Review Japanese Cafe Janken - Auckland Central

As a gluten free vegan I usually don't get to choose from many options on a menu, however, the Janken menu is amazing. I will definitely be back as soon as possible!

This is a favourite local breakfast spot. They specialise in vegetarian and vegan Japanese inspired food. A lot of the produce is organic with an emphasis on no added gluten and diary free. The Imo Mochi Tofu Benedict is especially good!

This place is divine! The staff is really friendly and caring, the service is super fast, good choice of music ..nice and relaxing ...not crazy overwhelming like many places in the city! I love the atmosphere, the plants in the cafe ... And the most important thing .. THE FOOD IS AWESOME! from organic super good made with love coffee to many various creative dishes, dairy free, gluten free, healthy fermented food, yummy salmon or chicken and the desserts are very yummy... Try the chocolate mousse! I love it

We were very lucky to find this gem of a Japanese eatery. Very impressed with the quality of the food and novel touches. The mochi rolls, chicken donabe hotpot and sake vegan truffle were highlights but the food was all outstanding. Arigato!

Delicious homemade style Japanese food & many vegan options! Recommend: Vegan curry bowl. I am usually non-vegan, but this vegan curry bowl was absolutely delicious. Caramelized onion within the curry made it that much special. Along with alot of fresh vegetables. They take bookings, so if you are planning to group eating definitely make a booking as it gets quite full. Beautiful environment with decorations of flowers and plants around. Friendly staff who served us. Highly recommend!

Gorgeous food, loads of delicious gluten free, vegan options here. The buckwheat GF waffles, both savoury (tofu & tempeh) & sweet (creme brulee) are amazing. Also the chocolate tofu mousse 🤤😋 Staff wonderful and such a lovely space to eat Highly recommend

Spot on, brilliant food. Vegan friendly. I consider myself more on the negative side of reviewing BUT Janken has shocked me. There is nothing to complain about. The staff were gracious and swift. The food came out quickly and was beautiful. Seasoning was on point, the staff confirmed whether or not my party was expecting vegan or fish in their food and there was no errors made on arrival. I would recommend this place for smaller groups 2-5, price is moderate however food exceeds expectations.

Amazing. The vegan options here are out of this world. The food is delicious, the staff are friendly, the vibe is great, and I always look forward to my next visit. It's the only restaurant I know where the menu says which drinks and wines are vegan 😭❤️. The miso is vegan too and it's phenomenal. Whether it's a casual sushi lunch or a hotpot and drinks for dinner, Janken does it all. Easy 5/5

Have been longing to come to this authentic Japanese restaurant. Brought the whole family plus 2 friends. Ordered kid menu for our children. My sushi/sashimi special was superb, soft and tasty. My wife chose the salmon teriyaki, which was amazing as well. Space is well decorated with Japanese anime stuff and heaps of Japanese sakes to try another day. Worth coming and looking forward to the next time! Yoroshiku onegaishimasu!

Very lucky to find this gem of a Japanese Cafe. Very impressed with the quality of the food.

Favourite Japanese restaurant in Auckland. Wonderful staff, delicious food and great presentation. Really love the vegan options - hot pot, ramen and the decadent desserts.

All Beautiful healthy food !! Black sesame waffles were so gooood😋 Crispy outside, squishy in middle, unbelievable that’s gluten free. Black sesame & Kokutoh sauce around was also great 🤩

One of our favourite vegan restaurants. Yummy, healthy food, beautiful plating, nice service.

The most amazing food and such loving staff! Can’t get enough of them! 5 star quality vegan and gluten free food!

Absolutely brilliant experience, everything was beyond our expectations. Great service, amazing ambience and even better food. We had the karaage chicken bowl, Onigiri set and Kuro Goma latte. Couldn't fault one single thing, we will be back regularly.

Highly recommend Janken if you want a good, clean Japanese meal. Whether it’s the hot pot, wagyu don, or salmon dish, this place doesn’t disappoint and definitely doesn’t make you feel like you need a good lie down after eating.

I wandered into this lovely little Ponsonby restaurant as a result of reading a review. And we've been back at least twenty times. The food is fresh, tasty and the staff is very friendly. I don't think you'd get a bad option for food here. It's worth the trip. Twenty trips should give you a good idea of how much we've liked it.

