Review Heizo Teppanyaki Restaurant - Auckland Central

Absolutely wonderful meal and an amazing and talented chef cooking it freshly for us! The food was cooked to perfection and I could tell everyone in my group enjoyed the dinner.

I genuinely cannot express how much I loved the food. It was so delicious and something I wish i could have every day. There’s a wonderful variety of dishes, suitable for many. Perfect seasonings and delicious flavour. The staff were so friendly, welcomed us, and thanked us. They were very accommodating to us and we felt very comfortable with them serving us our dishes. The atmosphere is small, but very cosy, perfect to leave the cold for a while. It’s very welcoming and has a homely feel, as well as a “show” feel.

Would always give this place a 5 star. Went there today for my favorite lunch set which is the Hamburg Teppanyaki. Same lovely taste. Same lovely service. Same lovely authenticity. And the food the doesn't cost the Earth. Try their lunch sets. Outstanding value. Would recommend though they light up the place a bit more. Could be very dark.

My new favourite restaurant! Food is amazing and authentic, the chef is very highly skilled and great to chat with while cooking our meals in front of us, the staff were brilliant and very attentive and the atmosphere is wonderfully cosy, almost like being welcomed into a very close friends home. Not knowing what to order, we decided to try the 'Taste of All' set menu for two and we were not disappointed! Every menu item served was succulent, tender and cooked to perfection according to our own personal preference. We left full, but not uncomfortably too full and already talking about when we will return before even getting to our car. Pricing was amazing value (2 x adults (menu for two) + 2 x children (kids menu items), including 4 x desserts + 2 alcoholic beverages each (adults only!) = $195. We loved it and looking forward to going back soon!

Enjoyed a birthday dinner with friends. Delicious food and excellent service! There were a lot of options for dinner that would cater to different hunger levels. They also have a "taste of all" option ehere you get to try a little bit of all the mains - good option for people who like variety. The yum yum prawns were my favorite! We brought a cake to surprise our friend and they were so nice about keeping it in the fridge and serving it. They even switched the light off and added a candle so we could surprise him.

Tried to go to Daikoku, instead went here and was the best decision. Amazing experience, from food, nice staff, and exceptional service. Recommended for an intimate and cozy experience. 10/10.

A truly Japanese experience. This restaurant is the closest we found in Auckland to the small-town eateries we remember from our holidays in Japan. And the couple running it are great. The food cooked in front of you is delicious. Good selection of sake.

If you want an authentic Japanese experience, you can't beat this place! The experience was intimate and cozy, it really felt like I had just finished a 12 hour day in Tokyo and moved on to my local japanese restaurant to eat. It's only when you step outside you realize you're in Auckland. The Japanese language around you from wait staff and the chef, to the smoky grill, to the ambience, it all screams Japanese culture in the lost inviting way. You MUST try this for sure :) P.s the food was also amazing, but what really wowed me was the atmosphere 🙌

Really beautiful food! Carefully prepared and friendly staff. Good value - salad yummy and prawns with yum yum sauce super good!! You HAVE to try the ice cream and roasted banana dessert with teppanyaki caramel!! Probably best to book. We'll be back!!

Easily the best Japanese restaurant in Auckland. I ordered a sirloin steak and prawns, which was excellent and tender (MUST try the yum yum sauce). The restaurant was packed during dinnertime, so I suggest reserving a table beforehand. The price might seem too much, but it was worth every penny. The staffs and chef were also very friendly and polite. Overall, it was one of the best restaurants to visit in Auckland.

The customer service was quick, polite and patient. The food was delicious The chef was hospitable and kind The price was reasonable The ambience of the restaurant was private, sultry and intimate. My partner and I enjoyed ourselves. Pay to park was $12 for the hour. Worth it! 😁

This classic teppanyaki restaurant is my family favorite. We always come here for our great treat. This small restaurant is good for a party between 2-4. If you have a big group, do call to reserve your table. We always come for lunch. The lunch menu is so perfect for our needs. Sometimes, I buy some fried rice home too. Always have rooms for the second episode in our home. We tried rib eye steak today. Normally, we ordered fish, chicken, or prawns. Oh almost forgot, Free Rice Refill. ;)

