Japanese cuisine: the best places to taste it in Palmerston North

Yatai Japanese Izakaya Restaurant

86/100 (1410 ratings)

Restaurants

Gluten Free Options

Vegan Options

Sushi

Japanese

Asian

Japanese

Asian

Sushi

Vegetarian Friendly

Gluten Free Options

Vegan Options

Vegetarian Friendly

Dinner

Lunch

After-hours

Curry

Hot Pot

Tempura

Tataki

Fish

Beef

Sashimi

Salad

Tuna

Salmon

NorthWestern Chinese

Sit down

Japanese

Asian

Sushi

Seating

Table Service

Wheelchair Accessible

Private Dining

Serves Alcohol

Parking Available

Highchairs Available

Full Bar

Accepts Credit Cards

Takeout

Reservations

Lunch

After-hours

Dinner

Mid-range

"We were very blessed to be gifted a super special meal from Yatai in Palmerston North this evening. It was absolutely lovely. Sashimi probably fave..."

Jules Clarke

"Came to dinner to celebrate my daughters 13th Birthday. It's the special touches here. Rosie loved the hand printed birthday card from Yatai on the..."

Karen Grantley

"This is the best restaurant in Palmy! The food is incredible and the staff are so welcoming. Barbara the host is so friendly and we love coming here!..."

Jo Dunning

"There is not enough stars to to select. Barbara and the waitresses were absolutely lovely And the food was Godly. Arigatou Gozaimasu. Yatai wa..."

Quelli Nix

"We had a special group dinner at Yatai last weekend. Barbara and her team were friendly, flexible and made sure we had all we needed. The layered..."

Tamara Christina

"Top food, top service, brilliant experience is no where near enough to explain how awesome this place..."

Hendrik Engelbrecht

"Another fantastic meal and great evening. Staff are lovely and the food is exceptional. Looking forward to the next date..."

Helen Thomas

"Delicious okinomiyaki - felt like I was back in Tokyo! Great food all..."

Angela Piper

"Outstanding - food, service while experience. Barbara a d the team..."

Kevin Smith

"Been there a couple of times. Great staff and great..."

Gary Yeatman

"One of the best Japanese place in..."

Raveen Madagama

"We just found our favorite restaurant in palmy excellent food outstanding service thank..."

Ali N Marc

"The best Chicken Curry..."

Clark Ellery

"healthy options/ fantastic dinning/ great..."

Sandie Carlin

"Most amazing, yummy meal! Fabulous service - absolutely top. We will be..."

Andrea Yeatman

"Definitely go again. A lot more menu to get thru. And then of there was the..."

Steve Atkins

"Our experience at Yatai was definitely made exceptional thanks to the great service offered by the FOH Team. In particular, the waiter called Shona..."

Lance Loughlin

"The food was quite flavourful but not as authentic as I would've liked. The beef tataki had a bit too much spring onions on it but it was well..."

Doris Ma

"We had a lovely family dining experience at the Yatai this evening, We decided to enjoy the shared platter style of dining, which was a wonderful way..."

Heather Taylor

"Love this place staff are polite and friendly and answer any question about the food explain what it is Very filling and an ample amount so..."

Monica Smaling

"Great atmosphere, felt very authentic. Food was great and service was attentive. Had about 7 dishes between 4 people and we were definitely full...."

Claudia

"Best way to review a Japanese restaurant is by ordering their sashimi. Yatai didn't disappoint with the spread of salmon, mahimahi, and tuna. The..."

Rahul Mohanty

"Beautiful fresh food. I have been here numerous times and I have never been disappointed.This has got to be one of my favourite places to eat in..."

Rachel

"Have been here a couple times, and loved it ! If you don't know if you like Japanese food or not this place will definitely help you make up your..."

Kandeykisses

"My wife and I have been coming here more and more frequently. I'd now rate Yatai as one of my favorite restaurants in Palmy - certainly the best..."

Matt

"Another rave review here. Yatai really wins out in all areas. The venue is intimate, welcoming, and authentic. The staff are exceptionally..."

Doug Longmire

"Authentic food, great service, loads of fun for a group of friends. Never disappoints!We visit Japan annually and can always bring our dining..."

Lin Dixon

"we had a fabulous meal here last Saturday. The food was just amazing , beautifully presented and the flavours were just Devine. The service was..."

Liz. Thrift

"7 Friends and I shared a wonderful meal at Yatai last night and I was so happy once again to be a part of their unique dining experience. It was the..."

Annie Bailey

"We had a meal here last week and it was beautiful! The shitake mushrooms were excellent and we highly recommend them. Everything is prepared..."

Bronwyn Kendrick

"Excellent. Just top notch. There are plenty of vegetarian options, everything is well cooked and tasty, and as far as I can see it is authentic. The..."