This was the absolute highlight of our Auckland trip in regards to food! Absolutely everything we had was delicious. Half of the food is vegan and almost everything is gluten free. The homemade desserts were AMAZING. If we were locals we'd be back weekly.

Gorgeous decor and food brilliant service. This is an absolute delight to visit ❤️

Was wowed by their vegetarian and gluten free options so had to give it a try! The tahini tofu entree was spectacular, as was the vegetable sushi roll. The vegan tonkatsu ramen was huge (which you would hope for the higher price point) but the flavour tasted almost a little bit burnt. It was enjoyable but a bit more of an unusual flavour and not quite as enjoyable as the rest. Would love to come back to try their lunch options or their desserts!

Came in for lunch a few days ago on a Sunday. Wasn't too busy. The food was alright but the drinks were a bit pricey for a $10 portion. The environment was clean and food was presented nicely. They gave us a free small slice of vegan dessert with the wagyu beef set.

My favourite thing about the restaurant is the friendly staff - they refill your water jug as soon as it's empty and they bring out 3 spoons along with a scoop of ice-cream for us to share - it is the little touches that make all the difference. They are also smiling all the time. The only complaint I would have is that they only have 3 mains to choose from (besides its vegan and salad choices) and one of them was unavailable so I had to choose from hotpot and fish of the day (which was sashimi) of which I wasn't keen on either and for once in my life ordered a salad due to the lack for choices. However the food itself was of high quality and quite frankly, quite delicious - but would've loved it more of I got to choose a dish I wanted.

Usually two things come to mind when speaking of Japanese food. There’s the highly vinegar-y sushi packs with cold, tightly-packed rice from food courts, or there’s the delicate degustation-like eating experiences with ice sculptures and micro-greenery. Janken (pronounced jaang-kehn) is neither of those things. This Jervois Road resident delivers healthy, homemade japanese cuisine; their delicate selection of gozen (or set meals) are a sight to behold, with the crockpot chicken steaming under a tiny flame, the broth clear with a perfect balance of sweet-savouriness which you can scoop out with wooden spoons. The staff are chirpy and helpful with their explanations of homemade pickles and macrobiotic desserts. Did we mention that nearly everything’s gluten-free, and there’s more than one vegan option? Shocking we know. We’re also a fan of how they can bring an aura of warmth and character to the industrial interiors (spot the felt blankets and a hiding Godzilla). The huskies left feeling like they’ve made a friend in this cozy Janken home. Reserve your seat (there ain’t a lot) today, and make sure you stay for their desserts.<br/><br/>Check out our individual reviews here: husk.co.nz/lunches/janken-july-2019

Booked for 10 people earlier in October for a birthday dinner. Excellent vegan options meant that everyone, including myself could be catered for. Staff were very friendly. Myself and my partner ordered the eggplant steam buns as a starter which were divine and then I ordered the vegan hotpot for a main. Apart from burning myself once it was a delicious meal with a mild broth and delicious vegetables and tofu and I think some kind of dumpling. Only possible gripe I can think of is we had to sit at two tables (6&4) which were positioned slightly apart

Amazing vegan options!! I would 100% recommend the eggplant bao buns to anyone visiting - they are delicious! edamame beans and the vegan tonkatsu ramen were also very good. 10/10 service, such nice waitresses that were very accommodating and helpful!

We shared a selection of vegetarian small dishes between two of us. The cold starter of shitake and eggplant was beautiful, the savoury kumara mochi was a delightful surprise, and the vegetable dish simple and very good. The small buns filled with eggplant were really tasty, the tofu ones also good. We loved the gentle ambience here. The service was very friendly and attentive yet understated, a nice combination. We had a lovely time and look forward to coming back soon.

What a lovely little gem. We made a booking last minute and got a table on a Friday night. For entrees, we had steamed buns with eggplant and beef tataki. Then we ordered the kimono bowl and lamb steak for dinner. Delicious. Every single bite. We even ventured out to try their sugar free lemon cake for dessert. Overall, the food is fresh and yummy. And the staff were friendly and attentive. Will be coming back again.

