Review Yuki Izakaya - Dunedin

Great food and loved the BBQ sticks with authentic mild smokey flavour. Really enjoyed and surprisingly not expensive.

Best Japanese outside of japan. Incredible that a tiny little elbow room, that hardly looks open can produce such atmosphere and delicious fair. Such a bow on Dunedins cap.

Great little spot for some great food. The chef threw a couple of recommendations too which were delicious. It seemed rather cheap as well. Food was delicious and in good quantity

Amazing Japanese food and a cool little intimate venue. Pretty well priced too. Definitely recommend.

Im writing this due to I really miss the foods. I went here a few months ago. it was amazing meals❤️❤️❤️

Yuki is a great dining experience, I really enjoyed my meal. The Takoyaki was amazing, on a cold night I really enjoyed having my warm sake with my meal.

Fantastic service and the food was to die for. Each dish arrived in perfect intervals, being hot and fresh. Highly recommend!

Amazing restaurant- really phenomenal options and taste! Did the yaki udon, maguro nigiri, tako tataki, and skewer set... And then ordered more skewers because they were that good! They also serve chu hi here which I haven't had since Japan. A real Japanese izakaya! They are also really nice, a couple walked in right before closing (7 minutes before) and told them to come in and take a table. Never even mentioned they were cleaning up moments ago.

Easily the best Japanese food not only in Dunedin, but in NZ. My favourite place.

Nice Japanese food. Meals are more of a share plate variety if you haven’t dined like this before. Skewers are a specialty here. Good if your not sure how hungry you are as you can always add a little bit more

I guess this place is the best izakaya in South Island!!😌 If you miss some kind of Japanese/Asian pub vibe, this is the place! Highly recommended!

great atmosphere, mosy authentic japanse food experience ive ever had!! and extremely delicious food- would definitely recommend

Very good food and atmosphere. Good prices

The food is always good when I come here.

Hands down best Japanese restaurant in Dunedin! Lots of small dishes that are all unique and tasty, you gotta try them all. The vibes in here are insane too

Pretty good. Wanted to have GOOD Japanese for dins and this deffo #served. Food 10/10 DELISH!!!!!!! so fast as well, we got all of our 8 little dishes within 5 mins so 10/10 on fast service! hospo/customer service wise pretty dec but could be improved so 7/10. ambience : classic Japanese restaurant quite simple however could see it becoming really trendy and go to Japanese in the dunt, so would like to see some fun decor. <br/><br/>Overall enjoyed thoroughly and came out full,thank u for the beautiful food X

Food was delicious (8 out of 10) and arrived promptly. Meal portions are on the small size and we all left feeling hungry....but the service was terrible. The male waiter started clearing our table when we were still eating. Some of us were still chewing and the plates were gone without asking if we had finished. It felt uncomfortable and rude. It left little time to enjoy the meal. Would not recommend/ or return especially with many other Japanese resturants around Dunedin.

Absolutely love it here. The braised pork belly is to die for! The chicken yakitory, gyoza and tempura is also really yum. Good service and it super quick, so you can just order as you go. 100% recommend!

Awesome food great atmosphere and a good choice of traditional dishes. Could do with a bit more variety of saké. Godd pricing and quick service.

We came here last night. Not a first choice but a lot of places are closed currently between boxing day and new years. Slightly down an alley under minami. We were seated straight away even though there was 5 of us and they even moved a booking over to another table for us. At yuki you need to get several things as it's all quite small though cheap too, i recommend sharing of possible. I had miso and tried someone else's adamame(those salty beans) which was really good. I also had agadashi tofu which was disapointing. This is my favorite thing to get elsewhere however it was not very crunchy and and I was disapointed by this. Happily, I also got a pork hot pot which was very good and had a delicious spicy broth with heaps of veges. I also tried a friends soft shell tempura crab and Damm! I will be getting that next time, i highly recommend it. Overall yuki is nice for a cheap night out with good atmosphere.

A friend and I went there last night. The venue is great but other than that it was a huge disappointment. My friend had finished her dishes before mine came. This did not make for an enjoyable experience. All the dishes we had were around $9. I only ordered 2 because I thought sushi and rice rolls are usually pretty reasonably priced and these two dishes would be enough for me. Wrong! The sushi was tasty but a very small helping. The rice rolls were watery and tasteless. I went home and ate. The wine was OK. If this was the only problem I would have put it down to an pretty low experience in terms of dining out and left it at that. But the reason I am writing this review is because of the woman who worked there. She did not take our order but I asked her a question and she answered me in Japanese I think. When I asked her what she meant she was really abrupt and rude. When she took my money at the end if the meal I found her unfriendly and almost hostile. She was older than the other waiting staff who seemed friendly. Perhaps she owns the place. Anyway her attitude was really nasty. I won't go back there again because of this. Its a shame because the restaurant is really authentic and cute.

