Review Sakai Japanese Restaurant - Manukau

A small nice Japanese restaurant in the heart of Manukau! Dined here last night with my family, ordered sushi rolls and dinner boxes of eel, sashimi, chicken karage and spicy pork and a donburi! We love the food here. Price not cheap but you would not mine paying as long as you're happy how your food came out and tastes. Since I am a rice eater, only thing I complain is the rice came in a small portion of a 1cup rice, other than that it's all good!

Fantastic food, absolutely hidden gem

Such a hidden gem in Manukau. The food and service were great! We loved everything that we ordered, the food was fresh and served hot. Pictures is the Salmon Teriyaki Dinner Box.

Staff are always friendly. Food is consistently good and fairly priced. Atmosphere and ambience is warm and cosy.

Lovely delicious meal, platter was divine. We returned and ordered two sashimi platters. Remember to ring ahead if you want to order them. Great service too.

Yum food! I love this place they serve some of the best bento boxes and sushis. I love how the place is set up, it gives a nice Japan atmosphere. The bento boxes have large portions , just delicious meals. Best part is your can bring your own wine to drink in the restaurant.

Love this place because it's so beautiful inside. You have the hanging lanterns, the isolated booths which have cushions and a curtain to get some privacy, the gorgeous fans. The food needs some upgrading though, like garnishes and colourful veges to make the meals pop. But otherwise the taste of everything was great. Side note: they don't take Credit Cards.

Came here after lunch rush. Service was really friendly and prompt. Two lunch bento boxes were ready within 10 min which I consider pretty fast. Also got miso soup with it and it was great. My partner is usually not a fan of miso but said this one was pretty good :) Food was delicious and really fresh including a few salmon sushi pieces I got from a cabinet. We are definitely coming back.

Very good restaurant Went with my class today and we all love it Big Thanks to the owner and the workers for having us ❤PHS

It was my son that pushed me to go to this restaurant n might tell u it was one of the best. This restaurant is in my top 10 list. Best presentation and it's best team serving the best Japanese dishes. Highly recommended.

Staff isn't particularly friendly and food isn't cheap but very nice. We ordered 4 tempura prawns ($14) and sizzling spicy pork ($26) both very nice. Beer for $7..not bad. The place is small but has some private cabins which can be quite romantic. No ambiance music though...lol.

Surprisingly some of the best Sashimi I've had in Auckland... expertly selected and handled. The sushi, however, is still western/Korean style and is too big, has european influenced fillings etc. For the location and price it's a nice little spot to have lunch or dinner. Exceeded my expectations.

Had the dinner set spicy pork. Despite the pork being slightly dry and the restaurant didnt offer wasabi with the sushi, the whole set is actually pretty good. The tempura is nicely fried, the vegetables under the pork was yummy, salad was good. I tried my partner's teriyaki fish, that was very well cooked and tasted better than the spicy pork option. Price was just above average, around $25+ but I think this place is worth a try.

Last minute thought and SO GLAD we did. The beef sukiyaki pot was AWESOME. Highly recommend!! Charming little restaurant and friendly service.

Ordered the chicken katsu lunch box today. Chicken was crispy and rice was cooked perfectly. Would have liked the tempura to be a bit salted but all good. Sushi was nice, as well as salad was okay. Loved the bottomless tea :) Clean restaurant servers were very nice.

Excellent. I highly recommend. The food was fantastic, the decor was amazing and staff were lovely. We went for lunch. We ordered and the food came out in reasonable time. All orders looked amazing and had no complaints for the taste. Thank you.

I love this place! We ate one of the box meals and decent size and so tasty! <br/>Nice and clean would love to go there again. Love their teriyaki chicken 😭 staff were friendly

Very pricy $25 for spicy pork dinner box. Sadly, this restaurant could have been a 5 star in my book because it's undeniable that the food that was given was delicious but the price vs the quantity that was given was sad. The amount of meat that was given was so little. Most of the spicy pork dish was mad up of just onions. The staff seemed like they were bad with English too, they spoke very little.

I love this place!!! I love the interiors, the servers, the atmosphere, and the overall vibe which gave us an authentic Japanese cuisine experience. The serving is generous and we left the resto with a full stomach. Burp!

Food was average, too expensive for what was given (ordered a lunch box). The teriyaki sauce tasted like vinegary bbq sauce. Miso was pretty bland. Nothing really wrong with the food, just average. Service was ok, though had to ask for water.