Vegan Japanese food. Is there anything better?! We ordered the teriyaki savoury mochi, tofu bao, kumara noodles, soy brûlée and praline ice cream. What a delicious feast. The restaurant is intimate with an outstanding level of service. I want to come here again so I can try the other vegan options available!!!

Lovely little restaurant, with nice ‘date night’ ambience. Great and friendly service and yummy food. They had a organic Kaipara Oysters special on and although they were $4.50 each it was very nice, recommend their steamed buns, in particular the eggplant and also pork ones. Their seafood and beef curries are yummy too. On the slightly expensive side as for two people it cost about $120, with no dessert and one drink each. Definitely worth trying for the lovely service and food.

Came here for dinner. It’s a small place so probably have been better if we had booked but as we came when they opened there was space. <br/>We ordered a chicken salad, their famous salmon sushi roll and a crockpot chicken (forgot the photo) as well as a bowl of rice. <br/>Everything was really really tasty. But there wasn’t enough food for the price we paid. The salmon roll was $19.50 but the salmon was very thin as well as the avocado slices and most of the inside of the roll was cheap vegetables such as broccoli and cabbage. <br/>Overall it was a good experience , just probably would have to order more next time and be prepared to spend over $70 for two people. Maybe around $100 would be able to get us full. Definitely a special night dinner, not a casual dinner.

Heard so many good things about Janken... Thus, the visit.<br/><br/>They do live up to their reputation - fantastic service, delicious food, and the perfect ambiance for a date night :)<br/><br/>Kimono Bowl - fresh and high quality sashimi.<br/><br/>Hot Pot - A mix of prawns, scallops and veggies in a hot pot. (A nice idea for Janken if you guys could probably add a cracked egg in a small bowl for diners to put it in their hot pot, that would add a nice touch to the overall Hot Pot experience.)<br/><br/>We've also tried their Special of the Day; Tempura Prawn Sushi Roll... And they're stunning!<br/><br/>

Got a few of the vegan options. A steamed vegetable dish with a hot creamy (tofu?) sauce under a flame to keep warm, tofu bao, vegetable sushi roll and a vegan hot pot. Was such a cute little restaurant. The staff were great, offering complimentary sushi and suggesting how to mix all the ingredients on the dish so they worked together lovely. The food was quite nice, although I found the hot pot and the creamy sauce with the veggies to be kinda bland. The bao and the sushi roll were full of flavour though. The best part was definitely the fact the hot pot came out with the flame still lit and half the food raw so once we had dished our first serving we could cook the rest of the meal, literally couldnt be fresher. My favourite Japanese restaurant by far

Had a lovely casual dinner here on a weeknight. Even for a wednesday it was full by around 7.30, some tables reserved. There were a few walk ins wanting a table that had to be turned away so if you definitely want a table make sure to come early or book in advance. <br/><br/>Me and my friend shared some starters and entrees and he also got a shabu shabu main. The beef tataki was my personal fave, lots of flavour and had a wasabi kick to it. Eggplant and mushroom cold entree was ok but nothing special. I was looking forward to the miso salmon entree but it didn't actually have a lot of miso taste to it. We got the pork belly bun as well which was nice and soft. After all that we still didn't feel quite satisfied so we ordered the full salmon and avo sushi roll. It was absolutely huge but nothing extra about it that made it different to say St Pierres sushi, aside from presentation. <br/><br/>Service was warm and friendly and very efficient, food came out at a good rate.

The service was good and food is alright. However, for the price paid, I would say that the portion is a bit too small and the food did not deliver the wow factor.

What not to love about Janken. Amazingly friendly service (really 10 out of 10, everyone was really helpful and their attention to details are extra ordinary), great cozy atmosphere, super delicious food, thoughtful dishes (cater vegetarian/vegan very well), good price, even the hand soap in the toilets made me want to come back often. <br/><br/>We have been here a few times (lunch and dinner) and tried almost all the dishes in the menu. There is nothing we don’t like (its only we love, or absolutely die for), every dishes have been thought throughly and beautifully prepared.<br/><br/>We live about an hour (w/out traffic) away from Janken and felt every trips always worth the drive.<br/><br/>My personal favourite is tofu buns (their bun is definitely to die for with perfect size and texture) and any salmon dishes. Oh oh also, we had the special dish today (crayfish miso soup), and we absolutely love it, the best miso soup I ever tried in my life. Aaaaa, superb!<br/><br/>I am amaze to the fact that all deserts are vegan as they were all delicious!!! <br/><br/>Thank you Janken, we should have visit more often.

