Review Musashi Japanese Cuisine - St Heliers - Auckland Central

Have come here several times over the years and always loved the food - beautiful prepared and presented. Service can be a bit hit & miss depending how busy they are, and it can get really loud inside the restaurant. But the food, definitely worth it!

I had lunch here on a Saturday with my parents and my 2 year old toddler. The food was amazing as always but I wanted to give a special mention to how kid-friendly this restaurant is. I had made a note in the booking for a highchair if available and this was set up prior to arrival. As soon as we were seated, we were given a folder with coloring in sheets and coloring pencils, a kids menu and we were also provided with a plastic bowl and kids cutlery. My toddler had a great time and loved the food! We will definitely be back.

Great Japanese food with great service. Very popular place and the restaurant is not big, so make sure to book a table before you go.

We didn’t book our table, because we arrived around 8.40, 20min before closing. Lucky us! Food was incredibly nice, well served and delivered fast. My order was fried crab and marinated tofu, both delicious, accompanied by plum wine. Kids menu is super well served, enough to feed any little hungry soul. Great dining experience, arigato gozaimasu!

We booked online for a special Valentines Day dinner. Thank you for being open although the weather was rough outside. We had a set menu that consisted of miso soup, three seasonal appetisers, soft shell crab karate, medium sushi & sashimi plate, shrimp tempura and chose a main from the list with rice. We chose wagyu beef sukiyaki and salmon miso nabe (extra charge). The food came out quickly and was so delicious. So satisfied with the meal and service.

We have been frequenting Musashi St Heliers for many years and it is some of the best Japanese in Auckland. Tonight we opted for takeaway sushi and was perfect! Musashi is always super busy for dining in so I highly recommend booking in advance. James Ashwin Kakapo Business Sales

Yummy Japanese food. My sukiyaki took a rather long time to cook (everyone nearly finished their meal when I was ready to cook the beef). The wagyu beef was tender but not as flavoursome as it could have been. Happy with the meal overall though.

Ordered large sashimi and it was amazing!! It's always quite busy. The lunch set menu is around $15 but I don't feel there us much to choose from. Dinner is definitely better choice if you want to try variety of food.

Very enjoyable meals. Nice cosy environment. Always seemed to be very busy. It is good to call to book an appointment if you go as a group or family. Otherwise you may need to wait for a while. My family and I came to this restaurant for several years. The price has been steadily increased.

Enjoyed the staff. Very friend including shy cat and trainee. Keep up the good work and you will get better and more confident with experience. The only complaint is that the side dishes did not have to be cold. Something as simple as not starting the meal on a lukewarm miso soup could have greatly enhanced the experience. The mains were remarkable in terms of flavour and presentation Thank you for your time to read the review.

This is one of my favourite places to eat in Auckland. The food is exceptionally tasty. Most of the times I've been it has been for lunch, which I would recommend because it's cheaper and you get the set menus which have more variety. The upside for dinner is that there are a few more items on the menu. Definitely something you should try at least once. Though making a booking would be highly recommend.

Very interesting menu compared to the ones you typically find in Japanese restaurants in Auckland! The food was tasty but some dishes were a bit heavy on sauce. Loved the aburi salmon nigiri and volcano tuna roll - the staff flame-grilled them at our table. They also make a big deal out of birthdays and special occasions which is a nice touch. Overall, good value for money!

I absolutely love Japanese crusine and have tried many places, this place... Is by far the best I have tried in regards to the food. Amazing. Prices are average but worth it, service is good. Size is a little tight but very cosy. Highly recommend. Ensure you book also as it's always quite busy.

My partner and I have tried the other branches and wanted to try this one too. As usual, a great range of Japanese dishes are available. It's more expensive compared to other Japanese places but the food is tasty and service was great. The sushi was just okay so we got the sashimi and main dishes instead. The Salmon butter miso dish was fantastic!

Love the food but a little bit pricey 👍

Wonderful experience ! Food are delicious and very nice service! Love the restaurant environment, plenty of car parks. They allow 2 hours eating time but since they are busy, food came out quite slow so you have to plan what to order. Quite expensive but you have to pay for the quality of the food & service.

Great food.

I had high expectations for Musashi from the reviews. The service was good and they provided hand sanitizer for each table, which shows they care about safety and cleanness of the place. My brother got the chicken karaage zen with a small udon and the takoyaki, my mum for the chicken miso katsu donburi and I got the teriyaki salmon donburi. <br/><br/>My favourite part of my dish was the miso soup. The shrimp that came with the dish was tasteless. No salt or teriyaki sauce to season it. The teriyaki salmon was disappointing, there was barely any sauce on it and it tasted like nothing too. The teriyaki sauce tasted buttery as well so that was really strange. <br/><br/>Not too sure if I just ordered the wrong dish though.

Musashi never disappoints! We love coming here, the food is amazing and the staff are always so friendly and helpful. Service (takeaway) has been handled so well during COVID-19 and quality has not been compromised. The menu has such a wide variety with everything for such great value we especially love the Chicken Miso Katsu and the Salmon Hooba Yaki! So yummy! The regular updates on social media are also so useful and its nice to see new things being added to the menu. Musashi is definitely our family's favourite Japanese restaurant and we can't wait until we order again. We definitely recommend Musashi to everyone! :)

Sundays aren't always confined to a brunch. Mixed it up today and came here for Sunday lunch. Service was great and the food was awesome! The soft shell crab was some of the best I've tried. Highly recommend the chicken katsuni and pork miso katsu!

The food here is always fantastic and tonight didn’t disappoint. The deep fried whole flounder was especially good. Service is always friendly and efficient, even though they are always packed on this tiny place they manage superbly

A traditional Japanese restaurant locates in St Heliers. Moderately sized with a cozy environment. Recommend booking in advance as they are consistently busy.<br/><br/>Their sashimi platter is usually consistent and fresh. Very good for value. However their tuna sashimi seemed slightly stale (just a little)<br/> <br/>The beef udon was a little disappointing, the soup and the noodles were good but the beef was slightly tough.<br/><br/>The wagyu hot pot was quite tasty, fresh meat and flavorful broth. Not a premium cut of the meat, but again good for value.<br/><br/>Very reasonably priced for the quality and quantity you receive. Good range of variety on the menu.<br/><br/>Taste: 8/10<br/>Presentation: 7.5/10<br/>Service: 8/10<br/>Ambience: 9/10<br/>Value for money: 8.5/10<br/><br/>Price $45 per person (excl alcohol)

the food here is just normal sushi and jap, i personally like the staff and the layout very friendly. but the taste was average to a bit better.

Top Japanese restaurant in St Heliers. The kids menu for $8 is ample for a growing child, you get 4 sushi, potato wedges, edamame, fresh tomatoes and a small udon. Being vegetarian we were stoked to see 2 options for the lunch menu zen. I love the eggplant dish the best flavour wise, but everything else was great too.

I went to this place around 7 p.m. on Wednesday. The place was pretty busy. Definitely recommend booking in advance.<br/><br/>Atmosphere: 2/4<br/>Easy to get a carpark outside. The place is a bit away from the main Mission Bay area. The place was not very well ventilated. My clothes all had to go into washing after the dinner.<br/><br/>Food: 4/4<br/>I had Yagyu Zen (course meal).<br/>The food was good.<br/>I was full by the time the main meal came out.<br/><br/>Service: 3.5/4<br/>Reasonable fast service.<br/><br/>Cost: 3/4<br/>You will be looking at spending at least 30$ per person for dinner. The price is on the higher end, however if you want the portion size and quality without having to spend more than 50$, highly recommend to pay a visit and order a course meal.

Booked a table- arrived on time to be made to wait at least 5 mins while they realised that they had given"our" table to someone else. A long wait for wine glasses...and then eventually got the menus after asking.<br/> Food was generally good. The sashimi was pronounced excellent. Pork katsu and salmon also good. Pity the service let them down.