Danielle Calder

"First timers! Very impressed with service. Me & my husband thought we would try something different. So off to Yatai we went. Loved it so we ..."

Shelley

"Yatai is genuinely good. We went there again this weekend and it was a delicious meal as always, the food is fresh and the flavours are amazing...."

Mike Smith

"Wow! The food was beautiful in appearance and taste. Seemed quite authentic and unusual (exotic) to me. The serving staff was friendly and..."

Audrey Washburn

"Absolutely blown away with the beautiful food. First timers we went as a work group. Had a " ? progressive " dinner( sorry forgot the correct..."

Sandra Pinfold

"This cozy, intimate restaurant got me hooked on Japanese cuisine. The food is devine! Friendly staff make it a great dining experience. Yes it is a..."

Yvonne Kiihfuss

"A great night, personal service and a variety of dishes which were explained fully, fresh and beautifully presented. We had the sashimi which..."

Gail Shirley

"A wonderful Japanese restaurant. Outstanding food, outstanding service and outstanding atmosphere! The food was served with care and friendliness and..."

Billie Jordan

"I love this place. Great variety on the menu - I don't eat fish, but there are great chicken and beef options. Service is fantastic, food is..."

Sarah

"Had the pleasure to dine here on several occasions now and Yatai consistently delivers in food quality and service.Suggest diners make a..."

Paul Burnett

"My favourite restaurant to go out to for a treat! I can't remember celebrating a birthday and not eating here! When in search of something different,..."

Gavin Goldsmith

"wow if you haven't been there before you simply have to try it. The staff are always extra friendly and go out of their way to provide the best..."

Laura

"Went to Yatai on Tuesday and it was our 32nd visit since May 2008!As usual, the food was superb and the service excellent.It's no surprise..."

Arthur

"One of my favorite restaurants in Palmerston North, food is amazing and awesome friendly..."

Nicole Rule

"Lovely food, great service - although a little pricey - worth it for a..."

Jan Oram

"We enjoyed our dinner but this place is a bit of a shrine to Japan and we were a bit taken aback by receiving a lecture on how to obey japanese..."

M

"Absolutely the most divine food in Palmerston North. Authentic Japanese flavours and a thoughtful wine list. Worth the price for a completely..."

Lia

"This is a favourite restaurant for me and my partner and come here every couple of months however is quite expensive thus why we don't go there more..."

Corey Askwith

"A fabulous place for a family dinner, service was great and the food was outstanding. The flavours all worked really well. The style of Japanese..."

Stephen O'Loughlin

"This is the best scallop dish we have in NZ. And the grilled beef is juice and good. But we waste more than one and half hour to wait my food, it..."

carol liang

"Very expensive with small portions but the food is absolutely delicious. The service is very bad and often don't bring water or deliver your meal to..."

Harry Parker

"Fantastic dining experience, as per usual, last night. The food is always delicious, fresh and prepared perfectly. There is an extensive selection of..."

Harmony Moki

"wonderful wee restaurant. The queue at the door was an indication of the quality dining experience on offer. superb service. v fresh fish and good..."

tina nixon

"We dropped in without a reservation on a busy night and the staff were excellent and found us a table with no fuss. Very friendly and efficient and..."

Keith Finnerty

"We went for dinner today and loved the food. The place was too busy and congested - otherwise all..."

Chanjief Chandrakumar

"Probably the best restaurant we dined at in New Zealand. Everything we ordered was fresh and delicious, service was excellent and the atmosphere was..."

N Pik (Rod)

"Beautiful, awesome and amazing experience. Amazing traditional Japanese food, with lovely customer service. Felt like a little slice straight from..."

Jayden Fairbairn-Lowe (Jayden)

"The food is just fabulous and their Katsuya (spelt correctly?) Is really mouth watering. I also love their fritter dish (about the size of a bread..."

Joe McMahon-Henderson

"Excellent atmosphere, great service, and delicious food. A curious place on a busy suburban street, but the food is exceptional. Not cheap, but you..."

Jim Boutcher (Mangetout)

"Never dissatisfied, Barbara and her team are amazing...."

Sue Woollaston

"Have visited many times since 2009 and it always is the same high quality food and service It is my favorite Japanese restaurant and I have been to..."

Corey Askwith

"The most amazing dining experience. The staff were so lovely and accomodating. Highly recommend paying the $40 for the private room, which offered an..."

Elsie Flynn Fleming

"The food quality and hospitality here is excellent. The owner is a lovely woman and the sashimi is not only the freshest I’ve had, but superbly cut..."

conorjack culhane

"Absolutely loved this place was a breath of fresh air in Palmerston North..."

Michael Farr

"Best restaurant in town, have come here for every possible celebration and brought our out of town visitors here for the last 3 years. Food is always..."

Sirena

"Our family favourite restaurant in Palmerston North - went tonight with a couple of family members and some friends - just beautiful food as always,..."