A lovely restaurant run by very friendly Japanese people, offering authentic Japanese food with the fresh and organic ingredients! It's sooo good we almost go there every week. <br/>Miso Salmon and Crockpot Chicken are to die for, I also like the beef curry as the beef is so tender and the curry sauce has the right amount of zing to it! <br/><br/>

The best thing about eating here is the excellent service.  I really appreciated how attentive and friendly the staff were.  And the food was amazing.  We had the vegan tofu buns, the vegetable sushi and the creamy vegan hotpot.  And topped the night off with the tofu panna cotta, the green tea cake and the chocolate cake.  We had a wonderful night and can't wait to come back!

Enjoyed a delicious dinner here! The food was fresh and presented well, and the service was great. Cannot wait to go back and try the rest of their menu.

One of the best vegan restaurants I've ever been to in my life. A good portion of the menu is vegan and all the desserts are vegan and don't contain white sugar. The staff were extremely helpful and attentive. They always made sure that we were comfortable and looked after us- including opening the door for us. The food was amazing and healthy. Full of flavour and contained a variety of vegetables. Would recommend to everyone who wants healthy, good Japanese food. Some of these photos were taken by Chris Tan.

Beautiful local Japanese restaurant near the BP service station in Herne Bay. Lots of unique & traditional dishes.<br/>We ordered the Ginger lamb and chicken & meatball crockpot. Also the pork belly bao for entree. All were freshly prepared & very tasty. Green tea was served after.<br/>They have a varied drinks menu & Asahi on tap

Great food <br/>Great service!<br/>Must try their lunch set menu. Its delicious.<br/>I will definitely go back to try dinner menu.<br/>Be in mind that they open 12pm for lunch not 11:30am.

Love this place SO much!! Epic vegan options, amazing food, great service, nice little atmosphere. Really happy I found this one!! The tofu steamed buns are amaaazing (as well as everything else!)

Visited the place for lunch today with wife. Ordered the set menu, one with tofu and the other with salmon. Both were beautifully presented and the food was delightful. It felt like homemade japanese food. The staff lady were very kind, and happily accepted the entertainment card. Will definitely return.

Janken is great for veggos as there are tonnes of appetising vegetarian options. I found it hard to cull from my list after scanning the menu - I ended up ordering four different dishes. The eggplant entree, the green sushi roll, tofu buns (amazing) and the vegan chocolate cake (amazinger). Customer service was great too. Will be back!

Came here with a group of friends who liked the chilled Modern Jap ambience. The food was great however I have to say that it is a little steep compared to other Japanese restaurants. The main dishes here at at a minimum of $26 and the portions are not generous to say the least. <br/><br/>Their desserts are delicious though!

I thought the food was uninspiring and definitely overpriced, we ordered a Crockpot Chicken which just consisted of chicken pieces with very little else and a Seafood Miso Nabe which was more interesting, also ordered a 100ml sake but had to pay for a 200ml bottle which was given to us by mistake, but no offer of price reduction when pointed out,  service was good and the atmosphere pleasant, but would not recommend this restaurant for good Japanese food.

Janken never fails to tickle my tastebuds and delight my vegetable-loving palate. Located in a little glass-front store on Jervois Road, it's my number one stop for when I have a special occasion that I'd like to celebrate intimately and without getting dressed up to the nines. There's something about the Japanese-inspired interior that is really comforting - whether it is The Great Wave off Kanagawa splashed along the top of the booths, or the ovular table sprouting all kinds of foliage, I do not know, but I love it.<br/><br/>With regards to the food - you'll get best value for money at lunch. One of their lunch sets will fill you to the brim with tofu, veggies, rice, tempura, tea, miso, and a little sweet treat at the end. Dinner is a more intimate affair, warmly washed in candlelight with the sizzle of the open kitchen filling the air. I love the atmosphere at night in particular, and who can resist those glorious raw vegan desserts in the cabinet? Unlike the other eateries in Ponsonby, these vegan desserts are not sickening and overly rich. There's a subtle balance of creaminess and freshness, whether it be black sesame, rich chocolate, or matcha. Get the matcha cake - you won't regret it.<br/><br/>It can be a little noisy as the result of the bus stop just outside the front door, and if there are smokers outside then the airy, open windows can be to your disadvantage, but I do struggle to find any real negatives about the place. Service is some of the best I've encountered anywhere, with extremely polite and attentive staff and chefs who do not hesitate to acknowledge your praise as you pay at the counter (which is literally in the kitchen itself). If you're after a warm, delicate, and pleasing dining experience with a menu to suit almost any dietary requirement or preference, then this is the place.<br/><br/>Food: 5/5<br/>Service: 5/5<br/>Value: 4/5