Wonderfully tasting and fresh. Enjoyed the Sashimi plate with tempura veg and prawn along with pork belly and chicken. $69 for 2 including 1 litre jug oh Japanese beer. Will go again<br/>

My family and I just walked in your restaurant a few minutes ago. As I entered I asked a female waitress if there is a table available for 5 people. And she glared at me and answered with disgusted tone " Can you close the door!" and then she rolled her eyes at me. I know it is cold outside and she was talking with another customer but she could have just ushered us in so we can ask at the counter. We have eaten here and at minami heaps of times and my family and I were so shocked on how she treated us. The staff are always nice and accommodating at your restaurant and her behaviour towards us was just appalling. We will now think twice or more if we are going to eat at your restaurants again.

Awesome atmosphere and delicious authentic food; but terrible service (I have waited an HOUR for food and drinks TWICE).

Let me be brutally honest here. It's nothing like the Izakaya service you get in Japan. Everything is slow and overpriced. I understand that alcohol costs a lot more here than in Japan, but the sole purpose of going to an Izakaya is to endlessly drink while eating reasonably priced nibbles which neither can be achieved here. Also, am I the only one who’s sick and tired of getting frozen food Takoyaki? And Yakitori should be a lot cheaper if it’s going to take a huge part in the menu.<br/><br/>To simply put, it’s perfect for those who have never experienced the real deal. The only thing this place offers is the right atmosphere of an Izakaya.

Dined here a few weeks ago on a Monday night.<br/>We ordered 4 dishes at once as the dishes are tapa style and we were sharing the different tastes, all dishes came out at the same time. Food was delicious, fresh and appealing.<br/>There was a steady flow of diners in and out with no delays or problems with dishes coming to the table.<br/>We had a young Japanese home stay student with us who was extremely homesick and spoke limited English, our waitress was smiley and friendly and went above and beyond to try and make our night an enjoyable one, even going to another business near by and returning with a lovely ex staff member who spoke more fluent Japanese than she did to try and comfort and make our homestay feel less homesick, very impressed with the thoughtfulness.<br/>Intend returning in a few months with a group of friends, for some good food and great prices.

My favourite place to take friends, it has atmosphere. The manager is cool cat and so are the waiting staff. It has a nice groove to it and you don't feel like you are in a student ghetto restaurant like most are in Dunedin. It feels like it's down a secret alley at night time. There is a nice mix of customers too.<br/><br/>It is not 5* dining so don't expect that kind of service. The idea is Japanese tapas, so don't order like in a restaurant - 1 dish each and expect them to come out at the same time. You order lots of little nibbles (which come out when cooked not in order), drink beer, eat some more, drink some saki, chat chat, order more food. Experiment with orders, if you don't like the dish you've only lost $6. It's awesome. The food if fresh authentic and delicious. Their agedashi tofu is the BEST in town and a perfect hangover cure with miso soup. Their beef tataki and tuna sashimi tastes fresh too, which is more than I can say for other places round town - including Minami (I would give them 2* for lunch)<br/>These guys rock it.<br/><br/>You can spend from $30 - 40 for 2 people and get 7-8 dishes or I have managed to spend $140 for 2!!!!Still not sure how we managed that......

Having never had Japanese food before we went here for my brothers birthday and I absolutely loved it!!<br/>Lots of small portions to be able to choose from which was perfect as I was able to try a range of foods, and I felt the prices were great. My favourites are the Octopus Balls, Prawn Tempura &amp; Beef Tataki. YUM!<br/>Have since been back quite a few times and continue to recommend this Japanese restaurant to others :)

I have dined at Yuki several times and always had a great experience. I had a Japanese school exchange leader staying with me so thought it would be interesting to take her there to see what she had to say. We ordered 9 different items and for most of them she said that it tasted just like it did at home! High praise for Yuki.

I had seen this place but wasn't sure about it but my family took me there and I have changed my mind about it. The food was great, tasty and value for money. I have been back quite a few times and I have recommended it to some family and friend who jut love it. I will be going again

Excellent value for money + a nice selection of food. The beer is cheap. The only pb with Yuki is that it can be very busy and noisy.

