Review Nishiki - Auckland Central

Price and portion are both reasonable, and the food was excellent. Food was served a little slow but that makes sense considering how busy they were. Recommended!!

A lovely place to come as a group or as a couple. The menu is all on a tablet at the table that allows you to see what you've ordered and how much you've spent. Photos of all items including drink 🍷.

7th November, 2019: The family had a birthday dinner here, To celebrate the wife’s birthday. We had to really booked a place in advance because this is a very popular Japanese restaurant in Auckland, New Zealand. Food serve in reasonable time frame and they are yummy too! Ample of seating available plus dine tables outside the restaurant. Parking is available but you better park off the nearby street. The chefs are Japanese and the service are very professional too! We highly recommend this restaurant to all visitors to Auckland, New Zealand.

Absolutely awesome robata-yaki bar in the heart of Freemans Bay with some of the best Japanese food in Auckland. It’s best to share and choose a number of dishes. Ordering is by iPad and the dishes are normally delivered pretty quickly except when things get really busy. It’s best to book by phone in advance. And ask to be seated at the bar counter so that you can watch the food being prepared.

We came as a large group and booked beforehand. Some of us arrived early (about 15 minutes) but was told that we should come back at the booked time as the tables weren't ready yet. We were seated outside and the first thing you notice are the screens on the table. These screens are the menu and ordering system for the place. You pick what you want and put your order through and then it gets delivered to your table. It was very dangerous since it was very easy to just order everything and end up with a massive bill. Most things are under $20 so it isn't too expensive but remember it does add up. There is a tab on the screen where you can check what you've ordered and the current size of the tab. They had a seasonal duck menu on which had really tempting items on it. The food was quite nice. I enjoyed everything that came out. The duck kamameshi was really interesting, duck and rice cooked in a little hotpot. The pork karaage was also quite flavourful and juicy. I would recommend getting rice to help fill you up otherwise the bill could get really big really fast.

Food doesn't look good, but taste very good. Probably it does not suit me so much as its mostly beef and seafood. It does not have many sushi choices like others. BBQ prawn is good. Very interesting ordering system.

Everything was amazing. Ordering by ipad so easy

Always good food. Now you can order with ipad a your table hence faster experience. But you are limited to 1.5 hour

Excellent place to have a fan-tas-tic meal. Either for an anniversary celebration, a client dinner or just for a great Saturday night family take-out meal, Takero-san will go the extra mile to exceed all your expectations. If you are looking for a genuine (incredibly tasty) Japanese meal and a fantastic experience, give this place a try and I can guarantee that you won't be disappointed. Takerso-san, thank you so much for the meals you have prepared for us, I'm sure we will be back very soon

Fantastic fresh delicious food and great service.

Best BYO in Auckland, beautiful authentic Japanese cuisine

What an amazing little Japanese Restaurant! The best and most satisfied feeling I have had eating since I was overseas. Definitely a 5 star.

Very delicious and authentic Japanese food, only problem is that servings are a little small for the prices other wise delicious

I have been frequenting Nishiki for the best part of two years now. The food is consistently delicious, the service is genuine and welcoming, it’s a diverse and casual atmosphere, and the restaurant itself is full of life. The electronic menus they’ve integrated have proved to be a huge hit, and surprisingly doesn’t detract from the service experience. When you walk in, you will be greeted by the kitchen staff, and thanked as you leave. The layout means that if you sit up by the bar, you’re able to see the chefs cooking. I would recommend.. Booking ahead. Nishiki is a popular spot (and for good reason). Call in early to secure a table and avoid disappointment. Parking is limited - pay attention to the tow away signs in the shared car park. There is parking on Wellington St, so utilise that. The fresh salmon sashimi, prawn and avocado sushi, miso eggplant, and Okonomi Yaki are my favourite dishes. The plum wine on ice is really nice, but also take advantage of the BYO and bring a bottle of wine. If you’re looking for an affordable, casual, lively restaurant with traditional Japanese dishes, Nishiki is perfect for you.

Fun place. Order using an iPad at the table. Drinks arrive almost instantly, food as it is cooked. Share your food with your group. Crowded and lots of fun.

NOTE: You cannot split the bill here! It gets well packed for dinners some nights and there was some confusion on whether or not you needed to be directed to seat at the bar or if you could just walk up. The fried cheese was good at first but need more than 2 ppl to eat all of them without feeling sick. Service was hit and miss.

This is my local, been going there for years. Love it every time, great food, busy bustle but quieter by the kitchen. Ordering via each table's tablet makes it very easy, and food arrives promptly. Friendly staff.

Can't beat the food and the price. Extra bonus for BYO!

Great food overall, but $10 for half an eggplant was steep. Was very very yum but based on the photo on the menu I was expecting either a bowl full of eggplant or a whole one! Was also extremely loud with people literally screaming and no comment from staff

Everything was delicious. If you crave yakitori, this place will not disappoint. Especially with ample parking nearby, and convenient location.<br/>It's too hard to describe every dish because I ordered about 16 of them, but you won't go wrong with pretty much anything here.

Went for a BYO last night and the food was really good. Happy to see a good vegetarian/vegan selection for friends too. <br/><br/>The food does take time to come out and just comes out as individual dishes rather than aiming to serve together - so definitely would recommend sharing rather than getting your own food. <br/><br/>I tried the chilli chicken and the salmon avocado sushi. Both were delicious and would really recommend the dishes. I also tried the vegetarian yakisoba which was good. Would definitely recommend coming here.<br/><br/>Corkage is decently expensive at $7 a bottle so many cheaper places to go, but the food is good and the atmosphere is great too. Good job on the staff dealing with all of the loud diners.

Nishiki is extremely popular, with many customers crowded inside and a lovely slightly noisy atmosphere. It's clearly a favourite for locals and had the plus of allowing BYO.<br/><br/>While the ordering off of iPads was novel and reminiscent of Japanese sushi trains, the food itself wasn't great. Perhaps because it was so busy, it took over half of the allowed time slot (which counts down on the iPad) for the first dishes to arrive. The sashimi was fine, but not so amazingly fresh or well presented as to justify the price for a plate. The fried chicken was crispy but not memorable - others have better seasoned or more interesting variations. The hotpot and claypot rice were sadly again small portions for the price. NM<br/><br/>None of the dishes were particularly good or value for the portion. We ended up spending $40pp but were not full at the end. It was a little disappointing as I really wanted to like Nishiki but there are better options available centrally. I would only go if craving Japanese in that area.

This is our fave Japanese place in Auckland to visit, food is always great and service is usually pretty good! Love that it’s a BYO, but be aware that due to this it is a loud environment and often makes dinner conversations difficult

Nishiki is a popular Auckland Japanese restaurant which is more than often very packed. The food is impressive and comes pretty fast. The atmosphere is good if you like being in a bustling and lively environment. You can order your food via their iPads which has both positives and negatives. One of my favourite Japanese restaurants.

