Review Namo - Auckland Central

Excellent sushi served with their unique sake soy sauce (clear in colour) which enhances the flavour of white fishes brilliantly. The mains are good too but the sushi was most stunning! Will come again to try their other items off the menu.

Super! Everything was just right. Food; devine. Staff; very welcoming, friendly. Price; superb value for high quality fresh food. The Sushi was absolutely devine and so was the fish of the day. Will go again if we get the chance and make an afternoon of it eating through the menu!

Staff is very nice, and food is amazing! Dragon roll and salmon tataki must try! Absolutely recommend everyone

Thai/Japanese fusion, interesting take on some dishes with some regular dishes you expect from a Japanese restaurant.

Good food, but not real Japanese food.

Wow. Just wow. Totally worth it. Try all the Chef's specials, especially the king fish and the salmon tataki!!!

A hidden gem in Auckland! Great atmosphere and food! Definitely recommend

Really simple, interesting food. And incredibly well presented.

We had a really delightful meal here. The vibe is casual and the service is friendly. But it's the food that we'll come back for - fresh, delicious and beautifully presented, with vegetarian- and vegan-friendly choices. We'll be coming back!

Such an amazing dinner! The Chef's Specials are simply incredible. It's a very casual place but the dishes are fantastic.

the food was fabulous. I loved the pad Thai prawn dish and the chicken katsu was the best I have ever tasted. the waiters were nice. I would highly recommend it.

I have been meaning to write this blog for quite some time, after eating here more than 3x! Which in the food world is a great feat when there is literally a new place popping up each week. Who can keep up with that sort of level?. Namo! Located in the old school favourite Thai Me Up spot on Ponsonby Road, it brings you your favourites and classics done well with a super fresh tone. Some of the top picks for your next dining experience: The Bridge Roll, Miso Chanpom and Chicken Katsu with BBQ Sauce.

I went there on Friday. Terrible service!!! A waitress came over and quickly left saying she would be right back because we still had no had our drinks so we asked again and she looked at our and said “just wait” !!!!! And I thought she was not good in English <br/><br/> She is long black hair, white skin, short and attractive

Returned to Namo recently, and am pleased to say the food and service were again outstanding. The sushi chef is amazing, and I am not surprised to learn that he did some time at Nobu, Tokyo.<br/><br/>Highly recommend, and will return soon.

A friend and I looked a 7pm reservation on the Thursday evening just been. We arrived at 7pm as per the reservation and were seated with a menu. 7:30 and we still had no had our drinks or food order taken so we got up to ask the staff if we could order. A waitress came over and quickly left saying she would be right back. Another 10 minutes passes and no sign of anybody. Another waitress then came over to take our order after we notified again that we had no been served. Another 10 minutes passed and still no drinks brought to the table however a large table next to us that sat down at 7:45 had been served their drinks within 5 minutes and other tables that arrived some time after us were eating their dinner. We waited a final 10 minutes bringing us to 1 hour from arriving and still no drinks or food. We decided to then leave and find another place to eat. Very disappointed in the service and not one apology for the wait or offer to resolve the situation. Won’t be visiting again

I went for lunch by myself the other day and had the (full price - not a lunch special) Japanese beef curry.  It was actually quite tasty which is what got them the extra .5.  However it was the worst beef ever - think gristle, fat and large vein parts, thankfully not a lot of beef and the whole plate was swimming in oil.  I can't believe they served it.  I (now) wish I had refused to pay for it - it was that bad.

Visited here for bday dinner . Cozy casual and friendly staffs. Loved the sake tasting menu . Best food best service would definitely visit again <br/>

Made a booking on a very busy Saturday night and wee seated fifteen minutes later. Excellent service, quick and professional. Informative too! Staff knew their delicious food and advised us well. Partner had sashimi, served fresh, tasty, and on ice with bamboo branches. Beautiful. Vegetarian meal very nice :-) Ask for the side room if looking for something more intimate. Recommended!