Anne Robinson

Wabi Sabi

84/100 (1014 ratings)

Restaurants

Sushi

Japanese

Asian

Japanese

Asian

Sushi

Vegetarian Friendly

Gluten Free Options

Vegan Options

Vegetarian Friendly

Gluten Free Options

Dinner

Lunch

Bento (Lunch Box)

Fish

Sashimi

Pork

Gyoza

Salmon

Café

Asian

Japanese

Sushi

Takeout

Reservations

Seating

Table Service

Wheelchair Accessible

Serves Alcohol

Dinner

Lunch

Mid-range

"Definitely a must try type of place have been a couple times, really enjoyed their fries, their salmon roll aswell, Dragon roll was ok and Rainbow..."

Keita TeRangi-Brightwell

"We always enjoy our meals here. The dragon rolls were to die for and the karaage chicken was delicious. The sashimi could have been a bit fresher but..."

Seulyi So

"Pretty good. Nice Decor. Not a lot of pickled ginger given.Food was above average. Service was very good. The dragon roll was good. I..."

Wayne Potgieter

"Came here to get some Japanese for lunch- there were very few Japanese places to choose from in Palmy and this one looked promising. I ordered a..."

Christina

"Always good taste and quick delivery. Good atmosphere and plenty of selection. not particularly authentic Japanese but good taste regardless...."

Kiwiana

"I've eaten here three times and wanted to give it a fair crack before I reviewed - with so many positive reviews I didn't want to rush..."

Jeff

"Went here for a late dinner tonight , was still quite buzy but service was still great. Ordering was done at the counter. There was a new dessert..."

Coco

"My favorite japanese place in palmy! They absolutely nail their tempura! Fast service and its always a satisfying meal! For a relatively cheap..."

Audrey

"Has always served consistently good quality food with reasonable prices. This is my favourite Japanese restaurant in town! Very good service, clean..."

Tara

"Fantastic Japanese restaurant. I'm a big fan of their bento box style meals but everything else I have had is wonderful. They are very polite and the..."

Jonathan Spencer

"Really good fresh food which will never disappoint. I come here every time I'm back in palmy. I like the sauce katsudon with chicken and the edemame..."

Kathleen Joyce-Reweti

"Recently moved to Auckland and we miss this place so much!! Great prices, great service, amazing food and a beautiful atmosphere. We've tried a..."

Jessie Mills

"I like coming to this Japanese restaurant for lunch or dinner. Their food quality is very nice and fresh. Some of their sushi dishes are quite..."

Queena

"Very nice. Great portion sizes and lots of different dishes you can try. Fast service too. I have had sushi here which was delicious, and also a..."

Alan Watson

"Wabi Sabi is a great little spot in the central city. Recommended to us by a friend to try for dinner while staying in Palmerston North we headed..."

Lozalock

"Been there a couple of times. The meals were pretty nice and I absolutely love their iced green tea! I would definitely dine in again next..."

Lin Sue

"Incredibly reasonable prices, 10/10 presentation, fantastic menu, incredible service. Top 2 places in Palmerston North. I can trust to always receive..."

Kelsey Josephine

"Given that real sushi can't be found in Palmy, this is as good as it gets. I am surprised that you will find chicken in maki rolls here. That is not..."

Tracy

"The food and drinks were amazing, lovedThe iced teas. Thanks Miho forThe pleasant and fast service. Loved theLay out of the resteraunt..."

Phillipa Hay

"This is a definite highlight must-go-to eat out on Broadway. If I were to recommend a place to anyone visiting Palmy, this is THE place to go to...."

Phatnesian

"We love this place! fast, tasty, clean and good value for money!!!!We are regulars here and always guaranteed to buy the sushi as well as..."

Krysta Dune

"Wow food was both authentic and delicious. Went there on Good Friday, no surcharge. Meal was cheap for Japanese and came out really..."

David F

"Fantastic food, great variety, lovely service...what more can a customer ask for. There's more - reasonable price!!! Love this place, my..."

LPT

"Went to this restaurant with two others. The environment was tidy and modern, and a polite young man at the counter was very helpful and patient with..."

Sophie Swan

"I really can't fault the food or the service ... both are equally fantastic and the restaurant itself is so welcoming that it's become a weekly..."

Rahera Lawton-Wharehinga

"Very yum! Like someone else has written, Wabi Sabi is not the most impressive Japanese restaurant in town, but it is still top notch. It is..."

Danielle Calder

"I've been twice in the past few weeks. I was really surprised the first time to get such good service and tasty food at a place that looked simple..."

Audrey Washburn

"We've been here a few times and tried different items on the menu. We've always been very happy with the quality and quantity of food, and the price..."

F

"Great food, reasonably priced and a favourite with the..."