The service is really good, so is the location. The vegan streamed buns are worth going in for, they are amazing. The vegan crock pot is not good, the only detectable flavour is burnt soy with a hint of miso - try the other vegan main option instead. It's expensive but it's a nice evening dining option for vegans.

Amazing food and service! First time here but the food is really fresh and delicious :) the chicken is really good and tender. Definelty will come again :)

LOVE this place. Relaxing Music. Polite , efficient Cust Service. Food was yummy. I had the Tofu Hot Pot. Love that they have Vegan Options also as my partner is Vegan. Dessert cakes were so tasty n not overly sweet. When you factor in the great service and surroundings its all worth the price.

The desserts are insane! Also vegan, gluten free and sugar free!!! Sounds too good to be true! Can honestly say they were the best vegan desserts I ever had!!! Also had the tofu sushi, which happened to be low carb and the were so good!

Recently came back from a trip to Japan and was missing Japanese food. Janken outdoes itself- has vegan, vegetarian, gluten free, and meat options, the food is absolutely fresh and you can tell it's been made with love. Our group went alittle overboard on the dessert and it was so worth it. Favourites were the chocolate pudding and the matcha cake. Definitely coming back.

I love everything about Janken. I eat here at least 2 times per week. Always high standards. Clean, fresh food. GMO free, GF options and Line Caught Fish. Some of my favourite dishes are Vegan Nabe, Tofu Dish, Teriyaki Fish, Salmon Entree. Super healthy tasty food. Never disappoints. Love the organic Hot or Cold Sake too...

Ordered the crockpot chicken lunch meal. I enjoyed the chicken very much, very good meal all around. But at $18.90, I felt it was way too expensive for a typical lunch.<br/>The map on the wall is very cool to look at.

First time at Janken was for friends birthday we were sitting on a big shared table at the entrance. It was such a good table for a gathering of 6 of us but could fit more. <br/>The food was amazing I had the chicken sushi! Very yummy! Tried one of my friends pork buns/ vegetarian buns were amazing also! Definitely getting that next time! <br/><br/>Very impressed with the variety of vegan food at this place! One of our friends are vegan and she was able to choose from a vide rage of things on the menu! <br/><br/>Would reccommend!

Have not experienced the full wonder of Janken yet but oh man I was so impressed w their mango sushi roll I had last night. Juicy as and good flavours but v hard to eat I gotta say. Wash down w some miso soup which is one of the best I've eva had. Generous serving of ginger 2 which always mean and helped to balance out the wasabi on it which coulda been lil over powering. But YUP happy to have u here in herne bay eh a welcome addition to the neighborhood :')

One of our Favourite Japanese Restaurants in Auckland!<br/>Great atmosphere, the service is impeccable, we are always treated like friends coming to visit. <br/>The food is divine! Leave room for dessert, the chocolate cake is to die for!!! <br/>Would recommend Janken to everyone.

I love this restaurant! Great food with plenty of options for vegans/vegetarians throughout the entire menu. The food is delicious, service is very friendly and prompt. I also like the coziness and how the little space has been designed and decorated.

I'm a Japanese but I don't go any Japanese restaurant in Auckland except Janken. It's real Japanese foods. I had a lunch set which come with salad, sashimi, sushi, miso soup, Japanese tea, a little sweets and some tapas with your choice of main. I choose salmon as main. It was awesome.

