Azabu

I recently dined at the waterfront restaurant, and I must say, the ambiance was truly enchanting, thanks to the captivating lights and stunning location. The romantic atmosphere created by the lights added a magical touch to the evening. Despite the bustling crowd, the staff graciously allowed us to walk in and accommodated our request for speedy service, especially for our daughter. The service exceeded our expectations, making it a memorable and delightful experience.

Update Dec 2, 2023: Azabu Mission Bay is still one of my favourite restaurants in Auckland and definitely my favourite in my Central East neighbourhood. But I have to update my review for some issues experienced recently. The food is still amazing. Lunch today of tempura, gyoza and sushi was even better than usual. However, on seating we were left with a drinks menu but no food menus. This is the third time this has happened in as many recent visits. We waited so long, without even an opportunity to ask a staff member that, finally, one of our party got our own menus from a shelf nearby. This makes no sense as our orders are taken quickly, our food arrives sometimes too fast - so it seems they want to turn the tables. And the bussing service was too diligent! We were still eating or barely finished when a young staff member was trying to whisk our plates away. Sometimes I still want to dip my finger in that yummy sauce even when there is no obvious food on the plate ;-). Also the bathrooms were shocking! Filthy, rubbish bins overflowing, definitely not cleaned often enough. Who wants to eat in a place with filthy bathrooms?! I have downgraded my review for these reasons. I still love the food so the kitchen continues in their stellar performance. But the management needs to take a hard look at the rest of the staff to bring the whole experience back up to the perfection it had previously achieved. Original review, food still great: Can I give 10 stars! I certainly would if I could for a flawless, incredibly delicious dinner last night. Absolutely every dish was perfect. We opted for lots of small plates. We had perfect, fresh, delicious sushi. The best gyoza I’ve ever had, with the surprise addition of an aji amarillo based sauce. Tiger prawn dumplings and tiger prawn tempura - perfect, especially the addition of a spicy aioli to pair with the standard tempura dipping sauce. Tuna tostada, as to die for as I remember from previous visits.. And a cabbage side in a mustard sauce which was a revelation. And service was outstanding, no long waits as we experienced in the past. No wonder they are booked solid every night!

Wonderful atmosphere, a bit chilly since it's beside the bay! But the server promptly closed the curtains. The food we ordered was spicy chicken karaage and it's delicious! Ordered some drinks as well and the service was quick. Nice experience 😊

Amazing atmosphere and great service, staff were super friendly and easy to deal with. Food was really good as well, highly recommended!

Very impressed with the decor and ambience. The location was perfect with mission bay on its doorstep. Came here for lunch and arrived just before 12 so street parking was easy. I ordered the rainbow sushi and glazed market fish. The sushi was fresh and beautifully presented. The market fish was cooked perfectly and also delicious. I would have given 5 stars but knocked off a star because the service was not on par with the food and price of the menu or the calibre of the restaurant. With the exception of one young lady who was lovely, the other servers were only adequate but far from friendly or helpful.