Review Musashi Japanese Cuisine - Milford - Milford

Edited to add in 2023 - this place just gets better and better every time we come here! Tonight was the best experience by far. huge shout out to the wait staff, especially Shuta (I hope I spelled that right!), for surprising me with a lovely dessert when they learned it was my birthday. They even sung happy birthday to me. It meant more to me than words can ever describe. My heart and stomach are full of happiness. Amazing food, and a lovely atmosphere! My partner and I always come here for at least one of our birthdays, and its always been such an enjoyable time. The food is really nice quality and very reasonably priced. Cannot recommend highly enough! :)

Tonight my family had dinner here. The food was delicious and beautiful as always, the staff were very kind and caring. What impressed us most was that the young male staff at the checkout desk accidentally made a mistake in the bill and overcharged us $7.7. He ran out of the store to find us for a refund. Very honest, highly recommended!

Good quality and service is as good as the one located in st heliers. Good food good service. Highly recommended place

Tonight at Musashi, I was treated to top-notch service by a team of incredibly friendly and professional waitresses. They went above and beyond to ensure my special food requests were met with precision. The meat was so tender it practically melted in my mouth, and the sashimi was exceptionally fresh, reflecting the high-quality ingredients and skillful preparation. I am beyond pleased with my meal and the service provided. I'd definitely recommend Musashi to anyone looking for tasty and authentic Japanese cuisine. My gratitude extends to the chefs and all the waitresses who played a part in making my evening so memorable. I am eager to return and relive this amazing experience. Thank you, Musashi team!

This was an amazing dinner! 🍽️ the pictures say it all

Great little Japanese restaurant on the shore friendly staff and reasonably priced food 😋

What an amazing evening at Musashi ! As per usual, the food was incredible, and it was also my wife’s birthday. The lovely staff brought her a super cute cake, singing with the whole restaurant. Couldn’t hope for a more perfect time ☺️ I couldn’t recommend Musashi Milford enough !

Our family had dinner here and we had an amazing time with the delicious food and extremely kind staff!! HIGHLY RECOMMEND! We were so touched with the surprise 'happy anniversary' dessert 😆 It truly made our day! 100% will visit again, thank you so much!!!

For their Milford branch, good food and services. Dinner can be very expensive where as lunch menu offers great value. Pretty much the same food but you pay 30% more at dinner time. Authentic Japanese food and good services. Booking necessary for weekends. Parking out in front front or behind the building. Highly recommended.

The staff at Musashi are absolutely lovely, attentive, friendly and always make you feel welcome, the food is pretty damn good too but our night was spoilt a little bit by a kid watching cartoons on speaket on their Mums phone. I think the staff are too polite to call it out. Still recommend the place and look forward to returning

First time coming here and we’re so impressed. Amazing service and delicious food! Will definitely be back.

Stopped by for a dinner with a fairly large group. The place was also quite full even though it was a Wednesday night. There happened to be two birthday parties that day and they dim the lights when they bring out the cake/dessert. Even though it was fairly full the service was still quite good. The food was really nice, I went with a beef sukiyaki with a side of katsu. What was interesting was that with the sukiyaki you can order a zousui where they add rice and egg to the left over sukiyaki sauce for a final dish. Really interesting and nice. Good food and nice service so its no surprise that they are busy. If you are really wanting to come here a booking is recommended since they are busy.

this place is so cool, the place is so nice and the staff were so nice. the food was a bit pricey but the portions were huge and were utterly delicious, i would highly recommend this restaurant for celebrations. the sashimi salmon was so soft and literally melted in my mouth, definitely would recommend!

Amazing staffs & ambience, super fresh sashimi!

Really kind and attentive staff! Had a great meal and food was served within a good time frame 😊

Food quality is a OK to good. Service was quick and courteous. Atmosphere, no change, as before.

Food and service were fantastic. We were celebrating a birthday and they even provided a complimentary dessert with a candle. Kind and friendly staff. Highly recommend

Pretty authentic japanese dishes but pricey. The Zen set meals are a feast for the tummy and eyes. Didn't feel it was right for the flame torch on the sushi. Service was swift & more than adequate. Dinner reservations is essential.

food and service were both amazing!! 5 stars all day

Read the great reviews and thought we would give it a go as love Japanese food. Japanese food is expensive and portion sizes small but this was a bit of a joke. Prices were extreme - $8 for two very small pieces of chicken karaage as an add on to a bento box was ridiculous. Would not recommend or go back.

I agree with other reviewers that their price has gone up but the portion size has gone down. The sushi, sashimi & udon set comprise of 3 nigiris, 2 rolled sushi, 2 tiny prices of salmon sashimi plus a tiny bowl of plain udon yet the price is $21.90. Taste is still good not amazing but with the steep price I will not come as often as I had been.

Mushasi was our favorite restaurant for the past 5 years. Our last trip there was extremely disappointing. Sashimi plate prices has increased tremendously and the portion is reduced. All dishes are a lot smaller compadres to before. I would rather spend my money and live of Japanese food at other Japanese restaurant. Thank you for the past 5 years. If changes are not made, we will not go back again.

Came here with my partner, we ordered Kouetsu zen and the pork miso katsu zen. The food presentation was not bad. Taste wise, I really enjoyed the crumbed chicken, the meat was very juicy and the chicken was perfectly crumbed and fried. The pork on the other hand was average, as the cut of meat was rather tough and chewy, although the miso sauce was not bad. The pricing was fair for 2020 standards. We would probably come again when we are around Milford.<br/><br/>Ambiance - 3.5/5<br/>Service - 3.5/5<br/>Taste - 4/5

OVERPRICED. SH*T SERVICE. Should’ve just gone to The Don, which is just around the corner. The pork katsu was chewy as hell. The rice in the sushi was too moist and squishy, NOT how sushi should be. St Pierre’s sushi would be better than this. The bill was about $100 for two people without drinks and we would have had MUCH better food for half of this amount elsewhere.<br/><br/>We asked to bring out the food all together, but we had to wait for other food to come out for like 5 minutes after the prawn tempura was first served. The rice we ordered with the katsu didn’t come out, so we had to ask again. Maybe the waitresses don’t speak English that well. The food at Musashi St Heliers branch is so much better.

Used to come here quite often. When I came in yesterday, I cannot believe how much the price has gone up. The food was great but definitely over priced. You can have the same food but better dining ambiance and price in a lot of places even in Takapuna or the harbour. It cost us 85 dollars for two and we have to eat somewhere else afterwards because the portion was too small! Won’t come back.

Not enough but too expensive <br/>Compare to other similar Japanese restaurant <br/>Will not go there again <br/>There are many better japanese restaurant around

We had the two people course menu. <br/>🍏🍎🍐🍊🍋🍌🍉🍇🍓🍈🥥🍍🥭🍑🍒🥝🍅🍆🥑🥦🥕🌽🌶🥒🥬🥔🍠🥐🥯🍞🍳🥚🧀🥨🥖🥞🥓🥩🍗🍖🍕🍟🍔🌭🦴🥪🥙🌮🌯🥗🍲🍜🍝🥫🥘🍛🍣🍱🥟🍤🥠🍥🍘🍚🍙🥮🍢🍡🍧🍨🎂🍰🧁🥧🍦🍮🍭🍬🍫🍿🍯🥜🌰🍪🍩🥛🍼☕️🍵🥤🍷🥂🍻🍺🍶🥃🍸🍹🍾🥄<br/>The interior isn’t that awesome ... but who needs ambience when you’ve got your bae sitting in front of you 😂😂 <br/><br/>Food was very well prepared and decorated, very delicious. And of course, the service is always amazing in Japanese restaurants. <br/><br/>When the whole staff (like literally EVERYONE who works there) came out to sing happy birthday to one of the customers, I was so touched ! <br/>That I rate it a 12/10. The vibes were so positive and happy that at end of the day, that’s what makes me want to come back. <br/>

Here, always serve nice food and having kind staffs. Very satisfied to come here everytime, except increased the cost. haha But it is definitely worth!

