Review En Izakaya & Teppanyaki - Auckland Central

Came here for lunch, they have one site that allows you to order dishes from the menu, another side has Teppanyaki. The lunch special is around $20 per person, has rice, miso soup, sashimi, etc. Which is quite good. The restaurant itself is nicely decorated, quite a cosy place to be.

Such a fantastic time!! Top notch, thoroughly entertaining and funny as chef! Attentive wait staff. This is a hidden gem. In the food alley behind the Event Cinema complex. 5🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟+++++

Went there twice. Once was izakaya style dinner. The other time was their lunch set meals. My colleagues and I really enjoyed their lunch set meals. Food portion and quality is great. Definitely consistent Lunch sets are definitely more value for money than the dinner, which is slightly pricey.

This truly authentic, Inner Tokyo City-style place has been highly recommended to us by friends of ours to visit, and we've not been disappointed. Cozy and quiet atmosphere, gentle Japanese music, fresh and artistically prepared food - what else would you wish for private dinner in close circle of your dearest friends or loved ones? Without any doubt I would encourage anyone who loves this kind of dining out - please do come one day and prove it for yourself; as for me, - "I'll bee bak!" (c)

BEST NIGHT OUT! Very friendly staff with recommendations and so delicious food. We had the best night out with a group of friends and family with our meals being cook fresh off the table! My new favourite teppan yaki place, definitely recommending to my uni friends.

Love the entertainment lol i mean the chef.

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Excellent service and food. I loved it.

Good food, a tad pricey.

After seeing papparich was closed so we decided to give this place a try since it’s right beside it.<br/><br/>Service: 10/10<br/>We were immediately serviced when we entered the restaurant and the waitress was very polite and poured us water. The man that served our food was very happy and made us feel very happy. They were very kind throughout our entire lunch service.<br/><br/>Food: 9/10<br/>I ordered the tempura lunch dish. The tempura was crispy and fresh, the sushi tasted very good and fresh. The platter was beautifully displayed. There wasn’t a lot of rice and the portion isn’t big but I did feel satisfied after the meal. <br/><br/>Ambiance: 10/10<br/>The restaurant had individual sections to allow more privacy and there is also a bar. The wooden benches and decorations make the entire place seem more traditional. It’s a peaceful quiet restaurant perfect for a nice meal with family.

Was short on time for lunch on a Friday around 1pm so decided to have a quick Bento Box. Yum! The staff was very friendly, food came very quickly and it was amazing. The tuna just melted in your mouth, the chicken was soft and tasty, they also had mushrooms, squid balls, mashed potato and miss. Everything was perfect. Definitely planning on another visit so we can fully enjoy the food as this time we were a bit rushed. See you Soon!

Went last night for dinner, the freshness and quality of the sashimi was questionable and tasted horrible. Have been previously and raved about it but the food last night was of a very different standard and over priced poorly made sushi. Tempura platter consisted of zucchini and capsicum, imitation crab sticks and premade prawn twisters. The menu was different to a previous visit, would not recommend. Would stick to other restaurants in the area like Kura in the future.

Ordered some yakitori which took longer than usual, asked about my order after 30 mins, 40 mins and when I asked again at 50 mins, I was told that they hadn't even started making it yet. I watched several tables order, finish their meal and leave in the time I was there.

I love the interior of this place. Its relaxing and beautiful. They can accomodate different group size.<br/><br/>They food is beautifully presented.<br/><br/>Overall..it's nice.

As you can pick up from the name, the restaurant consists of two parts: Izakaya (small bar and tapas) and Teppanyaki (iron griddle). On entrance, you've got the Izakaya on the left side, and the Teppanyaki on the right side of the restaurant.<br/><br/>I've only been to the Izakaya side so far and the experience has been very good. On entrance and when seated (close to the door) you will see a mural of a Japanese dragon painting, along with a corner of a Japanese style bar, lit with calming tones of purple and blue lights, possibly to resemble a sea ship/fishing theme. <br/><br/>The Izakaya part offers a wide selection of Japanese sake and beers, and a good selection of Japanese tapas to accompany the beverages. <br/><br/>[The photos below include]:<br/><br/>* Tuna Tataki<br/>* Grilled Miso Pork Belly<br/>* Mixed Sashimi (small size)<br/>* 8 piece mixed sushi<br/><br/>The food came very fast, beautifully presented, and tasted very fresh! The restaurant also offers small options of Yakitori (listed on the side of the wall where you are seated) at decent prices.<br/><br/>The the Izakaya part is probably not for those wanting to get 'full' unless you are willing to order more. After all, they are supposed to be 'tapas'. <br/><br/>I personally think the place is better for those intending to drink or to enjoy happy hour/afterwork drinks and socialising, with small bites on the side to accompany the drinks rather than a place for those wanting to get a full meal out of it (it's probably better to go to the Teppanyaki side if you want to eat a decent full meal). <br/><br/>The restaurant overall was very clean and staff service was friendly and very welcoming! Definitely a great place for social gatherings!