Highly recommended restaurant! It’s our first time. High quality food and amazing service!!! Although it’s small place but we didn’t feel crowded. There is a clear menu that we can order exactly what we want. Two of us ordered 7 dishes except the dessert cuz we’re big eaters....But both of us were full to the brim! We will definitely come back for their food and service.

Good ambiance. Food is fresh and tasty. Staff members are friendly. Recommend! Will definitely go back to try other things as well! We’re three girls and finished all the four dishes (see photos), and felt very full!

Pretty good japanese food. The katsu was not bad, the sushi was pretty nice. Priced around 20$ during lunch. Would love to come back here in the future.

Nice Japanese restaurant in st heliers. Fresh ingredients for every dishes！ nice and friendly staffs, service was super good and helpful. Food are all delicious.

Went to dinner on Valentine's Day after making a reservation in the late afternoon. It was bustling when we got there. The atmosphere was nice, although a bit loud and the seating was quite cramped.<br/><br/>We waited a bit after getting our menus and deciding for the waitress to come and take our orders.<br/><br/>To drink, my partner and I both ordered Ramune and I also got the Hana Awaka sparkling sake, which I really enjoyed how it was refreshing and not overpoweringly sweet. The Ramune didn't have a lot of lemon flavour, just the slightest.<br/><br/>I ended up having a small plate of chicken misu katsu for an entree and the dragon roll as my main while my partner ordered the Musashi Zen with the chicken misu katsu for his main. We both loved the chicken misu katsu. It was cooked perfectly, the taste was great and they nailed the krispiness. He ended up not being able to finish so we had the leftover in sandwiches the next day which were just as delicious! His starters were fine, no complaints there. The shrimp dumpling gets a special mention for its tasty flavour as does the rolls and sashimi as the fish was fresh tasting and tender. My dragon roll (actually made like a dragon which was cute) was pretty tasty. Only complaint was eel tasted a bit on the lukewarm side and would have preferred it to be a bit warmer.<br/><br/>The meal ended up being well paced and we spent about 1.5hrs there which was unusual for us but it felt like time flew by. Overall, the meal was delicious, the service was pretty good and attentive with our larger finished plates and filling our waters. Wouldn't mind going back at all to try other aspects of the menu!

This place used to be one of my favs until they changed the lunch menu last year. After changing the lunch menu, the price increased and the food is not as good as before. The pork katsu is kinda dry. It used to be very tender.<br/><br/>I am very upset that the cream puff which you can buy from the supermarket now replaced their creme brulee in the lunch set😢 Also sad to see the cheap seaweed which replaced the lovely wasabi cube thingy. Miso soup is a bit watery.<br/><br/>Price increased while the quality decreased. I still miss the old menu. There are so many different lunch options out there for $20 per person.<br/><br/>I would've given Musashi 5 stars 1.5 years ago but now I can only give it a 3.5.<br/>

Musashi St Heliers has always been one of our favourites, especially liking their lunch sets - great taste and good value. Their lunch sets used to include a small creme brulee with a tiny bit of mint which was perfect. We dropped by today for lunch, noticed the lunch sets have been revised. Small things here and there, dessert that comes with the lunch set had been changed to a small cream puff. It’s alright, personally I prefer their old menu.

We ordered one of the set menus. The two hot pots we got were the salmon and the beef curry. <br/>The service was good, but the food came out a bit slow. <br/>The tastes were good and the beef curry was delicious. <br/>Apart from that, nothing that really stood out. A bit pricey for what we got.

Loved it here! Extremely delicious and unique food, and food is prepared well and quickly. It is expensive, so I can’t go here too often but I would definitely recommend trying this place! While family loved it. Will be back!

Love this place. Have been enjoying this place for years but the portions are getting smaller. Especially when you order takeaway. <br/>They are just too busy!

Great polite and attentive service and the food is impeccable, delicious and unbeatable by any other Japanese restaurant in Auckland. Wholeheartedly recommend dining here!!

Musashi has consistently been a family favorite of ours for its ability to deliver consistent, high quality meals and I am glad to say my most recent lunch experience was no exception.<br/><br/>Each of their lunch specials comes with the main and rice as well as small add-ons including salad, miso soup, pickled vegetables, sushi and a dessert puff. The Chicken Miso Katsu was fried very well - crispy but not burnt and had enough sauce to go around. The sauce was a very tasty Miso-Teriyaki blend and I am convinced this is the best sauce to have with Katsu. The Grilled Salmon was also decent but was a bit too rich given the creaminess of the sauce and fat content of the salmon itself.<br/><br/>Speaking from memory, deep-fried Teriyaki Chicken, Chicken Karaage and egg-topped Chicken Katsuni were also winners with the former two being fried remarkably well and all three bringing out the quintessential Japanese flavors we've come to know and love. As a side note, I also do recall having the a la carte dinner menu and it also being very good, though on the pricey side.<br/><br/>The staff were friendly, attentive and the service was reasonably quick. I feel like it's important to book in advance as the restaurant tends to fill up quite quickly. It sometimes feels crowded when it fills up but it's not a major issue once you're seated.<br/><br/>It shouldn't come as a surprise Musashi has claimed the title of my favorite Japanese restaurant in Auckland. The lunch meals are hearty and reasonably priced (considering how much you get) and never fail to delight the tastebuds. Is there really much else to say?

Pretty good food. Reasonably priced for lunch. Service was very quick, even for Mother’s Day. I’ve been to the branch in Milford as well which was similar.

Very busy place probably due to its great service and great food! Food was bought out and the timing of it all was perfect, no waiting around it was simply just great timing. Would recommend this place for sure. Best to make a booking as the place is absolutely packed. We didn't make a booking however were lucky enough as we were early.

Went there last night, waited a entire 45 minutes for my food. My food arrived 10 minutes earlier than my friend. We had to wait another 8 minutes for the food to be cooked. Basically took 1 hour just to wait for our food! Super annoyed and very disappointed.

Came here during lunch. Restaurant isn't very big, tables are a bit too small for their trays your food comes into. Service is very quick as they have the sides dishes prepared in advance.<br/><br/>Food wise: it is good, but not amazing. I only like how the accompanying sauces for their mains are delicious. The side dishes that came were ok.<br/><br/>The portions and value of food did not reflect the price. Their lunch options are from $19.90 which is already on the higher end. Even restaurants in the City don't charge this much. I did not feel satisfied after the meal. I could get way more food that is also better in quality and taste somewhere else. Atleast in my opinion anyway.<br/><br/>Unlikely to visit again.

I had dinner with some family friends from overseas, the food was amazing. Beautiful collection of food, good quality and very tasty. Very friendly staffs. It is very popular so be quick with the orders otherwise you might have to wait for a bit.Definitely recommended! And will totally go back again.

The staff so nice and professional. Food so delicious and I enjoyed they give the birthday plate also suprised they play guitar and singing. Thanks all

Good Japanese restaurant. Lunch menu and dinner menu are all good. Lunch set menu is my favourite. But in the summer time it is bit hot inside of resyaurant. I know sukiyaki wasn't ideal for summer time but I tried once for dinner and couldn't finish it because just opening the door wasn't enough to cool down .

Food was so tasty! loved the atmosphere of the place too. Staff were super friendly. would give a 5 but unfortunately we were forgotten about 😔 we did however have our drinks taken off the bill. Will be back for sure 👍🏻

I enjoy this place. <br/><br/>It is always busy, buzzing and the food is good.<br/><br/>It is not fine dining it is more casual Japanese izakaya style. <br/><br/>We go in a group, order heaps of food and then fight for the last portion. <br/><br/>I love it when there is a birthday celebration and all the staff come out and sing happy birthday. <br/><br/>Good food, good fun.