Our quest for finding the best affordable Japanese restaurant have brought us to this place, the Musashi Japanese Cuisine. Located at Milford this was recently discovered by my wife and it was a good one. We came here on a lunch time so we ordered some lunch sets. Most Japanese places here in Auckland offer lunch sets the difference on this place is that they offer an extensive menu where all of it costs $16.90 from tempura, sashimi, curry, etc. all of them are at the same price. What you will immediately notice once you order them is that the presentation is really well thought of, what you see on the menu is what you get, you won’t even think it is a set lunch. It is understood that presentation is quite important with the Japanese cuisine but what I notice recently specially here in Auckland when it’s a set lunch since its cheap compared to dinner menu the presentation suffers but not in this place.

Came here for lunch with the family and we were disappointed to see that the menu we saw online was only available for dinner even though it is labelled as 'food' not dinner and there was a special one for lunch but there wasn't much too choose from the lunch one. I ended up getting the 'chicken miso katsu zen' i didn't like the chicken as it was so sweet and everything was just below average. I would like to try out the dinner menu and give it a chance but will not be returning for lunch.

No recommend for the rude lady, terrible service, thats why I rate 1 star for, while the food was good. I won't go again except the lady is replaced. I would prefer to go to other branch rather than this one.<br/>

Best Japanese. The staff are lovely and the food is the best. The salmon hooba zen is delicious, buttery miso flavours are so good. Usually I eat in but today I had takeaway and everything was still amazing!! Sushi is always super fresh too

Awesome food. Love that it's kind of get cooked on table. A unique experience. Will go there again. Just that it needs reservation as they are busy during lunch time.

love ❤<br/>everything was delicious... we left full, happy and not feeling sickly overfed even though we couldn't finish everything... really enjoyed this meal... we spent more than expected as drinks cost a fair bit but was worth it compared to other places in the area we have not enjoyed at all and left starving! WE WILL BE BACK

Lovely lunch on a Friday at Musashi. We didn’t make a booking but lucky to have a spot for two. They are really busy even at 11:45am when they just opened the door! We ordered their vege hot pot and teriyaki tofu set menu, $20 each. Everything so nice and fresh. Flavour on point and authentic. We really like the agedashi eggplants, teriyaki tofu and the broth for the hot pot. The lunch set menu is cheaper than their dinner price so definitely worth it!

Absolutely love Musashi - udon noodle soup is to die for. A long time favourite of my boyfriend and I. Definitely haven’t found a Japanese restaurant to top the quality of this one.

The food was great, went there twice, both time for dinner. The Japanese waitress girl was really rude too us both time we went there. Maybe because it was busy but it took about one hour for our mains to arrive, when we ask for our food she really rude and told us it will arrvie when it arrive,both time we made a booking and both time they made me waited 10min because she couldn’t find our booking because she got our name wrong. And lastly when we pay, she ask us to pay without any smile and made us feel really uncomfortable. <br/><br/>Overall the food was good but because of the waitress I need to give it a one star. Would go back unless they change her, all the other staff were super friendly and speak perfect English.

Firstly the service was excellent and the severs even talked to my 9 year old which I always feel is a small gesture but goes a long way (why don’t other places do this). They made it fun to push in that marble when we ordered the Japanese lemonade. <br/>The food which was the large set dinner menu for 2+ which was excellent and fresh. The quantity was also more than adequate.They deserve a better place ( a little cramped) in Milford which I guess is hard to get but otherwise it’s great. Been here since they opened years ago. The small room has gone to give it a more open space. Keep up the great job.

Great food and really friendly and attentive staff. We went there for lunch without booking, the place was busy but they were able to provide us a table quickly. Because we had a bit of wait, (which we didn’t even bother), the waitress gave us matcha ice cream for free. Such nice and cosy place! Highly recommended.

Went there to celebrate our anniversary. Food was delicious. Hilda and staff were so friendly and surprised us with dessert. Very busy you must book. Will definitely be back thanks .

This Japanese restaurant have a good food and nice taste here. Service also good too. I like salad here big portions size and yummy. I would like to more star if they have a nice premium sake.

Polite and fast. Great selection, good quality fresh ingredients, really well cooked. Between the four of us every single dish was spot on - yum!

I’ve been here several times for lunch but their set menus for dinner always seemed so intriguing, so I finally gave it a try tonight.<br/><br/>Service: 7/10<br/>We made a booking a few days back so we were promptly seated when we arrived. We came at the start of the dinner service so the waiters were busy trying to get everyone settled and couldn’t really tend to us. The workers were all friendly and happily serviced us throughout our meal. <br/>The timing of the food is a little off because they only served us our main after we finished our starters and the main have to cook at the table for 10 minutes before they can be eaten, so we had to sit and wait with no food.<br/><br/>Food: 4/10 <br/>We ordered the musashi zen with pork katsuni and akemi zen with snapper bamboo yaki.<br/>The prawn twisters were flavourful but they were only crunchy at the tips.<br/>The sashimi and sushi were all very fresh but the sushi rice was quite soggy.<br/>The tempura was only slightly crunchy and tasted very standard.<br/>The tonkatsu wasn’t crunchy after being cooked in the broth. It was just wet and soggy on the outside and the inside was quite tough and I could barely bite through it. The broth tasted pretty good with the vegetables and the egg.<br/>The overall presentation of the food was great but for such a high price I expected to be met with high quality food or at least generous portion but neither of these expectations were met.<br/><br/>Ambiance: 7/10<br/>The restaurant has beautiful tables and seating with nice cutlery and plating. They provide you with wet hand towels which really shows their dedication to providing a comfortable eating environment.<br/>It gets a little noisy inside since it is quite popular but there is calming jazz music which can be heard when the place is a little quieter. <br/>The one annoying thing is the nonstop sound of timers going off from around the restaurant for the dishes that were ready. <br/>There is a time limit which is a little unsettling because it feels like a race against time when you are trying to enjoy your meal.

You just need to be there for the experience. Period.<br/><br/>I have been there a few times now and never once disappointed.<br/><br/>Quality food, interesting range of selection, great presentation and service.

Pretty average experience in all aspects. Went for lunch on Sunday and was told to finish within one hour. The waiter suggested us to leave on time while we were dining halfway. Is turnover rate more important than dining experience? <br/><br/>The room was packed with families with children or infants, as anticipated, some kids cannot behave themselves and shouting/crying frequently, which further ruined my dining mood. <br/><br/>The food were good the Katsu and miso soup were tasty, but the choices were limited and the menu was not attractive to me. Only few small dishes were available for lunch. <br/><br/>Conclusion: it might be a place for quick casual Japanese dining but never go there on weekends and dine with family with annoying kids. For those who seeking fine Japanese dining experience, this place is not for your, the service was under average standard for Japanese restaurants and the food were pretty limited. Masu and Ebisu are much better. I was lured by the good review score on Zomato and believed it was a hidden gem, but I was totally wrong. My experience was not worth 4/5 review score at all. <br/>

A little cramped up and can get noisy & over crowded when busy but absolutely amazing service and food. Came here for my b’day and was happy with the overall experience

Been here a number of times and am blown away with the quality, flavours, and presentation of the dishes every single visit. Service is friendly and reasonably fast considering how packed they are every time I have been.<br/><br/>Downside is that seating is quite limited so booking beforehand is a must! Also due to the limited seating and the fact that it is often a full house, it is quite a noisy and cramped environment with tables very close to one another.

I’ve been coming here for years...This place use to be my favourite and is now average.<br/>They have raised their prices significantly over the years. I use to order the akemi zen set menu for 1 person which was around $30, it then went up to around $36 and is now $40.90. Staff have changed at Milford branch and service isn’t what it use to be. I will still go back because I still like some foods there, but won’t be back as often as I use too as the prices have gone up a lot...disappointed. Place is small so can get noisy when busy.

Friendly and polite service. My friend took me here as we both love Japanese food and I definitely was not disappointed! Would recommend this place to friends

Nice place with standard price. Better to book before come as it is quite popular. We came in around 11.50am and the restaurant is full after 12.20pm. Will come back later.

Recommend lunch menu at Musashi. Usually busy so have to book ahead. Can be noisy but that can be forgiven as the cuisine is worth going there for.

Unfortunately, the restaurant is under staffed, they cannot even manage to answer the phone to take a booking. <br/><br/>Recommend that the management look at how they are resourced.

