Lilian Monaghan
Everything was so good! The white fish sashimi, grilled eggplant, king salmon, nigiri sushi everything hit the spot!! Highly recommended and really worth the waiting.
Nancy Lan Watkinson
A lovely, warm and intimate restaurant with a very welcoming staff and open kitchen interior.
Came in for dinner after 8pm and there were available seats without waiting.
Ordered the Teriyaki Shiki Tofu with rice, and the dish arrived beautifully presented. Tofu was cooked well and tasty, and on the same plate there were tempura vegetables, crispy kumera chips, a puree, pickled cabbage salad, and okoge (waffer of crispy rice). I loved all the different textures, they were a delight to eat and it all came together so well.
Houji-cha Tea Crème Brûlée was incredibly delicious and a must try. It was a wonderful dessert to end the meal.
Tini N
Loved the food. Great presentation - looked yummy and tasted delicious. Friendly staff too. Would definitely try here again. Highly recommended.
Alex Tjahjana
The food are great with good portion without feeling overfill. The food were so good that I forgot to take more photos. The staff are friendly, attentive, and accommodating; even when they were understaffed. They also paid a good attention to details and I really liked their origami table ornaments. Car park is behind the restaurant, through the narrow alley next to the restaurant which is easily missed.
Joanna Li
I made same day reservation. When I arrived, supervised with name card on the table. It was delicate and beautiful.
They were using premium tofu brought out taste slightly different from others.
Bigger thigh pieces they presented for Chicken Kara-age, full of ginger and soy flavour.
Tempura bettered light and crisps, one bite after another, can’t stop.
This was my first time.
Mariah Templonuevo
Always a good time, and fun experience trying out the ever changing specials. I rememeber when they first opened about 7 years ago, when the shop was just a husband and wife team. The wonderful thing is that everything has stayed the same throughout the years. Great service, great quality, and lovely ambience. I must say though, I've been enjoying the bento boxes - that's been a most welcome addition!
Great options for transport as well, with a bus stop just across the road, free parking down a wee alleyway next to the shop, and right next to the Morningside train station!
Ben Nguyen
Amazing food here. Always very popular for the right reason. The restaurant is small and cosy. The quality of food and service is consistently superb. I have been here several times and without doubts will come many more times again.
Amy Tam
Fabulous Japanese dinner at Sake Bar Icco. They were busy when I was there but food came on time and service was friendly and attentive.
Highly recommend the food here. Very authentic made with fresh ingredients!
Craig Smith
Wow!! So tasty!! Lots of great options. Can't wait to go back and try more of the menu. Fish was super fresh and tasty. Didn't take pics of the nigiri but it was really good. Service was outstanding!
Alwin Lee
Amazing delicious Japanese food. Lunch menu is a little steep at 28nzd but filling. Service was good and restaurant was packed. Teriyaki chicken was good perfectly, crispy and sweet on the outside, tender on the inside. Highly recommended
Kiwi Foodie 123
Our experience here took us back to the best sushi places in Japan - it was absolutely stunning! Thank you - we shall be back soon!
Gabriel Kung
Nice place for gathering. Cozy restaurant. Will come again. 😊
Jessica Desmond
Hidden gem. Really excellent authentic food. Lovely service. Fun relaxed atmosphere. Highly reccomend
Eric Wang
Awesome!
Yusoff Kamal
Very friendly staff. Great service. The food is tasty sashimi is a little pricey for the serving.<br/><br/>Overall its a good dining experience.<br/>
Channellam1234
Food was good but it would be better if it had more choices. The staff was full of passion and lovely. Would recommend to others and go back again.
Yuko Aoki
This is a real Japanese experience. Great food. Great service and the beer & the beer glass are cold! Fantastic! Just like being on holiday in Japan. I enjoyed my BD lunch. Thank you Saru
Dragon88
Went here earlier in the week and this is a really nice restaurant,the food is excellent and the staff are lovely. But, the portions are just too small-especially the sashimi and for this reason I rate it 3 stars. The other negative in my opinion is the lighting is too bright. We enjoyed our experience but after spending close to $200 for two people and still feeling hungry we left disappointed and unsatisfied.