Overall, food was very satisfactory. The portions sizes were good. There is a tablet at each table which makes it a lot easier for customers to order food. The food is on the expensive side but worth it!

Tried the Freemans Bay branch, after a bad service at the Highland park branch (which used to be good prior to the ownership change), and I’m so glad we did. This place is fantastic. Will definitely visit here more regularly.

Came here for a friend's birthday and I was so happy with my choose of food. I got the seafood pancake type thing and I so wanted another one. Great byo place

We came as a large group and booked beforehand. Some of us arrived early (about 15 minutes) but was told that we should come back at the booked time as the tables weren't ready yet.<br/><br/>We were seated outside and the first thing you notice are the screens on the table. These screens are the menu and ordering system for the place. You pick what you want and put your order through and then it gets delivered to your table. It was very dangerous since it was very easy to just order everything and end up with a massive bill. Most things are under $20 so it isn't too expensive but remember it does add up. There is a tab on the screen where you can check what you've ordered and the current size of the tab. They had a seasonal duck menu on which had really tempting items on it.<br/><br/>The food was quite nice. I enjoyed everything that came out. The duck kamameshi was really interesting, duck and rice cooked in a little hotpot. The pork karaage was also quite flavourful and juicy. I would recommend getting rice to help fill you up otherwise the bill could get really big really fast.

Food is good, however, portions can be small compared with other Japanese restaurants. By the time you are full, you can spend almost $50+ . . .

BYO... yay!!! Really good food and great ambience. For my vegetarian option, I went everything tofu. Got a miso glazed tofu and got the agadashi tofu. Won't rave much about the broth however the tofu on its own was amazing! Crispy on the outside and melt in the mouth on the inside. <br/><br/>For dessert, we got the green tea Mille crepe cake with sesame seed ice cream. And guys, shut the front door! Cuz you would want to sit in Nishiki and have that all day long... even all year long now. <br/><br/>Would be going back again just for the dessert. Super mind numbingly loved it!

No idea why suddenly I’ve dined at so many Japanese restaurants. I’ve dined at the Nishiki in East Auckland a few times and I must say that I like the one in freemans bay much more. Part of the reason, besides how great the food is would be the fact that they give you tablets. With these tablets you can then place your order and your food will be made! <br/><br/>I love scrolling through these tablets, just seeing whats on offer, we ended up getting some skewers as starters and then I picked up the winter special ramen and the katsu on omelette as the other main. Taste wise, the skewers were smokey and the grilled salty flavour was perfect to get warm up your stomach. The bacon wrapped asparagus wash, was fabulous in texture and the chicken thigh was moist and delicious. Our mains were wholesome and filling, overall the quality of the food was outstanding. I visited on a Thursday and it was PACKED!<br/><br/>Showstoppers: Skewers and the winter specials. <br/><br/>Overall Grade: A

A really busy Japanese restaurant. We pre-ordered but were told we only have one hour to finish our dishes if we’d like to sit inside. So I asked the lady how about outside table, cause one hour might be a little rush for us , and the lady said the outside table were all booked. Ok, but until we finished our dishes, the outside tables are still empty. <br/><br/>The service is quick and polite. The dishes are a little salty for me. The scallop is really fresh and tasty. And other dishes just salty and nothing special.

Busy little japanese restaurant, they have good range of foods to choose from. Their rice in broth was so good, not too salty and yet so tasty. Quite small for the price but worth the money.

One of the few restaurants which allows BYO. Dishes are nice and fresh, although not very delicate, but worthy of the price. The salmon roe we ordered was a bit watery. The donut nigiri was quite innovative. <br/>Automatic ordering pads. Food were quick to serve. <br/>The restaurant gets really noisy in weekends, weekdays are slightly quieter.<br/><br/><br/>Food: 8/10<br/>Food presentation: 7/10<br/>Service: 7/10<br/>Location: 7/10<br/>Ambience: 5/10<br/>Price $50 per person (excl alcohol)

Came with four mates and had a blast. Loved the fact you can order what you want from the table on a device. Went a bit overboard with the food but it was well worth it!

Went there with two friends for dinner last week. When we were booking for 6pm we were told that we 'll have one hour to sit outside till 7pm. I consider we were lucky sitting outside rather than inside which gets really hot anyway. They installed screens on the tables now where you can manually order your food and it would show you how much your order is, what the process is and how many minutes you got left at the table as well. Service was quick and staff polite. Sushi and sashimi were fresh and we enjoyed them. Salad was crisp with good dressing. Scallops were overcooked and fishy sauce just killed then. Chicken karaage was not good and we find finish it but grilled pointy fish and eggplant pleased vegeterians. It's funny how you tell them that you are vegetarian and they nodding understandably then would give an order to a chef to grill something and there is one backet of sauce next to grill where everything goes for dipping before putting mushrooms after chicken or beef on the same girl ha ha.<br/>I love Japanese food but Nishiki is lacking of Japanese atmosphere in my opinion. It's good for byo before heading to ponsonby night

Probably one of the best Japanese restaurant in Auckland. Their menu always has some seasonal food. The yakitori is very good. Sushi is good. Drink choices excellent. Great desert options. Staff are helpful and friendly. $70 - $80 for two people with drinks.

What a hidden gem! Came here for a byo on Friday night and it was great! We were seated outside but there were heaters so it was fine. The food was delicious - chicken katsu curry, prawn sushi roll, beef tataki, the agedashi eggplant just to name a few! The menu is so extensive! The service is good / they even gave us buckets to keep our wine chilled. The only thing is that the plates are quite small but when sharing you can order a lot and the price is so reasonable! With corkage we only ended up paying $20 each. Definitely keen to come back and try more!

Nishiki is always a good place to go for decent Japanese food. My bff loves this place, and with her being one of the regulars - she has a must-have and for us are: oyster mayo, fish cake mayo, mushrooms and salmon namaharu. We ordered the grilled squid with ginger soy sauce tonight, while the squid was very tender but it would’ve been nice to have tasted the ginger, as it would give a good oomph to the dish. <br/>Having said that my hubby and I love Japanese food, hence we always like that little something extra - the essence of the Japanese cuisine I suppose. Nishiki feels a bit commercial to us.

Nishiki is always good;) i had winter special food today. Seafood congee(porridge) ,pork something :) was very busy n fully booked. So better book before you go:) kind staff:)

Favourite place for Japanese food sooo yummy! Always get at least 5 dishes when here. Service is great, drinks are adventurous and exotic. Love the pork skewers and all noodles are yummy! Definitely a favourite

Nishiki is the perfect byo place to get drunk and be happy on a Friday night. Its menu is 70% fried and they're all pretty decent in flavour and taste (but I mean how bad could fried stuff get)?! The highlights would be tempura cheese (a first time for me), my friends loved it although I thought it's a bit too gooey and cheesy. They also have karrage chicken, katsu chicken (standard and spicy). Their kumara chips were fried and then drizzled with a sweet and savoury sauce which I didn't like, but the swab of butter was icing on the cake! Their oknomiyaki were pretty standard but their assortment of sashimi were quite fresh. Overall it's a cheap place for a good byo dinner with decent dinner. Recommend to go with a large group otherwise the $10 plates could add up quite expensive!