First time trying this place. Ambiance is nice here, very authentic feeling Japanese restaurant. Sits around 20 customer im guessing. We had the teppanyaki meals, cost around $50 per person. Comes with miso, salad, yum yum prawn starter and then a main of your choice and an ice cream with lemon shaved ice dessert. The miso was nice temperature and just the right amount of saltiness. Salad was good. The yum yum prawn was perfect, although the grilled vege on the side was cold/room temperature so we did not enjoy that as much. Would be much better if they were served hot after the grill. The mains we had the seafood one which includes more yum yum prawn, salmon and squid. The salmon was not bad, portion a bit small and I feel the cut could have been fattier, still tastes good though. The squid was not as flavourful by itself, but goes well with the sauce that was with the salmon. The teriyaki chicken was quite good, nice temperature and charness. The scotch fillet steak was better, nice amount of salt but I think the cut chosen is not as fatty as other scotch fillet I had. The meal finishes with a scoop of vanilla ice cream with lemon shaved ice on the side, which is a perfect finish in my opinion. Really enjoyed my meal overall. Customer service here is 5/5. Price is on the high side.

One of my favourite restaurants. Service is always excellent and the food is so consistently tasty. I love getting the steak set. The prawns with the yum yum sauce is a must have! The steak is so tender and the garlic crisps are a great garnish. I normally have a peach chuhai (they have other flavors but this one if my personal fave). The chef on the grill is very attentive.

I,came here early for an appointment, so casually walked in. Not a big place, with a long teppan table, sitting rather cozy. But food is beautiful and reasonably-priced. Mine was served within 8 minutes, the yum yum not as good as my favorite Daikokou Takapuna, but cooking much better. I enjoyed my quick lunch. Parking around New Market? Well, you know the issue.

super tasty！The scotch fillet is so delicate and the special yum yum source goes well with the teriyaki shrimps. Staffs are very polite. Love this place.

Amazing restaurant with delicious food. But the prices are quiet a stretch which makes me go back once a month than once a week. Wish the prices would be as good as any other eateries.

Delicious meal but small portions for the price, cost $170 for 3 adults and 1 child. Disappointed the chef didn't interact or do any tricks while cooking.

Today was the first time that hubby and I came to dine at Heizo and it was to celebrate our 44th month being married. It was exceptional, they did not disappoint and we cannot wait to go back and dine here again! Please book well in advance as they only have one teppanyaki table and they get very busy because of the wonderful food, service and skilled chef!<br/><br/>Ambiance 5/5 – I’ve never been to Japan, buy hubby has and he said that it is very similar to some Japanese restaurants he’s been in. It’s very authentic he says! I very much enjoyed how intimate and cosy the place is. Loved the interior and the Japanese décor, Lanterns, very cool tapestries by the teppanyaki area and some samurai photos and a sticker on the wall. The mood lighting is lovely and not too dark that I couldn’t see.<br/><br/>Food 5/5 – For tonight, we ordered the “Taste of All” set menu. Our most favourite was the Teppan Prawn Appetizer. Mmmm so creamy! Everything was well seasoned and the food came at a great pace! We didn’t have to wait too long for the food to come out, but it didn’t come too quickly that we couldn’t enjoy our time there. The salmon sashimi was nice and soft. The beef was cooked just right! The Matcha ice cream and vanilla ice cream were great endings for the meal (Add extra for matcha) You’d think at firs that the portions are small but we were nice and full towards the end. In our view, the portions are perfect. The only improvement I can think if is to undercook the Ocean Treasure Salmon Filet slightly so it won’t be too dry, but this is just my personal opinion. Everything else was cooked beautifully!<br/><br/>Staff and Service 5/5 – All staff members we came across were kind and respectful! The gentleman I spoke to on the phone was kind and provided me with the information I needed before booking. The staff members serving us tonight were also very friendly and were all smiles! They were attentive and filled up our waters as soon as it was finished. They checked on us and asked us if we wanted more rice for our seafood and beef. The chef was very talented and enjoyable to watch! We booked too late but we were lucky enough to be seated somewhere near the teppanyaki table. He looked so passionate and bubbly and I honestly felt like I was kind of still part of the show haha. Can’t wait to be seated in front next time. You are awesome, chef!<br/><br/>Thank you to the team at Heizo. You truly made our night and we can’t wait to bring our family over next time. Arigatou Gozaimasu!