Chan Can Eat
This place is the perfect little quick lunch stop if you love Japanese. The lunch specials are reasonably priced too. It’s always super fresh and super delish<br/>Highly recommend the cute lunch boxes, with a heap of variety and weekly specials like soft shell crab! Very bouji for a lunchbox.
Tony
First visit and i definitely enjoyed my experience! It was a very cold night and having Tempura Udon was just perfect. The broth was just right in flavour and the noodles were cooked perfectly. My favourite though is the Soft Shell Crab Tempura which was so yummy! (in the special menu for that day). My mate enjoyed her Seared Salmon as well. Will definitely visit again!
Matt L
I’ve been coming here intermittently over the last few years. The owners are a very friendly Japanese couple. The food is amazing for the price that you pay. You can tell great care has been taken into preparing the ingredients. The tuna miso katsu is a favourite! Dinner is pricier, so if you’re looking for more value, lunch is the better option. Have spotted a few celebrities coming to this joint as well, so you know it must be good.
Yuri
Always love this place!<br/>Friendly staff, good atmosphere, high quality skill.<br/>Their meal shows how much they take their time for it even it’s very generous price.<br/>Every meal is served with chefs small idea and it makes them very special.<br/><br/><br/>If they change their menu a lil more frequently, it’s gonna be more than perfect.
Anais
This place is AMAZING!!! Most birthday dinners and celebrations are spent here due to the absolutely amazing food and kind, caring and lovely owners! I can’t say a favourite dish because I love them all and I’m always happy with every choice, also love the drink selection and always have a blast!
Jewel
Cute and small restaurant restaurant in Kingsland. I love the idea that they presents fresh fish of the day. Nice sashimi Good food and good sake here. I will go back for they food again
Howie Bai
Can’t believe we missed this place for so long! Always busy when we walk past previously. Finally tried today after gym. Didn’t take phones with us so no photo. The seared tuna salad was beautifully plated and well seasoned. Beef skewers were so juicy inside and crispy outside. The main teriyaki chicken was perfectly presented with pumpkin purée, sweet potato chips, a bit salad. And the desert was the icing on the cake, toffee banana pie, yum yum yum! Pleasant services and cozy environment. We are very happy to score it 5 out of 5! Will visit more often!
Johnny Lee
Small but cozy environment, staff is friendly and easy access to rear parking space. <br/>Great eatery provides tasty Japanese cuisine and sake, good to catch-up with small group of people!
Cindyavocado
One of the most authentic and homely Japanese restaurant in Auckland. The chef puts a lot of detail and passion into making quality foods. My tempura was crispy and not oily and sashimi melt in mouth delicious. Not you’re usual Japanese, prepare to be pleasantly surprised.
Sara Remnerth
I love this restaurant! The food is amazing as well as their service. The food is just on another level than other restaurants. Such a great attention to detail. For example, you get two different soy sauces to sashimi and sushi and the pickles are made in different styles (carrots one flavour, cucumber another etc). The warm sake comes with a hot water bath and thermometer so you can decide the exact temperature yourself and also to keep the bottle warm so you don't end up with cold warm sake in the end.All I really want to say is: Just go there. You will not get disappointed.
Craig Fernandes
This has got to be the best/freshest Japanese, hands down. Slowly trying everything on the menu. 10 out of 10!! Must try for any japanese lovers
Bella Qian
All I can say is how is this place not in the metro top 50?<br/>Their 19$ lunch box is at the standard you will see at restaurants like Masu which is at a whole different price point. <br/>We came with a group of 6 and booked beforehand, they reserved the table and wrote the name it was booked under on a tiny hand folded paper crane, it was so sweet. <br/>We each opted for different options on the lunch menu and we also tried the specials they had the day. Everything was, WOW. There was nothing I tried that wasn’t at least a 4.5/5. Special mentions to the karaage chicken, miso soft shell crab(the special), and the miso soup(it’s so damn good). Also their dessert was a panna cotta with feijoa sauce, that is not an easy dessert to execute but their flavours were perfectly balanced.<br/>The presentation is like the type you get a industry zen, super intricate. The waitress was lovely, she confirmed our orders and was very patient. The food also came out really fast and at the same time. <br/>This restaurant deserves so much more attention.