Perfect place to dine when craving quality Japanese food to share with family and friends! Highly recommended for all who love Japanese cuisine and a good drink too. All the items on their menu are absolutely worth trying and there is such a huge variety you're bound to find dishes you'll love! <br/><br/>I always order the Dragon roll which has tempura eel - isn't always for everyone but it's definitely my go-to sushi roll. One of my favourite places to get takoyaki as they are generous in size and the sauce is amazing. Their sukiyaki pots and other hot pot dishes are perfect in winter and are a must to have the hot fire on the table to warm everyone up! <br/><br/>Comfortable seating and attentive staff, however, it can get quite noisy most nights as it is always full and most people do consume alcohol. So if you are looking for a quiet place to have dinner, perhaps the East branch would be better. <br/><br/>Price is reasonable and is definitely filling even when sharing! <br/><br/>Food 8.5/10 <br/>Service 7/10<br/>Ambience 6.5/10<br/>Price 7.5/10

We made a booking but were 10 minutes late. Not a big deal. But when we arrived, we were told we only had 1 hour 20 minutes to eat and leave as another booking was coming. It was a bit rushed but not too bad except it took about 20 minutes just to order food which some of it didn't come for over an hour. We were told we couldn't order any more and we left starving. Food was good but a bit pricey for what it was but service was an absolute shocker. Would never go back again as they were way understaffed and we even had to go up and order our own drinks. Wouldn't go again. 1/5 is generous for what it was.<br/>

There was such a wide selection of food on the menu that it was challenging to decide! Food was yummy and the presentation was cute. I especially enjoyed the dragon rolls, which had crispy eel tempura on the inside, and just the right amount of sauce ;) The hot house sake was also nice and strong, and went really well with the food.<br/><br/>The serving sizes were quite small, but we didn’t mind considering how low the total bill was (for the 5 of us it was $77, and all of us were full). <br/><br/>It was slightly annoying that they only allowed one bill per table. But other than that, this was the perfect place for catchups :)

Mushroom and minced chicken was real nice. The combination of both really worked well together on the grill. The grilled chicken wings with teriyaki sauce was grilled to perfection. Outside and inside were amazing. Outter layer was juicy and inside it was tender. The udon noodles were one of my favourites, the noodles was able to absorb all the flavours from the hot pot. We tasted the open omelette tempura prawns and eel next. The Egg and tempura prawn was a great combination. I usually don't eat eel but this eel was soft and captured the essence of the surrounding egg from the omelette. The pork belly was a bit too salty but okay in texture. The tuna salad tasted really refreshing compared to all the grilled food we ordered. Would highly recommend ordering the Salad to freshen up after all the meat consumption.<br/>Food came out real fast. Was impressed!

We went there on a Friday night and were fortunate to get a table. It had a few large groups and so it was loud and lively.<br/><br/>Looking at the menu, we were spoilt for choice. We ordered Katsu Chicken, Prawn Dumplings and some egg, Prawn and eels dish that was heated in a pot on the table. We liked all the three dishes.<br/><br/>Good and authentic Japanese Food.

We have been coming here 20 years now.  Consistently good food with a wide selection a small plates suitable for sharing.  We like most of the menu so never a problem to decide what to have. Love the chicken skewers with mao sauce, the stuffed portobello mushrooms, the dumplings, the prawn and avo sushi roll is very nice and comes out slightly warm.  Great service as it can get very busy here.  Going to try their sister restaurant in Melbourne when we go there.

Consistently good Japanese food. Great for big groups as you can order many dishes to taste and share. <br/>Personal favourites are: gyu tataki, salmon yukki and the ice cream sundae.

This place has a huge selection of all kinds of Japanese food. From rice, sushi, sashimi, hotpot, takoyaki and more. The prices are quite cheap however some of the portions are small so this restaurant would be good for sharing. Food was fresh and delicious.

I go to this place since about 10 years, its always a great experience.The food is very good and the service is always very friendly.Never had a complaint about anything here.Well done guys, will be there again tonight.

If you like Japanese, this would be a good recommendation. The portions aren't very large, but that explains some of the inexpensive prices they have on the menu. The service was actually very good when I went as the waitress was very attentive even though it was quite busy during the night - I recommend  making reservations before going in for dinner. <br/><br/>If you like seafood and grilled meat with fresh salad and not a lot of sushi rolls, then be prepared to spend around $50, but the taste and texture would be worth it. If you are a seafood lover like I am, then a dish to recommend is the mayo oysters as the creaminess adds a better texture to the fresh oysters. Since the dishes on the menu come in small portion sizes (like a big tasting menu) it's a good idea to try a few of them.<br/><br/>Taste - 7.5/10<br/>Service - 9/10<br/>Size - 6.5/10<br/>Price - 7/10

best japanese food in auckland, my partner and i always choose nishiki for our special day. Like birthday or anniversary. We love the food. Fast serving and good service. Strongly recommend this Japanese restaurant

Simple but great traditional Japanese inn food plus plus traditional sashimi and sushi and little creations.<br/>A great vibe with communal eating and licensed. Great service and welcoming hospitality.

A favourite spot for Japanese food. Service really is standard here, ambience is ok, I always ask to sit at the counter if possible, I like the hustle and bustle of the kitchen.<br/><br/>We had the horensou, renkon chips, sashimi large, negi chashu, tori mayo, ebi hotate, veggie ten and an ebiten/avo. Everything was brought over in good times, hot and delicious. I do purely like this place for the food, it's a bit sad the service and ambience don't match it though. I recommend to book ahead if you can here.

The service here is good.<br/>The food is good. <br/>It was good. <br/><br/>We got two rolls of sushi, these had the perfect ratio of rice to filling and they were all bite sized. <br/>We also got the Okonomiyaki which was also delicious but a bit too oily for my taste. <br/>The two hot pots are both udon and, unsurprisingly, were delicious too. <br/><br/>The total price came to $60 which is pretty reasonable considering we got so much food. On the menu all the dishes are around 9-15 so it's good if you want to try lots of different dishes.

I've been to nishiki twice now and both times the food has been great. There's a huge variety of small dishes (think tapas) to choose from and the good thing is you can order more at any time during your meal. Only thing is because the portion sizes are small but delicious, it can get a bit expensive (around $95 for two of us, without drinks). Despite some other reviews about poor service, staff were prompt and polite both times I've been there. It does pay to book a table otherwise they may ask you to leave by a certain time.

