Review Yuzu - Auckland Central

Eric Chou奧克蘭寶哥

We ate a boat in Yuzu! 😂 Opening the door for years of history, it is one of the Must Go in Ponsonby. Small Japanese style venue, but it's actually run by a Korean family. By reading the certificates on the wall, you know the chef has been well trained in terms of the Japanese cooking skills. Great atmosphere, great hospitality, great good this is what you are asking for on a Friday evening!

Raymond Goh

The Japanese food here is very nice and fresh. Prices are more expensive than others though. Food was out pretty quickly and service was good. Atmosphere is good like an izakaya restaurant.

Syd Eats

Delectable sushi! Perfectly balanced and portioned 🍣 The staff are so lovely - from wait staff to front or house to chefs - all such gems! The food is just incredible. The sake is glug-able! The only issue is that you need to walk behind the front of house desk and right through the kitchen to use the loo. The kitchen is a hallway and you are walking straight through it to get to the customer bathroom. As interesting as this might be for a customer I really feel for the chefs who at any moment might have some random patron sauntering through their workspace. Not at ALL ideal. I think the place needs a proper renovation because that kind of basic kitchen safety negligence is just not acceptable. Everyone in a kitchen should have the right shoes, a hair net and be aware of boiling hot liquids “behind”.

Nathan

The food was pretty good, and the service was warm, friendly and wuicl. I like the ambience and the music

Allan C

All the food we ordered was very good. Struggled to finish all the food. Friendly and patient staff.

Elaine Ang

Yum! The Boat + 2 rolls was good to share between 4 people. My favourite part was the sashimi on the boat. Super fresh and plentiful.

Byron Leung

Me n my wife had lunch in this restaurant for lunch, the food is top grade !!, tempura is spot on, also the aburi salmon sushi is very tasty. Love it. For sure will go again for their yummy food.

Lee Martelli

Just discovered this restaurant tonight - it was EXCELLENT! Food fantastic and brilliant service - great welcome and very attentive. Everything we had was super yummy and came pretty quickly! The salads were really fresh and generous, and lots of Gluten free and vegetarian options. The karage chicken is very crunchy and scrumptious and the sashimi is delicious. Recommend trying the banana tempura dessert with matcha ice cream - soooo good! We'll be back again soon! :-)

Kristen Jung

Great food and service. Strongly recommend. Big portion for 4 people-Trio boat. Other dishes are great as well.

Gina Taylor

Service was quick and delightful. Food was delicious, and the bridge was perfect for sharing between two people

Tiny Sized Foodie

We ordered the duet bridge which is a platter of assorted sashimi/sushi roll/nigiri/kaarage/tempura. I was blown away by the presentation. And it tastes as good as it looks. The salmon sashimi simply melted in my mouth like butter. Everything in the platter is just top notch and I think it is really value for money. We ordered another Aburi Salmon roll after we finished the bridge. No photos of that because the moment we saw it, we couldn’t resist. The slightly charred taste coupled with the freshness of the salmon and the mayo sent me straight to heaven. Service is also perfect. We had so much laughs with the lady server! This might be the best Japanese food I’ve had to-date in Auckland. It’s on par with other top japanese restaurants. I think I have just found my new favourite place in my neighbourhood.

Je'maine Booth

It's always a delicious and welcoming experience at Yuzu, would highly recommend 😊

Jessia

I really like Yuzu and eat here regularly. The vegetarian tempura sushi roll is my go-to along with the veggie dumplings. It’s a nice atmosphere and a great spot to have dinner with friends. It’s got a BYO license too which is great. The manager has been there a long time and she is lovely.

Livi Geddes

Sashimi was good and cool they gave us fresh oysters when asked! However, we got seaweed salad and 90% of it was iceberg lettuce, pretty average considering it was $11. Karaage chicken wasn't the best but was ok. Nice setup inside it's just a shame about the food.

Lucy

Traditional Japanese restaurant on Ponsonby Road. Good for a quick and causal feed. The suzuyaki pot was decently portioned and had good quality beef. The broth was a bit too salty. Food: 7/10 Food presentation: 7/10 Service: 9/10 Location: 8/10 Ambience: 7/10 Price $30 per person

Lizzie

Had the eggplant donburi which wasnt anything special just rice, salad and eggplant which was nicely seasoned - wish it had more eggplant so was abit disappointed!!! The karaage chicken was so yummy though and the chicken teriyaki sushi! Keen to come back and try the sizzling plate & udon.

Lana

Stopped here for a quick lunch. Pretty average in terms of food quality. Sushi and sashmi have been clearly refrigerated and the rice was hard and fish is rubbery. Also there was bok Choy and diced sweet pepper in my udon - not very authentic Japanese cuisine. Got the impression that the ingredients used weren’t too fresh. Overall, not value for money, I’d suggest giving this place a miss and checking out the other Japanese places in ponsonby.

Stu

We sometimes come here for lunch but last night went for my wife's birthday. It was a great evening with very very fresh sashimi, fab gyoza and a really nice sukiyaki with really good quality beef and great depth in the broth. Also the ambience and service were both great. I cannot recommend here enough - oh, and it's also reasonably priced.