Olivia Wimsett
We absolutely love the food here, always fantastic! The staff are incredibly friendly, Sashimi is always fresh we love it all. This is our favourite place!
Frankie Gair
The best Japanese in Auckland!! Favourite place with the best Japanese food & the service is amazing. Great value too. Perfect for lunch (best bento boxes!) or dinner.
Frank Dowling
Awesome food, sashimi is amazing plus great friendly staff! Have not been here for a long time but will be back very soon. Recommend sitting at the bar and watching the chef producing great dishes.
Sae KB
Always fantastic. I often come here with my daughter when I'm exhausted to cook and need some decent treat. Angus beef Kushiage was beautiful even cold next day! <br/>I always order 7 pieces of assorted nigiri and never ever been disappointed. <br/>Service is always high standard, friendly and caring.<br/>Everything is detailed like they don't use microwaves to heat Sake or defrost frozen food. <br/>It's not a fancy or luxury or contemporary place but mature, simple and very authentic restaurant and bar.
Nia Phipps
Cosy and hospitable. Food was excellent. Delicate agadashi tofu, the sashimi was some of the best I've had in Auckland. (Up there with Kazuya)<br/>The rolls delicious. Miso soup authentic. Excellent varied drinks list. The service friendly 😊 can't wait to return!
Maki
Authentic!! Sashimi was amazingly fresh, Tempura was beautifully cooked, yuzu dressing of fresh spring rolls was wonderful flavor, and Tofu is from Japan even! I just felt like I was dining in Japan, at a reasonable price. Very friendly staffs.
Clement Loh
The staff are incredibly friendly, the sashimi is also very fresh and other foods tastes really good too. A little on the expensive side but other than that it's definitely worth going there if you love Japanese food. I really hope they expand the restaurant because a lot of the times, all the tables are full because it is just that popular.<br/><br/>I don't know why their rating is below 4.0 but this place definitely deserves at least 4.5/5. <br/>
Nigel
Fantastic dinner last night in our cute local Japanese restaurant. We met the owners Junko and Ikko who run it. The food was super tasty and fresh. We had Tempura vegetables, Eggplant roasted with miso paste (favourite), A variety of Sashimi, Angus beef skewers, beautiful salmon and avo sushi and some interesting salmon on Agria with Miso options. The sauces were full of flavour and the overall experience was fantastic. Thanks for a great night!
Fare Henry
A wonderful sushi boutique in Morningside. The service was friendly and efficient. The food was delicious! Work colleagues and I came here for lunch and had the lunch bento special we had the option of selecting two mains with 2x fresh sushi pieces, dessert, side salad, veges and miso soup. I chose the sashimi and tempura veges and both was very tasty. The sashimi was very fresh. The dessert was a lovely feijoa pudding and it was surprisingly very good. Would definitely visit again.
Shirley Liew
We absolutely love the food here. They do not have a long list of dishes on their menu but whatever they have to offer, they made it to perfection. I've been to Japan and found the taste in this place close enough in terms of authenticity. Service is excellent and no matter how many times we have visited, the quality is maintained at a high level. I would definitely recommend this place to anyone who have not tried it yet.
Rafael Fonseca
Found this place completely by accident, while walking past on another errand. Almost no signage outside. What a great surprise! They have a customisable 2-mains lunch box (which can be extended to 3 or more options). They had a special crumbed tuna with miso sauce that was absolutely fantastic. Both the tuna and the karaage chicken were tender and cooked just right. Fresh sashimi and sushi roll pieces completed the savoury part of the lunch box, which also included a mini strawberry dessert. Only let down was the excessive amount of cucumber and not enough fish in the sushi roll pieces, otherwise highly recommended.