This place is super yummy the food is amazing and wonderful service. The hot plates that cook your food in front of you add a little excitement to the evening ! <br/>Dumplings were delicious and I love the BYO option! <br/>Only (tiny) critique would be that this place says it’s open till 10. We came in at 8:50 and they had to check with the kitchen if they could still serve us. We picked this place as we needed a late dinner because work ran late and didn’t think it was an issue as closing time online said 10.<br/>Easy thing to fix just change opening hours till 930 if you want to start packing up then. <br/>Great food and great service will definitely return !

favorite restaurant! love the prawn twisters, edamame beans, tofu and everything else! highly rate going here!!!<br/>Alittle bit on the pricey side of things but definitely worth it!

Been here many many times and keep going back. The food is always amazing, fast and friendly service and the menu is huge. Never been disappointed and can proudly say this is my favourite restaurant. If your looking for amazing Japanese food then Musashi defiantly won’t disappoint. The lunch menu is awesome value for money but you can’t beat a dinner out here.

Really enjoyed my lunch here very nice staff and the food was delicious there was a nice variety to eat from, will definetly be back for more !

This was on our to try list for a long time. We finally went and musashi did not disappoint! We chose the set course menu as it was hard to choose what we wanted to try from the extensive menu. This gave us a taste of almost everything from the menu which was great. The portions were very large and we left very very very full! Some of the highlights were the wagyu beef sushi, the prawn tempura, sashimi, and the mains cooked on a leaf. Honestly every morsel was tasty and exceeded our expectations. The presentation of the dishes was very nice. I can honestly say this may have been the freshest seafood I have ever eaten in auckland. I would highly recommend dining here especially for a special night out or a date night. The ambiance is quaint and there is plenty of parking. By far this place blows some of the similar restaurants in the CBD out of the water! They were very busy so I would suggest booking in advance. We can’t wait to go back!

Musashi is a average Japanese restaurant. Average $80 for two people without alcohol. You can byod wine. NOT authentic Japanese set meal. The set meal had a siew Mai (Chinese), Black Olive (Greek), olive oil in the Edamame, umm why?, Prawn twister (Chinese) with Thai chilli sauce. Again why? The eggplant was so sweet. The other menu items are quite kiwified. Japanese needs to be clean, subtle and delicate flavours not overpowered with sauces and not mixed with other food types. The sashimi, beef tataki and sushi is the more authentic of all. It is on the expensive side.

Excellent restaurant. More than enough parking! Services second to none! Food was amazing and well presented! Great variety on the menu! Would recommend.

Musashi is one of the best Japanese we tried in Auckland. They are popular therefore you need to book a table. We've been coming here for the last 3 years and the standard hasn't changed. Good customer service, tight place but nice ambience and most importantly great food. Today, we had the soft-shell crab karaage and Zens - Beef Hooba, Sukiyaki, Gyoza and Grilled Salmon. All Zens include 2 salmon avocado roll, 2 prawn twisters, miso soup and rice. They are all tasty and a must try.

The people at Musashi are so nice. We had a range of bento boxes for our 48 hour film crew and they were all scrumptious and delicious and beautifully prepared. Thankyou sooo much!!! Oishi oishi oishi. Kept us going through the day!

So much love for this place, we decided to spent birthday dinner to a restaurant that we haven't been to. So I booked in, and right after I enter the door, I knew I made a right choice. They made our night extra special. The staffs/ crew were all polite and accomodating, the place is nice, clean, peace and quiet, the food are the bomb! Sooo delicious! We ordered Takoyaki, Chicken and pork Katsu and Wagyu beef. Will definitely go back again with more friends and family. And hopefully they will have bigger table. Thank you!

Easy 4 almost 4,5. First time last week.<br/>All food was great, tasty and well presented.<br/>Service ticks all the boxes.<br/>Decoration is just fine could do with a renovation.<br/>All in all THE best Japanese place around by far.<br/>Not pricey at all.<br/>I want to try the fish next time do i can complete my experience with Musashi.<br/><br/>

Probably the best Japanese restaurant in Auckland!💕<br/><br/>Nice food<br/>Nice environment<br/>Nice service<br/><br/>Booking required!<br/><br/>Highly recommend!! Especially the Unadon! (Eel fish rice)! Best of the best!

This hidden gem is worth the drive if you’re after some good Japanese food! Already proving to be popular with those in the area, it was surprisingly busy for a Wednesday night. I would recommend making a booking if time is on your side, even during the week.<br/> <br/>The menu has plenty to choose from (with photos of each dish) and they have some great set menu options. We ordered the Grilled eggplant, Tofu miso katsu with rice and the Vegetable tempura. The eggplant was delicious! I could easily eat one on my own. The tofu looked and held its shape like meat, we loved the thick crumb coating and sauce. It was some of the best tofu we have tried to date. The tempura vegetables weren’t a stand out dish but was nothing less than expected. The three dishes were plenty for the two of us to share.<br/> <br/>The staff were all friendly and polite, providing good service throughout our night. The young guy that took our orders was really helpful and we were pleased with his recommendations. Really enjoyed our experience here and will definitely be back to try out more dishes plus their lunch menu.

I have been to St Heliers Musashi twice so far and the atmosphere there has been great both times. To be honest, it is quite pricey there but their customer service is wonderful! And the food is good as well.

Excellent! Very good service, food and atmosphere. Very lovely store manager, look after customer well. <br/><br/>I'm a pregnant woman, they give me more consideration, we went there bcos my birthday, when finished dinner, all staffs give me a cake and sing birthday song for me, my partner and me very satisfied:)<br/><br/>We definitely will come back.

Absolutely amazing. Delicious Japanese and byo which is great. Awesome atmosphere and great staff. <br/>Went about a month ago and can't stop thinking about when we can get back there!

After reading the reviews and looking at the overall rating, I am so glad to say that Musashi is my favourite Japanese restaurant. Came here for a birthday dinner and ordered five mains (Pork Miso Katsu, Chicken Miso Katsu, Wagyu Steak, Pork Latsuni and the Beef Curry) and two sides (Assorted Tempura and Takoyaki). Amazed by the service here, their staff are well-trained, putting the customer first before themselves. The Pork Miso Katsu abd Chicken Miso Katsu were super delicious and crunchy, (sliced in big pieces which was a struggle to eat) but very filling! As for the Wagyu Steak, it was sliced in small pieces and this allowed you to do a DIY on the sizzling plate. We were told that you only needed to sizzle it for 10 seconds. As soon as the wagyu steak hits your tongue, it suddenly melts in your mouth. Oh how I wish I could come back for more. The Beef Curry is worth a try, the beef was tender and the curry sauce tasted so good. The Pork Katsuni was really nice, I'd say it tasted similar to an Oyakodon. The sides were marvellous. Trust me, you really get that quality for the price you're paying. Definitely will be back. Eggster Eats

Visited here 29 June for my sons birthday. Fabulous food and staff were amazing. Brought out a happy birthday desert platter and sang happy birthday. Made our night. Definitely worth a visit.

Came here for a nice Sunday lunch with a couple of friends, because we didn't book in advance we had to sit at the outside table - beggars can't be choosers!<br/><br/>Been coming here on and off since about 2-3 years ago and have also visited the branch on the shore. These guys always delight and the food is next level.<br/><br/>Amazing presentation and flavours. Sure they're a little pricier than the others, but worth it due to excellent service and consistent delivery. Lunch is a cheaper option.<br/><br/>I've gone down the set mains track, and also sharing a few dishes with a friend (tapas style). Can't go wrong either way!

Had a fantastic experience here this evening, we were served by a lovely young gentleman named Jackson he was very attentive and sweet. The food portions here are huge and absolutely amazing! We definitely will be back soon!

Between this one and New Lyn, This has to be one one my more favourite one. I have noticed its much more packed but definitely worth. <br/>If you have an entertainment boom you should find a voucher in there. <br/><br/>Food wise, the ingredients have been consistently fresh. Food just melts in your mouth!!! Its a dangerous place for me and my wallet but I just cant help it!!