Great meal from start to finish.  Teppan Yaki chef paid particular attention to kids trying new foods, put on the best show - was a great night out.  New favourite restaurant in the city.

Really enjoyed it, was having a pretty bad day but the entertaining chef definitely did lighten me up with his humour. The food is really good as fresh as well. Definitely recommend

Not the best teppanyaki I’ve been to, the chef wasn’t that entertaining. Me and my sister gave our attention the whole time but the other three on the table weren’t even watching. <br/>When you first go in it’s kinda confusing because Teppanyaki is on the right but all the staff were in the room on the left. The lady didn’t understand when I asked her if I needed to book for the Teppanyaki but after a few minutes of explanation we got there. So no need to book which is pretty good. <br/>But we had to wait quite a long time for the chef to come. I guess if there is no booking the problem is that you don’t know how many people will be at the table or if you will have to wait for more customers to come. There’s only three Teppanyaki tables. <br/>Their Teppanyaki is pretty cheap, at $25 for the lunch special all the way up to $100. For $25 you get vegetables, a salad, a meat and a miso soup. I got the chicken and my sister got the steak. The chicken was delicious. The steak was okay but that’s because I usually get medium rare and my cousin only eats medium so she asked for medium.

We had a selection of the cold and hot dishes. The large hot plates were kept heated on the table which kept the heat in very nicely. The sake we were recommended was great too

Terrible service - We went there for dinner tonight and the service was absolutely terrible. The waiter got our order wrong and then accused us for not correctly ordering in the first place. Definitely would not be returning to this restaurant.

I often come here for the lunch bento! sashimi bento is the best and for me, I think it is a great deal for about 20 bucks you get such a nice combo meal it comes with rice and miso soup and dessert.<br/>I'd love to try Teppanyaki someday soon too.. looked so much fun!

Located at Skyworld Metro. Service was good with friendly staff. Went to Izakaya for lunch on Father's Day and we have to admit that we were a bit disappointed. The colour of the lighting inside the restaurant itself is a bit off - very dim from where we were sitting, that it was hard to even read the menu. We had tempura bento, chicken bento, beef bento, chicken karaage and small sashimi. The bentos came with Miso soup, steamed rice and a bite-size cheesecake. My tempura had 2 prawns and the rest are vegetables, the beef was tender but served cold, the chicken karaage were crunchy but were cut in much smaller pieces. It's a shame they're ok but not great compared with Musashi or Hokkaido. Also the food is a bit pricey.

Went there on a Friday night. Made a reservation for 7pm. They only have 4 teppenyaki grills but a bigger restaurant area so book ahead if you want teppenyaki. One of the chiefs with the red hat is awesome.very entertaining and a great showman.the others are fairly boring. The waitresses are either overworked or undertrained as everybody seemed to wait about 20min before being asked for drinks.given they were turning people away you would think they would want to move a bit quicker.food itself was average.not great but not bad either.no vege options on the menu but they can do tofu if you ask.limited drink options. More food court approach than what you would expect for the $50-$120 they were charging per person.

After reading some of the reviews here we decided to visit this place for Teppanyaki. The ambiance is great, the place is set up well with a separation for Teppanyaki or normal dining and decor is relevant. Service is average, the waiters are a bit awkward and in your face. We had our chef tell off a waiter infront of us which was awkward, but for a vaild reason. We got the Hana Teppanyaki ($60), the Teriyaki chicken ($18) and two beverages ($5 each). It was a great experience having the chef cook infront of us, and he was entertaining. You do get a wide range of dishes with the Teppanyaki which is good, however as with set menus you sometimes get things you don't enjoy as much. The portion size of the Teriyaki chicken was a joke, in the menu it's called a Big Platter but it's barely entree size. Overall the cost is not worth the food you receive, however for a one time visit it's a good experience.