Bad service and food size has been downsize....ridiculously small. It looks like the chef who used to work there is gone....before it was a 4.5 star place to go to.....but now things are soooo diff....staffs are not friendly at all. The food not good as it used to be....very salty. We ordered a seaweed salad and found out thr lettuce was frozen....not green at all but soggy and iced cold.

A wonderful Japanese restaurant in Freemans Bay not far away from the CBD. Most dishes are delicious, but the restaurant is full of smoke from a variety of grilled meats. I would recommend this restaurant to anyone, who loves teriyaki atmosphere and wants to enjoy sake.

Don't come here for any group dinners. You are allowed only 1 hour to eat and after taking your first orders they come back in 5 minutes for any "last orders". They take 15 min to take the order and at least 20 min to deliver the food - in my case a hot pot which is uncooked. They quickly deliver your friend's desserts because they've already finished their main. I had to wait for the hot pot to cook for 15 min then the flames went out. The chef came to "take it away to cook in the kitchen", in the process spilling the soup on my jacket and all the way back to his kitchen.<br/>Food is good if you get to eat anything, but the customer service is so terrible I'd never come back. Anyways, it's not "customer service" - it's financial management where they treat customers like sardines.

I love Japan, I love my culture, I love everything about it but some people just really let our people down. Today I phoned up the restaurant "Nishiki" to book a table, I wanted to sit in their booth and the lady didn't understand me. I was being so polite trying to explain and then she told me it's hard for her to understand so she will pass it to her manager. I could hear her in the background mocking me about how I pronounce "booth" and how I talk and at the end I heard her in the distance (or could've muttered under her voice) calling me a idiot in Japanese . By the time the manager got to the phone he just raised his voice and said they don't have booths and they are at the other branch but when ever I tried to explain he would cut me off and say "no we don't have" when clearly they do because we sat there not so long ago as one side of the table is booth style and the other side is chairs (note- I asked for a booth because I have a toddler and he becomes a handful when he sits in a high chair or normal chair, I explained that to the person over the phone) . He hung up on me and I rang back because I was so upset at the waitress talking behind my back. I told him it's rude to talk behind a customers back assuming they cannot understand Japanese. Just because I don't talk in Japanese over the phone doesn't mean I don't understand it. Some people especially other cultures need to stop talking behind their customers back in another language cause one day you will come across someone like me that will experience your rudeness.<br/><br/>I gave this rating a 1.5 because I have eaten here before it is one of the best authentic Japanese places to dine but after that phone call it really broke my heart and because of that reason I will not eat here anymore. No matter how good the food is the way they treat their customers is what attracts me to the restaurant the most. If they can say that about me and I can't understand imagine what they say about others.

Just went here for dinner and was very dissapointed. Out of a group of 8 everyones mains had arrived but mine had not. I had to ask 3 times about my meal as to when it was coming and each time they told me it was on it's way until finally they told me there were no more mains to be served! I told them to forget about it (as my friends had already finished eating) and she bought out my main which in itself was very small and not worth what I had paid. It tasted ok. Would not recommend.

Just been here for dinner tonight and it was okay. Friendly service and the food came our super quick. But the portion sizes were really small for what you pay for. I went with a group and we shared heap of food but still found myself to be hungry at the end. Not that fussed on going back as I personally have found other Japanese restaurant who do similar food to be more better value for money.

We booked for 11 people and the seating arrangement was all too squashy (we were not impressed).  The waiter was quick to ask what we wanted to drink so that was okay.  Staff was friendly.  We ordered, and I guess with 11 people, some of us got our food way before the others so waiting for the rest of our group to finish their dinner (around 30-40 minutes) so we could order dessert was a bit off . . . I ordered kumara chips, never again, they were cold and soggy.  I also ordered Yaki Soba which noodles with pork and vegetables, never again, it arrived half an hour after everyone else had eaten and they drowned it with fish flakes ???????  then it was dessert time, 9 of our group ordered friend bananas and ice cream, we waited for almost an hour, (we should've just cancelled after 20-30 minutes but didn't want to be rude). <br/><br/>Our table was full of dirty dishes, and they did not cleared at all throughout the night.  Actually no they did take a few dishes away so we could fit our desserts on the table, but never came back to take the rest away.<br/><br/>The ambience was alright.<br/><br/>It was very busy for a Wednesday night so I recommend that you book.    <br/><br/>It's very simple 'HIRE MORE STAFF' . . .<br/><br/>Will I go there again ? ? ? . . . maybe not ! ! !  They seem cheap but you need to order more than one dish so it still adds up to be the same somewhere else, and there are a few lovely places around Auckland Central where you can get that :) :)

Would have to say a more enjoyable experience this time, as last time we get kept getting told we had to leave because of other bookings. food came fast and tasted good prices are above average and is expected of Japanese cuisine. The waitress's were friendly , I do recommend booking before coming here as it gets quite busy

Second visit and Nishiki did not disappoint, really enjoyed our selection of dishes, great range to choose from and all were delicious. <br/>Busy night even on a Tuesday but service was prompt and dishes arrived fast and beautifully presented.<br/>Really liked that it was well priced to and enjoyed our choices.

I have been to Nishiki many times, mostly for BYO. Tonight I went for a casual Wednesday dinner and was so yum as always! Quick and friendly service. The ebi prawns and beef tataki are so good. So cheap as well! I love this restaurant.

The food was fine. It was the service I had an issue with. We were aggressively asked to pay and leave without a 15min warning (which is given in all establishments before closing time) that they were closing, not giving us time to finish our food and drinks. We were a small table of 4 and there were still 2 other large tables to pay of over 8 people. I was overcharged for a corkage we did not have and when asked for my money to be refounded the staff and "manager" laughed and spoke between themselves not in English, now magically not understanding what I am saying when there was no issue all night. I have worked in hospitality for 6 years and have never felt so dissatisfied or angered by my service and treatment at an establishment. I was simply asking for MY money back, which I never received.  To make matters worse, later THAT WEEK a group of my friends went back there and had an issue with their chicken smelling and tasting like fish. When asked for a new meal they laughed and pretended like they couldn't understand what was being asked, just like they did with me, when this isn't the case. <br/>You better HOPE nothing goes wrong with your meal because you will get the worst customer service I have ever experienced.

I've been here countless times, and the food is quite nice. Sometimes if there are a lot of people their food quality is not as good, but generally this place is really quite delicious. Their portion sizes vary every time which is quite weird, for example I once had an ebi avocado salad and the first I had it the portion was medium sized, second time it was tiny as, and third time it was very big. There's nothing too special about this place, but I would recommend it because it does have good food.

Busy place, you would think the food is great. It is NOT - it's more a fast food thing. Lacks taste and no good value for money. Most probably the food is not fresh. I ordered some beef tataki and it came within a minute... And was disappointing. From the kikkoman sauce to the wasabi everything was cheap and tasted cheap. Go to Fuga Japanese Brasserie and you'll get an authentic and great tasting and fresh Japanese cuisine experience! I will not go there again! Service was also poor.