Organised a surprise birthday party for my girlfriend, booking a table and coming in earlier to preorder and pay for the menu and have them store the cake I had bought from somewhere else (dietary problems means she has to be paleo for sweets). The manager was mostly pretty accommodating at the time, though a bit short, and rude later.<br/><br/>Basically, I ordered $150 worth of entrees and a few sushi rolls for 6 people. I had experienced most of the food I ordered already, and it was okay for what it is, though expensive. I come from a Chinese family, and eat a lot of Japanese too - I don't rate this place for taste or price, but girlfriend loves it as she can eat most of it. <br/><br/>Anyway, the manager became snippier throughout the evening until we had finished and basically ushered my girlfriend's friends out by being brusque, brushing through us to wipe down the table, not checking how they found the experience, and being short and impatient with them at the cashier for their drinks. It wasn't very busy and it's a small, chill restaurant anyway, and her friends are very kind, mild-mannered people. <br/><br/>He must have been unhappy that he would have made twice as much had we each ordered a main. So although she was really touched and they brought out the cake I didn't buy from them, and the waiter was sweet and service was quick, I wouldn't otherwise go to pay more for food that isn't any better than Renkon (in my opinion) or to chance having an evening tainted by a money-faced attitude.

I am hopelessly impressed with Janken. <br/><br/>Their small space is well utilised and beautifully presented. The waiter I had (a very kind Japanese man) was incredibly attentive, happy to chat with me and went to town explaining each and every layer of the dessert (gluten free, vegan, green tea cake). He was absolutely wonderful and clearly was passionate about food and his job. <br/><br/>For entree I went for the Janken Spicy Edamame ($7.0) which was a really delicious start to the meal - just the right amount of spice to get the kick without needing to guzzle down 4 bottles of water! It was well presented, came on beautiful tableware and they'd thought ahead and provided an extra dish for the empty pods - nice touch. <br/><br/>For my main course I had the Shitake Tofu Pattie ($23.0). It was admittedly a very small portion, but the patty itself was divine and came in the most delicious broth/sauce. There was a token effort of steamed cauliflower, broccoli and carrot around the plate - that's the only thing where I would perhaps suggest improvement. Something like a carrot and edamame salad would've been lovely. <br/><br/>Dessert was the star for me - the green tea cake ($14.0). The presentation was absolutely fantastic, and the cake itself was free of animal products, gluten, and even refined sugar. The waiter explained that it was a cashew based cream which I am of course very familiar with and love. To be honest, Janken pulled off vegan desserts about ten times better than any vegan cafe I've ever been to in Auckland or Sydney.<br/><br/>All food came really quickly, there wasn't even a gap between entrees and mains.<br/><br/>THANK YOU Janken for catering for vegans and doing a brilliant job at it! I will for sure be back. <br/><br/>Food - 4.5/5<br/>Service - 5/5<br/>Ambiance - 4/5

Just in front of the bus stop on Jervois road, Janken is extremely easy to get to ( especially from uni) :D After many months of wanting to come here, I finally did with 5 other friends for their $16 lunch deal on a Friday afternoon. I was surprised to see how tiny the shop actually was but the interior and layout was beautiful; especially the yellow flowers each table had that smelt so good @.@<br/><br/>Upon sitting, we were served with water and given menus and recommendations as to what to get. Although the lunch menu was extremely small ( dinner menu not available during lunch :( ), half of us opted for the crockpot chicken and the other half got the Salmon x Salmon bowl. Our dishes came out after around 20 minute and was presented beautifully on neatly arranged trays. Each meal came with a bowl of multigrain rice ( mostly white rice tho mixed with a little bit of quinoa I think it was, a cup of green tea, a small side salad that was dressed with a delicious sweet sauce, a little egg and onion salad and a small cube of cake)<br/><br/>Crockpot chicken: 8/10: Perfectly cooked and extremely flavoursome, this heartwarming broth was a good balance of sweetness and salty with a hint of teriyaki (unlike most jap places that go hectic with the sweetness). It came with two chicken thighs which were amazingly tender and moist, and a large chicken meatball as well as with some beans and carrots. For me, it was a generous amount of meat and defs worth the $16; would recommend!<br/><br/>SalmonxSalmon bowl: although I didnt get this, I kinda wish I did as this was probably the best salmon I'd ever tasted. Brimming with freshness, several pieces of Salmon Sashimi was laid on top of multigrain with with flaked pieces of cooked salmon; this also came with slices of avocados nomnom. 9/10: would highly recommend .<br/><br/>Unfortunately, none of the combos came with miso soup and you had to pay extra for this, but the side salads were super yum and the little cube of cake was nothing to complain about ( quite flavourless tho ).<br/><br/>After our meals, we knew we HAD to try their famous healthy macrobiotic chocolate cake ( $12), so between the 6 of us, we shared one haha. I was extremely impressed with the way they served it, with a white chocolate shard on top and raspberry and mint on the side; the cake itself was beautifully rich and had a mousse like texture. This was similar to what you'd get  at lil bird in the fact that it was made out of cashew nuts, but I'd choose this cake any day as I thought it was perfection on a plate! Really recommend sharing tho as it was quite filling after a few bites. 10/10 GET THE CAKE<br/><br/>Janken was a really good experience overall. Service was fantastic ( run by jap people), and ambience AND food was amazing; definitely returning for dinner to try their infamous tofu steamed buns. Well done Janken :)