Yvo Roe

"The food here is delicious and tasty, the service is always polite. Come here a bit as the food is reasonably..."

Siobhan

"great food, great value, great atmosphere. very quick service..."

Stephen Watson

"I go about once a week for lunch and it's pretty good, not as amazing as Yatai or Hana Mizu Ki but its still pretty good and way way..."

Jason

"Hi again, I visited Wabi sabi again this time I got tofu steak yum. My friends had yummy bento set and californinan roll all was yum . So I..."

Lovee Agarwal

"Very yum, super friendly fast service, fresh sashimi and the dragon roll is..."

Selena A

"OVERALL: 10 / 10. VALUE: fair portions, average price range. SERVICE: friendly and prompt. FOOD: excellent, good flavour, fresh ingredients,..."

Ardian Helado

"The experience and the food were brilliant, and my girlfriend and I ordered an entree each and the same main each, the Japanese beer was superb and..."

Benjamin Mador

"We came in today with our two babies for lunch. Staff were very helpful. Very fresh sushi we ordered scallops, salmon and shrimp tempuras. Kids loved..."

Laura Anne

"This is a really nice Japanese restaurant. The food was great that I ate some before taking the picture 😋 Their service was lovely as well. Went..."

Mickey

"We booked here to eat after our late flight got in. It ended up running late, but staff were so understanding and served us anyway, even though they..."

Kelly Widdowson

"Very tasty, very fresh. Big menu. Very friendly staff. Highly..."

Bianca Ravelich

"Superbly presented, and great tasting. Add to that friendly service with a smile, what more could you ask for? We've been a few times, and we'll..."

Ferry Hendrikx

"The ramen was good but we didn't like the gyoza and they have no meat option, just the vegetarian one. Overall the food was great..."

Johanne Alle Valiente

"Having dined at Wabi Sabi many times, I can say that the service is efficient and the food is delicious, authentic and always fresh. I had dinner..."

Juliana Stephens

"Really nice quality, authentic Japanese restaurant. The okonomiyaki and unagi maki sushi are a must to try. Staff are friendly and attentive and the..."

Alice Herlihy

"Amazing food and atmosphere, value for money and EXCEPTIONAL..."

Gayb N

"Wonderful food, ramen was great, gyoza too, nice presentation, friendly service. We wanted to get dinner on the way to Wellington and were very happy..."

Maria Podskrebko

"The food was amazing 👌👌👌👌👌👌👌👌 especially the salmon . Staff were very welcoming and friendly . A very cozy place to sit and..."

Gabriel Stephens

"Friendly service and a tasty affordable menu. Enjoyed my dinner, but dessert was a let down. I ordered the green tea ice cream with the red bean but..."

V Lam

"Very nice fresh Japanese food. Loved the drinks too, including matcha milk tea and a various flavours of blooming tea served in wine..."

Vijay Prema

"Our favourite restaurant, love the staff! Great food, great presentation, super friendly service, they know our order as soon as we walk in the..."

Grace Colville

"1st time there. My granddaughter wanted to go as it looked nice. Service excellent. Happy to return...."

graeme galley

"We had a delicious meal here served by friendly helpful staff. The place has a lovely calm vibe. The meals are plentiful and reasonable priced. We..."

Reset

There are 11 restaurants

Cuisine

Dietary restrictions

Meals

Structure

Dishes

Japanese cuisine: the best places to taste it in Palmerston North

Ranking

Sort A-Z

near you

Filters

Josh Thiele

Kate Park

Jon Ballantine

Rahs Rajee

Doug Longmire

GM Gee

Andrew Sheldon

Aruma Kiritoshi

Aimee Avery

Hazel Hislop

AME 43

Melissa Yiddzy

Hayley Grant

Lauren Green

Laura Harrington

Emma Sea

Simon Vale

Elisabeth Bayliss

Ellen Davies

Rachel Macdonald

Kate Park

dawn Jeong

Karla Karaitiana

Matt Aravena

Toby Woon

Emma Iles

Ngaire O'Donnell

Helen Mitchinson

Ketan Munasu

Steph Newcombe

Jules Clarke

Karen Grantley

Jo Dunning

Quelli Nix

Tamara Christina

Hendrik Engelbrecht

Helen Thomas

Angela Piper

Kevin Smith

Gary Yeatman

Raveen Madagama

Ali N Marc

Clark Ellery

Sandie Carlin

Andrea Yeatman

Steve Atkins

Lance Loughlin

Doris Ma

Heather Taylor

Monica Smaling

Claudia

Rahul Mohanty

Rachel

Kandeykisses

Matt

Doug Longmire

Lin Dixon

Liz. Thrift

Annie Bailey

Bronwyn Kendrick

Danielle Calder

Shelley

Mike Smith

Audrey Washburn

Sandra Pinfold

Yvonne Kiihfuss

Gail Shirley

Billie Jordan