This was our second time coming to this branch in the past 2 years (Burswood being local). I've never been too impressed with this branch.<br/><br/>Surprisingly the menu is different to the Burswood branch with more items on the menu, and some favourites missing like the Aburi salmon.<br/><br/>This occasion we ordered the salmon tataki which was okay, crispy prawn roll (more avocado than prawn), and the cheesy eggplant (too sweet).<br/><br/>Like our previous visit, they forgot one dish. On this occasion, we waited 15+ minutes for the eggplant after finishing everything else. After asking about it and asking to cancel it if it hadn't been made, it was brought out a few minutes later, is being suspicious that they forgot and wanted to charge for it.<br/><br/>I wouldn't willingly come back to this branch again.

Always get amazed and satisfied everything I go there. The dishes are well made and so yum. The staffs r friendly and polite. Will b back again :)

It's one of the earliest Japanese restaurants in Auckland and its original location in Freemans Bay still attracts big crowds every day. A great place to come with friends for a Friday night drink along with some fresh and traditional Japanese bites!

Lots of small dishes to taste, good choice for family get together! Sushi is not their specialisation, recommend raw beef salad, that is absolutely delicious!

I've been to Nishiki so many times and always enjoy the food here. Although I must say, over the years, the food and service has gone down a little!! Portions seem to be smaller, and as they are always so busy the quality of food seems to be a hit and miss. <br/><br/>I loved the Chicken Katsu and the last time I came here it was overcooked, the chicken was dry and katsu crumb was overly crunchy. A few of my dumplings were a bit burnt too! They seem to rush you too and tell you the exact time you need to leave and no longer allow split payments either.<br/><br/>Despite this, its still a well-known, popular place which I will continue to go back too every now and then.

This place is a go-to for me when I want Japanese but more than just the standard Donburi bowl or sushi (but both at this place are so delicious). They have such an amazing variety for tapas, and I can't remember what the dish was called in my photo but they are creative in what they offer. It is often busy so definitely make a booking. The environment is nice and the staff are efficient, free tea, hot water and chilled water are self-service but easily available. The vegetable tempura is a must try upon visit.

The best a la carte and best Japanese food.<br/>After having it once, my partner and I went back again a few days later. Booking is a must because they are always full and the chances of getting a walk in seat is almost always impossible. <br/><br/>I was never a big fan of sashimi but after having the sashimi at Nishiki, they've got me hooked. It was so fresh and perfect. <br/><br/>Highly recommend getting their beef tataki and especially their dragon roll. Best sushi roll I've had.<br/>Their seafood pot and tempura eel omelette are also very good and it's quite cool watching them cook on front of you. <br/><br/>Service is also very good considering that they are super busy and rushed, they manage to stay polite and are super nice.<br/><br/>I don't think I could ever go to any other japanese place again! <br/>

I went here for dinner last night with two friends for an end of year celebration. It's BYO which was great as we could bring champagne. The menu is extensive so it took us a little while to decide but the staff were quick to take our order once we had. The food started coming out almost straight away which was awesome. The food itself was amazing, with the mayo prawns being my favourite! Three people, heaps of food and 3 drinks for $130 is great value. This place is popular so book in advance. I'll be back soon.

We arrived last night around 7:30pm on a Friday night without reservation and were lucky enough to score the last table right outside, next to the entrance. It was perfect weather to be seated outdoors!<br/><br/>The restaurant is located in quite a strange place, away from the hustle and bustle of Ponsonby's main street. However, they were extremely popular and it seemed every group who left had only good things to say.<br/><br/>Nishiki's menu was quite extensive, took me a while to go through it all. I love how they have pictures for each dish on the menu, so I can see what it will look like as I am not all too familiar with most Japanese dish names.<br/><br/>We ordered a few things to share between two people and left with the last order for takeaway as our stomachs were about to burst!<br/><br/>Our miso soup arrive first. We had a small sashimi set to start, my favourite was the salmon (yum!), then arrived the Beef Amiyaki, which was medium rare beef (yum!).<br/><br/>We also ordered the Mushroom Nikuzume. This was basically mushroom and minced beef and was surprisingly good! At this point our rice had still not arrived, and I did really want it!<br/><br/>We also enjoyed a chicken katsu like dish with egg on top (can't remember what it's called. It was amazing! The chicken kaarage was okay but it did not come with any dipping sauce so that was the downfall. The last that came was the potato tempura. <br/><br/>I would love to come back and try other items on their menu!

Came here for a cheeky celebration BYO. We rocked up with our champagne, ready to roll. The menu is basically Japanese tapas. Lots of small dishes, I would say the idea would be to order tonnes of dishes for everyone and just pick away. The food was heavily seafood/fish based as you'd expect from the more authentic Jap places. The food is pretty pricey for what it is though. Every small dish is minimum $10. Corkage is $7 a bottle which is reasonable for a high end place. They kicked us out after a while though, which i've never really been used to (unless it's an all you can eat). This is the type of place where you could easily spend $60 each and not even be full. So just factor that in when you visit.

Regularly customer here. food is always yummy and staff always friendly . <br/>We had the 24 pieces sashimi plate and beef sashimi tonight . <br/>The sashimi was fresh and decent size. The beef was delicious !! lightly grilled around the edge with a delicious light sauce. <br/>Service was quick and efficient . Enjoyed our Wednesday night meal :) <br/>

Been here a few times. They're always really busy during the week and crazy busy during the weekends. Booking is a must unless you want to wait 40 mins for the next available table. Service is ok. Some of them are friendly and some of them are like too busy to care about service 👎🏼<br/><br/>Food here is mostly like entree sized "meals" the only "mains" you'd get here are probably some of the rice dishes and the hot pot. Pricing isn't too bad here either. <br/><br/>Although I've realised coming back recently, their okonomiyaki is no longer grilled as it's (traditionally) meant to be. Me and my partner figured it was more deep fried than grilled. It made it SUPER oily which wasn't appetising at all. Major disappointment. <br/><br/>Also their salmon roe use to be so fresh and now it's just average. We were so stunned and impressed when we first came here and now maybe due to them being mega busy, they're cutting corners and/or not caring so much about the quality of their food. Which is such a shame ☹️

Really good selection on the menu, in fact its one of those menus you just cant decide, and you order too much!! <br/>The best seats for 2 people are at the bar. Last time we went we were down by the toilets, and i am afraid it smelt horrible! <br/>Food has always been good, service is variable depending how busy it is. Defiantly worth checking out for a causal meal, its loud, bright and busy.