I was highly disappointed in my experience at namo. I had expected a lot better things due to the newspaper clippings proudly displayed on the window. There are better valued places at cheaper prices!!<br/><br/>We ordered the chicken ramen and a grilled salmon dish. The salmon was very average, beautifully decorated but that did not make up for the taste. It had not even been marinated and was overcooked which I hate with salmon. Pretty much, beautifully made bad tasting food<br/><br/>There was a bit of confusion with the chicken ramen, which the manager fixed for us but did not make up for the fact that the ramen was tasteless and bad. I've had much better ramen in nz and the broth was just weak, which is not how real ramen should be like. <br/><br/>In summary, if you are looking for good japanese, you're better off to go to a foodcourt or new Japanese place but if u like looking at pretty food, this is your place. 10/10 for presentation and 4/10 for taste

Loved the restaurant's food and service.<br/><br/>I am a vegetarian and asked the waiter what their vegetarian options were. To make it easier for me, he highlighted a menu with every option that was or could be vegetarian. He recommended his favourites and was quick to give as service. <br/><br/>Everything the group ordered looked and tasted great. The agedashi tofu was amazing and the gyoza plate was presented beautifully.<br/><br/>This is my first Zomato review as this is the first place where the meal I've has made me want to spend my time writing!

Visited Namo for the first time, thought the interior decor was a great revamp from Thai Me Up, seemed warm and cosy, open kitchen area, nice neutral colours. If only the food tasted as nice as it looked! We had the coconut shooters, nanami chicken, beef wasabi, sushi, tuna, edamame etc. Average for price, and I personally found the shrimp sauce very overpowering in the shooters. Service lacked.

Came here about a month ago with a group of people. We were seated outside in the evening on a small one table between the 4 of us which wasn't the most ideal but in the end liked the sort of cosy seating. I liked being seated outside as inside was quite noisy as we were leaving. <br/><br/>The most notable and outstanding point I can remember is the spectacular service. We had a lady in a striped shirt service consistently throughout the night. She was confident, intelligent and was every proud of the establishment. I can highly agree. <br/><br/>I'm a vegetarian and she very kindly guided me through vegetarian options and explained with great pleasure the dishes, how the tasted and the quality of which they were made. <br/><br/>I can't remember specifically what dishes we ordered but I remember having a Papaya salad medium spice. Was delicious, spicy and tangy with a carrot sticking out of it which made us laugh a little because it was poking out of the shredded salad. <br/><br/>Everyone always was consistently awed throughout the entire night at the quality and presentation of the food. Someone also ordered some hot sake, which came out in its own box to keep the temperature. <br/><br/>The lady who served us would engage in conversation and we would laugh together which honestly made the dining experience even more lovely. <br/><br/>At the end we ordered green tea which we had to order to take away which they kindly accommodated to do so. <br/><br/>From what our wonderfully server told us: this restaurant is family owned after they moved up from the Christchurch earthquake. They packed up and moved to Auckland and put a lot of hard work and effort to create. <br/><br/>Will 100% come again. Never felt more loved and accommodated for. Truely a place to go.

This is my favourite local restaurant! The food is always fresh, delicious and beautifully presented. There are so many fabulous dishes on the menu - spinach and roasted coconut, beef and pork tataki, spicy creamy prawns, gyoza, pork bao, yaki udon and teriyaki chicken to name just a few. No wonder I keep going back and never tire of the fabulous food and friendly family service.<br/>Thank you Takashi and Supriya for opening your amazing little restaurant in my neighbourhood.

Absolutely amazing meal. Had the tofu which was just perfect because I am a vegetarian. Amazing decor and beautiful presentation. The staff were so friendly and lovely. Definitely coming back soon!

This is a wonderful restaurant that I am definitely going to be returning to as often as possible. The food is absolutely amazing, every dish is wonderfully thoughtful and delicious. Its not often you order a meal and don't get a dud dish. I have eaten Japanese in Japan and NYC and this really does stack up. Also you aren't having to pay Nobu prices. <br/>I am surprised that people have said the staff weren't attentive or that the food was slow to come. On both my visits they have been wonderfully friendly and polite and we didn't have a moment of wondering where things were. Each dish came in good time, with enough space to enjoy it and you never felt overloaded. <br/>I have tried the other new Japanese spot, Azabu, which has had a lot of hype. I think Namo beats it on all counts.

Presentation of food was immaculate. Staff perfect. The mains for two people were brought out awhile after all of the other food. But other than this no complaints. Would definately go back again.

I would never return this place. I had mixed nigiri for $28 - 6 pieces: they were not even good. Any nigiri from a random sushi shop would taste better. I also had salmon salad for $18 - 5 small pieces of thawed salmon in a bowl... ridiculous. I feel ripped off. If anyone's thinking of trying this new Japanese place, I highly recommend you to go other place.

