Great place to eat. Food was so fresh and delicious. Staff happy and fast
Fantastic food and great service, I recommend the Crab.
Great food. Really tasty and well priced. Went with the kids and they really loved it. Don’t expect anything fancy because it is not needed ... just food of good quality
I honestly just love this place. My go to place for a Chicken Curry on rice over the weekend 😊 Just the best. Crispy chicken. Tasty dish. Staffs are amazing too.
Have always enjoyed eating at Cookai, prices are slightly above average but is totally worth it. The atmosphere is lovely and interior design is clean and pleasant. Fish is fresh and tasty. Although a little more pricey than other Japanese restaurants, do not mind paying extra for a good experience.
It was quite good qualityof food and fresh food. Staff was also very friendly and helpful. But it came out very small portion. Maybe it is Japanese style. Try it
Cookai is a completely underrated restaurant (by underrated I mean how no one has heard of it) with a suitable Japanese menu full of potential to be one of CHCH best Japanese places. I had the tempura salmon sushi which was drizzled with mayo and spicy sauce and was just like it sounds, absolutely amazing. It is very rare to taste sushi that is deep fried yet still doesn't taste rich and fatty. I also ordered the bento bowl as my main which included pork and ginger salad, incredibly fresh sashimi, nigiri, takoyaki and one of the best pieces of Karaage chicken I've ever had and I have had an insane amount of Karaage in my time. The service is good - average, the price was decent and the atmosphere was nice. I shared two entrees a main and a small desert and was delightfully full to my heart's content. Highly recommend the bento and tempura sushi.
Pefect place for business lunch.
We ordered one deluxe bento box and a few other dishes. I have tried many bento box meals recently, Cookai's bento box is always my favorite, I think it is the best in town. They just changed the lunch menu, so it was my first time to try the deluxe one. I was amazed by thepork belly and teriyaki beef in the bentobox. The pork belly was tender and juicy， so smooth in mouth and tastes even better with rice. I think the teriyaki beef has been pan fried a bit to enhance the flavour and make the beef really fun to eat.
Nice place and staff, most importantly，great food.
Highly Recommended.
Visited with my Japanese class for the dining experience, was impressed by the menu choices.
Great food, everyone enjoyed their meal and lovely service.
Overall this place is has good value.
Lacks some of the intimate charm of its predecessor in Cashel Street. Location now in the west and prices have correspondingly headed north! They're the best Japanese seafood purveyors in town.
Visited Cookai many times and the food is amazing. Their sushis are bigger than what you get from other sushi places and are done so well, especially the salmon and mayo sushi - it's so nice creamy it almost melts in you mouth. Their sashimi platters are great and so fresh. The terayaki chicken is on point and very authentic - if you prefer beef to chicken, the beef teriyaki is pretty amazing too. The only disappointing thing encountered was in late December when they removed a few really good items from their menu (such as ice creams and rice dishes). The staff are friendly and whole atmosphere/feel of the restaurant is very comfortable.
Quality portions of food that tastes beautiful. Good service. Ambiance average and similar to many Christchurch Restaurants where intimate settings are not a priority. The design is typical of Asian restaurants ie: narrow gaps between tables - pack in as many as one can in the allocated floor space.
Great location with ample parking. Reasonable price really fresh sashimi and Nigiri, friendly and attentive staff, easy ordering and quick table service. Booths are available upon request. The interior of this restaurant is very spacious, suitable for large groups up to 20 with private corner. Would definitely go back.
Fresh sashimi and great nigiri 🍣 made my day. Definitely will recommend to my friends.
Trust me: this is the best Japanese restaurant in Christchurch!
Very nice chicken wings~~~😋😋
And it's best chicken wings in Christchurch.
Came here as part of a work lunch... The 12 of us went with the set menu and we were not disappointed. Delicious fresh sashimi and various tempura goodies. The staff were polite and attentive. They were more than happy to cater for those of us who had specific dietary restrictions.. I'd definitely reccomend.
We had the best experience - owner is on the floor front of house. The door was graciously opened for us, we were escorted to a table where dietary requirements were catered to and our meals arrived promptly and fresh and delicious. Great Japanese we had Yakatori, Pork belly, Octopus balls and some salmon rolls. Highly recommended, these new owners deserve to succeed - we’ll be back!!
We went to the first Cookai a few times when it was in Manchester Street. We loved it then and enjoyed it even more this time. The food was an epicurean delight - great flavours, lots of choice and reasonable pricing. In addition the service and ambience were also good. With all the menu items we didn't eat we will have to keep coming back. This could be a lifetime affair.
Great Japanese food, good variety and very tasty. The green tea ice cream sundae is particularly good! I've always had great service when I've eaten here. The decor and atmosphere is sophisticated and cool.
A very enjoyable meal with 1st table, made for a nice an cheap dinner. I would recommend to do the same but if you were to pay full price I would rather go elsewhere. All that said, they were friendly, the restaurant was lovely and the food was good.
Defiantly give it a go! We (5pax) had a wonderful evening on Friday night. The food was on lovely plates, prettily displayed on the plates, hot and delicious and speedy service. The pork rib had lots of meat which fell off the bone. Great value and also BYO. Owner was a wonderful host which you could share a good laugh with. Lots of off street parking. Have a seperate area for large groups with big long table and chandeliers. Lovely atmosphere. Will be going back very soon.
Amazing dinner! So fresh and tasty. The tempura sushi was amazing (even my husband who has never liked sushi enjoyed it!). We will be back!
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