Been to Nishiki couple of times with friends for enjoying nice Japanese food and alchole. Always feel satisfied at the end. Board selections to please all kinds of appetites. The only drawback is the lake of friendly customer service, a friendly smile will be nice.<br/>

Love this place! Awesome food, my partner and I got heaps of small dishes so we got try a range. Took a wee while to come out as they were busy but worth the wait. Only downside is the bill can add up quite fast as the dishes are quite small. However, would not hesitate to go back!

Food was lovely at Nishiki. This place is always busy and quite popular so a reservation is highly recommended. Came here with a group of friends and staff was really friendly and our food came pretty quick and they were yummy too. Will definitely be back. Thanks.

great restaurant! Japanese food done amazingly well and the value for money on the food here is totally amazing! go in a big group and get to taste the entire menu! went with 13 people and fed our faces and only paid $30 each including our byo drinks ! lovely staff

Favorite Japanese food. All the grilled seafood, and the sashimi are so delicious! Staff there are friendly. But a little noisy, I guess it's what suppose to be. All the girls love the wine there, very fruity.

Went here for dinner last night, looking at the massive menus oh man everything just looks bloody good so just ordered a whole bunch of random stuff to share. Highlight for me was the octopus balls.. h o l y. But i put the whole thing in my mouth lmao and had tears streaming down my face cause so hot. They're mean though cause they have these little flakes around them that curl up in the heat..couldn't look away eh. Also interesting desserts w red bean, sesame and green tea ice cream. And some with rice paper that I'd never tried. Nishiki always good bar a couple of things like service is kinda slow cause it so hectik

The food was really nice - (the mains). Found the restaurant very noisy and not much room to move but good was quick with good service. Had banana boat for dessert and was very disappointed as was my boyfriend. Will visit again but pass on the dessert

It was my first time dining here and I'd definitely return for their fresh raw seafood! Not too sure with some of the hot mains we ordered as they were sadly disappointing. The okura or ocra was way too slimy in texture and the bacon did not save it either. The pork skewers were a tad too salty for my liking but still delicious! I think the 40 minute wait for the eel and chicken baked rice was ridiculous to be honest. The eel was soft and had more flavour than the chicken as there was a lot of sauce so that was a plus. Unfortunately the chicken just tasted plain and the rice also lacked seasoning. You only got a big hit of ginger and very dry rice. The beef tataki was one of the best I've ever had and the nigiri was on point! You could tell that the seafood was fresh by the soft, delicate texture and the non fishy taste! I know I am going to go back and order plenty of sashimi next time! The rolls are also an excellent choice! We ordered the salmon/avocado and dragon roll which i have to say, is as amazing as the nigiri! So done be afraid to give this place a go guys! Pretty neat place! :)

Me and my family is in love with this place. We haven't tried everything on the menu yet but what ever we order the taste and presentation is always amazing. I love Japanese food and this is one of my top 5 favourite Japanese restaurants in Auckland. The staff is friendly but I wish that they would look around the restaurant a bit more to catch the waving hands that are trying to get their attention.

Love this place. The food is superb - fresh, flavoursome and lots of variety. Prices are affordable and it is BYO. Nishiki is always busy. It's very casual - decor is average, menus are large laminated ones, and the staff pretty casual. But don't let that put you off - the food is fabulous

WORST CUSTOMER SERVICE Japanese restaurant in New Zealand.  If you want to experience incredibility rude service, go to these guys.  The manager is so rude it's a joke! This is the worst Japanese place in the entire New Zealand! Kitchen is a mess too! Have no faith in where they got the "a" from!

Service: 6/10<br/>Food: 8/10<br/>Cleanliness: 7/10<br/>Value for money: 8/10<br/>Overall: 7.25/10<br/><br/>Great place for dining. Menu worth mentioning are dragon rolls, and beinasu miso cheese. <br/><br/>A place you won't be disappointed coming to.

over all (taste.portion.price) is grate. at least $70 for 2 people can both feel full and happy and impressed by the food. i have been to Zen industry which is also one of the best in auculand and the food is great too. but with 100 dollar for two neither of us feel we have eaten any....Nishiki definitely dose better for average income people.

I came to this little gem late last month. We ordered some great dishes ranging from hot pot to bacon wrapped orcra. My favourites by far were the cheesy broccoli and salmon tempura<br/><br/>The broccoli was lightly cooked to a crisp with tasty cheese dressing which was light and creamy<br/><br/>The tempura salmon was served in crunchy batter. The salmon was succulent and "drool worthy" <br/><br/>Each tapa ranged from $6 - $12. Affordable as you only need a few <br/><br/>Highly recommend to all

Great Japanese food! Fresh and tasty. Reasonably priced and well located away from the hustle and bustle of Ponsonby . Large variety on the menu. Expect a wait for a table as it's usually quiet busy. Service was ok but considering peak rush it wasn't bad. Would recommend!<br/><br/>

Nishiki is one of the best Japanese restaurants Auckland has to offer! This place always proves to be busy and if your not reserving a table beforehand - dont be surprised to find out that it is full house for the evening. This has happened to us twice in the past, so we make it a point to book ahead of time. Where do I begin???? Well lets start by sharing my top pics - the beef & tuna tataki, soft shelled crab, the deep fried tofu, and the gyoza are soooo delish and super fresh. The service is good. However there are a few things this restaurant could do care in - NO:1 The decor is a sore sight, its very old and in need of a facelift including the washroom facilities. NO:2 they need to introduce a proper cocktail creator and new cocktail list. Their current cocktail list is what you'd expect a first time drinker to drink - lolly water. So those two points they get a 4 rating. But please dont hold back from going to this place because of the decor and drinks list, the food is truly amazing.

Cult classic and family favourite! i just love this place and come back time and time again! friendly staff, amazing authentic food and a great price! BYO As well which is great. lots of parking as well

Nishiki is a great Japanese restaurant for groups or dates! It's got a great range of sharing dishes both hot and cold! <br/>There's exotic dishes like takowasabi (raw octopus pieces with a wasabi sauce) or the classic teriyaki chicken. <br/><br/>I definitely recommend their fresh salmon rolls!! It's a dish I HAVE to order each visit!<br/><br/>Always make sure you book because waiting in the car park is not fun.

Been coming here for over 5years and I've never been disappointed! It is a rare find in NZ for real authentic Japanese delicacies. Love their many food options- beef tataki, salmon namaharu, and their range of fresh sashimi and oysters!! Lovely Japanese bar style atmosphere for a fun night with friends- it does get noisy so probs not the best for kids or babies.<br/>They tend to get extremely busy which sometimes make no room for the waitresses/waiters to stick around and talk a little but that's fine by me! <br/>Do book a table a couple days ahead to make sure you get the table you want, or let alone a table for that matter haha good work guys!