Musashi is an absolute gem, i'm almost hesitant to write such a glowing review because I don't want to have to fight the masses for a table. The Musashi Zen set menu is definitely the way to go, but be warned it's ALOT of food. Sashimi is consistently fresh, and eye fillet DIY cooked on the hotplate adds to the theatre of the experience. I honestly cannot flaw, highly recommend!

Really tasty food and attentive staff, all the food was really flavourful and cooked very well, the only exception being the squid which was over cooked and chewy. Overall the experience was incredibly enjoyable and I would highly recommend the plum wine tasting as each wine was very unique and was a delightful way to enjoy it. We will be back

The sashimi was so fresh! Service was also really attentive, we felt really well-looked after! Presentation of the sashimi is also very oriental, a bonus to its authentic Japanese culture!

My favourite cuisine is Japanese...haven't been to a lot in Auckland but it is a regular place I go to with my family. Friendly and attentive staff and needs booking all the time. Usually they try to time so everyone's dishes are ready at the same time- sometimes when they are busy it is a bit of a difficult task for them!! <br/><br/>Lunchtime they have set menus which has a main with sides. Dinner they have similar things plus sushi dishes/tapas/entrees. <br/><br/>My favourite for lunch is sushi sashimi with udon set - overall pretty ok (can't compare to japan but it's a satisfying meal). <br/><br/>They have cute dishes where they cook on a metal plate over a small fire in front of you. <br/><br/>Overall all dishes are cooked well- crispy chicken Katsus, cute salmon hooba (on the metal dish). Generally nice satisfying and happy meal :) not like woah but I like and go often!

One of the best Japanese restaurants I have been to in Auckland. The sashimi is really fresh and delicious and the service is great. Only downfall is they are always quite busy so the tables are pushed quite closely together so you are quite close to the diners next to you - but that's a small price to pay for delicious food. This place also does takeaways - I recommend the Japanese curry!

Great place! Visited on a Thursday night and it was super busy so would definitely suggest calling ahead to book. <br/><br/>Between the three of us we ordered two Akemi Zen set menus with Beef Hooba Yaki and Teriyaki chicken as the mains and also a plate of vegetarian sushi. <br/><br/>Everything was delicious and presented in courses which was nice, and the waiter was very attentive. Would come back again!

It was very busy when arrived. Lucky we made a booking beforehand. So table was ready when we arrived. We appreciated for holding the table for us <br/><br/>Service was prompt. All servers were friendly, helpful, and very attentive. AND smiling all the way (even it was sooooo busy).<br/><br/>Food was excellent. If we weren't already full after the first round, we would have ordered more and more.<br/><br/>This restaurant is one of the Japanese restaurants in Auckland that I would highly recommend.

One of the best Japanese restaurant I have ever been. Food is amazing. Been here twice and sure will come back again. Tofu Tzangi and Lamb steak are two of the best dish.

Musashi St Heliers is easily our #1 choice for lunch, you will leave this place satisfied!. Every time we go we order the set lunch, not once we were disappointed. The food is fresh and good quantity for what you pay. Beautiful presentation, good variety with your set meals! Food can be delivered within 10 minutes after ordering. We go there almost once every weekend. The staff is also friendly, each time we bring our daughter along, the staff ensure she is kept busy by giving her paper and crayons. Several occasions when someone else is celebrating their birthday, the entire crew will stop their work to sing a birthday song.  We have tried dinner in the past, that is also very good!. Be sure you book for dinner or lunch!

As with all Japenese restaurants, they must end with a 'shi' or else they are not authentic.

Decided to come here for lunch and really enjoyed the dining experience, very busy little restaurant so I recommend securing a booking beforehand so you don't have to wait for a table to free up around peak times. <br/><br/> We only had to wait 30 minutes after rocking up around 1pm and the restaurant was packed! Staff are friendly and attentive, we were seated and ordered away. <br/><br/> We got the salmon hooba, deliciously butter and sweet went really well with the salmon! <br/>Also ordered the chicken katsu zen wish was again very delicious, well balanced and the chicken katsu remained crunchy whilst simmering the pot!<br/><br/> Great portions in each set, also came with a great variety of side dishes! We also ordered the soft shell crab karaage and vegetable udon. . <br/> I would gladly order two bowls for my self of the udon, beautiful broth and silky smooth udon!<br/><br/> In love! Definitely would come back to sample more the menu, this restaurant really reminded me of my time in Japan. Very authentic foods and waiting for the next opportunity to go back here again!

Came here on a Wednesday night and was not expecting it to be packed at all! FYI it is a BYO so don't forget to bring your bottle of wine!<br/><br/>I've been to Musashi before but the one in New Lynn and there is a major price difference between the 2 (obviously). In New Lynn you can get this really generous and delicious kind of set lunch menu for $17 whereas in St Heliers there was no main dish even available at that price! So we decided to get a set dinner menu for 2 called the Yagyu Zen which was amazing. Came with everything like prawn twisters, sushi, sashimi, miso soup,  Shrimp olive Edamame, 2 mains of your choice and rice each which i think is definitely worth the money instead of just buying 1 main for $25. <br/><br/>Everything tasted pretty good! The only thing that I could fault was 1 of the main dishes that we got called Beef Hooba Yaki, it was a bit salty for us but never had it before at any Japanese restaurant so don't really know if it was meant to be that salty! It was beef in a butter and miso based sauce. <br/><br/>Overall, I love this Japanese franchinse, St Heliers definitely didn't disappoint! Coming back for sure.

Have been to the lunch in the mildford one and it was quite nice, so i decided to try the dinner in st heliears. I'm a little bit disappointed with the dinner, given the high expectation and the big dollars for the dinner set. They have nailed it with their entries - everything is freshly made and the sushi nigiri is well made. And that is about it. The main is a let down. The self cooking system is so inefficient, we have to keep it cooking for 20min although the waiter told us it should be done in 10min. The flavour of the main is also quite average, something we can make it at home easily as well so definitely not worth the money. Environment wise, the restaurant is quite cramped, very tricky to fit their high chair next to me. Our table was not clean and had to ask the waiter to wipe it again. Service wise is pretty good, they have a rather high waiter-to-customer ratio, and the staff are very nice and attending. <br/>Overall, the lunch is good value for money, but won't go back for dinner.

The dishes are very beautifully presented and even though the portion looks small, the variety of flavours in one set makes you full by the end of your meal

I guess similar like my review on Musashi Milford, this place is highly recommended for you to have a quick and tasty Japanese lunch.<br/>The place is always busy and the seats are limited hence booking in advance is recommended.

Hidden gem- ordered a set course, great value for money. Gives a taste of everything, and then you finish off with a main. The main was HUGE, very generous portion sizes.

Delicious!<br/>If you want quality Japanese food definitely visit here<br/>It is a little more pricey than other Japanese restaurants but the quality of the food is definitely worth the money.<br/>Must book ahead of dining as they are always packed. I recommend the miso katsu chicken Don and the salmon flame Nigiri <br/>

Heard about this Brand for lots of times from many friends. Now I know that why people all love it. Only $16.90 for a pretty lunch set. What a awesome deal! Every item was fresh and tasty! A good place to enjoy yummy Nippon food.

Went there for lunch and even from a Japanese perspective, it tastes amazing. The lunch menu is really good price/quality/quantity. Definitely recommend and will go back

Loved this small Japanese restaurant hidden in Glendowie...Staff gave our experience a personal touch all are very friendly. Food was ok and I actually enjoyed our meal! Will definitely come back!

One of my favourite Japanese restaurants in Auckland. Their lunch and dinner sets provide really good value. Their food is always of high quality and standard. We had the Kojiro zen last night, the only disappointment was the size of the king prawn was smaller than what they used to serve.