Ann C
I went to Sake Bar Icco tonight for the first time in our new neighbourhood and it didn't disappoint. We took our two small children with us (for all you parents, you know how traumatic it can be eating with your small overlords). There was a chef and one waiting staff on - both were incredibly courteous and polite to us, even when our youngest spilt his entire drink all over the table and floor. Let me try to summarise our experience:<br/><br/>Food - we had the medium sashimi, chicken katsu and beef main (with rice and miso) and Asahi on tap. The kids had a vegetarian roll, teriyaki chicken roll, karaage chicken special and edamame. There was NO food leftover. The sashimi was melt-in-your-mouth-awesomeness. Special mention to the miso - for a humble dish, it packed so much flavour and unexpected texture.<br/><br/>Service - we felt like we had privacy in the intimate setting BUT never lacked for service. Drinks were always refilled and food was brought out speedily.<br/><br/>Atmosphere - I have to admit I have a soft spot for japanese fare and this restaurant didn't disappoint. While not as brazen and loud as Industry Zen, Tanuki or Sake Nippon Bar, there is an obvious authenticity to the setting.<br/><br/>This is a gem and worth a visit - check it out!
Numcrun
Recently I went to KIyomi, a Japanese restaurant in Jupiter's Casino on the Gold Coast. It was easily the best of dozens of Japanese restaurants I have been to. Well this place comes close to it. One great dish after another. Staff are very attentive. Surprisingly not full on a Friday night. There should be queues out the door.
Elizabeth Harding
My new favourite restaurant!<br/>Food here was delicious and the service was great.<br/>Especially recommend the halloumi and the salmon/agria potato Japanese tapa.<br/>Yum.
Martin
Adore this place, the food and the couple who run it. Super fresh sashimi and tasty everything else. We eat here frequently, once a week or so. In fact, going tonight...
Kirk
Had awsome meal last night with the kids great tempura Vegas and spring rolls I had the beef wife had chicken teriyaki yum yum great food and atmosphere we will be back
Wildpantry
I rave about this place. Everything on the menu is good. <br/><br/>Sashimi is super fresh and delicious with beautiful presentation. The Tofu sesame salad is delicious. The chicken karage and Katsu is always moist and crunchy. Ordered the special wings and they were incredible. The marinade is out of this world. <br/><br/>Fantastic husband and wife run outfit. I don't understand the 3.4 zomato rating when all reviews are 4 or higher?
Angela Trigg
Went here for lunch. Ordered their version of the bento box. It was lovely food. The raw fish is always fresh and delicious. The staff were very nice. Am looking forward to trying their dinner menu.
Hannah Wilson
Amazing little neighbourhood place. Some of the best Japanese I have had in Auckland. Great service and lovely personalised touches that are synonymous with Japanese hospitality. Will 100% be returning over and over again.
Jason Simone
I eat here all of the time. I luckily live close by and get takeaway when im busy with work. Hands down the freshest sushi available. I cannot stand the taste of sushi that is not fresh, and to be honest, the majority of sushi restaurants serve frozen or worse, sub fresh sushi. <br/>This place is different, all fresh, always great. Try the miso soup, i usually hate miso but this stuff is the real deal and excellent.
Minoru Tsujimoto
I booked table. They made us reservation plate with hand writing. It was nice welcoming presentation.<br/>Staff was friendly, meals are tasty. The salmon saikyo-Yaki was the highlight of the dinner.
Adam Dubignon
We went to Icco 3 nights ago. Food and service was impeccable. Beautiful textures and flavours, pickles were home made; saikyo yaki was fabulous and the miso soup (fish stock) was to die for. Wine list brief but good quality. Highly recommended!
Bobbie Gray
One of our favourite Japanese Restaurants in Auckland! Nice simple fit out, with lovely service and excellent food. The Agedashi Tofu is the best I've had! Highly recommend to everyone.
Xantiscott
Great Japanese food , loved the yellow fin tuna sashimi . The salmon/potato combination was also delicious. My girlfriend went for chicken katsu , came with beautiful sauce . Strawberry mousse was very nice , most Japanese restaaurants don't seem to bother with deserts. <br/>Decor and style is similar in when owned by the previous owners . Very nice staff who went out of their way to serve us, as is is a small and very popular restaurant. Great to be able to park easily, as everywhere else in Kingsland is a pain.
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