Japanese winner. This is Japanese izakaya style at its best. Most people associate Japanese with sashimi and high prices. Not so, izakaya style is a very common and popular form of dining in Japan and Nishiki have managed to deliver a very authentic experience to Auckland. Huge menu allows diners to cater to almost everyones tastes and the izakaya style lends itself to sharing and trying many small dishes. Food was great, prices very reasonable. We don't have this in Adelaide you lucky devils, but we will return next time we visit ! Enjoy it.

Food is always good ESP the Salmon namahuru and the tori Mayo chicken skewer. <br/>The service however has gotten pretty awful, last few times have taken ages to order a drink and then even longer for it to arrive

love it! can't get away from it and it's never too much food.<br/>Service is a little bit disappointing some times, but the food and the atmosphere makes you want to come back over and over again.<br/>The best Japanese I have ever had.

Nishiki is THE place to go for Japanese. Not only do you get friendly and efficient service. The food. Oh the food. As a seafood lover, their salmon ikura don is to die for and it's a must-get, all the time, every time. Fresh raw salmon and salmon roe on rice. Simple yet perfect for me. Also, the soft shell crab, the great variety of sushi rolls, the beef tataki, the chicken wings, the kaisen don...the list goes on. But get there early, otherwise you'll have to join the queue!

This place is consistently good, the food is awesome and it is byo which is always a bonus. It is definately not a fine dining atmosphere but the prices reflect this....great place to go with a group of friends and the menu is designed to be share plates so with a group it is easy to go crazy and order everything on the menu (which we have done a few times!) And believe me everything is super tasty!

The male manager or owner who is situated in front of the counter was not pleasant at all, everybody knows weekends are hectic but you do not have to show it on your face. Food was average, Chicken karage was fat and Oily. No meat at all. More like a fast food restaurant than a Japanese restaurant as you need to be constantly conscious on how much time is left. Upon paying, there wasn't even a word of thank you as his face was so sour. There is other better Japanese places to dine in, so please scratch this restaurant off your list. Not a good experience at all.

Service slow, disorganised, and brusque. Food patchy - most items good or very good, some pretty awful. Clearly more staff needed when they're full.

Have a regular table on weekends here and a regular order of salmon tataki, seaweed salad, tori soboro meshi, agedashi tofu. Love the food/pricing here and the service is fast and excellent.<br/>Make sure you book ahead as it is very popular.

I dined here with friends on a very busy Wednesday night and the place was full. <br/><br/>Service was prompt and the food was excellent. We got everything we ordered and I was impressed with each dish I tried.<br/><br/>Only letdowns were having to get up for our own water, luckily we were close to it and it got uncomfortably warm in the restaurant by the time we left.<br/><br/>Will visit again.

I have eaten here several times and it has a great vibe and is cheerful with reasonable food.<br/>Tonight it was awful.<br/>I was told i could have a table but had 45 mins due to bookings.<br/>Fine i said, it was a quick dinner. Unfortunately though i ordered straight away the food took half an hour to arrive.<br/>I ate as fast as i could but half way through my dinner at about 5 to 7 I was asked to leave! appalling as it was their slow service that had caused the delay.<br/>Very Grumpy - will NEVER return. Very rude bad service. Food was quite nice... shame.

I went to this busy Japanese restaurant last night and initially signs were positive. The atmosphere was good and the place was packed. We ordered and the waitress struggled a bit, her English was pretty basic and she seemed to be mostly relying on us pointing to the pictures, she was friendly though and clearly doing her best. I ordered two things chicken Katsu and wedges. The former arrived about 20 mins later and was quite nice, after a further 20 mins I enquired about the wedges to the same waitress who seemed to - after some recourse to the menu, understand. A further ten minutes later I enquired again. Five minutes later the chicken Katsu arrived, again. I explained that's not what I ordered - I've had that, I wanted my wedges. So we embarked on yet another trip through the menu and this time low and behold something resembling my wedges did arrive. But it wasn't wedges it was chips with the same sauce. Hungry and thinking this was the best I was going to get I ate them anyway. Now all this was bothersome but not enough to actively annoy me. I was just one of those unlucky diners doomed to a series of mishaps and misunderstandings - it wasn't my night. <br/><br/>But what came next really did irk me. Upon going up to pay I explained the situation, explained It had required three separate exchanges to get my food over a very long period of time and ultimately what did arrive wasn't really what I ordered. I said I would rather not pay for it as the service had been so poor. The proprietor kept emphasising, 'but I had eaten the food' I pointed out that it wasn't so much the food that was in question here so much as the appalling effort that had been required to get it to arrive. This he did not seem to understand and raised his voice. I explained I was giving him an opportunity to make this right and it would shape my experience. Take it or leave it. <br/><br/>He charged me the full amount. <br/><br/>Attend this restaurant at your peril. The food is good, the service a gamble the management completely unaccountable.

Always a good place to catch up with some mates over a Japanese meal.<br/>Food: 4/5<br/>Speed:4/5 <br/>Ambience: 3.5/5

Stick to the Sake, as the food is very average.<br/><br/>Nishiki is very busy which is a good sign, however we found the food to be rather poor. The Scallops were dark, tasted old and were bitter. The Octopus balls were under cooked.<br/><br/>The service was good and there was a great selection of Sake.<br/><br/>However, keep on driving, there is better.

Love this place. Booked a table for 12 but on the night we ended up growing to 16 and the extra people easily accommodated. <br/><br/>I think we tried everything on the menu! this style is great for large groups sharing plates family style. Service is fast and friendly and well managed considering how busy they are. <br/><br/>Food is fresh, stylish and great tasting. Try the soft shell crabs, delicious.

A MUST DO if you love japanese food and you're planning a trip to Auckland. I have been going there for about six years whenever I can and it never disappoints. Definitely need to book in advance on every night of the week as it's popular for a very good reason! <br/>A Japanese "tapas style" restaurant where you can order a few small plates to share (or just for yourself) and only spend around $30 per head. If you've read the "not big enough" reviews earlier, this is the reason why. The menu is massive to give you maximum choice on a fantastic range of Japanese dishes. It's BYO wine which makes it even more awesome. They do have time limits on your bookings, on busier nights which may annoy some people, but we had an hour and 45mins which was ample time to order, eat, order some more and have a couple of drinks as well. The service was a bit rushed overall and disappointed diners at tables beside us. <br/>The quality of the ingredients is fresh and tasty and never a let down.<br/>Love this place!!

My favorite Japanese restaurant. Fresh, delicious, unpretentious and not overpriced. I have been coming here for over 10 years now and I love it. Great for couples or large groups. You will definitely need to book.

We liked the privacy of the small rooms and nice wall decorations representing japan, however it was overpriced food that comes in small small portions, good for a bite but don't go if you're actually hungry.

