Great lunchtime favourite. If you can't see what you feel like just ask the friendly staff and they usually accommodate your request. Good food and reasonably priced. Sushi, dumpling, karage chicken and bento to name a few.
You know you are on to a good thing if you walk in on a rainy Monday night and the place is packed. The sashimi is fresh and rather good. Served on a bed of micro herbs and salads, I couldn’t help but demolished it in 10 minutes. The stand out were the red prawns, exactly how I imagined them to be. The beef tataki was rather good too... the little flakes of crispy garlic, paper thin slices of Parmesan, the dressing spot on. Again thinly sliced onion and salad nicely complemented the dish.
Definitely give it a go, you won’t be disappointed.
Awesome really authentic Japanese restaurant!!
Delicious sashimi, scampi sashimi ,oysters, grouper head and beef takaki!
Best Japanese restaurant in NZ !
This is my favourite Japanese in Christchurch. There isn’t much ambience in this tiny eatery but the food and polite staff more then make up for it. I tend to go for the dinner bento which is delicious and filling.
The salmon sashimi is very fresh and the tempura batter is light and crispy. The chicken teriyaki is well marinated and juicy. I also had the takoyaki to start which was probably the weaker dish due to the tougher texture of the batter used.
Overall I found the service to be good and fast for a busy Thursday evening!
Favourite place to go in Christchurch! So affordable and such amazing quality Japanese! In love! The staff are great and the food is quick! Also try the octopus balls and sizzling plate
Been in Christchurch tow months. Been there three times.
Excellent environment.
Excellent staff
Excellent service.
Great fresh seafood.
Price slightly high. First time I went couldn't get full with $50dollars. But is expected with most Japanese cuisines..
Definitely recommend.
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Had heard from a few people about Kinji and how great it was, so I was very keen to try. The fact that it is one of a few small shops in a block added to my eagerness as it was not the setting I had imagined. Very attentive staff who meet and greet and make you feel welcommed. In some ways very traditional in their mannerisms which is lovely. With the dimmly lit room and a few asian diners, you could almost imagine you were in Japan tucked away down a side alley. I found it quite the experience. Loved the fabric lined box to keep your handbag off the floor, the little details are wonderful. The food did not dissapoint, we chose a selection of unusual things as my husband has been to Japan many times and knows his way around the cuisine. He was most impressed with the venison tataki and the octopus wasabi dish. I am now a little annoyed I didn't quickly check the reviews beforehand as we didn't order dessert and by all accounts, sounds amazing. Thank you for the experience, simple but beautiful.
I found the service attentive not intrusive, the food exquisite a perfect balance of flavors, textures and quantity, the Brule was a beautiful way to end a memorable meal, I will be back
A very enjoyable dinner experience. Service was very attentive and the food was very modern and good use of seasonal local produce. Also enjoyed their sake trial set of 3 different grades of sake from the same distiller.
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Tucked away in a row of shops along Greers Rd, Kinji is probably one of chch's not only best but most authentic Japanese Restaurants. The interior was dimly lit and a little cramped yet had a nice romantic atmosphere. K.F.C main dish - perfectly marinated, juicy&hot chicken with a crispy skin served with a side of fresh salad and dipping sauce. Their tempura is also worth praising as not many can do it right, usually making it too dry by over frying or tastes like vegetables straight out of a frozen packet, Kinji's have done it well with a batter crispy while keeping the vegetables juicy. The lamb tataki was also on point - very tender and seared just right (also served with a side of fresh greens). The Osaka styled 8 piece salmon and avo sushi is probably one of the best I've had in NZ, the rice is just the right stickiness and the fresh salmon eggs mixed with the rice was a very nice touch. Their dessert presentation is what some would call "instagram-material", the green tea tiramisu is must try or if you prefer ice-cream the matcha affogato is also a nice way to end your meal. The staff and service was great, very polite - got welcomed by all front of house staff on entry and thanked 5 times on our way out. They also prepare baskets for handbags so it wouldn't be directly put on the ground which I thought was very cute. Some very minor faults (in my opinion) I could think of is perhaps 1. the ventilation of the bathrooms 2. The dim lighting 3. Can get a little noisy with a certain amount of customers
Service was exceptional, there’s nothing I love more than service that is joyful pleasant to be around, made you laugh and enjoy being there. The food is top quality, I wish I got more sashimi and would love more nigiri variety however that’s because I enjoyed the food so much.