I never tasted so delicious meat the very meal so soft and especially parws so yumm good

Friendly owners, always feel very welcome. Food is great, always fresh and delicious. Yum yum sauce is very yummy and always able to get more. Excellent place to hang out.

Happened upon this beautiful, family run restaurant. Really intimate dining experience. Delicious food, and really great value for money. Definitely coming back with more friends and family! Favourite place!

This place would be the go-to spot for decent, authentic Japanese teppanyaki without breaking the bank. Their set menu portions were generous and the chef was extremely amazing to watch - he was cooking alone for the entire restaurant but managed to make sure all the meals were still delicious and cooked to perfection.

Possibly one of the best teppanyaki place in Auckland. Staff are very polite and professional. Authentic experience with scrumptious food. Would recommend.

Food was delicious. We ordered scotch fillet steak set and fish fillets set; both were tasty. Loved their yum yum prawns appetizer which was included in the set menu, so good!<br/><br/>Friendly staff and great customer service:) will come here again.

Transitional Japanese Teppanyaki restaurant, small and cute one. Polite and friendly waitress & nice and professional chef. Scotch fillet is juicy and tender, set menu can keep u a healthier way of eating, salad and miso soup is light and yummy! I’ve been here for several times, and always recommend it to my friends.

Lovely restaurant with great service. The steak was good with the Japanese sauce and the ingredients were fresh😊 We were super hungry and the food came out fast. Good place for lunch. It was a bit hot inside though.

This has to be a new market best kept secret. The food is divine. So fresh and absolutely cooked with love. The staff remember our drinks order and what we don't like and we never have to ask for a ginger sauce refill. The staff are fantastic and friendly. I highly recommend the "taste of all", a little of everything is just perfect.

Yummy, fresh and full of flavour! We’ve been eating out at Heizo for more than a year now and the quality and taste is always consistent. Love their dinner set menus which allow you to sample a variety of meats. Must try - eye fillet steak, yum yum prawns & lemon sorbet.

I really like it here! Great atmosphere and welcoming staff. A cool show from the chef and nice food. The fish is the only disappointment but every other dish was lovely!

Have been here a few times and the service is always amazing! Friendly staff, great atmosphere and very tasty food. Highly recommend stopping in for a meal.

Had a beef eye fillet set.<br/>Everything amazing.<br/>This restaurant makes you feel like in Japan.<br/>I had nice night with my wife and the chef.<br/>I would come back here again soon!!

I honestly think is the best restaurant in Auckland! Fresh delicious food, friendly efficient staff, and a clean restaurant with an authentic vibe. Good things come in small packages. Can’t wait to go back.

Dined here last week with a friend. We decided on the $99 taste of all. The first course were veges with miso. The veges were cooked perfectly and the miso was great. Next course was sashami salmon and a salad. The salmon was yum but the salad was a little boring. We then had cooked white fish, salmon and prawns. They were cooked expertly and covered in a yummy fresh lemon and soy sauce which added the freshness of the fish. Next up was the meat course with scotch fillet, eye fillet and chicken. The chef asked how we want our steak and cooked it medium rare with the perfect amount of red in the middle. The chef asked if we want teriyaki sauce over the chicken which we agreed to which made the chicken a lot more tasty. To end the meal we were given lemon sorbet which was average but a nice palette cleanser. Service was quick and the staff friendly. Will be back if I ever get a craving for teppanyaki

Very fresh ingredients, excellent service and a warm cosy atmosphere. Much better then the other Teppanyaki places i have been to and the price is very cheap!

A frequent place of visit for me. This tiny restaurant has excellent food and very reasonable price for the lunch set. <br/><br/>Friendly chef and tasty yum yum sauce.

Cosy and friendly little teppenyaki restaurant, been here many times and always enjoy the experience. Tonight had taste of NZ combination Salmon and scotch fillet) and partner had Prawn and Scotch fillet both cooked perfectly with lots of yum yum sauce on prawns. The chef and staff are lovely. Will be definitely be back :)

Absolutely love the food here. Great food at great price! <br/>The chef is also very friendly and attentive :) I would definitely go again soon.