Came here as a group! Services was good! Food came out quick and tasty! Atmosphere also really nice! Had great time dinning here! Definitely will come back 😀😀

im not an unreasonable person, but I ordered a salmon nabe and it took an hour and 15 minutes to come, serving was tiny but super expensive. for the wait, the food was not worth it

Musashi is a great place for a casual lunch. They have friendly staff and very reasonably priced set menus with great portions. A great option for Japanese if you are wanting to try small portions of different dishes

there is nothing I did not like, the standards were high for both the sushi bar and the tables. It was on my regular rotations of places to stay.

Unfortunately I did not have a good experience here tonight. The service was absolutely horrible. Our one entree took half an hour to come out. One main meal followed another half hour later and 20 minutes was the second meal. By time mine had come out, my friend had already finished hers. And to top it off the food was very average and a bit overpriced for what it was. After asking different waitresses four times where our food was only for them to say they would come back when they didn’t only made me more upset. I might have enjoyed the meal more if the service was up there. Unfortunately I would not recommend this place to anyone 😔

The lunch special is very good value for what you get, and so delicious. No wonder it is always packed at lunch time. Service is attentive and quick.

The food at musashi is always of really High quality and is packed with flavour. My favourite dishes are the crab spider roll and and the chan chan salmon nigiri!! The only reason I rated four star was because the restaurant is very small, hard to get a table and very loud at times.

Very affordable and delicious food! Need to book seats in advance as it is always full. Try the Grilled toro salmon. Soft shell crabs was also good but in quite small portion.

Love this place!!! Always coming back here whenever we feel like Japanese!! My go to is the miso chicken katsu donburi, best one around!! Would highly recommend.

I cannot count how many times I've been here for their miso chicken katsu and I still love it as much as I did the first time I tried it years ago. <br/><br/>It is no surprise that this restaurant is crazy busy at lunch time almost everyday. Book early to avoid disappointment. <br/><br/>Three words, miso chicken katsu. You'll thank me later.

Musashi has clearly mastered how to serve a Japanese meal in a foreign country. With primarily set menus having quality and variety built in, there’s no need to order ippin, yet still delivers a meal that resembles how an authentic Japanese meal looks like.<br/>The ikura zen has a decent ikura don, but the katsu, prawn twisters, pickles, fish roe cake, lotus chips, small dessert, and a $2 tofu salad among other optional add ons provides a much more satisfying and authentic experience than simply more ikura and rice. <br/>The tableware was beautiful; the environment was cozy; the service was unintrusive; tea was complimentary unlike many Japanese restaurants; the kids menu was also very well thought out. The food was not faultless but was adequate. The sushi rice was a little sticky and warm. The wasabi was decent. The rest are pretty standard.<br/>Most of all, the meal was not overpriced. The food and environment provided exceeds expectations when the price was taken into account. Which is why I rate it 4.5 and would come for lunch any day of the week.<br/>

We walked in on a sunday evening to a full restaurant. We were told that a table was available only at 8:15pm. We walked around and decided to takeaway from here. The takeaway was ready at 8:15 and they accommodated our request to dine in with the takeaway. They even plated the food which was from a bento box at no extra cost. We have had better soft shell crab(not in bento box) and while the grilled eggplant looked pretty the sweetness was overpowering after a few bites. The teriyaki chicken was great. The prawn and edamam salad was fresh and the dumpling was to die for. We surely are going back to sample the dine in menu with a booking but we had a lovely evening.

My partner and I absolutely love this place the location is so convenient and the staff go above and beyond. Today we went for lunch for the first time for $17.50 you get a three course meal! The food was amazing and again the staff make the experience that much better.

Yummiest food ever! Freshest fish and food comes out quick and very tasty. Also last time we were there they weren’t happy with the quality of of one of the foods we had ordered and come out to let us know they didn’t/wouldn’t serve that and have a very yummy alternative! Always a pleasure eating there!

I would certainly make a reservation to eat here. We rocked up while most of auckland were still on holiday yet they were almosty fully booked. <br/>We were told if we could be out by 7.30 we could have a table. No problem there!<br/>There did appear to be a little confusion over who was looking after us by the young greaters but we were suddenly shown to our table. <br/>Menu is varied and good to see it seperated uinto different categories . We chose the yakitori chicken skewers, tempura vegetables and the pork miso katsu.<br/>Food came out quickly. Very hot and tasty.<br/>We fulfilled our promise to be out by 7.30! When we left there was actually a queue outside waiting to come inside.

Always great food in this popular & busy restaurant. It can get a bit cramped & noisy in there though. However, the food is always consistently good.

4/5 Taste<br/>4.5/5 Display <br/>4/5 Quantity <br/>4/5 Customer Service <br/><br/>Japanese fine dining at its finest.<br/><br/>Musashi is just great. Beautiful display, awsome taste and best of all its not too pricy. Maybe because its not located in central areas. Perfect place to go when you need to impress your missus but no need to get married yet sorta date.

The location is a bit off for me as I don't go to Milford much. It's quite a boring suburb you see. But I must give a 5 star rating for their food and service you get for the buck. For lunch, you get the beautiful looking instragram friendly and also tasty Japanese set meal under $20. I think it's a steal for this price such a high quality well prep Japanese cousine. Staff are really friendly as well. So this place deserves a full 5 star rating. Update: limited dining time of only 1 hour... still be visiting but shame

Had a nice lunch here with my mum. The atmosphere and decor are lovely. The staff are all really friendly. I ordered a grilled salmon lunch set and it was really good. The miso sauce on the salmon was nice and the salmon itself was tender and cooked well. The lunch set comes with heaps of sides including salad, miso soup, sushi, rice and a mini créme brûlée. It was really filling and decently priced. I’d definitely visit again given its great food and close proximity to my house.

Loved eating at Musashi. Cannot wait to come back. The food was extremely appealing to the taste buds as well as the eyes. I had a great experience eating the Chicken Katsu Zen. Seeing the meal cook in front of you made the experience fun. The meal had a generous serving of chicken. The sides that came along with the meal made it an enjoyable experience. Having said that, I am not sure if I would visit this place for dinner, as I am not convinced with the prices on the dinner menu. Nevertheless, I would definitely be going back for lunch.<br/><br/>

Delicous Japanese food that is beautifully presented. They tend to get busy quick so call ahead of time but my god the girl on the phone had the worst communicating skills I have ever heard and they blast the music really loud, took me a solid 10 minutes to make a booking. That aside tho the food was great. I have been here many times and the food has always been good. The prawn twisters are my personal fave, crunchy and full of flavour. It is very worth if you come at lunch because they give you a lot in a set and you will definitely get full. Lots of options too, I would recommend upgrading your salad to the tofu salad cause it is actually really really good, and you can upgrade your miso to udon too which was also really delicious. There were some elements I did not like, the dessert egg was too sweet, the sushi rice was too sticky, the salad was too bland, the pickles I can never stand and The place can get very noisy and crowded (lots of kids on the weekend). These are just things I personally don’t like tho as it may hit the spot for someone else. All that aside the service is fast, food is overall pretty good and it’s very photogenic hahaha.

Our wedding anniversary celebration & thoroughly enjoyed our meal. Presentation & flavours cannot be faulted. Dishes flowed onto the table - as one was emptied the next one followed. Yummy...we will be back!

Have been to Musashi a handful of times now and always leave very happy and full! The miso Katsu chicken is a must every time and there kids menu is a 5/5

Best Authentic Japanese restaurant in Northshore. Fantastic food... my favorite is the fresh Ikura( seasonal), chicken Katsu, mix sashimi, eel sushi and on and on... I m hungry now... get there by 6 pm( make sure you make reservation) and you can park right in front of the door or there is plenty of parking behind the restaurant :)

Really nice Japanese restaurant. Minimalistic as it should be. Prawn twisters with their sauce are quite nice. Miso soup is rich. Green tea keeps coming and is quite special. Everything was so fresh and delicious. Chairs uncomfortable though. Not much atmospheric.

Some of the best service I've ever had, despite it being busy. The staff are really friendly and helpful. Ordered 6 different dishes and each one was better than the last, especially the karaage chicken, it was just beautiful. Would highly recommend! Jasmika Dadi

I've been here before and it's been a great experience, the staff and the food was really good but this time I don't think I want to go back. <br/><br/>Not only we were so close with other tables we could here their convo, the food was 45mins late and they didn't know until we told them. We wanted to order other stuff but they "forgot" to write it down and put the order through so we had to wait longer. When we told the staff they made an excuse saying the docket was missing. After the meal not only they did not give us our bill when we asked we also waited to pay. <br/><br/>Really hard to get attention.

