise now to the chef at Makoto - he must have thought me a rude bastard as I figuratively licked my bento clean! Maybe on my next visit...

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.

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.

The food itself was very tasty, I did not have much to comment about. It was a very pleasant…read moretasting experience and the price was really good, (110 NZD = $66 USD) for all that much food. Beef was tender and easy to chew, veggies were full of flavor. Fish was full of flavor and well textured. Definitely well balanced but I'd trim the cabbage salad to half as it was hard for me to finish, and maybe add a few more slices of salmon/tuna. Service was a bit slow considering the restaurant was not considerably busy, but all of my meals were served in a timely fashion. There was a party that got the same menu as me (shame on her for judging me eating alone but whatever), and the difference in time for us getting our foods wasn't too far apart. Ambiance - it is a very popular restaurant, has the stereotype of an up-scale buzzy restaurant. Definitely good for solo and accompanied dining :) I'd give this a 4 star rating. Food was great but the service could be better and more attentive.

Some of the best sushi we've ever had! Friends with us who are not Japanese food fans have been…read moreconverted. Tasting menu is perfect and yummy!

Went here with the family on a Wednesday night for a combo birthday / new job celebration. Great…read morelocation. Excellent service. Exemplary food. Prices there or thereabouts. Highly recommended! Super useful online booking and text confirmation system. Suggest sharing rather than solo ordering.

Awesome fresh sushi and sashimi. So delicious. Suitable for…read moreall ages. My teenager liked the food. Sea views. Inside/outside tables. Good wine and cocktails. They accept walk ins.

The first time I ever had Japanese food was at Midori and ever since that day I have never looked…read moreback. I have become a Japanese food lover from the Teriyaki chicken to the sashimi,Midori helped me fall in love. The restaurant is very cosy and welcoming with soft background music in the background. This creates a nice, relaxed and calm atmosphere perfect for a date, a catch up or even dinner for one. I had the teriyaki chicken with rice and a glass of their rice wine. The food was fresh and tasty, no bumpy or chewy bits in my rice! The chicken was succulent and well flavoured. I thoroughly enjoyed my meal and my only issue was the dessert menu, Midori could do with more dessert options.

I really enjoy the food at Midori and they're always consistent, from their food to their service…read more It's a very small restaurant so be sure to get in quick, especially on weekends as they fill up fast. There's a great view of the bay from the restaurant, making it a nice place to people watch or the perfect backdrop for a dinner date. My partner really enjoys the udon here and I usually go for the katsu or the one of the hot boxes- the hot boxes in particular are really good. Midori's sushi is pretty popular aswell, which you can order when you're dining in, or take to go- their California rolls are so tasty! I'd suggest trying out one of their entrees too, they've got a good selection at good prices and the portions aren't too big, so you'll still have room for your main meal. Next time you're in Mission Bay I'd try out Midori for a great-tasting meal and great service.

The Sakebar Nippon in Takapuna is where you go for maybe not the best Japanese but for the best…read moreentertainment and tentative staff. However its very popular and you must book on a Friday night. When you arrive a staff member asks you your name and then calls it out to the whole restaurant whilst banging a drum. I had a bunch of small things like Pork skewers which were succulent, the Yum Yum Prawns came in an eggy cream that I found quite yuck yuck. Takoyaki (octopus) balls were ok and Salmon Won tons were good. The choices around the table by my 6 other friends were much the same, good and ok. We were seated at low tables on cushions by a TV screen, conveniently booked by my friend so she could start up the Karaoke. Another group came and joined in also. One of the Japanese girls shook a tambourine and a guy danced around in a onesie. Very comical.

Having long been a patron of Sake Bar Nippon in Epsom, imagine my excitement to find out they were…read moreopening a branch right on my own doorstep in Takapuna! The location, right under the Berkely has not fared well in the past. The last restaurant that was in this location, Onion Johnny's, was popular for a while but died a slow death, possibly as not everyone likes onion. I am more hopeful for Sake Bar Nippon, as Takapuna desperately needs an amazing Japanese restaurant. However, so far, the place has not lived up to expectations set by Epsom. The staff need a bit of pep and perhaps the exec chef needs to come check the place over too. Hopefully just teething problems and this place will get better.

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. :(