Good things - absolutely adorable chef and staff, super amazing and attentive service, lovely cost atmosphere, acceptable food. Fresh salmon and prawns, well cooked chicken. Amazing lemon soy sauce concoction that went with the salmon and yummy ginger side sauce. <br/><br/>However, could have dealt with more theatre, it's kinda why we go to teppanyaki! Also the scotch fillet had a weird aftertaste, could have done with a yummy Japanese marinade to get rid of that. The yum yum sauce wasn't that yummy, was Japanese mayo but didn't have enough zing and make the seafood taste heavy. Points off for slightly less than awesome food but we did enjoy our experience there.

The 10,000th times dinning in Heizo (everyone knows this isn't real, right?). Taste still amazing. Everytime i come i will order the "Taste of All" which included basically everything except the Wagyu beef. It cost 100 bucks for two ppl and you will be well-fed. The service is really thoughtful. The environment is warm. I will definitely recommend this teppanyaki restaurant to all my friend.

Useless service not recommend. Don't go here staff are very rude and can't communicate. Highly disappointed. They must have changed ownership as previously they were very hospitable

Dined at this outlet several times before, but always at dinner time. Always satisfactory. Always enjoyable. Had their lunch today. 5 to 6 meat choices. I had Scotch Fillet set lunch menu for $15. Great value for money. Great service. Friendly staff. Prompt, and attentive service. Food came put fast.<br/><br/>Since the shop size for this outlet isn't huge, if full, may (just may) be a bit cosy. But I don't mind it at all.<br/><br/>The only minor downside that I knocked down 0.5 point is carpark. From time to time, I found it quite hard to find a carpark space nearby, as this outlet doesn't have its own carpark.

Such a lovely experience! The staff was super friendly and the food was simply amazing! Will definitely come back and recommend to friends and family!

This is a cozy little gem. Great prices for lunch. Service is excellent and friendly. I love the prawns and yumyum sauce. Green tea ice cream is worth getting too.

My favourite Japanese place ! I go at least once a week for lunch and love their teriyaki chicken and fish . Amazing food , great service and always consistent. Keep it up guys !

I have been a fan of Heizo forever. Never got around to a review.<br/><br/>To start with its genuinely intimate. No gusts just one man and his skill delivering great Teppanyaki food with the experience of being at a small restaurant in Tokyo.<br/><br/>The set menu is great. Good value and if you can make it to the Sorbet without struggling you are a food champ.<br/><br/>Love the light flavours and excellent ambiance. A well kept secret and probably has a max of about 30 people.<br/><br/>If you want personal and unique.. this is foodie 101 school

Teppanyaki done right. Waygu was to die for, always found service here awesome; was fast as usual, guy is really friendly even taking time to explain to my colleagues difference between Australian scotch fillet and clearly superior waygu beef. Portion sizing is right for what it is (saw recent comment portions, going to defend them in this case; portion sizing should always be taken in context); this isn't some cheap restuarant or takeaway lunch bar; its decent/quality japanese style food made by actual japanese people. I have big appetite and it was more then sufficient to fill me up, it's not exactly cheap depending on what you order aswell, but well worth it as once in a while treat with your loved ones or friends. 5/5 for everything, fyi don't park in compound in front of the zebra? Clothing store; tow truck drivers are like ninjas around there.

The place is family run and they are a good bunch of people.<br/><br/>The food here is nice and classy. The food was nice tasting and had good flavour.<br/><br/>The portion sizes weren't too bad but could be bigger.

This place has the best Teppanyaki ever. It's opened by actual Japanese people, not Korean or Chinese, so the food is authentic. The squid was cooked to just the right level, the eye fillet was AMAZING (medium rare is best) - the prawn with Yum yum sauce was also the best. To finish off was a good old Green Tea Ice cream. Will definitely go back regularly!!!!!!!