Very delicious food, been here 4x.<br/>A shame lunch is now $17.90 or something like that - used to be $15, which was a great deal.<br/><br/>Food - very very delicious! Cook is great, recommend hooba (?) lunch sets where u cook ur own meal, especially the beef and fish.<br/><br/>Dessert - dessert in set menus very small... yummy but would be nice if it was larger! Brûlée width was length of my pinky :( maybe have an option to order dessert in larger portion, separately<br/><br/>Price - too expensive now, so I don't go anymore. Would be ok as a treat for special occasion.

Visited here for dinner after a family member's graduation. I knew this place gets very busy during dinner hours so I made an appointment.<br/><br/>Yes it was another busy night packed with people.<br/>We were five people and ordered two appetisers and 5 mains. I am being 100% honest, it took almost half an hour to get our appetisers served to our table and another 20-30 minutes for mains. Also, the mains were not served together so some of us had to wait another good 10-20 minutes while others were having their main because they couldn't wait and make their food cold. <br/><br/>Food was just average to be honest. I didn't find it any wow about it but the presentation of each dish was good, way better than other japanese restaurants. However, thinking of its expensive price and small portion, I would expect better taste of the food.<br/><br/>Staff were kind and friendly although some staff didn't seem happy maybe because it was too tiring for her to deal with a busy dinner service.<br/><br/>I had some expectations from this restaurant because of its high reputation and good reviews but I was really disappointed. I don't really like to visit again. <br/>

The food here makes my stomach very happy.<br/><br/>If you're a fan of Japanese cuisine you'll want to pay a visit, but make sure you book in advance because the place is packed out. I booked with a large group on a wednesday night, and we were given a nice long row of tables against the wall. <br/><br/>After about 12 minutes the staff came to take our orders. I got the green salad and the tuna steak. The guy next to me ordered the Musashi Zen for 1 person (food envy was real). His arrived in stages, so he had to start eating before anyone else got theirs, which was a little awkward. It seems that the food arrives when it's done, so some people had to eat while others were kept waiting quite a long time. This is why I give Musashi 4 stars - there's room for improvement with the timing of food.<br/><br/>But the food itself was wonderful. Beautifully presented and tasty. I sadly left my tuna cooking too long so it got a bit tough, but still yum yum yum.<br/><br/>Points to note are they turn the lights off to sing happy birthday, and if a menu item has fire over it, it's because they set it on fire in front of you.

So incredibly delicious. YUMYUMYUMYUMYUMYUMYUMYUMYUMYUMYUMYUMYUMYUMYUMYUMYUMYUMYUMYUMYUMYUMYUMYUMYUMYUMYUMYUMYUMYUMYUMYUMYUMYUMYUMYUMYUMYUMYUMYUMYUMYUM

I've been here a couple of times and it's become one of my favourite Japanese restaurants in the shore. I've never been disappointed and the serving is big. I love the miso Katsu both in pork and chicken. You can't go wrong with tempura either. <br/><br/>The service is pretty good and when we went tonight, the food was super quick too.

Had an very yummy midweek meal for 2. Service friendly & happy. Food was well presented and tasted great. Will definitely go back and try another dish!

Yummy Japanese food, great location, can pack in countdown, will visit again!<br/><br/>Yummy Japanese food, great location, can pack in countdown, will visit again!<br/><br/>

Great comfort food for awful weather! <br/><br/>Sushi has always been fresh and the salmon, tasty. <br/><br/>Vet generous portions of don buri and the katsu is delicious!

The lunch menu is amazing!! There is so much on the plate and it is all so delicious, despite the fact the price has increased recently. Staff are friendly as well and helpful with suggestions.

Excellent Food! Kid friendly place However..... COUPLES BEWARE.. when Saturday night 6pm. It was full by 6.15pm. Its not a romantic setting at all. Crying babies, kids running.. what is a real shame because the food is so good and cheap. I understand that the staff can't control who comes in but HIGLEY recommend for a quieter night.

Conclusion: If you are looking for authentic Japanese with good value for money, here is the place. If you are looking for a good ambient, relaxing dine out you might be disappointed.<br/><br/>I came here with my colleagues for the first time attracted by their very tempting menu. To be honest, they are one of the very few restaurants that included pictures of everything in their menu. When we reached the restaurant, we were shocked by the crowd. All tables were full and we was allocated in a small corner. When we sat down we can hear everything the next table were talking. They have a lot of waiteresses working that night but none of them came to ask if we are ready to order so we had to call them. We waited for more than half an hour for our food to be served. There were 4 groups of people celebrating birthday there so I am guessing we have been neglected. I ordered my favorite Unagi (Japanese grilled eel)and Aoteaora Roll (Snapper and Salmon sushi roll). The taste made up for the noisy environment and long wait. My other colleagues ordered a set of Vegetarian Zen, a Chicken Karaage, and Pork Miso Katsu. All of them said their food were nice and tasty.<br/><br/>I came here the second time with my partner for lunch. It wasn't as crowded as dinner time but I waited more than 20 minutes for my food to arrived. My partner got a Teriyaki Chicken Zen. It came with small sides, 2 pieces of salmon sushi, a bowl of rice and miso soup. The chicken was crispy and the sause was nice. But a few pieces were over fried and burned. As I was impressed with their grilled eel so I ordered the Unaju Zen. Still the same good taste but portion wasn't as big as dinner, which I already expected. The set also came together with chicken miso katsu and udon noodle. I shared them with my partner and we both like it. Our set lunch also has a very tiny creme brulee. It was quite unusual in Japanese cuisine but I still like it only if it could be a little bit more solid and less sweet. Overall, it satisfied my taste bud and my craving for Unagi. I would still wanna come back when I think of Japanese food.

Dined here for a bday dinner and the place was pretty packed (Friday night) booking is recommended! The staff were very lovely and attentive. We ordered a mixture of sides and mains and the food came very quickly and was made very well (taste and presentation wise). The ambiance was very old school and the place needs a renovation. I also find it odd that to use to toilet you need to walk past the kitchen. We still prefer the new Lynn branch so far!

One of my favourite Japanese restaurants! The chicken katsu and beef udon are a little sweet but still delicious. The servings are big so its better to choose different dishes and share so you can taste a bit of everything. The service is great as well as the delivery of food. <br/><br/>If you are celebrating a birthday or anything special then tell one of the staff and they might just surprise you. <br/><br/>The only downside is when you bring your own bottĺe of wine, they charge $4 per glass.

Best value for money! A+ for ambience, A+ for service, and A+ for the food!!! I love how the staff was so understanding and just so nice. The cream brulée we got was a tad watery so we asked them if they could just blow torch it again but they just replaced it and gave us a new one. Same when I asked the salmon to be slightly cooked as well. They took it and even garnished it with some sauce. For $17.90, the food I got, got me sooooo full! I enjoyed everything about this restaurant and highly recommend them for other people to try. You won't be disappointed. Everyone leaves the restaurant with a smile on their face; we did!!! Honestly, I can't properly put into words my amazing experience here so just go try it out for yourself!!! I'll be bringing my friends here again soon!

If you like to get a bit of everything and share lots of food then this is a great place. I went here with my mum and just got a whole bunch of different things. Only downfall would be the tables are very close together so it's a bit annoying to overhear the table next to you conversation and for them to hear yours. If you don't mind that, then this is a great place.

Brilliant from start to finish, me and my girlfriend love it here!<br/>The food is superb! <br/>The food comes out as and when you want it.<br/>The staff are helpful and quick.<br/>BYO too so you can take in a nice bottle of wine.

Stopped by for a dinner with a fairly large group. The place was also quite full even though it was a Wednesday night. There happened to be two birthday parties that day and they dim the lights when they bring out the cake/dessert. Even though it was fairly full the service was still quite good.<br/><br/>The food was really nice, I went with a beef sukiyaki with a side of katsu. What was interesting was that with the sukiyaki you can order a zousui where they add rice and egg to the left over sukiyaki sauce for a final dish. Really interesting and nice.<br/><br/>Good food and nice service so its no surprise that they are busy. If you are really wanting to come here a booking is recommended since they are busy.