Randomly ended up here tonight with my other half. The food was fantastic. We had the chicken katsu dinner box and the teriyaki salmon dinner box. A bottle of soju and a wine went down quite well. Just a heads up though the soju is 17.8% alc haha Chrissy Kani

Waking up to a rainy Saturday decided to go seeking for what will settle the cravings. Drove through Manukau and found this little Japanese Restaurant “SAKAI” <br/>We were greeted warmly buy the owner and got seated very quickly. The menu looked pleasing so we ordered. I must say the portions were very generous and to our likings even the sushi platters were awesome and tasted very fresh. In all we ate $139 worth of lunch and with no complaints. We will be back😉

Great value for money. Really nice and clean, staff were friendly and we loved the privacy of the booth we were given. A really great place for families and if you’re feeling like delicious Japanese food. We will definitely go again.

Highly recommend the bento series. When you see the set, you would be amused by each small dish, especially the cooked fish, which was fresh, as well as the sashimi. However, the menu is not that user friendly mixing up the lunch menu and dinner menu. I mean sometimes it may take longer to order because I need to be familiar with what is about to serve at a specific time (midday or evening)

Ordered the spicy pork lunch box, something tasted a little off about the meat. I was put off my meal entirely. In terms of taste it was just okay, not authentic Japanese food compared to the ones I've had at other restaurants. On the other hand price is reasonable and service could be a lot more better from the waiters.

This little Japanese Gem is a great place to enjoy quality Japanese food, that is affordable and delicious. The ambience is gorgeous with little private booths for your leisure.

I really enjoy eating here even as I am a picky person especially with Asian food. The staff here are friendly and the space is small but cozy the setup and lighting is nice me and my daughter came here and ate but as you can see with the photo my child is eating Mc Donald instead I would go here again and again ☺️<br/>Price is reasonable.

Ambience is good. Service average to good. Food is expensive for what you get. <br/><br/>We had sizzling teriyaki chicken (Not at all sizzling. Neither in flavor nor piping hot i.e. sizzling), and 3 dinner box in chicken teriyaki, fish teriyaki (Hoki), salmon teriyaki. All average.<br/><br/>Karage chicken was the best thing of all.<br/><br/>Not the best Japanese we had so won't really recommend it.

Have been here quite a few times for lunch. The set up is really cool, with little booths which are quite private for cheap date night. Usually get the teriyaki chicken bento box which is really nice! Only downfall is every time I have asked for extra teriyaki sauce, it never comes with it. Won't stop me going back though, nice little place.

Food is edible but not authentic Japanese. Portion sizes were good. Customer service was average when ordering and paying but was definitely rude when it came to the waiter bringing us our order. Dishes were dropped on the table in front of you and they even flicked my friend's 5year Old's dolls from the table on to the ground when they brought her her meal. There was no 'excuse me' or any niceties when they wanted her to move her dolls aside.

The service was okay. Pretty much self service. We had to ask for water. We had the crumbed chicken lunch box and teriyaki chicken box. I was disappointed that they only had vegetable tempura, no prawns like other places I've eaten at. Their portion size were ok. We paid an extra $6 for 6 pieces of salmon. The teriyaki chicken were mostly made up of onion..lots and lots of onion. The flavour was okay but it wasn't a hit with my 4 year old. Salmon and sushi pieces were at room temperature and not as cold as the ones I've had at other Japanese restaurants. I liked the booth section as it gave us privacy, especially with 2 children! Over $70 for 2 adults and 2 children. This excluded drinks.

The sushimi is the best I've had, love the booth setting also. Us tomorrow service is great and the sake is great to. Never had to wait for a table A++++++

Very small area to crammed in, in my opinion <br/><br/>Way to over priced for what it is ...... sushi ! The staff are very quick to give you a menu and take your order before you've basically sat down <br/><br/>Wouldn't recommend

Lovely setting and feel. Is frequented by locals and can get very busy. <br/><br/>Bento box meals are amazing. Meals are as tasty as what I've eaten in Japan. Sushi is not their strong point. <br/><br/>You can ask to swap items from a meal such as sushi for extra tempura vegetables or miso soup for a can of fizzy. They have always obliged us. <br/><br/>Takeaway is nicely done and packaged. <br/><br/>When dining in you may need to ask for water or tea as it's not always brought out. <br/><br/>Booths are available for about 4 people and is my preferred seating. Bathroom facilities are clean.<br/><br/><br/><br/>

