azabu

i have been this restaurant several times, i’d like to say this is my favorite sushi restaurant in auckland.
food is always fresh and delicious! stuff is friendly too.

azabu is great. love their refined japanese food here - in particular the seafood. ordered the volcano roll, rainbow roll, tuna tostada, lamb cutlets and crispy pork belly and grilled octopus. surprisingly, the entrees won it for me. volcano roll which is flamed in front of you was simple and delicious with crunchy components to it. tuna tostada's flavour mix between japanese and spanish was a delicious idea. loved the charred flavours from the grilled octopus.

wow!!!!!!
had dinner here for my birthday
service was 10/10
food 10/10
our waiter was awesome!!!
what a great experience
love everything about this place
we will definitely be back to try more of the menu
thanks

what a great dining experience!  it pays to reserve a table here particularly for the busy friday and saturday nights.  japanese/peruvian...who would have thought!  but the nikkei cuisine that has been created by these two cultures will bring us back many times.  add to it excellent service; a great restaurant design with three different areas and a great drinks menu.  our waiter suggested a number of dishes and he wasn"t wrong.  we have to go back to try more...but it won't be super soon as the place isn't cheap so this won't be an every week place for us.  but it is certainly worth the price.  our food faves?  the big glory bay king salmon tiradito. what a flavoursome dish!  then there is a grilled octopus ...on potato mash. such comfort food!    and those lamb chuleta cutlets...i'm still dreaming about them.  these come as a dish of four and there were three of us so the ever helpful waiter suggested we might have six.  a restaurant with flexible portions!  perfect.

we found nearby street parking but apparently they do have their own parking.  yay!

we arrived via the parking lot around the back which seemed to have plenty of space.... restaurant was buzzing, and i enjoyed the decor. food was amazing had some ceviches, which were small portions for the price, but the quality was superb! had a few buns, and finished off with the steak in chimichurri sauce!👌🏽👌🏽👌🏽 all in all a great night out with some damn good food! highly recommend!

impressively delicious food. every single dish brought a different excitement to our palates, exciting ambience and the service was top notch.

i look forward to coming back 😍

i went here with a friend on a thursday evening. nice decor, quite large inside. we didn't book, so got stuck on a little corner table with sofa instead of chairs (pre book is my advice). they had a few veggie options, which sounded nice, however i worried the portions would be small, so ordered 3 dishes for myself. i got the artichoke dumplings, veggie bao and tempura eggplant. the eggpant was amazing, good sized portion and delicious. the bao was yum, however a little on the smaller side. the dumplings were tiny. 4 weeny little thin dumplings with very little filling. i wouldn't get them again as they are nearly pointless ( my friend's pork dumplings were normal dumpling size and she had 6, so no idea why the veggie ones were so small). pricing was ok, however a little on the higher side (it's ponsonby). drinks were nice. it would be awesome if they could have bigger portions and more vegetarian/vegan options.

this is a great place to go for a special occasion! the food was delicious and presentation was on point. we ordered the tiger prawn dumplings, nikkei steak and wagyu short ribs.

the tiger prawns were delicious! the prawns were juicy and despite the thin skin of the dumpling it didnt break open. the tangy sauce brought the flavour to the next level.
the short ribs were also great, it was so tender and flavorful that it melts in your mouth.
the only (slight) let down was the steak. we asked for medium rare and the steak was definitely well cooked, making it too chewy. but the suave and flavour of the steak wasnt too bad.

for dessert, we ordered the charcoal meringue and the tapioca with coconut meringue. very interesting combinations of different flavours but definitely worth a try since it's delicious.i would say the dessert portions are relatively large so next time i would share one with someone instead.

tldr: everything was good. order the tiger prawn dumplings and the wagyu short ribs.

undoubtedly one of the best dine out spots in the country! the salmon tiradito is an absolute stunner! so fresh, such intricate flavors, true representation of nikkei food!! the chicken dumplings & the nikkei steak were also packed with flavors, would recommend time & time again. abundant choice of wine, sake, cocktails as well as boosting probably the largest selection of japanese whiskies to be found in new zealand. we even moved from the bar to the main dining area & back to the bar to finish up the day!! can’t go wrong with this gem of a place!!

came here hoping for the best after hearing good things. decor is not outstanding, service a bit haphazard but lost disappointingly the food was below expectations - especially when walking away thinking was it worth $150 for two? nope. better options around, but maybe just not as in vogue.

this is one of the most amazing places i have ever eaten and there will be something for everyone. the seared beef tostada is the most incredible dish i have ever eaten

a friend brought me here when he found out i love japanese. i can not believe i have not been here before! the food is delightful; everything is presented beautifully and tastes divine. the house sake is also fantastic so i will most definitely be back! top notch!

amazing food, brilliant service - i loved the interior of the place as well as the vibe. a highlight dish for me will always be the pork belly for sure! a must for anyone in the area.

not a common place for your budget but would be top option if you need somewhere to date or celebrate things. i took my husband here for his birthday and as a sashimi fan he totally loved it. very creative combination and decoration. every dish is just so photogenic and even though it may not be everyone cup of tea but be honest, you can't resist trying. recommend grilled octopus and kingfish ceviche.

well where do i start. there was certainly some hype with azabu before me going there as friends, colleagues and even acquaintances could not fault it. me personally i go in with low expectations wherever i eat so everything is a surprise also had no idea what to expect with a japanese portuguese fusion.

1. seared beef tostada - dayuuuuuum the level of crunch mixed with the soft tenderness of the beef is like yin and yang. the sauces pack so much flavour they slab box your tonsils. no pic coz we were hungry af

2. the taco range. we got one of each which was tempura eggplant, beef, and tempura fish and literally had a bite of each so we taste it all. best one for me was the tempura fish.

3. tiger prawn dumplings. tbh i've never had a gourmet dumpling and it makes me happy to know that whole nother spectrum exists. the casing so soft and the once again the sauces this baby swims in is so goddam good.

4. lamb cutlets with smoked aubergine and coriander puree. cooked perfectly. no joke. tasty. juicy. succulent. that is all.

5. crispy pork belly. full disclosure i've eaten this 3 times because i needed to check consistency and hands down best pork belly in town. the layers of pork belly literally melt because it's so tender and as for the crackling i really don't know how such a thin layer can be so crunchy and delicate the same time. 12/10 would live here.