Lovely atmosphere and fantastic, attentive staff. Some of our dishes were delicious, especially the salmon. However overall we felt that it was fairly overpriced for the dish sizes and a few of the dishes we got were a bit bland. But still glad we tried it! The desserts looks devine!

Jakes is a nice homely Japanese restraint with a wide range of delicious food! And the service is lovely! I am a sucker for Japanese food!!!

Discovering new (well, to us) Japanese restaurants is always a bonus and my dining companions and I were rather surprised that it took us this long to find out about Janken! Nested amongst the quiet shops on Jervois Road towards Herne Bay, Janken (Japanese term for the ‘Rock, Paper, Scissors Game’) has been open since 2013!

Wow, what can I say. I came here for lunch and it well exceeded my expectations. I ordered the vegan dish they had on offer which was tofu and vegetables, and was impressed with the little condiments and side salad. Then we got green tea and a piece of beautiful green tea cake to finish off with, which was a part of our meal. Because they boasted having all vegan desserts, I just had to have some. I ordered the white chocolate and strawberry cake and also the coconut icecream which came with diced fruit at the bottom. The cake was incredible! Absolutely delicious. And the interior was really up-market and had a cool, industrial vibe. I definitely recommend this place. Can't wait to go back and see what they have to offer for dinner.

Two of my girlfriends are gf/df and one is vegetarian so we are always on the hunt for something that can meet all our needs. We found Janken after one of us googled "vegan restaurant Auckland" and we're so glad we found it!<br/><br/>Menu was clearly labelled w gf/df/veg options and held a good variety. Edamame to start, and then a mixture of dishes - warming hotpots and steamed fish, alongside more common dishes such as sushi and steamed veg.<br/><br/>The (literal) icing on the cake was the "macrobiotic" dessert section - gf/df/refined sugar free dessert options! My friends often don't get to have dessert when they eat out so this was a real treat - we shared the dark chocolate and white chocolate cakes - delicious, and beautifully served with a tropical compote.<br/><br/>Service was prompt and really friendly. I'd recommend this to anyone who enjoys fresh, tasty foods but especially for those with intolerances or allergies, I think you'd find yourself well served here. Arigato!

very decent Japanese cuisine. Lovely and fresh. <br/>The staff were incredibly friendly and loveable and made the overall experience that much better.

Busy place on Sat night. We had the pork belly buns, salmon, chicken casserole and the portobella Tsukini. Thought expensive compared with other Japanese restaurants. Service friendly and fast- in fact too fast!

Nice for something different, but I felt there could be more choices. Did really like the free range pork bus, but maybe a little more Wasabi.

FAVOURITE JAPANESE RESTAURANT! been here once and it has stuck with me ever since.... i love Japanese food but this is something so warm and delicious it kind of reminds me of authentic home cooked Japanese. love how they use organic produce. the chocolate probiotic dessert was the best thing I've ever tasted!