Staff / service = 5<br/>Food = 4.5<br/>Ambience = 4<br/><br/>Awesome sushi / Japanese food ever!!! The staff are so lovely and accommodating. Seriously suggest booking at least a week before hand as they have limited space and it's a local favourite in St heilers.<br/><br/>The reason why the food isn't quite a 5, is because my hubby once ordered the fish and it came out on bamboo leaves they have been reused I think to many times and it left a bitter taste.<br/><br/>The rest of the food such as the steamed dumpling YUM. The chicken katsu is so good and I really like it when most meals are cooked at your table.<br/><br/>The restaurant is quite small and you have to shuffle around and sometimes you are almost yelling over other people's conversations but if you after a good meal at a reasonable price then it's worth the visit

We went there for lunch with a 25% discount, the food is quite expensive but it was okay with the discount. The service is quite friendly, the staff always had smiles on their faces and were willing to help. The food also came quite quickly too. Firstly the green tea was really nice. I ordered a salmon nabu hot pot and the presentation was also really quite good. The soft shell crab (this was an extra side dish that we ordered) was amazing, the sauces were very nice, soft texture, and delicious flavour. The side salad was not the best because I didn't particularly like the dressing. The salmon was soft and nice and it was quite fresh. The miso soup was also very nice. I'm personally not a big fan of tofu, but it was still quite soft and I'm sure a tofu lover would find it delicious. My friend's crumbed chicken was very nice and crispy, and there was a soft texture. There were heaps of mini dishes and there was lots of variety in just one meal. The portion may look small but its quite filling. The prawns were a little too hard but it was still delicious. Side dishes were very nice and cute. The mini creme brulee was very cute, very soft, and very delicious although it was a little too sweet. I will definitely be going back and I really recommend this place to anyone who loves good Japanese food.

I've been a fan of Musashi since it was called Eiji Japanese Restaurant and have to say the food has never disappointed. The quality, flavour, as well as value for money has been top notch but what makes my score a 5.0 are the existence of lunch specials. <br/><br/>From $17 one can get a set meal which contains a range of food: your main dish, 2 pieces of sushi, renkon chips, creme brulee, plus a bowl of miso soup. For a few additional $ you can upgrade your miso to an udon. (There are also several other upgrades available)<br/><br/>My several go-to dishes over the years have been:<br/>1. Chicken Miso Katsu<br/>2. Salmon Hooba Zen<br/>3. Chicken Katsuni Zen<br/><br/>A side-dish not to be missed would be the Soft Shelled Crab

We come to this restaurant quite often.. It never seems to disappoint.. My partner always gets the set meal for one.. Which he always looks like he's in food heaven!<br/>As I'm not a great sea food fan I stick to the normal menu.. I love the fact you cook your own main.<br/>The staff are really friendly.<br/>This is a BYO so that's a bonus! <br/>You'll probably have to book as it gets busy and not a huge restaurant.. However we tend to go early around 6pm and always seem to get a table without booking..<br/>

I am a big Japanese fan for culture, and the food. This place was recommended by a friend. The food is pretty unique and special. The dishes are not commonly available in other Japanese Reataurant.<br/><br/>We tried the following dishes<br/>1. salmon hooba zen<br/>2. Chicken miso katsu<br/>3. Tempura udon with salmon set<br/><br/>Food would rate it about 4.5 fresh, nicely presented, reasonable price for lunch. <br/><br/>Very creative with the presentation and choices of food. <br/><br/>Ambience 4.5<br/>Service 4.5<br/><br/>Overall 4.5 <br/>Will be back again.

First time having lunch here, really surprised since they are soooo busy at noon, maybe because it is much cheaper to have lunch here than dinner?Food quality is always good, friendly staff, recommended!

Haven't been here for awhile, came here to celebrate my son's birthday, the food was amazing. My favourite was the large sashimi, the seafood was fresh and the variety was perfect. The set menu had good combination of dishes.

Delicious Japanese food, the set menus are a great variety and the food comes out staggered.  One of my favourite Japanese restaurants in Auckland.

This place is tucked behind mission bay, near Glendowie. You would be hard pressed to find this place without using the map app. As soon as I stepped into this joint I saw the kitchen full off authentic staff which was a good sign. <br/><br/>Had dinner there with two other people. We ordered the 75 dollar two people set (nothing more) and we were surprisingly bloated afterward. The entree is the typical sashimi, fried spring roll/cone, edamame beans and miso soups. Entrees were nothing out of ordinary except the edamame beans. The beans where pan fried in oil and drizzled with deep friend onion pieces and topped with two fresh, not-frozen prawns. I thought the beans were quite innovative, very different to the typical water boiled, salt seasoned edamame beans. If you want entree, get the beans, period. <br/><br/>We picked salad, agadashi tofu, and flounder Miso teppanyaki. The salad was huge - Veges, seaweed, fresh avocado, and miso dressing. The tofu was lightly battered and deep fried - not too thick, not too light. The flounder was the highlight. The flounder was covered in thick miso sauce and it penetrated into the fish meat while it was getting cooked over the teppanyaki pot thing. The fish was fresh and filled with miso flavour - divine taste. <br/><br/>We only spent 75 dollars for three people that night, compare to 90+ from other Japanese places such a Nishiki. <br/><br/>Too bad this place is afar from most places. The staff was full of energy and Japanese spirit. <br/><br/><br/><br/>

This Japanese resturnant is my favorite one in Auckland ! Great customer service and great dedication to their menu ! We have been dining there for over 7 yrs now, and were never disappointed.  Love their king prawn tempura and their seasonal menu.  The place is always packed and full of energy ! Need to book to avoid disappointment , great value for money.  Never been able to finish their dinner set ( I have good appetite ) , can't wait to go there again :)<br/><br/>Disappointed to say, on Mother’s day in 2018 the time restriction was one hour ! If I had known that before I did my booking I wouldn’t go there. Even more disappointing is the quality of the food. Compared to before, side dish were replaced with not so nice alternative. What use to be a piece of sushi is now a mini size crab stick? The sauce on the chicken katsu was watery. That’s why I changed my rating to 3 star now. For the price they charge for lunch set, it’s just not that attractive now.

Musashi is quite a casual Japanese restaurant but the food is actually really good that I forgot to take photos. The beef tataki and wagyu were standouts for meat lovers and obviously because its Japanese you can't go wrong with sashimi.

Was extremely impressed while dining here. We ordered a set menu which meant fantastic dishes just kept arriving at the table. Everyone's main was cooked over an individual burner, which added to an already great dining experience.

The best Japanese lunch in Auckland.<br/><br/>Good price for lunches on the weekends, serving looks small but it's actually rather filling! for less than $20 you get appetisers main and small brulee, the quality of their meal is fantastic! Even their wasabi is so fresh, and not those pastey stuff from the supermarket! Their staff are also very friendly and welcoming. I've yet to try their dinner sets however I'm sure it'll be as fantastic on the taste buds as their lunches!<br/><br/>Highly recommend this restaurant!

This place is Amazing and is one of my favorite places to have lunch in Auckland. It's a little pricey for a dinner option, but the food is amazing, fresh and authentic.

Always good food. Tables are close together which isn't great for conversation. The eggplant dish is to die for if you like eggplant. Do recommend for a casual dinner

Nice Japanese restaurant that is a bit more upscale than the usual Jap takeaway. <br/><br/>Service is good and friendly. Ambience is warm and semi formal/ casual. Would be a nice place for a big catch up or a first date as it is in between. <br/><br/>Food wise, I love the garlic edamame beans, chicken zangi (fried chicken with a lovely miso and mayo sauce) and Crepe with ice cream (changed vanilla to green tea). <br/>I had the volcano sushi which was cool experience because they torch the tuna in front of you but taste wise... It was average. <br/><br/>They do set menus too and I've had that in the Milford branch and really enjoyed that! <br/><br/>Overall, always a lovely time eating here and can never go wrong.