I live locally and travel a lot for work but I
tried 3 years to get a booking by calling, turns out you can just book online on their website.
I will be there again, but I would try a different method of getting a bunch of entres to share and then pile up with the sides.
See you again thank you for the 5 star service
Booked for my husband’s birthday. We had fried chicken, sashimi platter, Ocean beef hotpot, and some sushi, green tea ice cream to have our sugar of the day fixed.
The food was yummy and the waitress were friendly.
The restaurant is always busy, so booking is essential, make a booking on their website. It can be a bit of noisy when it is a full house since the place is not spacious. The food quality is very stable, we enjoy their sashimi every time.
Used to live in Christchurch and had love the food here since then. Now that having moved to Auckland, will still patronize the place whenever in town because you can't really find comparable quality and fresh Japanese food in Auckland, especially the Sashimi. The salmon sashimi at Kinji taste far more superior than those in Auckland, they literally melt in your mouth. A must visit place if in Christchurch and craving for authentic Japanese food.
The food was delicious, service was great. We had a wonderful time dining out to this place.😋
I came here on my own during my Christchurch trip, ordered 3x salmon nigiris, special red prawn sashimi, and beef sukiyaki. The salmon nigiri melted in my mouth!!!! They used the belly part of the salmon which is the best part. The prawn was so fresh and after I ate them, the chef deep fried the prawn heads and they tasted amazing!!! Beef sukiyaki was also so yum!!! I had to buy 6x nigiris and some yellow tail king fish sashimi to take home with me to Auckland so I can share with my family, and the staff was super helpful - packed my takeaways with an ice pack!! My family loved the sashimi and nigiris all the way from chch. Thank you. I’ll come back :).
Best japanese in town! The big red prawns sashimi on special menu definitely worth trying! After finishing the sashimi, they will deep fried the prawn head for you which is very very crispy and tasty. Tempura combination also nice that it is well fried. Staffs and services are very nice, would love to visit again.
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What an incredible experience. This was my first Japanese food experience, for the most part. MAKE A BOOKING!! It is probably the only way you'll get in here because it has very limited seating. We arrived 5 minutes before our booking and unfortunately we had to wait for our table to leave. However they were on it and the patrons were gracious enough to leave. Once seated we reviewed the menu and a server came to take out our drink order. We ordered Ozeki Soju, Sweet Umeshu (plum wine) and water for the rest. We ordered some seared salmon Nigiri, a tempura shrimp sushi roll, a miso soup and order of Gyoza. All were amazing and flavorful. We all agreed made fresh. For our mains we ordered Teriyaki Salmon, Beef Tendon, Tataki Beef and Chicken Teriyaki Sizzle. All were again hot, flavorful and delicious. Overall it was an excellent experience. Our server knew English and we were never without water. Our son who studies Japanese even got to thank the chef in his native Japanese which topped off a great evening. So looking for some Asian cuisine and are needing a place with great food? Make a booking here, you will not be disappointed.
Toni Gallot (Sakura_kiwi)
+5
Best Japanese restaurant in Christchurch and possibly NZ. The sashimi was so fresh and delicious. The blue fin tuna was outstanding!
We also had the grilled yellowtail which was cooked to perfection.
We love trying different sakes when we are here and also we tried some Japanese whiskey as well- all very good.
Service is always great. Miyu is always so attentive and friendly.
We will miss it here when it changes hands later in the year. Hopefully the new owners will maintain the Kinji magic.
Super friendly Delicious well done food plated perfectly 🥰 just so good 100% if you have not been here It is worth it !!!
The Japanese restaurant we love the most in Christchurch. Super fresh and yummy food. Very friendly staff and reasonable price. Remember to book first if you want to go 😜
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