Whhhhhy have I not dine here sooner!! Great atmosphere, small and intimate. <br/>All the dishes were beautifully presented and were all fresh and delicious with generous portions !! <br/>The staff were all lovely and great service !<br/>Not often I left a Japanese restaurant with a full stomach !!<br/><br/>Loved everything about this place ! Please keep up the amazing work !!!

Excellent and innovative food! Different and delicious. Nice atmosphere. The staff were lovely and made such an effort. Will definitely be back!

I have some friends who works there, so my experience might have been a little biased, but still I have to say my night here was outstanding.<br/><br/>The menu is small, but interesting, and the food is beautifully presented. The most impressing thing was the king prawns, but the gyoza and the agedashi tofu were also delicious.<br/><br/>A place to try!

Friendly and welcoming services received from the staff. Cosy, simple and comfortable environment with outdoor option. <br/><br/>This restaurant serves modern Japanese cuisine, each dishes were presented with full efforts and preserving the delicacy of Japanese style. Flavors has been thought-out carefully and creative used of fusion ingredients.<br/><br/>Things to improve on is to use fresh seaweed to achieve crispy and bringing out the salmon roe flavors. Beef tatami were a little over cooked but rescued by the amazing sauce.<br/><br/>Overall big well done on presentation and passion for Japanese cuisine.

Please improve your customer service and pace of service. My friend even preordered some entre dishes yet they still arrived later than some of the on-day ordered dishes. Beautifully presented food.

Lovely service , were very friendly ! Food was very good although took some time but very understandable . Was even given complimentary dessert from the chef

Great, fresh food that is well presented. The staff suggested dishes that were absolutely delicious. Staff were helpful and prices reasonable. Will definitely be back again!

Absolutely exquisite Japanese food- it looks amazing and it tastes even better dare I say. The staff went out of their way to ensure we had a great time and understood the menu. Will definitely be coming back.

Namo is outstanding, the best Japanese we've had in Auckland! The service was great, our waiter knew his stuff, happily recommended his favourites plus gave us honest advice on how many dishes to order which meant we ended up with a perfect amount of food. The beef tataki was a stand out and the chicken katsu was also amazing but we couldn't fault any of the dishes, they were all beautifully presented and bursting with flavour. Matcha ice cream at the end was delicious too. Very reasonably priced, we had 4 drinks, 5 dishes and dessert for $120. Highly recommend!!

Good service, good food, cant fault. Had the agadashi tofu and kimchi which was nice. Complimentary appetisers was a nice touch. Portion sizes were okay

Had a beautiful, Japanese meal here on a quiet Monday night. The presentation was stunning, the food was very fresh and unique. Service was polite and effective and the food came out swiftly.<br/><br/>Namo's obviously just opened up so they're still learning the ropes from the looks of other reviews.<br/><br/>A memorable and reasonably priced meal. Recommend the karaage tofu, just divine!

I came here for a friends birthday and the experience was not good. <br/><br/>She pre ordered food because she read in the reviews that the service was quite slow and asked them to bring the food whenever it was ready. <br/><br/>The food came very slow and one of our dishes did not make it to the table at all. <br/><br/>The chicken nanban was pink and jelly like in the centre. I only noticed this half way eating the dish. I told the waitress this and she apologised and went to get the manager. The manager arrived while I was trying to take a photo and she pretty much took the chicken out of my hand. She then said that it was just the vein and there was nothing to worry about and it's edible but she can make a new one. The chicken had no bone in it and did not look like it had removed so if it is pink on the inside it does worry me. We were not comfortable to eat the same dish again so we declined the offer. We were still charged for the dish at the end of the meal. I personally feel as though this was bad service. Admitting that the chicken could be a little under cooked would of been better than denying it and telling me it's fine. <br/><br/>Apart from the slow service and chicken incident the other dishes were beautifully presented and tastes amazing and fresh.<br/>But for the image that Namo is trying to achieve they should work on their professionalism.

This is my new favourite Japanese restaurant, slightly non conventional, but exciting at the same time.<br/>The sashimi capriccio, it looks busy with lots of flower petals , but this is the standout dish and was great to see , raw prawns (small Indian prawn but excellent eating),squid,octopus and a good assortment of fresh fish.<br/>The miso soup was good , not great, but liked it in the cup , papaya salad is ok but needs something to bring to life , Mekong baby's is the best by far, and the prawns on the stick , the crumb could be crisper and not as limp.<br/>Loved having the hot sake in a hot water bucket.<br/><br/>Even though slightly more expensive than most Japanese , I would highly recommend, and look forward to going back and trying the other dishes 👍👍👍👍👍👍

The most important tip to anyone looking to visit Namo; choose your dishes from the Chef's special list, because these are generally prepared by Takashi himself. Otherwise, it's more casual Thai with Japanese influence. Service is attentive, but the does not live up to the standard Ponsonby demands. Takashi's talent is duly wasted here, but get in there to sample his handcrafted art while you can.