Every picture on the food menu looked amazing ... We seriously could not make up our mind! so we ordered the Kojiro set😅 instead, plus one beef Tataki dish. The food was pretty good, we enjoyed it. And the beef Tataki was excellent+. Will return ★ * ★ * * ★ *

Really good local Japanese. The snapper in light miso is amazing, and the garlic endame beans are a great innovation. Good menu for kids too.

Recommended by a friend and it was worth going all the way to St. Heliers for this. The food was presented really nicely and most of it was tasty.<br/><br/>The tempura wasn't very good. It became soggy just by standing there. On the other hand, the dragon roll was really good.<br/><br/>We ordered three set of mains between two people and were full. The pork hooba yaki was ok. Didn't have much flavour apart from soy. The chicken katsuni was nice although the waitress dropped half of the egg on the table. I really enjoyed the wagyu toban yaki. The tasty pieces of beef were seared on a hot toban pan before melting in your mouth. It was really pricey ($30 for 5 pieces) but worth trying at least once. The Wagyu was the best dish for me.<br/><br/>There was a bit of communication issues with some of the staff but they were still friendly and helpful. You should book since the place is quite small.

Great local Japanese. Authentic, popular friendly and delicious. <br/>It's a regular in my family for good reason. We even get take out on occasion if we don't feel like eating out. <br/><br/>I recommend booking.<br/><br/>Everything is great, I've tried much of the menu. <br/>I highly recommend the aburu Chan Chan nigiri, salmon sushi flame seared at your table.<br/>The chicken miso katsu is my staple. <br/><br/>Since I'm currently vegetarian I recently explore most of the vegetarian options. The eggplant was to die for and vege tempura delicious thanks to the great sauces. <br/>Atmosphere is up market family type. Staff are normally great, hardly ever have issues.<br/>Over about 15 visits I rate this place highly for being consistently great.<br/>Sarah Forsyth Anna Daley Luke Wigley

We went there on a Sunday along with three other people, it was pretty jam packed but they accommodated us right away. So happy we came here when we did!

Was taken here for my birthday lunch. Pretty cool atmosphere and friendly staff. Pricing is very fair along with the quality, would come back soon to try out the night service

Love this place! My family and I often visit this restaurant because the food is such high quality and so tasty. <br/><br/>I ordered the chicken miso katsu for a change and it was very flavoursome and very filling, I had to take the rest of it home with me and I didn't even order rice with it! <br/><br/>The staff are very friendly and service was very quick, albeit we arrived as soon as it opened. The only downside are the prices as it is quite expensive. However the food is really lovely and worth it in my opinion!

Went there for lunch when I was in Auckland and the atmosphere was great and good was amazing! Great value as well for how much food you receive. Love it ! I hope they open a branch in Christchurch!

We visited Musashi at least once a year since it took over its previous Eiji Jap cuisine years ago. This time we have chosen to be there on a Saturday - a bad choice. Gosh, it was packed with people when we arrived at 6:30 & some had already finished. We ordered quickly - sake, Takoyaki (deep-fried octopus balls), beef tataki (eye-fillet sashimi), dragon rolls, volcano tuna rolls, crispy soft-shell crabs, grilled miso egg-plant, veggie tempura & salad. The food was good & the service was quick but it was terribly stuffy in the small dining area; the noise was also unbearable at times. (Food - 4.5/5; Service - 4/5; Ambience - 2.5/5)

We been here many times, it's always been good, the food is good and appetizing, the floor staff is excellent and very accommodating, if you like Japanese food and you haven't been yet, try it out.

Hmmm... what can I say about this place...a small restaurant, friendly waiters, and amazing chefs. I've went there 4 times now,  the first 2 dishes that we ordered that stood out to us most was the beef Hooba Yaki and the Matador Roll ( If you love beef you need to try these 2 out!). The Hooba Yaki was delicious and I have nothing bad to say about it, this dish allows you to control how well done you want your thick cut beef should be, and the whole process of seeing it cook on on the hot plate... keeps the whole dining experience entertaining. Now the Matador Roll, the thin cut raw beef on top of the rice was smooth and tender. If you're a bit squeamish about raw beef, maybe you wanna give this ago. I'm telling you this sushi roll will give you a different perspective about raw beef.<br/><br/>Absolutely satisfied about my experience here, me and my partner is is very impressed with the Hooba Yaki, and its amazing every time we order it.

Went recently again as the food is great, fresh and served promptly.  We had the salmon and the beef.  Went by ourselves as the last two times we took friends there we couldn't hear them talk - the noise was unbearable.   My husband was very pleased with his sashimi. BYO an advantage. Will return.

Musashi pulls off a wonderful trick of simple cooking with extravagant flare in flavours. The fire-scorched sushi and all the mains (believe me, I've had a big portion of the entire menu) are always perfectly cooked and flavoured. The ambience is excellent too, as the restaurant feels not too casual yet not too formal - the service must also be commended for its efficiency and 'customer-first' approach. There's something here for everyone; from the chicken katsu to the self-cook pots (I'd recommend the snapper). Of exceptional value is the Akemi Zen set menu, which I've ordered every single time.

It was actually my second time returning to Musashi for their lunch deal and once again was highly impressed and pleased with the food that we got :) Came here with my dad on a Sunday afternoon and it was fully packed inside! Fortunately as it was a cold day, there were tables available outside with heaters ( they had also given us blankets which I thought was adorable haha)<br/><br/>I had ordered the Salmon Hooba dish the first time I came ( it was delicious !) so I opted for the Salmon Nabe set this time whereas my dad went for the Beef Hooba set. Both dishes came in around 10 minutes and everything looked beautiful. <br/>Salmon Nabe: This dish was definitely different however I wouldnt get it again as there wasnt anything wow about the miso base that the salmon and prawns were cooked in. The sashimi sushi served on the side were to die for, you could tell all the ingredients were extremely fresh! The little sides were delicious too, especially the small balls of orange fish roe.<br/><br/>Beef Hooba: THIS dish was absolutely scrumptiouss! the beef itself was so tender and the best part was you could decide how raw or cooked you wanted it to be, the sauce it was served it with so tasty too. Would highly reccomend this dish ( or the salmon hooba). This also came with all the same sides and a little creme brulee for dessert haha<br/><br/>Overall, the experience was a great one! Great environment, great service ( super friendly and helpful waitresses) and the prices are extremely decent for the quality and quantity of food you get ( especially these lunch deals). Would highly reccomend the beef hooba! :)

Introduced my parents to this place and managed to get them hooked to the amazing Japanese cuisine that is served at Musashi. Having been at the St Heliers site since 2006, it’s status and popularity continues to be strong with two franchises in Milford and New Lynn opening in the last three years. Expect to be turned away if you do not make a reservation, especially for lunch where they do an amazing lunch set for a very affordable price. <br/><br/>We’ve ordered a good amount of food from their lunch menu. Their chicken curry zen ($15.90) is spot on and the crumbed chicken is always moist and never overcooked. The Salmon Hooba Zen ($15.90) with fresh salmon, prawns and vegetables is one of my mum's favourite while my dad will never stray and order the more expensive King Unagi Zen ($34.50). Each set is served with a delicious miso soup, 3 small sides dishes (Kobachi) and a mini custard dessert. Such an amazing value for authentic Japanese cuisine.

The best miso chicken cutlet in town! It's so good! Just the restaurant gets busy and quite full most days. The miso paste is so special in Musashi and it's quite different from other Japanese restaurant in Auckland.

I live near St Heliers, and I come here often with the family. The place is really busy so you must make a reservation!<br/><br/>Every time we come, we never leave disappointed. The food is great, and the staff are very kind and friendly. My fav dishes are sashimi, miso katsu and tempura udon. Thanks Musashi for being awesome!