Decided to try out this place last week, after having walked past it a few times before whenever I was in the area. Happy to say I will be back again.<br/><br/>I came with a friend for lunch, as they had Teppanyaki lunch specials. I chose the scotch fillet lunch set at $15, and my friend chose chicken also $15. Sets come with a side of salad, miso soup, roasted and steamed veges and a bowl of rice.<br/><br/>Having tried teppanyaki at other restaurants, I've always been sceptical when they advertise price specials, as the portion sizes always turned out to be quite small. At Heizo however, the portion size for the meat was good, as was everything else. <br/><br/>The service we received was great, the chef made sure to ask how I liked my steak cooked, and they were also generous with the mayonnaise (which other restaurants are quite stingy with for some reason). <br/>The veges we got were broccoli and kumara, and the salad was the usual thinly sliced cabbage with carrots etc. All delicious. <br/>We were barely able to finish our food which was really saying something, it was delicious and just enough for lunch. <br/><br/>I highly recommend this restaurant, and will be back again soon!

Love, love, LOVE the teppanyaki here!<br/><br/>My Japanese workmate approves of the taste of Japan here, thus I happily dug in my scotch fillet steak.<br/><br/>The price is definitely worth it for the portion of the meal as it included salad, miso soup, main dish and rice, as well as the friendly and good service.<br/><br/>Chef Takeshi was incredibly friendly as he made sure my meal was up to my likings (asked my preference regarding how well I would like the meat done, mayonnaise, garlic), also always with a smile!<br/><br/>My experience here definitely made my day and I will totally come back for more :)

Best teppanyaki experience in Auckland. <br/><br/>First, it's owned by Japanese, not Korean or Chinese people, hence gave an original taste of Japan, as well as nice service. <br/><br/>For the service, very fast and warm. Feel like home. <br/><br/>For the price, a bit high as for their serving size.<br/><br/>For the food, seared prawn top with mayo, extraordinary yummy. Salmon chunk was small but cooked very well. Sirloin and eye-fillet, cooked very nice, crispy outside while fresh inside, not oily. Teriyaki chicken also great. <br/><br/>Some to improve: <br/>The rice was not Japanese rice, taste average. <br/>Salmon sashimi could be better, if higher grade of salmon was used.

I love this restaurant, I usually eat here once a week my favourite dish is the taste of all .... This place is a winner with it's friendly staff and great food.

Took my sister for her birthday dinner and had an amazing night. The chef was entertaining, funny and so lovely. Not only was he great on the grill, but we also had a friendly chat with him after dinner. He threw egg for my boyfriend to catch and other tricks like that haha.<br/><br/>The food was delicious, we had the salmon, steak, prawns for mains and I can't really pick a favourite. The wonderful chef even gave my sister a complementary dessert for her birthday!<br/><br/>Great for special occasions, you get dinner and a show. Thanks for a great birthday dinner Heizo :)

Came to Heizo for my sister's family birthday dinner not expecting much but was really impressed. The food was prepared really quickly which was ideal and different to other teppanyaki restaurants I've been to where the service is normally quite slow. <br/><br/>The food was tasty, my family and I shared teriyaki steak and chicken. However the only let down were the prices, everything was quite expensive (but expected of a teppanyaki place)

Time and date: Weekday night dinner<br/><br/>Food and beverages ordered: special set menu for two, i think it is the tepanyaki taste menu<br/><br/>Environment: authentic and reflects closely to those i saw when i was in japan <br/><br/>Service: extremely friendly<br/><br/>Costs: $50 per person <br/><br/>Will I return: for special occasions<br/><br/>Comment: the food is nice and fresh, and the chef is very maticulace with the preperation of the food. Hence making the expereince more wonderful and appreciated. The special sauces that he puts on the seafood is exquisite.

Beautiful food beautiful people thats all I can say ! <br/><br/>Highly recommended to all !

I have been here for several times :-) my favorite teppanyaki in Auckland! the chef is really nice and friendly! The food is amazing too, especially the prawn with the mayonnaise! ❤️❤️❤️ I couldn't find anything negative here. I would like to come again!

Great little Japanese spot. We do the $15 set lunch special almost weekly and wouldn't change a thing! Staff are super friendly and the food is YUMOLA! I hate to say it but it really is cheap and cheerful (in the nicest meaning of that phrase). Already looking forward to coming back next week.

