Review Nishiki Cafe - Auckland Central

Lovely little Japanese restaurant, staff friendly and quick. Ordering was done on a tablet at the table. Was easy to use and the staff quick with the food as you order it. Only negative is the car parks are shared with the other businesses in the complex and can get a bit busy but have always found a car park.

Popped in for a quick bite to eat before going to the movies. Restaurant has a relaxed vibe, staff are friendly & the food (you order food & beverages on an iPad at your table) is prepared quickly and tasted delicious. We would definitely return again.

Order by iPad which is really convenient because you can see what each meal looks like, pretty efficient with bringing out the food. Food portion is very good for the price you pay, some might find the curry a little bit salty (I like it personally) but they give plenty of rice to go with it. Overall a happy experience and will be back

The best one hands down! Shovelled the food down and forgot to take photos. Portion is good and very fresh food. Went again and took some photos

Neat little Japanese restaurant in Highland Park, tucked away in the corner and hard to spot from the road. Order using the IPad with pictures and the food comes put super quick. Lots of options available, but I was really happy their Pork Katsu Don had Egg on top. Portions are good value for money.

More authentic Japanese food, very suitable for family dinners or business meetings. The decoration is average, but overall it is quite comfortable. Staffs are very nice.

They have just recently opened and managed to notice them while driving past. The place is quite small but they do have a covered outdoor area which also has a few tables. The first thing I noticed was the electronic menu. Once we sat down we just looked through the menu and ordered. This was quite bad since everything looked good so we probably ordered more than we should've. The food was quite nice. Good flavour and made well. A few to note are the yukke (beef tartare) and the Egg over rice with gravy. Good food and the service was good. Not as much options as the other shop in Ti Rakau but there are also some items here that I don't remember seeing there. Edit: Menu has changed. They have dango available.

Lovely cafe atmosphere, with iPad ordering system, that is more commonly seen in Asia. Who says a Japanese restaurant must be presented in a traditional way? Love it. Will definitely return to try other items on the menu! Has nice patio furniture :) there are heaters for winter. Layout is considerate for wheelchair access and baby prams :) Bathroom is compact but very clean. Food wait time was reasonable, not too long maybe 10-30minutes? They didn't all come at the same time, we started eating anyway so it didn't feel it took long :) Food item standards varied but overall good quality. Prices can very but it's around $-$$. Pricing is competitive to other local established restaurants. (It is of course more expensive than a bakery or takeaway shop...If you are happy to pay $5.50 for coffee, $18 for pancakes and Maybe $6 fries for the side at some other regular cafes, you can afford to eat here lol...) I would suggest perhaps installing ceiling/wall fans for summer. And when welcoming guests, to please explain the electronic ordering system if it is their first time dining at Nishiki Cafe.

It was a special touch for them to write a message on my food bag when I ordered via Uber Eats. Meal came in big portion. Pork katsu was crunchy, juicy and hot. Rice was perfectly cooked and the right amount of sauce drizzled on top.

Lovely light dinner with a good variety of small dishes. The king prawn was devine!! Relaxing atmosphere is perfect for small gathering with the sneaky cold sake. End the gathering with their yummy dessert - snow white, black sesame ice-cream and fruit float!

Went there on my lunch break on a Friday. Was surprised to see all tables with empty seats, at the same time excited to sit by the semi-outdoor tables to enjoy a quiet, private dining experience. The takoyaki came to the table first as an entree, which the smell had also brought over an annoying fly. Fried for too long or the frying oil was too hot which made them too crispy on the outside. Tasted alright so I wasn't too bothered by it then.<br/><br/>Soon came to worst when the katsu don was filled with frozen/pre-cooked pork cutlet. Extreme dense and thick, it was too hard to chew on. The fry batter comes off so easily due to the moisture that had been trapped when refridgerated or stored for too long. No crisp or *chop* texture on the first bite which is expected in a katsu. Stomach felt sick after awhile and decided it was best to leave the meal as in the picture. <br/><br/>Utter disappointment. Had expected much more from a Japanese restaurant like Nishiki.