Great wee Japenese restaurant in Saint heliers! Went here with my sister after work and we really enjoyed our experience. The service was excellent! I was very cold from winter night and we were seated at back of restaurant though it wasn't very warm inside. Without asking I was given a blanket for my legs which warmed me up just fine :) we ordered a few dishes and meso soups which all tasted great! I will definitely be returning to try some new dishes. Keep up the great work and thank you Musashi st heliers

Been here over 15 times... Possibly more... And there is a reason out of all our dinner dates this is number 1!!!! I love it, am in love should I say best japenesse (beats the flash restraunts in Japan it's self) our fav place ever.... The volcano tuna- the miso sauce- the fresh sea food the banquets everything and it's BYO- every time we come here we go hard.... I could eat here every day and still love it-

I love this place. Probably my favourite japanese restaurant. I always come here for the lunch deals. <br/>For $15.90, you get a LOT of food. Your main choice of dish usually comes with rice, miso soup, mini creme brûlée, salad, 2 salmon sushi, and some side taster things (some other combos come with other stuff). <br/>My favourites are the chicken miso katsu zen, teriyaki chicken zen and the chicken katsuni zen. Yum yum and yum. <br/><br/>They all taste amazing and the service is always good. Nothing else to say about this place except that you gotta try it. <br/>Highly recommend this place :)

Beautiful place. Quite hidden in my opinion. Great customer service although they got my friends order wrong. Firstly they didn't write down his order -I clearly heard my friend order a "salmon hooba yaki" with rice. But that's ok. They brought it over to us ASAP. Then they forgot about the rice. Which was annoying for my friend as I had already finished my chicken udon and was starving by this point. <br/><br/>On the positive side, their sushi/nigiri was AH-MAZING!!! Very pricey for a few pieces of sushi/nigiri. But the matador roll was made to perfection. 8 pieces for about $19 -totally worth it. Wish I could have more! And the tuna aburi was nice. My friend commented that the rice was a bit sweet. I liked it though! <br/><br/>Overall, would come back to Musashi -only for special occasions cos it's way too pricey for me ?

I finish work at 1.30pm on Saturdays and was a bit hesitant to go because they're hours stated they close at 2.15pm. I have previously been to the Milford branch and was kicked out by the staff soon after our order arrived. Pleasantly surprised it was still open and bustling with customers when we arrived at 1.50pm. The staff was happy to serve us. Everything was lovely. My only complaint would be the price and quality of the takeaway salmon/avocado sushi I ordered. 8 pieces was nearly $18, the salmon was not fresh and very thinly sliced (almost not existent). <br/>I would return but I would only order their set lunches/dinner in future.

Came here with my hubby right after I back to Auckland. We ordered a dinner set for 2 as we wanted to try different food. It is really good for what we paid! I enjoyed the food there so much esp. the chicken miso katsu!

A very enjoyable evening at Musashi! It was my birthday earlier this week and my partner took me to dinner at Musashi, initially hesitant, I was quickly won over by the warm and helpful customer service as well as the delicious food. Between then two of us we ordered the soft shell crab and tuna sushi, a plate of sashimi and the Snapper Miso Yaki (which was the favourite of the night) - it comes in a clay pot over a fire, the sauce was just divine! We also had the agadeshi tofu, which was good too. <br/><br/>The restaurant is located in an awesome place too, just a short stroll to St Helier's Bay so we took advantage of the nice scenery. Highly recommended to all!

Love musashi. The staff used to be great but I would now describe as just good.<br/>The food is great, great choices available and always always tastes amazing. Restaurant is quite noisy though, make sure you go at quiet time or be the loudest there!

Another comparison review from me. Visited the Musashi in Milford in a large group a few weeks ago. So trying the St Heliers one today. Again really superb japanese. While the cooking at your table setup is not my thing it really is a great selling point and is clearly popular. Visited this restaurant a few times when called Eiji with the same style. The place is a really pleasant place quite intersection not too big that the noise is deafing. Only service incident was two waitresses almost collided one swerved to avoid hitting tge other and onky suceeded hitting my guest in the back of her head with her forearm and elbow. Not great but simple mistake. Back to tge food.. soft shell crab sushi was devine. 10/10<br/>I had a safe assorted tempura as my main It came with two prawns, pumpkin 3 beans some pork cubes and a few more veges kumara and marrow. Light batter was ok but had better. 8/10. A guest had a beef curry. We often do Japanese curry at home and in comparison the serving was strong flavored than the cubes of flavouring we use. Stewed beef was very good mostly tender except in a few larger pieces. 8/10. The final main was a beef hotpot. It cames with marrow and onion with large thin slices of beef. Personally found this too sweet. Had it been my main would have struggled and needed rice to balance the sweetness. 7/10.<br/>Very nice meal overall but lacked a finer touch or a wow for the 5 rating. Recommend the crab!

It was first time dining here today for lunch. While the food was okay, I was very disappointed with the way I was treated. The waiter told us to leave after just half an hour saying that the restaurant was full. It was indeed full but cmon...... don't you think it's absurd to tell us to leave in 30 mins?

great customer service and a variety of menus to choose from however the reason my rating is low is because I was a bit annoyed that all the food didn't come out at once.  They came out very slowly one by one.<br/>So our family couldn't have a meal at the same time.. I had asked the waitress to hurry along and bring the rest of the food but it was still slow and they still brought one by one..<br/>Next time i hope you can try and make and bring all the food to the table all at once.

Super good food, but very expensive for dinner and also a little bit chaotic. The restaurant is not exactly big, and with the waiters running around, tables of people leaving and new groups of people coming in for their reservations constantly, it makes for a very flustered environment. <br/><br/>However yes, the food is really lovely and fresh. The scallop sushi, though horrifically expensive, is to die for. Even my parents who are notoriously critical and difficult to please had nothing to say except that the restaurant was "very noisy". Ha!

Amazing place with great service. I love how friendly the staff is. The decorations are amazing. The set menus are well proportioned and high in variety. I love going here once every few months with my girlfriends. I really love Japanese food and I liked how it wasn't the typical don/ramen stuff. Thank you.

Had a booking for 6.30, arrived a few minutes late and still had our amazing feast by 7. First time here as found it by rating on this site and all the good reviews were right, the food was amazing and the staff so friendly, will definitely be back soon! Huge menu choices but all great, at our table we had seafood, chicken, and beef options and all were delicious!

Amazing food here, the rice with the sushi rolls was pitch perfect. Not too hard and not too soft.<br/><br/>I am a big Japanese cuisine fanatic so I am quite strict to rating when it comes to Japanese fine dining.<br/><br/>This is an in between of fine dining and japanese bar.<br/><br/>Observations:<br/>They serve not whisky<br/>When busy it can take up to 2.5 hrs to dine<br/>When not busy food comes really quick<br/>Staff looks lost half the time, but food served quickly<br/>Upside is the food was superb<br/>Downside the price is a little excessive<br/>One piece of raw prawn scampi is $3.60<br/>most standard medium plates cost $25+<br/><br/>Service: 4/5<br/>Wait time: 3/5<br/>Environment: 4/5<br/>Food Quality: 4.5/5<br/>Food Quantity: 4/5<br/>Price range: $60+ pp

Love this place. Staff are always friendly and works the small space very well. Love the set menus which has courses coming out one after another, always something new to try and very much of an experience.

Outstanding. Awesome service, beautiful food, would highly recommend. Entrees are great, try the wedges and prawn sticks. Teriyaki chicken was best I've ever had with lovely sauces, rice could have been more but I'm sure if I'd asked I'd have got more. The place was packed all night, that's always a good sign. Go and try this if you love Japanese food, you will not be disappointed.

In a real surprise in this humble suburban street location. I recommend the set menu which comes out in stages, that you feel like you're not only enjoying the food there but the experience also. It's always busy and the food is incredibly fresh and great value. My definitive Japanese meal location, I can not rate it highly enough!