We arrived just a little after 5pm and asked if we would start the dinner meal before their actual dinner hrs. They happily accommodated to our needs and sat us down within 5 mins. Service was excellent. Price is quite reasonable. We had a good time and will definitely go back again!

This restaurant is amazing! I went there with my girls. The chef is lovely and staff are very friendly. Especially I loved Wagyu combo, the meat was just melting in my mouth. I am so going back there for my birthday;) Happy

Never again. They gave us fried oily prawns covered in Japanese mayonnaise 2 times in the same set menu. There wasn't anything special in the fried super oily salmon as well. The price over 50$ per set for such extremely basic  meal is overpriced. The only positive thing is the nice interior. Guys, if you don't want to spoil your eve - don't go there. The oil taste is still in my mouth...

I love Heizo Teppan-yaki! This is a small, intimate restaurant that always makes me feel like I've taken a mystery turning and discovered a gem in the heart of Tokyo. The staff are always welcoming, the chef always a delight, and the meals never ever disappoint.<br/><br/>We go as a group of regulars, after the movies at the Rialto, and the visit to Heizo makes the evening perfect. The menu is great value, and the atmosphere relaxed. Recently I invited a group of 10 professional colleagues here - and of course one always hopes the evening is going to turn out well, especially when you make the recommendation.<br/><br/>I needn't have worried. Heizo delivers a great experience every single time. Not many restaurants do that.

We had a wonderful dinner at Heizo last Saturday night and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. The food was outstanding and the service excellent. We had seats around the table where the chef was cooking and he put on a fantastic show for us - he was particularly attentive to our eight year old and made sure he had a good time! We will definitely be back, as it was not only a fantastic meal but also a very entertaining experience for adults and children alike. I would highly recommend Heizo for a special occasion - you won't be disappointed.

Heizo Restaurant is amazing, I have been a regular here from day one.<br/>Food is always fresh and fast! It is easy to order and and swap sides in and out or do a set menu and have different sets from others you are dining with yet all eat at the same time with no hassle. Everyone is always polite and this is essential Japanese cuisine. Even after my latest trip to Japan I still want to come back here to eat knowing most other places skew a menu more towards western foods this is great Japanese Teppan-yaki! and if you want a bit of a show with how your food is cooked ring to book your seat to sit up close! ;-) you will enjoy! :-D

Went for lunch with group of 9 people.<br/><br/>We pre-ordered our food and everything was spot on. One of our member wanted teriyaki salmon sushi which wasn't on the menu. Chef took up our order and made it without any hassle.<br/><br/>Will definitely recommend this place for anyone who wants a good Japanese style teppan yaki food.<br/><br/>Oh yeah, but don't expect him to put on a show with flames. May be at dinner time he does?

Staff were really friendly~Gave my kid cousin a free ice cream/shredded ice thing, food was great, Chef Takeshi (Got name from other reviews) really CAN COOK. My chicken was moist and steak was tender and juicy. Really betters Stanford's Kabuki and will definitely be back!:)

Chef Takeshi are the BEST. We have been dinning @ Heizo Japanese Restaurant for the last 2 years and will stay loyal. The quality of the food are outstanding as well as the service. We always enjoy the set menu's and feel like we getting value for our money. My personal favorite is the prawns with the yum-yum sauce. We treat to dinner @ Heizo at least once a month sometimes more. Can highly recommend this Teppan-Yaki restaurant. See you soon.

Chef Takeshi really knows his stuff! Had lunch for $15 which is a real bargain. Dinner set teppanyaki includes yummy prawns. In my view this little gem is really the best teppan-yaki place in Auckland! Scotch fillet aged well for full flavour. Will be back again for sure.

Great food, the chef was very entertaining and the staff were lovely. I'll def be going back again.

Went there for teppanyaki lunch, and ordered the eye filet and fish fillet of the lunch set menu<br/><br/>The chef was very thorough in preparing our food, with just the right amount of oil, salt and timing, the food was PERFECT; as from other previous teppanyaki dining experiences, I often found them to be greasier than they should be.<br/><br/>Great food, Great service and Great value<br/><br/>Highly Recommended