Quite authentic. Happy with the taste of their chicken namban and miso soup. I would go here if I miss Japanese food.

Love this place! Best miso soup I’ve ever had! Best chicken katsu and the chicken is cooked so tender and not dry. And the yummiest sushi too! Pay for good quality food here. Regular customer and can’t get enough!

BE WARNED: even though this says they are zomato gold, they no longer accept it. I was here last night and the staff advised they no longer do it even though its advertised. Food and service are amazing regardless

Easy reservation great service and great food ordered electronically at your table. We had beef teriyaki, curry chicken and rice pork fried dumplings. Very accommodating and ambiance we thought pleasant. BYO $2 an advantage. Will return.

Japanese yakitori bar for service that isn’t up to the standards. Used to be a good place, however since the ownership changed a couple of years ago it’s has been deteriorating. Asked for some cutleries - got told to go get them myself. Water? I need to go get some myself. You can’t charge yakitori bar pricing when you want to provide no service. Would never go back.

The best Japanese restaurant I have come across in Auckland comparing delicious and authentic flavour, portion size and price. I always get the lunch box and will end up skipping dinner that night it is so filling. Service is always excellent too.

A bit busy and noisy on Friday. Will try to go there on a normal weekday next time. See what will be the difference?

Been here multiple times. Better than the Nishiki in Burswood. Simple and clean restaurant. Love the salmon and roe rice, fresh.

Tasty food. I think it's better than the one in Burswood. Kind of pricey, so occasional visits should be enough. The restaurant isn't very big but it is nice and cosy.

Was disheartened over the reviews around the small portions. Have been to every Japanese restaurant in the area so decided to finally go.I do not know how people compare portion sizes to those in the area as there sizes were more than adequate for the prices that were set. In my opinion even better than most of the quality Japanese restaurants we are regular customers at. Loved the electronic menu and the foods was delicious. Will certainly go again

Tasty Japanese food and nice atmosphere. We ordered salmon sashimi, seared beef, teriyaki don, takoyaki. Price is average. Would come back again.

Its a Japanese restaurant with modern cafe settings. Meal portions are small and quite expensive. Its more suitable as a place to catch up with friends over drinks and small bites rather than having proper meals. Not very family friendly as there’s no space for prams. Food taste wise is standard.

One of the highest ranked Zomatogold restaurant. But to me the prices were expensive for the tiny portions we got. Felt as though we may have been served less as we were using zomatogold.<br/>•<br/>Grilled Wasabi Chicken 5/10<br/>You might as well take out the wasabi word in it's name. It was bland and just tasted like normal grilled chicken with no seasoning.<br/>•<br/>Tofu salad 8/10<br/>The salad was very nice though, refreshing and loved the added lotus chips, gave the salad that extra crunch.

Great service and ambience, we were given iced water as soon as we sat down, ordering from an iPad was a cool experience.<br/><br/>Only let down was the food. We ordered chicken katsu curry and a pork don. The chicken was alright, not marinated but crispy and tender, i wouldve liked to see some more vegetables in the curry sauce. As for the pork, flavourless and tough. Very plain and lacking in flavour or depth. Dango for dessert was super good though.<br/><br/>Overall good to try out, however the food is very mediocre. There are much better Japanese places nearby.

Very good food, but with gold card member, there are some restrictions on some dished that you cannot order. Be aware and ask before you put in your order. They use electric ordering device. Otherwise you will get an unpleasant surprise

Very peaceful and delightful environment. Not too many place can find Eel don in east Auckland. Eel are ok, with the price and amount. They have different gram sized eel to chose, one person chose the smallest size is enough, just let them to cut in small piece, otherwise comes in two big pieces which is hard to chew. ice coffee surprised me.