Great set lunches for a super value price! Make sure you book as it gets really busy. <br/><br/>I love the Kouetsu Zen meal because you get udon noodles, Katsu chicken (yum!) and agedashi tofu to balance the meal. It is also great how you can upgrade your meal if you want something else, great idea! <br/>Dinner is slightly dearer but of course more choices. <br/><br/>Service is always polite and typical great Japanese service!

Brilliant menu, great service and fantastic tastes.  I have learned that you MUST book if you want to eat here as it is deservedly packed every night of the week.  There are some great Japanese restaurants in Auckland and this is way up there with the best of them.

We visited Musashi a couple of years ago - a place for good Japanese food. The 2 outstanding dishes we had today were: 1) grilled salmon gill with special miso sauce - beautifully cooked & plated, & 2) pork gyoza (steamed dumplings served with sweet sour soy sauce) - soft & juicy. The disappointed dishes were the ones with sushi - the rice were just too loose. On the whole, Musashi is still one of the best Japanese restaurant for casual dining. (Food - 4/5; Service - 4/5; Ambience - 3.5/5)

You can't go wrong with this place. Always busy, lovely atmosphere and everything is so organised. Lovely place to have a good jap meal, food presentation is absolutely lovely, staff are great here too. Lunch or dinner is so yummy for your bellies! :)

Love this place, great service from time of our phone call to book to time of paying. Staff so attentive and really take care of you- super friendly.<br/>Food- don’t need to say too much apart from…DELICIOUS. We ordered the edamame, yakatori, agadashi tofu, tuna sashimi, yoza dumplings, vegetable tempura. This was for two people and was enough. Everything came out well presented. Great atmosphere also. They had a new cashier and she as finding it a little difficult as still learning but she was amazing, we didn’t mind waiting because she was happy and bubbly. Will definitely go back.

I love all the Musashi's, but this is the most convenient one for me to get to from the city. <br/><br/>Musashi is one of the best quality and value Japanese restaurants in Auckland. It has an extensive menu and the food is consistently outstanding. <br/><br/>The salmon sashimi is always melt in your mouth, the sushi is always fresh and good proportions between the rice and key ingredients, the soft shell crab is always on point with generous servings. <br/><br/>Musashi has something for everyone on their menu, and is one of my all-time favourite Japanese restaurants that I go to nearly weekly.

We came here for lunch and ordered the grilled salmon zen and chicken katsuni zen. Each priced for $16.90 and quite reasonable as you get a bowl of miso soup, salad, main, sides and dessert. My husband loves his grilled salmon zen lunch but was not too happy that he got salmon wings instead of fillet. Prawn twisters are delicious. Chicken katsuni is creative and filling, overall a very good lunch. Not too fond of the dessert, I think it's a sort of creme brulee but it hasn't set yet and is really sweet.

Dined here with my partner for dinner. I booked a table but didn't think it would be too busy being a Wednesday night, however the restaurant was full. I would definitely suggest booking to avoid disappointment. It's quite a small restaurant & the tables are quite cramped, the decor is also a little dated & nothing much. These however are just minor observations if the foods good then I'm happy 😋. The menu at Musashi is massive & we found ourselves very spoiled for choice, after much deliberation we decided on the beef tataki, soft shell crab, squid legs, pork dumplings, chicken katsu & another chicken skewer dish. I felt the pricing of the menu was fair, with a drink each also our bill came to just under $100. We shared all of our dishes & asked that they be served as they were ready which worked well for us. All of the food was served in good time & we enjoyed all of the dishes. With the dumplings they leave them to steam at your table with a timer which I thought was fun & interesting for something different. The staff here are absolutely lovely. Everyone we dealt with was so friendly & attentive, I would say it was some of the best service I have ever received. I would defiantly recommend Musashi if your after casual Japanese.

Visited on New Year's Eve. Lovely food and cozy environment. All staffs are really friendly. They sang birthday song to one of the customer with all lights off. Would love to come back again.

Quite Good, especially the Sea food, must try. Big plant sashimi enough for 4 people. I the BBQ nigeri best. A restaurant deserve to try. Will be there again

A splendid restaurant with the food great in quality and quality. Recommend it for lunch as the dinner menu could get quite expensive. It is important to book, the seats are almost always full. Although it's expensive, the food's amount and quality makes up to it, I can't find any problems with it. I sometimes go there with my family on special occasions.

I went here in 2015 and had a nice dinner with friends. The set menu items come with a good variety of food, although it's a little bit pricier than other Japanese restaurants on the Shore (e.g. Narita). I felt the quality of food was pretty much worth it though.<br/><br/>I'd be happy to try Musashi again.

What a hidden gem in Milford.  Finally went to Musashi and was not disappointed.  Everything we had from the menu was top-notch.  Good that they are BYO and licenced.  Service was excellent - could not fault it.  We will definitely be back.

Our favourite place to eat. Lovely staff, awesome restaurant with plenty of culture. The food is amazing and never failed to succeed. The only downside is needing to book or tables will not be available. It's completely packed out for lunch or dinner, a perfect example of a successful restaurant

Musashi is one of our family's favorite place to eat for Japanese meal. The food is nice and the service is quick. Prior booking is recommended to avoid long wait 😊

Best Japanese restaurant in Auckland!!!!<br/><br/>I've been here for my birthday. The lunch was fabulous and the service was really good. I didn't make a booking so I went there really early around 11:45? And the restaurant was filled with customers really soon. Therefore I would recommend to make a booking.<br/><br/>I ordered salmon nabe. The portion was bigger than I thought ( because Japanese food usually small in portion) so I was really full.<br/><br/>And the price is really reasonable at $16.9!!!!<br/><br/>Overall I would definitely recommend this restaurant to my friends

Came here with a group of girlfriends for dinner as we had heard great things about this place, however we all left quite disappointed. We all understood it was a busy night, however the lack of attention to service really made us leave disappointed. We booked a week in advance, and ended up having to wait 15min outside in the cold for our table to be ready. <br/>Once our orders were taken, half of the tables food came out and half of us were left without anything for at least 20 min. Not once did the waitress come over to apologise for the wait, until we had waited for awhile and had to ask where the rest of the food was. The mains that required rice, the rice didn't come out until ages after the main was on the table, don't know why rice takes 20 min? Same thing with entrees, my entree ended up coming out about 20min after I received my main, not before? The timing was all wrong with our meals and it left us all not being able to enjoy our food all together. I understand busy nights can cause a delay, but it's important to bring our meals out with not such a large gap in between and for the wait staff to acknowledge the issue and apologise for the wait. There just seemed to be a large lack of awareness and lack of correct restaurant etiquette. <br/>Also, I think people should be aware that the $4 corkage fee is not per the bottle, is per person. I have not seen that anywhere else before so we were all left a little confused with the bill. <br/>Apart from everything, the food was good and tasty, a little over-priced in comparison to the portion sizes but tasted nice. <br/>I'm not usually one to write negative reviews, however this just definitely let down our group's high expectations, probably won't give it another go anytime soon.

Went to Milford branch. Great food but bad service. Booked for 8.15pm on a Saturday night for 4 people. Ordered a few dishes at 8.30pm as entrees. By 9pm they were saying last orders! On a Saturday night! So we duly ordered the rest of our meals under pressure to have the order in at 9pm (whilst the waiter stood over us while we were still choosing from the very large menu). At 9.50pm one of our group wanted a beer. We were told they can't sell beer after 10pm. But it's 9.50pm we pointed out. This argument continued til 10pm when they relented and brought the damn beer. (The beer could have been drunk by the time they had argued this with us). We were told it had to be drunk by 10.15pm. Also saw them telling another group they had to leave at 10pm. I mean are these people kidding? Is this how to run a restaurant in Auckland in 2016 on a Saturday night when people want to dine at a more leisurely pace? And we spent $260 - so not cheap. There are plenty of other Japanese establishments that respect their customers and don't expect them to dine according to some archaic rule they have implemented. I now realise why they were pushing us out as I see their website says max 2 hours dining time for dinner and one hour dining time for lunch. Enough said!! Pity because the food is excellent, albeit a bit over-priced. And as for their weird rules around ordering alcohol. Forget it - never going back!