I'm a grazer so yuki is perfect for me, I go with a few friends and we all order two or three dishes each and try a little bit of all of them eating as much or as little as you feel like, the food is always delicious, the waitstaff are friendly, and the prices are very reasonable. And it's BYO!

This is a little gem of a tapa-like Japanese restaurant - we go there at least once every couple of months.<br/>Love the crispy skin chicken, miso, avocado and salmon and tempura prawns - can't seem to sample anything else as they are my alltime favourite.<br/>Casual, cheap and different to other Japanese cafes <br/>Well done Yuki Izakaya :)

The best food in town, service was awesome friendly and fast. Great value. Would recommend to all

i can't fault this restaurant. The food is great, and it is authentic. i love the fact you can order small portions. the atmosphere is great too. it is the least generic run-of-the-mill restaurant i have been to. i cant wait to go back!!!

Coming food was so slow, they served us expired beer even they knew. So, they did it on purpose. Very very disappointing.

We had a large group and the restaurant was very busy. However because of the way you order small dishes, they seemed to get our order confused and some dishes took so long to come out that everyone else had finished. Others never came out at all even after we returned and asked where they had got to.<br/><br/>No apologies for the bad service and the people working there seemed confused if you asked them what something on the menu was.<br/><br/>The food which did come out however was very tasty. I think it might not be the best place for large group dining.

I have been to this restaurant numerous times. I have been there for a few casual dinners with my family, a BYO with friends and for a special occasion. I think the food is fabulous, as it is not something you find all the time. If you are not that hungry you can simply order a few dishes, or just one, if you are super hungry you can order however many you like.<br/>We ended up just ordering dishes for the table and everyone helped themselves. We all paid about twenty dollars each for a variety of dishes and wine which I think these days is very reasonable. Will definitly go back. The service is good, they do the best they can. Some cannot speak the best English but it is part of the experience of Japanese culture. I think the service is up to scratch.

We have eaten here twice this year and we are about to book again for the weekend.We thinks it's a great inexpensive and casual place to eat. You sit down at the restaurant and they have large menus with photos of each meal and what they, varies from small $3 plates through to large $12or so plates - so you get what you ask for. You generally order one plate at a time and can order as many times as you like and try out different things - the menus are stored in a pouch at the end of your table and you just keep going until you are replete! A great place to take those who haven't eaten Japanese before. Very informal relaxed setting and you can have loads of fun - also BYO!!

We recently celebrated our daughters 21st at this restaurant with a group of 20 people and had the most fanastic night. The wait staff provided professional service at all times and were never invasive of our occasion. The atmosphere in the restaurant was very upbeat, but suitable for a range of generations. We found the food both interesting, appetising and satisfying for a group of mainly male adults, and we also found this restaurant great value for money. Thoroughly enjoyed our night and definitely will return and would highly recommend it as a great dining experience. Thank you for a great night.

Anyone who thinks this is bad vaule does not get what eating at a place like this is.You need two or more friends order at least several items on the menu, Sit at the bar over looking the chefs, all share the very tasty food while drinking beer/plum wine/soju. Then order more other tasty bits if your still hungry.Its japanesse tapas really.Great value and lots of fun.

great food, reasonably priced.<br/>the main downside for yuki is the service and organisation, the waitstaff are very friendly but always seem like they dont know whats going on, there seems to be no structure from when you walk in the door, when you get the menu, what you ordered, when it would be ready. Once the waitress forgot my order, or maybe just didnt understand me and I didnt get my meal until i ordered it again ages later. <br/>The menu could be a bit more descriptive too...some dishes just have the name (in japanese) and a picture, which you cant tell whether its beef or seafood. you can tell it looks tasty though.<br/>once again, the food is great and once the waitstaff get organised and understand the menu better it will be one of my favourite restaurants in dunedin.

A fun, chatty place to have a few drinks and some delicious cherry tomatoes! <br/><br/>Beautiful decor, with a friendly vibe where I've often ended up chatting to previous strangers. Definitely not somewhere to go for 'dinner' (upstairs at Minami is great for that) but a wonderful place to meet friends and drink Asahi.

Food is tasty but portions are tiny and over-priced for what you get. I have had similar teppan yaki style in Auckland and for same prices, items were twice the size. Good place for some nibbles and a drink before going somewhere else for dinner.