My new favourite Japanese restaurant! Bonus for it being a teppan yaki as well, who doesn't like having your meals cook directly in front of you that tastes yummy with yum yum sauce? I recommend this to anyone that enjoys the Japanese cuisine and FIREEE!! You have to see for yourself for the fire ;D<br/><br/>I had beef and had a bite of my mum's scallops and prawns each with the yum yum sauce, it was soooo gooood!! I definitely recommend anyone the seafood and beef, I requested for medium rare and guess what? Possibly the best medium rare I had ever requested.~ Tasted incredible with the vegetables as well, I finished the whole plate clean. DELICIOUS!<br/><br/>For the maximum teppan yaki experience, you HAVE to be involved with the cooking show otherwise you will miss out if you don't watch. I recommend this for families, as my younger brothers didn't look away for a minute and my whole family enjoyed this as a whole. The teppan yaki experience in total was awesome and unique, where the chef we had is funny and did I mentioned that my beef was cooked perfectly medium rare! What more can you want? I can't wait to go back soon!! :P

Came here for dinner s00n. ..yummy small portion but it was w0rth it nice and tasty with flavor..will be back here aqain..only down side n0 local beers only Japanese beers overall 10/10..Moses Mana

Theoretically in my opinion I don't need to have to write a whole review about here....one word sums it up...FANTASTIC!!! ( or any other similar large words of praise one can think of ) But I should mention a bit more about this Japanese Teppanyaki restaurant which has recently opened in the middle of the city. For a start the interior looks good and as one would expect of somewhere not long opened very clean. The service standard as I have found in most japanese restaurants is very good. With a smile and efficiently. As for the food ...it was delicious. We went at lunchtime and had the teppanyaki. The chef was very good at setting fire alight on the hot plate, so lots of photo opportunities there. I started with Japanese Garden Salad with the chefs salad dressing ...very nice. Of course there was miso soup. Prawns followed with yum yum sauce which was definitely yum yum. I know I may say it a lot.....but it was so delicious. Then beef with seasonal vegetables and rice. Oh, don't forget I washed it all down with an Asahi beer. Nice...Overall top marks and hope it stays that way.

August 2017 - Teppanyaki<br/>We get to try their Teppanyaki Chef Special experience using their gift voucher. The salad in ponzu dressing was very nice and the salmon sashimi taste fresher and done in thicker servings compared to Izakaya. The chefs from both table failed to do a proper train that night. The mocha lychee cream puff they served for dessert was the highlight of the show for me. I don't see it on their menu but ask if you want to try it.<br/><br/>July 2017 - Izakaya<br/>Ambiance is great and the service too. I tried the bao plate, sushi platter and chicken karaage. The karaage taste good and it was cut in much smaller pieces so it was a balance of chicken and crunch. The bao plate is a nice starter. But don't get the sushi platter, the take away sushis are better.

Very small serving for the tag price. And the rice they serve is not what I expected from a Japanese restaurant. Doesn't really go well with their sushi. Plus the sushi tasted bland.<br/><br/>Ambience is good though, too bad I wouldn't go back because of the food.

Inside Metro Centre, we had lunch at Izakaya.  All lunch bento specials came with steamed rice, miso soup & dessert. We had Sashimi bento & fish bento. Both were not outstanding but not bad. Dessert which came with bento were lychee & cream puff - Sorry to say that I enjoyed these more than the lunch itself.<br/> (Food - 3/5; Service - 4/5; Ambience - 4/5)

Wonderful ambience, friendly staff and good foods. This place is a wonder and a comfort. Special mention to the duty Manager, Justin for the showmanship and making us comfortable. I will definitely come back here soon.

Date night with the burly hubby at the movies so it was nice to find a new Japanese eatery in town. Service was lovely, drinks were inexpensive but the food was an utter rip off. Hubby ordered the Terriyaki chicken with no rice ($18) as a large sharing plate but it wouldn't even feed our four year old ninja. We paid $75 for a plum wine and four sharing dishes and it was rather pitiful in terms of serving size. Luckily we'd both had a big lunch. Quality is probably a 3.5. Kura and tanuki's up the road are still the best bets in the area or pappa rich right opposite this place.

Previously my favourite teppanyaki was Daikoku in Botany. However they renovated a few years back and it's not to my liking anymore. So this would be my number 1 teppanyaki restaurAnt. To me , price is an issue but I'm willing to pay for quality and experience. <br/><br/>We had a chef that is entertaining and I think that's what made the dinner fun and experience <br/><br/>I had a Sakura sushi set meal. The cheapest. <br/>So we get a garden salad , miso soup , fried rice, choices of your meat and desserts :) <br/><br/>The next price range is similar just that there's choices of seafood and more option :) <br/><br/>I really really recommend you guys to try and experience the best teppanyaki experiences with the chefs! 😁

An average teppanyaki place in terms of the food offering. Not really worth the price if you're looking for a foodie night out.<br/><br/>BUT, if you want a fun night out with friends, I would recommend it as the interactive element with the chef on the grill definitely made our night full of laughter. Each table can sit 8 people comfortably, although you can only talk to the person next to you.