Awesome place!!! So cheap ! Food came fast and as delicious!! We got teriyaki salmon, tempura, edamame, chicken karrage, rice, miso, sashimi, chicken katsu, AND our drinks for 69 dollars!! Unheard of for Japanese food. Highly recommend!<br/>Shayal Chand

Great little Japanese restaurant in the Manukau shops on the corner of Great Sth Rd & Cavendish.<br/>Service efficient & friendly. A varied crowd of regulars from local workmen to office workers which is a good sign.<br/>Seating inside only but there are booths available - you may want to book these as lunchtimes are busy. <br/>Between 4 we ordered the tempura prawns (8 in total) - very fresh & not too greasy. Also the large sizzling platter for $50 with a selection of meats & a sizzling chicken teriyaki as we were hungry. All well cooked & delicious. Lots of onions rather than much of other veges but these were nice & caramelised. <br/>They have a varied menu & also have pick your own sushi. <br/>Wine, beer & soft drink menu available.<br/>

Food - 3.5<br/>Price - 3.0<br/>Authenticity - 2.0<br/>Ambiance - 4.5<br/>Staff - 4.0<br/>Baby friendliness - 3.5<br/><br/>Peaceful place to have dinner as it is not too crowded. Their music is well thought of - a Japanese musician on piano - which makes dining even more relaxing.<br/><br/>I ordered spicy pork teriyaki bento tonight. Spicy pork was approximately 50% onions and carrots, and could be better if the pork was more tender. Wife ordered salmon bento. Her salmon portion was big and tasted okay. We paid 53 dollars for 2 bento meals and gyoza on the side. Not bad. My concern is that it didn't seem authentic Japanese to us. It is probably a prejudiced remark because all the staff are Korean.<br/><br/>My son walked and crawled around as usual. The manager/owner did not mind this and remained smiley towards us.Aj Chan <br/>

This place was ok not the greatest like I've been told. Me and my friend weren't really seated politely to our seats. Food is quiet pricey for small portions. I don't think il be back here they just was worried about there group that was booked in.

My favourite thing about this restaurant is the private booths on one side of the restaurant. I would recommend dining in the booths if you can.<br/><br/>The booths are completely closed off with blinds and is quite cosy. Service is lovely and staff are friendly.<br/><br/>Food is reasonably priced. We got the bento boxes and I love how they have the bento set meal option available for lunch and dinner.<br/><br/>I love the bento set meals because it has a bit of everything. I have yet to try their udon noodles and donburi.

I love Japanese food. I ordered the teriyaki chicken dinner box and it was delicious. Very filling. However the sushi isn't the greatest. Probably would be better left off the plate. <br/><br/>The host/Manager is very friendly.<br/><br/>Food is cooked and presented nice and hot. Service s quick which is also a +. <br/><br/>The restaurant is a tad bit small thought. When it's full it is pretty hot. <br/><br/>All in all its a pretty decent place to dine. <br/><br/>

A bit pricy for a Japanese restaurant in manukau but quite happy with the portion size. The place looks tidy and has a nice Japanese ambiance about. Try to eat in the booth when you come for a visit, feels more Japanese inside hehe.

Small place, and fairly limited menu. Manukau is lacking in good food places so for the location this is a gem. Had the lunch box mid-week, food was delicious and fresh. Service and feel was what I would expect from a Japanese restaurant. Will definitely be back for more.

We were surprised by this little place on Saturday. It has a nice atmosphere and good service, the food was full of flavours, fresh and with decent portions and prices. We'll definitely be back 😄

Best Japanese ever. Great service and prices. Food is light, delicious and healthy. My family and friends loved it and take work collegues here often. Been coming here for 8 years and always on point. Great atmosphere!

Always fresh and delicious food, friendly staff and great atmosphere to dine in. One of my favourite places to go to and the price is totally worth it :)

Had one of the most enjoyable dinning experiences with Sakai, would highly recommend if you're looking for a place with great food and excellent service👍🏽

Before it wasn't that nice but after going there 3 time in the last 2 months it has changed. Food is very nice and well presented. Highly recommended if you don't mind where the location is.