Authentic Japanese restaurant with great selection of fresh high quality food, with superb service. Price is towards the expensive side and portion was average (mains were good, but sides were a little smaller than expected). But overall, a good dining experience.<br/><br/>Three of us had the Yagyu Zen ($76 for two people, and we added $39.80 for the third person) The set includes:<br/>- Miso Soup<br/>- Shrimp Olive Edamame <br/>- Prawn Twisters <br/>- Salmon Avocado Roll<br/>- Aburi Prawn Nigiri Sushi<br/>- Sashimi (Tuna, Salmon)<br/>- Tempura (Shrimp, Vegetables)<br/>- Small rice<br/>- 3x Main Menu (Salmon Hooba Yaki, Chicken Katsuni, Pork Katsuni)<br/>

Went with hubby & the teenage boy. We never have a bad meal here. I ordered the Katsu miso chicken - it was huge! 3 large bits of chicken. We couldn't eat it all. Hubby & I shared the 2 people course & 15yr old the 1 person course. Hot saki went down a treat. A great local for all. We didn't even mind the tiny table we were squeezed on as we had booked late.

This is my fave japanese restaurant! The food is sooo good and the price is not bad! Their portions are huge too! My fave is the miso katsu chicken - i highly recommend it to everyone! The eggplant is also good as well. Everytime we are here it's like we want to order everything off the menu, lol. The only thing I don't like in this place is that it gets loud and noisy - i suppose it can't be helped since the place is quite small and it's always packed! If you don't like the noise you can also get a takeaway - it is also cheaper. :)

My new favourite Japanese restaurant! Good atmosphere, excellent customer service, food came fast. The nicest thing is they gave me a big pot of green tea and not just a small glass. It was satisfying as I loveeeeee green tea so much.

I've eaten here a couple of times for lunch, once for dinner and had takeaway several times. <br/><br/>The takeaway menu has always been good (my pick: chicken katsu)<br/><br/>Recently, I tried their sushimi at an evening meal and the fish was not fresh...bad enough that I couldn't even swallow it! very disappointing and certainly not palatable. <br/><br/>Beware of the lunch queues...best to book if you are intending on having lunch.

I have done a lot of return visits to Musashi, mainly for catching up with my best friend. It is also my family favourite. Lunch is good value and varieties, dinner has even more exciting varieties. Service never disappoints me either but more importantly the food is consistently delicious. My favourite is their miso butter sauce.

It's a very busy Japanese restaurant! I love their Vegetable Hooba Yaki. Taste so good with rice! Suggest you guys book a table in advance and you could park the car in front of the countdown which is at the opposite of Musashi.

We went to Musashi in Milford last week and go to dinner there every couple of months.  As always and service and food are excellent.  There is a good variety of items on the menu, the food is always fresh and nicely presented.

Really bad, curry was cold and rice was cold. Waitress said it was normal temperature but it was cold! No on! Would not recommend to others <br/>

Yes, for sure I can like it here. The food is very big but the picture on menu look smaller. Very cool surprise because I became annoyed at no student discount offered. This place have a cool vibe, many cool people eating here. I don't enjoy the Japanese brand beer but this is not the fault from these guys.

Love this place!<br/>Their dishes in the little pots wrapped in leaves are so neat!<br/>Their sushi rolls are always on point and very friendly staff<br/>Can get quite busy so I recommend you book<br/>Prices were similar to narita or maybe a tad more expensive

Have only started coming to this place since the end of last year despite living so close by. Had heard many good things about this place. Got my first takeaway and was not disappointed. It was absolutely delicious! *.* Their prices are slightly higher than most other Japanese restaurants but the food is well worth the extra cost. Dined in for the first time the other day for lunch and again was not disappointed. You get free green tea with your meal and the food was again absolutely delicious. Was very satisfied and full upon leaving. Staff were very friendly and helpful. We did have to ask a waitress to order rather than someone coming to us but that is the only thing I can fault on. Will happily continue to come here. Highly recommended.

Bahasa: Makanan Jepang luar biasa enak, porsi besar dan harga standar untuk harga pasaran resto di NZ. Sudah coba rasa salmon, sapi dan ayamnya, semuanya enak sekali untuk lidah khas Indonesia. Pantas dicoba kl berkunjung y...<br/>English: For Indonesian taste, this japanese restaurant is outstanding in taste n price. The portion is decent and I want to dine here every visit to auckland. I've tried the beef, salmon and chicken. All of them are excellent.

I have heard a lot of good things about Musashi so I was really excited to finally eat here. Everything was AMAZING. We ordered so much food to share, and all of it was unique and so delicious. If I had to name my favourite, it would be the Miso Katsu Chicken. It is just delicious! Anything that was on the dish complimented the main star of the dish. I honestly cannot fault anything. The staff were absolutely wonderful, the food was crazy fast to arrive, but everything was well thought out and executed. Definitely a must. There is no better Japanese restaurant in the North Shore

This is our go to restaurant for date night and family night! The best Japanese i have had and will not go anywhere else from our first visit. Such a large variety or beautiful delicious food and friendly staff.  My favorite dishes are Aburi Scallop Nigiri & Original Teriyaki Chicken.  This restaurant is always full so best to book.  Highly recommend to everyone :)

Went there for lunches and dinners for a few times. No complain about their food and they are always excellent. Lunch is only $15 and is value for money. You will be impressed by the individual little pot which made with a piece of paper, cooking your food in front of you.<br/><br/>Dinner set was very good as well. We ordered the $35 dinner set, which comes with everything; a bit of raw fish, a bit of sushi, entree dish, miso soup, a bit of tempura and a choice of main. We were so full and couldn't finish everything. They have bigger set for sharing. I saw the next table ordered something really huge and looks very nice. I think it was the biggest sashimi set. It's looks really yummy and fresh.<br/><br/>Only one biggest down point is, don't go there if you want to have a good chat with your friend/family over meal or meeting up a long lost friend, first date, etc. It's a extremely noisy place and always packed with people. Tables are small and packed. People go there for food mainly or maybe have a few bottles of Sake with friends and make some more noise there. But I love this place. It's the best Japanese restaurant at the shore (in terms of food quality.)

Great place!<br/>Awesome food!<br/>Very respectful crews!<br/><br/>I feel like I was in Japan because of the so comely atmosphere of the restaurant. Service is excellent. Pleasant place! I'm a regular visitor of Musashi. Try it guys!!!

This little place is sneakily tucked away in Milford and is definitely a hidden gem. The atmosphere is quite fast paced, it's busy and its noisy which means it's not good for a sit down and catchup meal because you only get 1 hour at the table but for a quick lunch or dinner with a friend this is perfect. The chicken Katsu miso which is what I got is so so yum and flavoursome. Even the side salad was covered in some sort of delicious sauce!! The service is friendly but rushed and the menu has so many options you literally don't know what to choose. Definitely will be back if in the area!

Can't believe I hadn't previously discovered this gem. Easily one of the best BYOs on the shore. It's always busy so make sure you book! Decor wasn't anything fancy but traditionally Japanese. The menu was great with lots of variety to cater to everyone. I ordered the chicken katsulini which was really tender and juicy and a side of the miso eggplant which was delicious! Highly recommend trying it. A friend of mine ordered the miso chicken which I must say was the best dish of the night. Very crispy and strangely sweet but very tasty. Will be ordering that on my next visit! Very reasonably priced and even better that it's a BYO. Excellent spot for a date night that won't put too much of a dent in the bank account.

Excellent food , very fast and efficient<br/>Service , been twice and it exceeded our expectations , highly recommended <br/>Always a busy restaurant , better if u book so u don't have to wait <br/>

We went there at 6pm for the early seating, and the restaurant was already packed.<br/>Food: 5/5<br/>Exteeeeensive menu, mouth watering waygu was a spot on!! We loved soft shell carb-spider roll, all sorts of volcano rolls and sashimi. If you are into any dessert wines or sparklings, Mio sparkling sake is a must-try!<br/>It's very kids friendly, tasty and healthy kids food. <br/>Desserts was ok. Didn't have much time to enjoy them, as it seemed everyone in the kitchen started running around the tables to set up the table for next round at 7.10pm. And we were told a couple of time that we have to finish by 7.15pm for next round. <br/><br/>Service: 3/5<br/>Everyone seemed quite busy and in rush. We waited a while for the dishes to come. The last dish came out quite late after we ordered desserts and the waitress took all the plates and chopsticks away. <br/>We were told at least three times that they need this table by 7.15pm. With the long waiting for the all dishes, it's truly not easy! We didn't quite enjoy the dessert as they were rushing, and my little daughter had to leave the table without finishing her dessert but with her little sad face. =(<br/><br/>Ambiance: 3/5<br/>Crowded, small, and high noise level <br/>I am not sure if it's coz we were sitting close to the kitchen. But my son was sitting with an arm's length to the gentleman sitting at the next table. <br/> <br/>Overall, 4.5/5. <br/>And we look forward our next visit!