Danielle Lee

We ordered a selection of dishes including the curry katsu, salmon teriyaki, takoyaki, the spicy tuna roll and some beers. Food is pretty average to say the least, not worth paying $93.50 for. Our sushi roll had very little ingredients in the middle and was mostly rice. The salmon teriyaki had hardly any salmon and was mostly fried veges. To top it all off the food took over half an hour to get to us. Was not happy and will not revisit.

I_like_pickles

Very nicely plated food. The bento box is beautifully presented with an array of colours. Sashimi was fresh and the tempura was crispy. Staff were friendly. Decor is simple but the restaurant is neat and tidy.

Emma Kostanich

Yuzu is a trusty dinner location for quality Japanese at a reasonable price. Some of my favourite dishes are the beef sizzling plate, the karaage chicken and the sushi. Always fresh and great service too, it's super homely feeling but still very tidy. Def recommended:)

Charlene Weaver

Reasonably priced Japanese food in Ponsonby with all the standard menu items you'd expect to see at a Japanese restaurant. I ordered the eggplant and avocado salad which was tasty at first but very rich and filling considering it was a small size. This dish was ok, I personally didn't like the combination of avocado and eggplant together as it was just too rich, the sauce was also overpowering and a bit too salty for me, I would have preferred less sauce. I think they are a popular spot for BYOs, I would come again to try more on the menu!

Kelly Stratton

Good food experiences previously. But if you shut at 9 you should say you shut at 9 if i call at 8:45 to ask for a table... on the busiest sat night nontheless.

Neil Macdonald

Great BYO, AMAZING food! Would add photos but the food didn't last long enough! The beef Yakiniku and Chicken Karaage were our favorites.

Jade Lim

Surprisingly exceeded our expectations - good food, ideal portions, lovely service. Went there on a Friday evening (around 6pm) and Yuzu is about 30% filled by the time we arrived. We both went for their Traditional Yuzu Bento $25 (added rice $2). The Bento includes: - sashimi (fresh, 2slices of Tuna and 2 slices of Salmon) - 2 prawns and veg tempura (decent selection, crispy coating) - Agedashi tofu (seriously delicious) - Karaage chicken (would be better if they don't have the sweet chilli sauce on the chicken) - 3 nigiri - 2 sushi - Edamame - Seaweed Salad - Miso Soup (slightly too salty for me) Overall, a recommended place for affordable eats at Ponsonby.

Caroline Jericevich

Yuzu is one of those spots if you blink, you'll miss it. Tonight is the first time I have ever seen this tiny restaurant...tucked away next to Chapel Bar on Ponsonby Road. Service was excellent (ruthlessly efficient actually...makes me wonder how many chefs are in the kitchen). Karaage chicken...

Frank

Hidden gem alert. Very unassuming from the outside, sort of place you walk past while looking for something else. But don't be fooled my amateur diner friends, this place seriously rocks, especially on a Fri night. Food was sensational, my gyoza and bibimbap simply outstanding. BYO, where do you get that nowadays? Service so sublime you don't even notice. The dishes came out so fast, I don't know how the kitchen does it. The place was packed, pumping with the trendy fashionistas of the neighborhood, pitstopping on their way to Chapel or Social Club. If I hadn't gone there I wouldn't have believed it either. Definitely coming back.

ShoRt

A nice 'cheap eats' in the heart of Ponsonby given the standard in this area. Japanese decor with good ambience. Service is really friendly. Food wise, it was average Japanese but good for the price and area. If you are getting the karaage chicken donburi, I suggest to share it as it was a huge plate of chicken. And it wasn't the usual way of cooking as coated with cornflakes or something. Not sure if I fancied that. Prefer it the traditional way? Other than that, everything else wasn't bad. Just nothing to get excited about.

L.E.N.S

Just had dinner here with some friends, and yes, it's another overpriced Japanese restaurant in Ponsonby. But the food is actually really good! Small and slender restaurant, with modest decor. The tables although cramped in to a small space, are quite big and you don't feel too close to anyone else. The menu has all the usual Japanese dishes, with a lot more sizzling dish options than I've seen at other places. We ordered a tempura mixed platter, friends had the fried tofu and the wagu beef, while I ordered the sizzling fish with vegetables. My fish was to die for - tender fillets of fish cooked in a tasty in a soy/ginger marinade on top of a bed of vegetables. I would only say, the dishes were quite small for the price in comparison to other Japanese restaurants, prices range from about $20-$25 for a main. But the service was great and the food came out spectacularly fast! Overall, a really good, solid Japanese restaurant. Casual atmosphere with tasty food.

Jessica Li

Dinner was delicious! I decided to get something other than sushi (usually what I get at japanese restaurants) so I settled for the wafu beef. It was super yummy, good portion size and decently priced as well :) would recommend

Food 24/7

It was surprisingly quiet on a Friday night so we got a table right away. The ladies at Yuzu are always so lovely, attentive and friendly. Me trying to be healthy had the Well-Being Set ($24) and my partner had Yuzu bento ($25) Not much to fault these two dishes as they were simple with fresh ingredients and didn't require much technique. In comparison, we felt that the Yuzu bento was better in value, had more variety and more filling. This was because there were fried items and more sushi to fill the stomach, whereas in the well-being set all that variety was substituted by an unsubstantial lite tofu salad.