Considering the location and the somewhat rundown sign at the front, I didn't have very high expectations of Sakai, but it completely blew me away. Food was served promptly, and presented well. The meats (we had a chicken teriyaki box and steak hotplate) were tender and juicy, and the sides were light but really good portions. Only thing that stopped short was the service, which was friendly, but not very attentive. Will definitely be back again :)

Today I came here for lunch. I felt like getting something small, take away. The menu looked appealing and the place was quite packed! I only got 4 pieces of sushi as I thought this would be sufficient due to the size. I was charged $6 which I thought was a bit pricy for 4 pieces of sushi. But I gotta say, they were 4 very tasty pieces!! <br/><br/>I'm definitely going to come back for a dine in lunch experience!

I LOVE Japanese food and Sakai is a neat place to dine. Lovely setup, with little pocket-rooms for 2-4people, made with wooden screens and Japanese curtains. Served by Japanese, and hearing the beautiful language makes for an authentic Japanese dining experience. <br/>The food is amazing, made fresh and presented beautifully. They only have one udon noodle-soup dish on the menu, would be awesome to see more ramen dishes but everyone's different. <br/>Great little place, discovered on this app! Have been a couple times, and will return soon.

Ate here a couple of weeks ago for the first time and ordered the sizzling hot plates and a dinner box. This isn't your usual Japanese restaurant - the portion size is much more impressive especially for their sizzling hot plates. Quality of the Terayaki chicken and beef was good. The downside is the menu is smaller than other places, with no noodle based dishes such as Yakisoba or Ramen.

Great consistent quality, and always service with a smile. Good food and I come here often. Admittedly they don't have some of the all time Japanese favorites like octopus ball, Japanese pankake, or BBQ skewers, but they do a great "lunch box" / "dinner box" My favorite is the spicy chicken (not on the menu, but they do it by special order)

No Takoyaki! which is unheard of for a Japanese restaurant. so disappointed..<br/>Green Tea Ice cream was horrible, it tasted like cheap commercial custard ice cream and they charged $8 for it which after tasting it felt like we got robbed! And we ordered Don Katsu which lacked sauce and for $15 is a rip off and not to mention they forgot our miso soup which we later mentioned and the teller just said "oh sorry" with no compensation at all.<br/><br/>Overpriced and mediocre. <br/><br/>P.S. The owners of Sakai Restaurant are Korean...don't expect much!

Sakai is the best Japanese you will ever have... I visit Sakai at lease 2-3 times a week... I always order my usual Box B With the Tempura... absolutely to die for this meal... Teriaki is Delicious..... NOM NOM I'm going to head there soon actually, an have already been twice this week :S sorry addicted :) <br/>I LOVE SAKAI RESTAURANT :)

So great to have a good quality japanese restaurant in this area! i haven't found any other japanese restaurants close by that offer such a good menu and the food is great! friendly staff and beautiful FRESH food!

I am shocked when I read so many postive comments on this restaurant. <br/><br/>I had a worst ramen ever in my life from Sakai. It is cooked from instant noodle and they charge over $19 for it although they did add a couple of frozen prawn, fake crab claws and egg in it. Unmistakenly, IT IS FROM INSTANT NOODLE! <br/><br/>The other food wasn't too bad. I will definitely give this place a miss, considering there are so many other great REAL Japanese around, REAL JAPANESE!<br/><br/>The experience in Sakai was so disappointing that I had to go to Taka in Botany South a few days later to make up to myself for making a huge mistake having ramen in Sakai. <br/><br/>As usual, Taka is fantastic. Taka is only about 5 minute drive from Sakai.

A hidden gem in South Auckland. My family and I are regulars and look forward to this treat. We absolutely rate this place over any local Japanese restaurants like Kyoto (Manukau City) and Umi (Sylvia Park) especially if you make it for the $15 lunch special- a massive bento box with a choice of meat, plus rice, salad, sushi, tempura vegetables AND miso, it leaves you full all day! Tasty food, quaint setting and value for money, highly recommended.

this is my favourite Japanese restaurant. The prices are really reasonable for the beautiful food presented. The service is great and the food delicious. I love having a local Japanese restaurant of this quality.

Sakai has great food at a good price. I eat lunch here at least once a week. The lunchbox special is a lovely selection and quite addictive!

Went with a big group of people (15) for lunch and sent through a preorder on the day. Most of the meals were already waiting for us when we got there and the others weren't far off. Both the food and service were excellent, I would definitely go there again :)

The service and food is excellent and that's why we dine here as often as we can and the prices are very reasonable.

Great food, great service and easy location. Very well priced. I dine here often.