Tasty no fuss food. Everything we had we good, no complaints! Seating and decor is basic but not uncommon for Asian cuisine. Ordering your food from the iPad was a first and a positive experience, and was always ready in a matter of minutes! Could be in and out in half an hour!

Upon entering the restaurant, my friend and I were pleasantly surprised. I drive by the restaurant a lot and I could see from the road that the dècor inside was nice but I didn’t expect to quite tidy and modern - very much a cafè vibe. We were also impressed to find that we would be ordering through an iPad - something that I only recall doing around Asia.<br/><br/>We ordered the miso chicken, avo and salmon roll, prawn tempura and the beef tataki. The favourite dish among the bunch would probably be the miso chicken. It was very flavoursome, grilled nicely and moist - we really enjoyed it. <br/><br/>The rest, I would have to say, were quite average. The rolls were falling apart, it was either not rolled tight enough or the rice wasn’t sticky enough. The beef tataki not exactly the most fresh tasting and the prawn tempura more on the skinny side. If we hadn’t used Zomato Gold, I would be a bit disappointed as the price doesn’t necessarily reflect its taste. <br/><br/>All in all though, it was a good experience with attentive staff. Looking at the rest of the reviews, it could be that we ordered the wrong dishes. It seems that the heartier meal/ home cooked style offerings on their menu hit the target so I would probably return to try those just to taste for myself. A hot Jap dish enjoyed during the colder seasons fast approaching... yum! <br/>

I love how modern this place is, and how we can just order straight from the ipad, send our order to kitchen and it’s done, and we can also easily call for the waiter with it too. I love how decorated the place was, and how clean and tidy it was. Price for the food could be more on the pricier side, but taste was definitely worth it. Great food, and service! 💛 Would recommend making a booking during dinner hours to secure a spot, as we saw a lot of customers had make booking on arrival.

Beautiful food, just a little slow on service but other wise it was delicious ................................... . . ......................

Friendly, polite staff and fantastic food. Really good value for money and great ipad ordering system. Clean, modern and inviting. I'll definitely be coming back.

This place is fairly new to compared to its original franchise restaurant. The decor is definitely more modern compared to the Burswood restaurant.<br/><br/>The space is very open and they have an outdoor area which is sheiled by a transparent tarp to protect you from the weather.<br/><br/>It's definitely modern with the option of being able to order and view the menu off a tablet. The staff are friendly and service is quick.<br/><br/>The sashimi is fresh and the slices are nice and thick. I really liked the beef tataki. I have was perfectly cooked and we'll seasoned. The chicken karage was crispy and tender on the inside.<br/><br/>Parking can be a bit of a pain when it's really busy because of the neighbouring Chinese restaurant and Domino's pizza.

I like the ambiance it’s really cozy. Using tablet as you place your order was great and response was timely. We ordered chicken koji and teriyaki and pork. Tastes delicious! The only thing that put me off is the price which I dont find reasonable. I feel it’s a bit expensive and you get a small amount of serving. Should be competitive as they are located in the area where there are heaps of restaurants to choose from.

Came here for lunch and got the chicken katsu. It was ok, not mind blowing but wasn’t bad either. Nice seating and pretty fast service. Reasonable prices too.

We loved the bento set as it has variety of food and very reasonable price. The teriyaki chicken roll was ok. Great ambiance and friendly service. Will definitely come back again.

Great food, good quality, really friendly staff, lovely atmosphere. Great numbers of meal choices.<br/>Katsu Chicken and Chicken Karaage were awesome, perfectly fried while still being juicy.<br/>Also stir fried tofu and Tempura were great.<br/><br/>Cozy small restaurant<br/>Good price/quality ratio<br/>Will definitely eat here another time!