My patenter and I went here for dinner tonight and was amazing! We got the set menu for 2 with the chicken Katsu. It was by far one of the best Japanese we have ever tried (we eat it a lot) will most definitely be returning.

The best Japanese in Milford, hands down! Authentic Japanese dishes and even though you get a lot of little dishes with the sets, it is actually quite filling. LOVE their california roll sushi!!

Fantastic food. Perfect food and cannot find anything wrong with it. Not the cheapest but the food is a good size portion. Chicken Katsu is absolutely awesome. I got the Musashi Zen and that was good value too with all the little bits and pieces coming out.

It was a Thursday when we popped by and the place was fully packed, we were lucky enough to manage to get a table right away while the people that came after had to wait for a one. Seems to be a popular joint for the locals. <br/><br/>It was a bit too busy! How so? The staff was running around frantically and I noticed that the waiting time for most tables seems to be a bit long. The food was however very pleasant. For the price you are actually getting a very affordable and delicious Japanese meal. We didn't know how much to order so we grabbed about 13-14 dishes for a table of 5 and it ended up being just a bit too much. I recommend doing 2 per person and sharing would be a good idea. I liked almost everything on the table however I did find the "volcano" tuna to be a little bit gimmicky. Of Course it's exciting to see your food getting set on fire in front of your eyes. You can hear the fish eggs/roe popping as it is getting "flambe" but I found that the fish eggs didn't taste like much after that. I love fish roe and so for next time I would ask them to just leave it without all the flame. Another thing was that my sauce for the agedashi tofu was just a little bit on the bland side. Agedashi tofu on its own is very tasteless and so it is important to get the sauce just right. <br/><br/>I would give them a 4/5 however it has to be a 3.5 because of our drinks. We ordered a very easy request of 3 ramune (the Japanese lemonade fizzy) and yet it took over an hour later to arrive. We asked and reminded 4 different waiters/waitresses and they were just as baffled as the first one. It wasn't until we ordered desserts that our drinks even arrived. Maybe they were a bit short staffed. I was chatting to an adjacent table and they were waiting well over 20 minutes until someone was free to get their food order. It is such a shame to see a fine establishment getting a bit undervalued by the service/being understaffed. I am keen to return and hopefully next time the service will be a little smoother.

My absolute favourite Japanese restaurant - The place I'd choose time and time again to celebrate any occasion. Favourite dish is Matador Roll and also fantastic that they offer plenty of gluten free options across the menu. Love the gluten free chicken teriyaki which offers a good portion of fresh veggies. Food is always tasty.  I agree with some of the other reviews, which say it can get a little noisy - however this little restaurant is so popular there has never been a table spare when I've been. For those who prefer a quieter experience, I suggest you book an earlier seating. Loving the new online table booking facility, as I have found the language barrier some staff difficult to overcome on the phone. Great innovation on their part. Can't wait until my next visit :)

Had dinner here last night. I had the Akemi Zen with the main being Chicken Miso Katsu, another person at our table ordered the same but picking the main as Teriyaki Chicken and another ordered the Musashi Zen.<br/>Both the Akemi and the Musashi Zen are a lot of food, Musashi Zen being the bigger set menu.<br/>I really enjoyed everything, I can't fault anything including the service. I do believe that the Akemi Zen is good value for money. <br/>The fish is fresh and the miso katsu was delicious.

I visited 2 times beforehand. Both times, queue was almost an hour long between 11:00~13:00 yes, it was in weekdays.<br/>So this time I decided to wait for an hour long, (even reservation makes my life much easier) finally I can taste their lunch special which is $16 for all zen-meal.<br/>I, as Japanese, I am enough of those Katsu(deep fried chicken or pork), Japanese Curry, Californian rolls.... But the price is very decent, I would say most decent Japanese lunch you can get in Auckland.<br/><br/>I couldn't finish the rice, I am big eater but that's how much they fill you with $16.<br/><br/>And they use Japanese staff who were so gentle and polite. I even feel like I am in Japan.<br/> I am giving them 3.5, it's not because I have a complain on their food or service, I am fully satisfied with their food and service but What I am looking for here is something different dish from all other Japanese restaurant.<br/>

Just had the chicken katsu lunch here and it was sooo good. Also v cheap and the vino was only $5 (lunchtime happy hr). Will b coming back again for sure 👏

Went there for dinner on Sunday. I was glad we booked as it was fully booked that night. The food were nice, service was ok (as they were very busy), but it was very noisy. We had four people that night and we didn't  talk much as we couldn't hear one another.<br/>I had been there for lunch a couple of times. They were busy, too. It's better after 1pm. <br/>Definitely make a booking if you are going for dinner. We will go back for the food, but probably not for catching up with friends.

Took the family here for lunch and it was super busy! I swear this place is always busy even if you have made a reservation you would still need to wait in line for a table to free up.   Still recommend booking a table though just to secure a spot, otherwise you could be waiting for ages.<br/><br/>Food is always good, never disappoint.  Might take awhile to get service when the restaurant is completely full but that's totally understandable. <br/><br/>I recommend ordering the special salmon set but you have to be quick as they run out of this dish quite fast. Otherwise the Salmon Nabe Zen is definitely a must try! Especially during winter time.<br/><br/>If you are after something that will fill the family up and affordable then  it's definitely somewhere to visit!

Excellent service good prices and beautiful food as always would recommend to all. But make sure you book first either for lunch or dinner as this place is pretty popular.

Have been here many times, for lunch and dinner; both for intimate dining and with a group. Never disappointed. Service is prompt and friendly, the Chicken Miso Katsu is to die for, as are the flame kissed sushi, but everything here is to a very high standard and full of flavour. Hot tip: if you are hungry and here for dinner, consider the set meals. They represent great value and even the smallest (Aseki Zen?) nets you a lot of dishes for $30.50. My only real criticism is their till system seems problematic, splitting the bill can take a bit of time for example. Oh, and be sure to book ahead (usually the same day is fine) as it's always fairly busy and the staff can get a bit flustered if you arrive unannounced with a large party.

Musashi was delicious! Went her for my mother in laws 60th birthday dinner, and all I could say that it was divine! Best Japanese food I have ever had in my life. Highly recommended! Also the cheap lunches are great too very yummy and healthy love this place definitely one my favorites now.

Musashi is great for lunch. They've got $15.50 set menus and lots to choose from. I went for the chicken Katsu which comes with udon noodles, a tofu side dish, two pieces of salmon sushi, some pickled vegetables , and a custard dessert. Food wise is pretty good, as you get the variety (which you normally do for japanese food). Service was average as it was quite busy when we went and we had to wait for our food for quite awhile. Place Is a little too dark for my liking too. All In all, for the price and quality of food, I was very content.

This is my second time visiting and I love this place, just had to share.<br/><br/>Food: Ordered the Salmon Hooba Set ($15.50). Super reasonable and the portions are rather generous. The set comes with rice, miso soup, 2 pieces of a salmon avocado roll (served with homemade wasabi I’m pretty sure), pickles, mentaiko (fish roe – I recommend mixing the small cubes with rice), a mini crème brulee, side salad and the main dish, the salmon. The salmon was really good. Cooked perfectly with a miso sauce and butter! I loved the whole cook it yourself option. <br/><br/>Service: Sat in the back room, which was a little stuffier and not much staff around. But when we managed to catch their attention, they were friendly and eager to please (:<br/><br/>Overall: 5/5! Would recommend others to come for lunch, their set lunch meals are delicious and value for money.

We love Musashi because the food is well priced ($15.50 for a lunch menu) and the quality is always consistent.  I always get the chicken katsu zen and its packed full of flavour.  It is deep fried breaded chicken so it's not the most healthiest option but I just don't care when its just so delicious!  The lunch menu typically comes with a few little side dishes, salad, miso soup and a couple of salmon sushi.  They also have a little mini creme brulee for dessert.  The main is quite large for me but there is usually someone willing to take it off me.  I highly recommend the Agadashi tofu, and if you are there for dinner, their eggplant dish is so good!  It has a miso dressing on top and the creaminess of the eggplant it melds together really well.<br/><br/>If you are after something that will fill you up it's definitely somewhere to visit!