Always welcoming, always full and busy, always delicious. Good value, good friendly service, great atmosphere, we have been here many many times and have always been very happy. Lucky to have this local restaurant near by, almost like going back to Japan!

I am very surprised by all these five star reviews. This restaurant was a disappointment. First of all it is not a great value. The food was extremely expensive for just "good" food. I had a dragon roll, and although it was elegantly decorated, it was just another dragon roll. It cost me $22.50. My boyfriend had Chicken Katsuni, which was one breaded chicken breast in a hot pot, and it was $22.00. We left hungry. We felt like you could get this quality of food (or better) at many many other places in Auckland for 1/2-2/3 the price.<br/><br/>The prices reflect white table cloth dinning and although there was a white table cloth, it was not fine dinning. The service was alright, the food was good, the decor left something to be desired. <br/><br/>All in all: poor value/too expensive.

Fantastic food and one of Auckland's best value meals. Everything was fresh and ohh so tasty. We got there quite late and it really was not a problem. We did not book either. This small suburban restaurant is up there with the best. The restaurant is small and very busy and they just keep rolling the food out.

Fantastic quality and value! I lived in Japan four years and married a Japanese guy, and we both love this place.<br/><br/>You have to book ahead to get a table, and the only gripe I have are the acoustics, which make it hard to hear if there is a larger group in there. The tables could be a bit further apart too, ideally.<br/><br/>But the food is outstanding, portion sizes generous (whoever thought they were small should try some Japanese dining in Ponsonby - I won't mention restaurant names), and the menu innovative and tasty. Service is awesome too.<br/><br/>Ahhhh the difference you get when a Japanese restaurant is actually run by Japanese.<br/><br/>Musashi is high quality and authentic, one of the best Japanese restaurants in Auckland, and great value for money.<br/><br/>I just wish they could find a larger space with better acoustics so they can spread the tables out and allow for quieter, private conversations.

I have eaten here a few times over the last year and enjoyed many take outs. I have to agree with the majority of other reviewers, in that the food is fantastic. The restaurant is small, busy but very comfortable and can still be very intimate with the tables down the back. I like it. It's aldo BYO. My only disappointment is that communication over the phone is difficult at times, and that the set menus are NOT an option for take out. Very good value usually, unless you want the vegetarian set menu to take out, amounting to about $54 instead of $29 if I eat in! I don't quite understand that! Please add it to you Take Away menu. Problem solved;)

I organised a work dinner here last night for 15 and was very impressed by all aspects.<br/><br/>We had 14 of us with the set menu ($49.50pp) which also included an item of the main menu list and 1 guest who just chose 2 dishes from their extensive menu.<br/><br/>The Set Menu came out very quickly once all our guests arrived and the wait staff were even happy to cook some of the raw seafood for our not so adventurous guests. The food was all delicious, hot and came out very fast. By the end of the meal our team was very satisfied (AND FULL!) and all had an enjoyable evening.<br/><br/>I would highly recommend - just be weary of the 2hour dining time restriction, we were not aware until the end of the dinner, had this been communicated earlier in the piece then I would have rated it 5stars for sure :)<br/><br/>WE WILL BE BACK!

This is one of our favourite restaurants in Auckland.<br/><br/>The environment is warm and cheerful. The staff are attentive, knowledgeable and very friendly.<br/><br/>We've visited many times and tried just about everything on the extensive menu. Everything is delicious, beautifully presented and we love the way food is brought to you as soon as it's ready. Some of the dishes are even cooked in front of you on the table (the curries are fantastic!).<br/><br/>The restaurant is a little on the pricey side but it's well worth it. Remember to book, Musashi is always busy.

Wonderful place. We were very impressed. It was very busy on a saturday night, but we were seated at a very cute table down the back. <br/> There was nothing amazing about the dishes, but presentation and service were great !!!<br/> We ordered from a set manu, which was costly, but we found it to be well worth it. <br/>Its nice to treat yourself sometimes. <br/><br/>Recomend :)

Simply put...Not good. Service was not good, sushi and sashimi was not good and the atmosphere was not good. Extremely overpriced as well. I would not recommend this restaurant to anyone! I eat a lot of Japanese food and this is the worst I have had since I have lived in Auckland.

We visited this local last night after hearing great things, well i am sorry but we have to disagree, the food was average, more like what you would expect from a sake bar than a restaurant. The sushimi was not as fresh as it should be and the sushi that the waitress cooked at the table with a butane torch tasted of butane, not such a great idea, neither was the use of surimi. What made it all the worse was the lack of cleaning, the fabric squabs on the chairs were so filthy they felt alive, and the whole place looked tired and in need of a good scrub up. The staff were friendly if not a bit like a Japanese version of faulty towers, highly overrated ,have recently tried some sushi and chicken dishes, both average!

The very best Japanese Restaurant in Auckland. Exquisitely presented range of delightful cuisine in a delightful warm and ambient restaurant. The service is impeccable. We have been to this establishment many times, both before and after the change in branding, and it still surpasses anything else in Auckland.

We enjoyed the Winter Special Set Menu and thoroughly enjoyed our meal. The food was well cooked, well presented, and really tasty.. Good service, and child-friendly (we had my two year old son with us, and they provided colouring in, as well as felts). Would highly recommend dining here..

after re-branding, the menu has been totally changed and less to choose. but food was still fabulous. ive went for lunch i had teriyaki chicken on heat pot bento and my friend had salmon shabu shaby set. it was really yummy and their service is still 5star quality! their dessert is bulee has been deliciously caramalized. i would recommend to everyone!

We have been going to Musashi for weekend lunches for a while <br/>They have one of the best deals in Auckland - $15 for a lunch tray. Two pieces of salmon sushi, salad, main and mini creme brulee. <br/>Have tried every lunch combination on the menu and have not been disappointed. My favourite is the sushi/sashimi with tempura vegetables on udon and Mike prefers the curry.<br/><br/>The other night we decided to go for dinner. <br/>It has blown other Japanese restaurants in Auckland out of the water <br/>Presentation was gorgeous and food was tasty and satisfying. Although on the more expensive side it was well worth it <br/>We ordered the edamame beans, Agadashi tofu, eggplant, dragon roll, unagi roll, Sashimi and a bottle of Central Otago Pinot Noir. The meal was fantastic. <br/><br/>I only had a photo of Matt and Mike with the sashimi

This is a very exquisite Japanese restaurant you can find in the suburbs. We walked in just past 6pm on a Saturday with no booking and got one of the tables at the back (not recommended). It's kinda quaint in the back that's quieter but there's very little room and you have people walk past all the time going to the toilet or have the waitresses check up on you cos she couldn't see otherwise from the main area. The restaurant got very busy so I would recommend to book and they have people coming in for takeaways too. This was a belated birthday dinner for me with a friend so I splashed out and got the Kojiro Zen set and my friend got the Musashi Zen set, and we shared a sparkling sake Mio which was super duper delicious.<br/>I mainly went with the Kojiro Zen set because of the soft shell crab and it was probably the most scrumptious thing ever! I wished the menu was organised so we know the the set comes in 3 lots, like 3 courses. Anyway everything was yummy especially the melt-in-the-mouth sashimi (apparently served with real wasabi) and the giant king prawn tempura. For the main I went with pork hooba yaki which was not bad but not awesome. It came earlier than my friend's main because it needs to cook for 10min. About 2 min in, another waitress came and check on it... and then later, after 10 min, I wasn't sure what to do, eg if I should try to put the flame out or not and no wait staff came past... In the end I just started eating it and the fire went out eventually. It had great miso flavour but I thought the pork was a bit too tough for "slow-cooked" pork. My friend had the wagyu sashimi for main and that was delicious but seem like a small serve (although after the whole set you are almost full already). Finally I had a feeling they forgot to give us miso soup and I was right now that I checked the menu again :/