Have been visiting this place for the past 5 years now... and can say that it's only gotten harder to make a booking. Casual diners dropping in get rejected on most nights, so definitely need booking when eating here. Also confirm your booking as I've experienced being dropped off the books once.<br/><br/>I usually order their chicken teriyaki, tako cha (wasabi marinated octopus + soup + rice in a bowl), some skewers, and house sake, and the meal gets rounded off by whatever else my friends order, and it's a good meal when you have a group of 3 or more. It definitely doesn't taste as good as I remembered when I first discoered this place, but I haven't yet found a place that could beat their skewers (I'd say Ken on K'road comes pretty close though).<br/><br/>One way to make this place work for you is to have at least one dish that's carb heavy (like rice or noodles)... otherwise you can easily order a lot of dishes and not feel full at all. And always order ASAP as the kitchen gets overwhelmed quite easily during the night when large groups come in, and you really want them to concentrate on getting your skewers perfect as opposed to worrying about cooking 10 at a time.

Extremely busy and loud on a Friday night, not the place for a quiet, cosy meal, but good food, lots of variety. Glad to see vegetarian and dairy/Fish stock meals noted. Due to the general busy-ness and noise the service is also rushed and staff have no time for friendly banter - always polite though. Book well in advance. Try the eggplant.

This was awful tried to book a dinner by phone. Called for 15 minutes straight to no avail and when I finally got a dial they never answered and eventually I was cut off. Awful service just made me not even want to go to the restaurant

I would have to say that Nishiki is your average Japanese food eatery. One of our colleagues didn't feel very well after lunch (we both ate the same thing but I was ok) - but I reckon it might have been something to do with having beer with his lunch food? LOL Anyway, I have no complaints, the food is reasonably average for a Japanese restaurant and wallet-friendly.

Great food, great atmosphere and great place to enjoy dinner with friends and family.<br/>Their staff can be quite busy sometime

Ben here for couple of times, they busy all the times. Good food, tasty, fresh but poor service.

This is my favourite Japanese restaurant. Everytime we come here we have such a good time - the food is fresh and flavoursome, the service is efficient, there's always a good vibrant atmosphere, we can BYO wine and everything is moderately priced.<br/>Definitely book well in advance and expect a cheery crowd of fellow Nishiki-lovers!

Nishiki is a excellent place to have dinner. I often go there with couple of friends and enjoy the different dish's.<br/><br/>But i will have to warn you to book first before you go there because it is so busy you wont be able to get a table.<br/><br/>The food is really good!!!!<br/><br/>Make sure you go and try it out and you will not regret it.

Good Atmosphere.<br/>A variety of food.<br/>More like Japanese Tapas.<br/>You order lots of small dishes.<br/>I found their teriyaki a bit watery but that seems to be quite common among most Japanese places.<br/>Would def go back again

So good! Yummy food, such a good price and BYO!

Nishiki is such a great place - Ponsonby's beautiful people's kids out to play - St. Mary's Bay lite, if you will. It gets a bad rap for slow service and chaos but the whole point is to come and relax and soak up a bit of 'youf'. In these digital days of sites like this, an establishment's offerings and ethos are pretty much out for all to see. As ever, sharing's the thing and the drip-feed of dishes makes for a perfect catch-up and chat over tastier than tasty dishes. As the turnover is quite high, they list some left of field items which are well worth a try although the 70's classic of deep-fried cheese I tend to leave for others. The whole grilled squid and mackerel are both tender and toasty/smokey; I love the freshly grated ginger on the squid which counterpoints brilliantly with the slight charring. Octopus - both as takoyaki and takowasabi are both delicious as are the rest of the usual suspects, especially salmon/ikura don. A highlight is the BYO policy which means that you can feast with friends on a budget - it's fun in a can. Given all this - what's with the beefing? Booking is essential and problematic but nothing worth having's easy, huh?!

Nishiki is an extremely popular and busy Freeman's Bay Japanese restaurant. Be sure to book as the BYO crowd in particular are known to book big tables here in the evenings, so save yourself the hassle and secure yourself a spot early.<br/><br/>The menu is rather extensive but complete with images, which I personally really like. This is not the kind of place to come to and order Teriyaki Chicken, Nishki offer so many interesting and unique dishes, I highly recommend going with the weirdest and most wonderful thing you come across. Some personal favourites are the Beinasu Miso - eggplant in miso sauce, topped with cheese, the Okonomiyaki - seafood pancake, and the yaki soba noodles.<br/><br/>Nishiki dishes aren't large, but it's great to get several and share amoungst your party. The staff are lovely and while it won't win awards for fast or efficient service, if you're not in a hurry and can tolerate a busy restaurant, than Nishiki is a great option.

A group of seven recently visited Nishiki in Freeman's Bay on a busy Saturday night. I have been many times before so this review is based this experience but with previous visits also in mind.<br/><br/>Nishiki in one sentence: Amazing food at a good price with lively atmosphere but with super slow service.<br/><br/>The best way to eat Robatayaki is to order many dishes to share. I had the pleasure of being designated to order for everyone. We ate 1 to 3 dishes each of Edamame, Chicken Teriyaki, Takoyaki, Gyoza, Miso Dengaku, Vegetable Tempura, Cheese Fry, Gobo Salad, Beef Carpaccio, Tori Wasabi Mayo, Bei-naso Miso cheese. We had 1 vegetarian and 1 non-fish eater and there was no problem accommodating them. The star dishes were the Beef Carpaccio, Tori Wasabi Mayo and the Bei-naso Miso Cheese. The Miso Dengaku was also very good.<br/><br/>We also ordered Chicken Karaage but before it arrived, the staff began to clear our table and told us the kitchen was closed. I think it's important for the kitchen not to close until all orders are complete. We arrived just after 8.30pm and were there until the kitchen closed. They are always busy so booking is a must.<br/><br/>We can't do anything about the super slow service, but we can BYO which will make the long waiting times bearable. <br/>The service has always been and will probably always be terrible. I've waited 2 hours for a beer to arrive, which I think is unacceptable. Drinks are often take before the food arrives and sometimes arrives after you have finished eating. It seems that only 1 or 2 staff is allowed to take drinks orders so your drinks order gets lost with drinks orders for the whole restaurant. One way Nishiki could rectify this situation is to have 1 waiter per table who oversees both drinks and food.<br/><br/>We paid $33 each which covered food. Drinks were BYO.

Went to Nishiki the other day for dinner. The place was full but service was generally attentive and fast. They had some interesting dishes and these mostly comes in small plates. I love Japanese food and rank how good a place is according to the freshness of their sashimi. Unfortunately for Nishiki, this fell well short; definitely not top grade fresh fish. If you're looking for good authentic Japanese, I'd say give this a miss.

Nishiki is my favourite Japanese restaurant in Auckland. It's best to go with a few people as you order a few small plates to share and you'll want to try everything and their menu is extensive. All the seafood is so fresh and tasty, I always order too much as everything is so good. It's also not too expensive and they also do BYO. For these reasons they are often fully booked with a waiting time so I advise booking ahead. My favourites which I always order are the Salmon Tataki and soft shell crab.