Kezia Lynch

One of my favourite Japanese sit-down restaurants in Auckland and a great location for a feed before a night out on Ponsonby Road. Also very reasonably priced! The food is excellent and wait time is never very long. Atmosphere is lovely, restaurant is always clean and staff are friendly and efficient. My favourite dish is definitely the sizzling yakiniku beef. Highly recommend to others.

A

Had the delicious sizzling tofu plate which came with one of the best miso soups I've ever had. Left with a happy warm glow inside my stomach. Thank you 👌🏽

GideonMarisa MasterchefNz2015

Amazing how the Japanese take simple foods and make them taste and look so delicate! The tataki here was absolutely amazing! And you can't go wrong with Karrage chicken whenever you go out for Japanese!

Moodyfoodie

My first time back to Yuzu in a while and it was delicious! We ordered the karrage chicken and the gyoza!! Karrage chicken is the best! Juicy and crispy !! Gyoza were also delish..so tasty!! We ordered the chicken sushi/chicken katsu and pork curry! The sushi was soooo FRESH and soft! Service was GREAT and the food came out quick! Only downer is the parking on Ponsonby road and my katsu had sauce on it making it a little bit soggy but that is just a small thing. Great food 😉

Anya Duxfield

Sashimi, takoyaki, gyoza, oysters in tempura and seaweed salad were all excellent. Service was quick, attentive and friendly. A cosy ambiance and a very enjoyable meal. The boats and bridges of sushi and tempura batterd items looked wonderful regret a little that we did not order it.

HJ

I think this is my fav Japanese place in Ponsonby! Continuous good food. The restaurant is on the small side but is cosy and would still fit small groups. Prices are reasonable and there is all the traditional dishes on the menu. Service is always friendly and very good! Karaage chicken and agedashi tofu are really good!

Jzizzle

REVIEW for Yuzu SYMONDS street. $12.50 salmon and avo sushi is always fresh and delicious very filling for one person, takeout. I've eaten in too, and their cooked dishes are reasonably priced (under 20 dollars) and just so so delicious. Relaxed setting, nice low lighting.

김선영

Amazing place! The best Japanese food I've ever had. Friendly staff with excellent service! We had Trio boat and chicken udon soup. I will definitely go there again.

Natasha Furness

Great sashimi - really fresh and great quality fish. Friend had an Eggplant salad which was fantastic too and curries a good size and very friendly staff.

Jazz Wilson

Staff are happy and friendly. My meal was teriyaki tofu. I ate the whole meal:) tasty byo type place very low key

Mon Hollows

The best Japanese food i've had in Auckland. We went with a group of 6 of us and though it was very busy they kindly squeezed us in, no problem. Fresh, delicious and no-fuss food! It's also BYO, so grab a bottle of wine at Glengarry's next door beforehand.

Jon Vincent

Menu mania asked me to write a review of a restuarant we did like as a comparative to the review we gave of Asahi in Whangarei. Well if you you'd like to experience unpretentious Japanese cafe style food of the best quality then you could do worse than start here. Perhaps the the operators of Asahi could come and see how it's done - they might learn something !

Steve Ballantyne

Yuzu has gradually become my favorite Japanese restaurant in Auckland, even if the head cook/owner is actually Korean. But he trained in Japan and the food Yuzu puts up has in my experience always been well prepared, well served and solidly middle of the road Japanese. That is, they don't have fugu on the menu but the tuna tataki is pretty hard to beat. Prices are sensible, service is cheerful and the place usually isn't too crowded at lunch time, which makes it a good place to take visitors. Evenings the place usually fills up, so booking ahead is a good idea.

Chand Komal

Yuzu is one of my favourite places to dine! I have been here quite few times and the food is always the best! and so is the service! I would definitely recommend Yuzu to everyone. :)

Jacob

We go to Yuzu regularly and it's always fantastic. Lovely service and the food is always delicious! We look forward to visiting again soon. I'm not sure what Lou is talking about, as when we have been in we have been served wine as there's a wine list on the table (so that make's them licensed buddy)... We'll be back very soon.

Lou

The food was really nice and the place is well located and quite quiet. The reason its quiet is the only downside is that its totally unlicensed and they don't to BYO! So definitely worth a visit as long as you're not wanting to have a wine or beer at the same time. The service was very friendly.

LucyGoosey

Updated review: Have been here at least five times now and every time I have been back the food and service have always been excellent. Previous review: Loved this place! Amazing Japanese food and excellent service. My friend and I both ordered the Original Bento Box which has all my favorites in it. I asked if I could have all the sushi and sashimi to be salmon (as that’s my favorite) and the waitress was very obliging and said that wouldn’t be a problem at all. Really fairly priced meals as well. I would go back to Yazu again, it’s a great spot for a quiet dinner amongst all the hustle and bustle of Ponsonby.