The food here is great! Went for a nice birthday dinner, shared a selection of<br/>Entrees with my husband and<br/>A slice of the Dark Chocolate Cake, will definitely try out the sushi next time! Felt satisfied but not overful, best way to eat!<br/>

Hmmm yum! Simple, clean and fresh food. We ordered the chicken hot pot, beef tataki, buns, soba noodle salad and salmon. We first though everything looked plain and it might not be full of flavours. Boy were we wrong?! It was so delicious. Probably won't get the buns anymore. We were so full afterwards but didn't feel gross afterwards. I think it might be the clean flavours. The service was good and polite. Place is small so make sure you book. Loved it!

Excellent Japanese food served with precision and care. Definitely not your usual cheap and cheerful Japanese and the price reflects this, but well worth it with a nice selection of drinks including wine by the glass.

Super friendly and polite service from our smiling waitress. The lunch menu is restricted to a few items and a special. This is not a foldout menu with pictures place, it is all about quality. The Bento Box was outstanding. As everything is made fresh there can be a small wait for your food. Jo Y

We chose this restaurant based on the reviews we had read on Top 10 Japanese restaurants. We started off reasonably well with the steamed pork buns and pulled free range pulled pork. These were tasty and I had high hopes for the main, which was also recommended in the review, I ordered a main sized salmon infused/ marinated in miso. <br/><br/>When it arrived I could see straight away they hadn't dressed in with any extra veges like you would expect with a main, what I got was two pieces of salmon and four pieces of beans. I would have been quite content with that if it were cooked to perfection. But unfortunately the salmon was over cooked. It was so dry I had to chew it so you know it is too far gone. I ate it anyway as I didn't want to create a fuss. <br/><br/>The staff never inquired whether or not we enjoyed our food, don't they care? When the wait person cleared our table I told her my salmon was so over cooked it was chewy. I wasn't hoping for a refund, but as it was originally an entree I thought they might consider scaling the price and not just doubling the entree price since they had screwed it up anyway - but no, full price charged. <br/><br/>Definately will never go back again, as they weren't concerned that we had a good experience, my partners dinner was extremely average, and burning hot - he had the seafood pot. I just wish we had gone to Masu where we could of had an assured quality experience

Janken has to be one if the best up and coming restaurants in Auckland. I think a lot of Japanese restaurants will want to learn from this new type of Japanese cuisine that is rarely seen here in New Zealand. The chef (Kataumi, I believe) is an outstanding chef and was very kind and passionate towards the customer and the food. Please send him my thanks, he's a great asset and defiantly knows how to cook great Japanese food. Simply delish!

Best Restaurant I have been to for a very long time, service was awesome, the prices where very reasonable. The place was very clean and tidy and the atmosphere was also pleasant without being over the top (as some Japanese resturants can be................................and the food !!! OMG !!! <br/>Dont read , go and eat !!

We have been twice and drive over from Parnell....will go again soon. The sushi portions are very generous and filling....the food is tasty and if you want to be sure you are going to get good quality food then I highly recommend it. Not chance of having an MSG headache the next day. We are very fussy on what we eat and would have no problem in recommending this restaurant.

We had a great dinner at Janken. The food was amazing and so healthy. Really enjoyed the sushi, salmon and the delicious pork belly steamed buns, yum! The dessert was the highlight though, the chocolate cake was the best I've ever had and the blueberry cake so light and delicious. The staff were so lovely and friendly. Cannot wait to go back!

I popped into Janken for a quick bite to eat on my own and was warmly greeted by the friendly counter staff and smiles from the kitchen too. I ordered the slow cooked chicken thigh that came in a delicious chicken broth with vegetables, rice with green tea on the side. It was so good I wolfed it down with great pleasure and complimented the chefs directly. As I was in a rush I couldn't stay for the interesting and healthy desserts, I guess a good reason to go back soon!

I had a great lunch in Janken Restaurant located in Herne Bay.<br/>All food are so healthy and very tasty.<br/><br/>I can say they serve the best soup. very different from the other miso soup i have ever had in Japanese restaurant in Auckland. Janken is the best!<br/>They said the ingredients are gluten free and organic.<br/><br/>They also have Sushi, Donburi, Teriyaki-Salmon etc... and a few choices of side-dish from cabinet. All look nice.<br/><br/>I highly recommend this restaurant to visit.<br/>You never regret.<br/>I definitely go back there again. Wanna try thier dinner.<br/><br/>Also, If you have a hangover try their lunch.