Review Kazaguruma Japanese Dining - Wellington

Delicious from start to finish. And we did the saki pairing to make it even better. If you love the food of Japan this is the best place to go. We did the introductory set menu and there wasn’t a dish we didn’t like - there were four of us. Delicate sashimi and sushi. Lovely karage chicken. Great piece of beefNext time (and there will be a next time) we’ll do the whole hog (it’s not called that). You have to book.

Amazing to have a kaiseki/omakase experience like this in Wellington! Everything we had was exceptional and dietary requirements were catered for. I especially loved the sashimi and my husband adored the tempura and potato salad. The service was amazing and it was very well worth it for us. We will definitely be back!

What a lovely dining experience... everything was just so excellent. To the polite informative service, beautifully presented food, tasty dishes, all in a gentle atmosphere. We ordered the $74. special set menu... which consists of 6 servings of different foods... absolutely all delicious. My favourites were the first 2 dishes, of which I photographed... the raw fish yummo!!! Other dishes... Tempura prawn, and cauliflower, Rare beef, Katsu chicken, and lamb cutlet. Admittedly there was just one negative, the beef, and lamb dish, I felt there was too much sauce on the meat, which for me ruined it. We would definitely go back though, very enjoyable dining.

What an incredible experience! We went for the first time for my birthday and we will definitely come back for other special occasions. We had the signature set menu with Sake pairing + additional wagyu beef shabu shabu and desserts. The food was amazing, beautifully presented and well portioned. We were surprised at how generous the sake pairing was! 4 different sake and enough for 4-6 cups each! Special mention to the sake produced in Queenstown, it was our favorite from the selection. The service is outstanding, they went above and beyond to accommodate my husband's shellfish allergy. The little birthday card on the table and the candle with my dessert was a lovely attention. The space is small but it feels cosy and almost "homely". Would recommend to book well in advance if you want to experience this fine dining.

Tl;dr, the best Japanese cuisine in Wellington I've had, but I wanted a bit more. Great selection of drinks ranging from regular wines to more niche Japanese liquor. Going through the meal, we started with some oysters, not sure where they came from and not super fresh but still nice. Sashimi and Nigiri tasted great and had an interesting selection of sauces and dips. Beef Tataki, hard to go wrong, very nice. Tempura was ok, I loved the seaweed salt but the dipping sauce was quite weak and I don't think you need the mayo for the prawn. Agedashi Tofu I didn't like. It wasn't crispy on the outside and the coating? Was just a bit gummy. The tofu itself was well made though. Kaarage Chicken was very well cooked, nice and juicy but the bowl it came in was just a bit silly. The lamb, so juicy, well sauced, great way to end the set menu. I got the Yuzu sorbet for dessert which was nice and refreshing. Overall I think it's catering a bit more to western tastes rather than being super authentic which isn't a bad thing, but a bit disappointing for me. Still great food and would go again.

Best westernised Japanese food in town! Went for lunch with the family. We ordered several dishes rather than the set menu. We enjoyed every single dish. The highlight was the dessert, Monaka & Creme Brûlée. Will definitely go back to try the set menus for dinner.

With no exaggeration, Kazaguruma sets the highest standard in Wellington for Japanese cuisine. Each dish’s flavour and aesthetics are prepared with stunning precision. I’ve been a fan of both their lunch and dinner offerings. A _must_ stop - and remember to call in to reserve!

We had the UMAMI premium seafood “omakase” four course dinner ($90). The service was efficient, courteous and thoughtful. The seafood was so fresh! I enjoyed all courses, particularly the fresh and quality ingredients in the chirashi sushi salad, which featured sea urchin, fresh wasabi and the most tender sashimi slices. The Ora king salmon was so soft and flavourful, the perfect note on which to end a delicious degustation. The amount was perfect, and I left feeling satisfied, tastebuds stimulated but not heavy.

Excellent food and service ! We had Umami set menu and sake pairing menu. Very very pleased with out selection. The Umami menu included 4 different dishes. It began with a beautifully served tempura oyster. The oyster was divine. It had white tobiko looking like little pearls! Very pretty and yummy. The second dish was Chirashi sushi salad. It was a total explosion of flavors ! Soooo delicious 🤤 !!! It was my favorite out of 4! The salad has different kind of fish, scallops, prawn, and roe . Gorgeous representation and well chosen name « Sea Jewels » 💎 ! Next 2 dishes were crayfish and salmon. By the third dish, i started feeling full but couldn’t resist not to finish the salmon. Very delicious sauce! Not sure what it was. Honestly, you cannot stop eating and waiting for the arrival of the next dish even if you are already full ! Sake pairing was excellent. The waiting stuff did a great job of representing each sake. Ah ! You get to choose your own sake cup! That was very cute and thoughtful! I was impressed all the way ! Our table was tacked away in the corner and it was an excellent spot. I loved cushions on the chair ans they really make me comfortable to enjoy beautiful food selection. I cannot wait to go back there one day again! There are some steep stairs going up but they also have sitting downstairs, so they can accommodate. Thank you for a very enjoyable dinner and time !

I have been meaning to try this new Japanese restaurant for a while. We had the set menu. The sashimi and sushi were amazing. The highlight was the silken tofu in broth. They also had very good desert options and wide variety of wines, beers and sake. I will be back.

Incredibly special dining experience with a magical set menu and matching sake for each course. Focused on delicious seafood. Book ahead. Expensive but worth every bite!

Just AMAZING. I do not like fish at all I have to say, but this menu with raw fish and sushi was just awesome. I cannot describe these compositions of flavours. And then the deserts. You have to try.

Tasty food, friendly wait staff, and a great selection of NZ and Japanese drinks. I have been back to this restaurant a few times now and I am always impressed with the level of service and the outstanding food. I cannot recommend it more highly ❤

Tiny little restaurant with exceptional food and service. The seafood was so fresh and beautifully presented, each dish to follow was delicious. The seafood miso soup is a must try I would also highly recommend the caramelised black sesame Panna Cotta to finish,.. It was to die for!!

Food was delicious! Staff were phenomenal, really went above and beyond, after incidentally finding out we were there for a birthday dinner they placed something special on the table for us AND sent the dessert with a candle of their own volition. Can't thank them enough.

Excellent. I cannot stress it enough how excellent our meals were. They were so satisfying. A nice, cozy section. Great customer service too. Will be returning.

Most authentic Japanese cuisine in Wellington run by Japanese. Each dish is prepared with care and full of taste. They also offer dairy free, gluten free and vegetarian options. They can also accommodate additional dietary needs which is very much appreciated. Highly recommended and I will definitely visit again. Thanks again for your superb service and food.

I pass this place everyday and been meaning to try this place out. I am so glad I did and wish I went sooner! The staff was super friendly and courteous. The place is clean and beautiful. Instantly fell in love with the place. I think I should’ve made a reservation, but regardless, the waitress welcomed me in and told me I can choose any available place. The beef steak is GLORIOUS. Definitely a must-try. This would probably go well with a glass of Yamazaki, which I will definitely get next time. Would recommend 100% and would definitely come back!

We had the set menu, all the food was a experience that transported us to Japan using new Zealand produce. The food was visually appealing and tasted even better! The service was attentive, knowledgeable and authentic. We tried the saki paddle which was well worth it and showed great variety of what a saki could be! For that special experience I highly recommend spoiling your self.