Table of nine. Many seemed to revell in the novelty of food cooked on flames in front of them. I honestly have never seen this as a way to aid the most ideal cooking preparation I'd essentially want when eating out. Eg I assume in Japanese cooking particular ingredients are added at different stages of cooking. The broths in the cooked dishes come out ready mixed, just add heat. Anyway great fun value and taste of food in enhanced. Not like you can blame the cook for stuffing it up. More traditional sushi rolls 8/10 and tempura udon (nr) were my cuppa. Will go back but likely to the St Heliers one. <br/>Dessert: the first dessert on the menu is the creme brulee with Sponge and ice cream. I didnt realise the sponge and vanilla ice cream was actually inside the ramekin with the caramelized crust on top. Doing this means you dont actually get the traditional creme brulee dessert. What came to mind was trifle. 4/10

You guys are amazing. The value, freshness and variety are second to none. I have a very particular girlfriend (a.k.a fussy) and you appeased her in the biggest way. If you haven't had lunch here, you should. You won't regret it.

Good stock standard Japanese fare matched with friendly service.<br/><br/>Nothing really stands out, but you wont be disappointed if you select from the blackboard of the most popular dishes. Ask them to recommend a matching sake.<br/><br/>Worth a stop if heading past.

Musashi would have to be the best Japanese Restaurant on the North Shore. The food is absolutely divine - just so fresh and beautifully prepared and cooked. The service extremely quick and of course the very friendly and helpful staff made our dining experience such a pleasure. The tempura dishes are light and crispy just like they should be and the chicken Yakatori yummy right to the last mouthful. Can't wait to go back again.

This restaurant never fails to deliver . This is my third review . The friendly efficient staff are matched by high quality fare provided . Even when a reservation has not been made the Managers go out of their way to find a table asking if same can be vacated by a certain ( always reasonable ) time to make way for a later booking

I loved the food at Musashi. Everything tasted good - even the eel which I was a bit skeptic about. My favourite was the edamame. Love that its BYO. Had a great time with great friends!

Musashi is consistently ... well ... awesome. (No other word describes it). We go there often, have ordered almost everything from their extensive menu, and have not once been disappointed, the mark of a good restaurant. The staff are capable and friendly, and the ambiance is just about spot on.

Best Japanese restaurant in Auckland!! We love the Sushi with flames, the set menu. The pot dish are so delicious. Staff are so friendly,always wear a big smile no matter how busy they are. I love the Deep Fried Tofu dish but my husband doesn't eat it, they would even make half the size of that dish for me on request. We love going there all the time. The only con is that its always fully booked n popular:

The service was excellent and fast. Fish cooked in the Yaki was not cooked well and it was too salty what a waste of nice piece of Snapper. Limited kids menu. My husband liked his chicken. I love fish and Japanese food but I rather eat in Kyo-Ya in Takapuna.

Love it. Put simply, if you want great Japanese food at a very reasonable price, make a trip to Musashi. We always get the "zen set" and for $30 never leave disappointed. Thank you Musashi, we love what you do.

The $15 lunch special is fantastic value, service was prompt and friendly. Food arrived quickly even though the place was packed (on a Tuesday lunchtime!).<br/>Could not be happier, will be back for sure!

Fantastic food and service. We came here for the first time after finding it in the Entertainment Book. We assumed the meals would be small like some other japanese restaurant but were pleasantly surprised, we actually ordered far too much food and ended up taking some home in a takeaway container! Loved how some of the food is prepared at the table, one even with a blowtorch! Would definitely go again.

We went there for my wife's birthday. It is a neat little restaurant. The people are friendly and helpful. The service is excellent. <br/><br/>The food is really very good. Everything is super fresh. We had the set menu for two and beef so that we can try as much of the food as possible and they are all good. The mi so based product is a little bit salty to me but that is just me.<br/><br/>There are so much more to taste. We will be back with some friends. That's for sure.

Musashi is so good! Have been going here for awhile, and have always had fantastic service, and fantastic food.<br/><br/>I have tried a number of things on the menu and they are all Divine!<br/><br/>can not recommend this restaurant highly enough.

This place has always been our favourite Japanese restaurant in Auckland after we have tried at least 20 of them. The price, food, service and presentation are all 5 stars. Their fish is always fresh and the beef tataki is delicious. It has never let us down!

We had dinner with friends at Musashi on a Friday night, so the restaurant was busy. <br/><br/>The service was of good quality, prompt, professional and friendly.<br/><br/>The menu selection is great but a bit unstructured with a great selection of Japanese food. Not cheap. <br/><br/>Sake is expensive at Musashi. Corkage $7 per bottle of BYO wine.<br/><br/>The food was of excellent quality and presented well. However, the portions are small as for the missing side dishes to be ordered extra. Two main dishes and a desert did not really satisfy me. <br/><br/>The ambiance: small, crowded, high noise level, busy. <br/><br/>The many high ratings in the reviews increased my expectations, which were not met.<br/><br/>The food quality is excellent, the service is good, but in total I am rating Musashi as good.

A very unique Japanese restaurant with unusual but great dishes! Try the ones that come in little pots - these are the specialty of Musashi restaurant that you won't easily find in other places. It takes a bit of time to cook, but worth waiting. Healthy choice with great taste.

This place is a great little find.<br/><br/>My wife and I life near the beach and have heard so much about this place, in fact we tried once before and couldn't get in, anyway its just the BINGO! One of those perfect little finds...<br/><br/>Be sure to book though!!!

It's not often you leave a restaurant feeling this good. I could not fault a single thing. The beef tataki was delicious and the seared beef nigiri was seared at the table! everything was fresh and light. <br/>We had excellent sake With the meal and excellent service. Very popular place so be sure to book!

My wife and I went to Musashi on a Friday night, so the restaurant was very busy. The layout is such that there is enough room to come and go comfortably, so this was not intrusive.<br/><br/>The menu is fantastic, with a great selection of Japanese fare. If anything there is too much choice, and it took some time to make a decision on what to order.<br/><br/>The food when it arrived was of excellent quality and presented well - attractively laid out without being overly artistic or including extraneous garnishing. The quantity wasn't bad either, for a Japanese restaurant, and prices were about what you would expect for a suburban location.<br/><br/>Service was prompt and friendly. The only black mark I could give was that they had run out of my first two beverage choices (I get the feeling not too many people order non-alcoholic!).<br/><br/>In summary, great place for an intimate meal, and we will be back.

I took my son, his Japanese wife and their two boys for lunch yesterday. The food was delicious. The cost was ridiculously low ( $15 ea ). The decor was immaculate. I now have another reason to travel up from Hamilton to see my N Shore family.<br/><br/>Geoff Thornton<br/><br/>PS Re-rated FIVE STARS. ( Originally only 3 stars would print )

Took the family there last Friday night and was extremely impressed. Menu is extensive and easy to understand, service was quick and friendly (even though every single seat was occupied) and prices not too steep given the obvious popularity. Most importantly, we have tried many Japanese restaurants in Auckland and Musashi is the best one yet. Will definitely make it our local.

My husband and I went there for our wedding anniversary. We loved it!!! Staff are really friendly and helpful. Food was brilliant. You have to try flame grilled eye-fillet nigiri / spider sushi roll / vegetable nimono. Price is very resonable and we got 25% off using our Entertainment Book card. We will definitely go back. <br/><br/>My wife wrote that above and I couldn't agree more. Best of all is that you can tell that the ingredients are fresh and of better quality that you would expect from a restaurant of its type. Delicious.

Our party of 16 went last night and everyone of us LOVED it!. The service was excellent, needless to say the food was delicious and stunningly presented, and a great selection. Staff are very helpful and friendly too. We will all be back

My friend introduced this place to us a while ago and since then we've been back quite a few times for lunch and dinner. The menu for both lunch and dinner provides so much variety, the prices for lunch are quite reasonable but dinner is a bit pricier which is common for most restaurants. It's a small restaurant but you don't feel squashed in and the wait staff are friendly and attentive. I would recommend sharing dishes so that you get to try more but the individual dishes are also amazing. My favourite is the beef hooba