Upon entering, the establishment has a lovely ambiance and the service was quick and friendly. Ordering is unique here, where you order from an app at your table and the food comes out as you order. Some may not like this method, but I personally enjoyed it. <br/><br/>That being said unfortunately, the food was a real let down. Most of the food didn't seem fresh and felt like it was old or microwaved from frozen. We ordered Gyu Tataki, Okonomiyaki, Unagi Don, Karaage Chicken and washed it down with Iced Coffee and Matcha Latte. <br/>- Gyu Tataki has nice flavors but was overcooked.<br/>- Okonomoyaki was quite dark and very, very oily. The inner part was also very mushy and the cabbage was lost completely. Almost seemed deep fried? <br/>- Karaage Chicken was standard but came with no dipping sauce and no option to order any sauces either. <br/>- Unagi Don was the biggest let down. The eel was horrible and the worst eel I've ever had. It was incredibly slimy and fatty (more than usual, as I know eel is generally a fatty fish). We couldn't stomach it and didn't finish it, which was unfortunate as the sauces were nice.<br/><br/>- Iced Coffee was a little bitter, but refreshing and strong.<br/>- Matcha Latte was weak and was almost cold when I got it.<br/> <br/>For dessert I was looking forward to trying the Matcha Parfait and the Crepe that is listed on the online menu. Unfortunately, both were unavailable and I ended up having the Affoguard (which was okay) but I was very disappointed. <br/><br/>Nishiki Cafe has good service and ambiance so seems more like an appropriate place to have a catch up with friends over tea or drinks but one should try to avoid the bland and overpriced food.<br/> Food: 1.5/5<br/> Service: 4/5<br/> Ambiance: 4.5/5

The worst Sushi I have ever had. The food does not taste like Japanese at all, neither the presentation,no wonder there is no customer at lunch time. And very expensive

It was probably the most blend Japanese food experience I had. The food was missing ingredients that were showing on the menu, the sashimi didnt taste fresh and unproportionaly cut, and tasted like I was chewing slightly tasty rubber.

The food was delicious and authentic. It reminds my partner and I exactly of the food we had and missed when we visited Japan. The service is fast and the staff are friendly. Also the ordering system something that should be implemented at the majority of restaurants!

went here for lunch with a friend, we ordered Okonomiyaki, katsu rice (set menu), crepe, ice cream. <br/><br/>Okonomiyaki was burnt (almost black, not sure if it is their style), tho the taste was nice. <br/>katsu rice, there was a little pink inside the pork.. (not sure if it's fully cooked)<br/>crepe ( i believe this is not fresh made, i think it is frozen crepe).<br/>green tea latte was a bit watery, not as good as i thot.<br/><br/>to be honest, i am not a  fan of the food and drink. but the customer service is good. <br/><br/>I think this is a nice place to sit down and have a cup of tea....

We had a lunch at Nishiki Cafe which shared a similar logo as Nishiki. It's good to have a proper Japanese restaurant in Highland Park area. Salmon yukke (a small dish of salmon tartare) was beautiful & tasted super; Ebi katsu (fried prawns) came with surimi (imitation crab meat); Kaisen don (sashimi rice bowl) was good - however fishes weren't at their best); Katsu don (pork cutlet rice bowl) was OK; Chazuke set was with fish broth, cooked salmon & teriyaki chicken & was nice too. My favourite dish was salmon yukke. (Food - 3.5/5; Service - 3.5/5; Ambience - 3.5/5)

They have just recently opened and managed to notice them while driving past.<br/><br/>The place is quite small but they do have a covered outdoor area which also has a few tables. The first thing I noticed was the electronic menu. Once we sat down we just looked through the menu and ordered. This was quite bad since everything looked good so we probably ordered more than we should've.<br/><br/>The food was quite nice. Good flavour and made well. A few to note are the yukke (beef tartare) and the Egg over rice with gravy. Good food and the service was good. Not as much options as the other shop in Ti Rakau but there are also some items here that I don't remember seeing there.

My friends and I felt like The manager guy was kinda rude and seemed so unbothered. Bad experience wish it was better. The ordering machines were also really confusing and kept turning off/on 😕