Namo newly opened on ponsonby road and the hype surrounding the restaurant meant we had to visit. The service needs a lot of improving though, the staff wasn't very attentive and the food came really slowly. Presentation was nice but that was about it.

Yummy gyoza - friendly staff efficient service if not overly, clean setting where you can watch the chef with a minimalistic setting similar to a Japan mart

Joined 6 friends for dinner on a quiet Thursday, we reserved a table just in front of the kitchen. 3 of us arrived on time and the other 3 arrived 15 minutes later, we didn't even get looked and I had to call someone over to ask for drinks. When the next 3 arrived we sat for 15 minutes before one of us had to wave a waitress down to order our starters. Starters were tasty! Ordered mains, when they came out 5 meals came at the same time and the person that order the salmon didn't get it until the others had almost finished their meals! <br/>Service is lacking for a new place, such a shame because the food was tasty.

Terrible service, food did not deliver. We were seated in a row part of the restaurant which felt like we were in a submarine. Strange on a day which was hot and sunny. My sister asked if they had a cocktails list. Waitress smiled and said "yes we do beer, wine.." 😩<br/>Prawn dish we ordered came out on a large plate with three prawns. They tasted old, overlooked and no flavour at all. So nothing like the description of Ceylon prawns. The Gyoza was average. Kingfish however was pleasant. <br/>Having eaten at fantastic Japanese restaurants all around the world, this has to be the most disappointing. Such a shame as we as a group of six were really looking forward to it. Food was slow. We ended up cancelling the last main order as we were starving. We had to pop next door to Farina to get some food!! <br/>Will never go back. Auckland has so many more fabulous eateries. This restaurant has a lot of improving to do as they are trying to be what they clearly aren't.

Wow!! The food was amazing! It was worth waiting for 30 min for the food. We ordered miso soup which came out first. Probably the easiest thing to make. Next is came the mushroom salad. Delicious and plenty of fancy lettuce to wrap the mushrooms up. Then came the beef salad. That was nice, spicy and tender meat. Then we had the sashimi carpaccio. Oh wow! It look amazing! Something you would see at fine dining. Well presented with very fine detail. Then came the salmon tutaki. Another well presented dish and probably the best dish we ever had. The salmon just melted in your mouth finishing with sweet flavour lingering in your mouth. Presentation is a must in this restaurant. The staff was attentive and gave plenty updates on the food. One thing I would say is that the toilet. There was only one so you had to had to wait and also might be a good idea to get a bigger bin. Other than that I would definitely go back when it is more quiet.

Food: 4/5<br/>Service: 5/5<br/><br/>Great new place on Ponsonby Road with the head chef Takashi having prior worked for Nobu in Japan and Tetsuya, you can bet this place live up to the hype. He prepares certain dishes right in front on your eyes reminiscent of uomarket restaurants Japan. We tried a few different dishes with their vegetable gyoza being the best I've ever had; freshly made and lightly fried to perfection. Their agadashi tofu is pretty standard with the right mix of flavours and well presented. I had a tofu teriyaki fusion dish; they tofu was perfectly fried with a light teriyaki tasting sauce that paired well. It was a bit salty but this didn't take away much from the rich flavour.<br/><br/>The staff are friendly and very attentive, refilling water and checking on how the meal was. When they confused one of our orders the waitress promptly apologised.<br/><br/>Would definitely come here again.

This restaurant feels like they've landed a prime piece of real estate on Ponsonby Road, and they're 'giving it a go'.<br/><br/>They don't know what they're doing. And it's a real shame, because it's all so simple – keep water topped up, ask if we wanted another beverage, clear away dishes, be generally attentive, not have four different staff members attending to you, and one general rule of thumb – don't get sassy and start rolling your eyes when we communicate that some things are going wrong – it all felt put on, they were falling over their own feet, and the key in hospitality is to look unflappable.<br/><br/>Long story short, this restaurant has a lot of improving to do service wise, to make it's average at best food shine. There's an unauthentic feeling about this place, and something isn't right. If they dream of any staying power on the Ponsonby Road strip, they better think on their feet – fast.