nishiki 錦

nishiki is an extremely popular andbusyfreeman's bay japanese restaurant. be sure to book as the byo crowd in particular are known to book big tables here in the evenings, so save yourself the hassle and secure yourself a spot early.

the menu is rather extensive but complete with images, which i personally really like. this is not the kind of place to come to and order teriyaki chicken, nishki offer so many interesting and unique dishes, i highly recommend going with the weirdest and most wonderful thing you come across. some personal favourites are the beinasu miso - eggplant in miso sauce, topped with cheese, the okonomiyaki - seafood pancake, and the yaki soba noodles.

nishiki dishes aren't large, but it's great to get several and share amoungst your party. the staff are lovely and while it won't win awards for fast or efficient service, if you're not in a hurry and can tolerate abusyrestaurant, than nishiki is a great option.

📍nishiki, auckland

@nishiki_freemansbay_nz: the japanese restaurant of my dreams. when i first visited, this restaurant tucked away in freemans bay was already popular, but over the years its popularity has only increased. now there is a set amount of time for eating, as well as electronic menus which we can order from at each table. definitely book if you are going to visit!

🦪 as usual, we ordered the oyster mayo ($12) which was amazing as always. the creamy mayo enhanced the taste of the creamy oyster and was a joyful experience for my palate.

🥩 the beef carpaccio ($14) was wonderfully fresh, and the sirloin tasted wonderful with the vinegar soy sauce. the meat was so tender and thinly sliced it practically melted in my mouth.

🍖 the gyu tataki ($10.40) was lightly grilled to perfection, incorporating the best of both worlds: the wild char taste and the fragrant taste of the raw beef sashimi. this dish was paired with garlic soy sauce, which was a lovely choice as usual.

🍗 the chicken karaage ($12) was fried to perfection. although this is usually a popular dish, i have to say it faded into the background a little, compared to the other fresher more unique dishes we ordered. i still enjoyed it though.

🍠 and my absolute favourite: kumara chips ($7). this dish is thinly chopped kumara chips with sweet soy sauce and butter. the faint sweetness and crispy goodness of the kumara works so well with the sweet soy sauce, while the butter brings a rich, moist fatness. positive words to describe these kumara chips are failing me but trust me, this dish will not fail you.

we definitely ordered more than these items but unfortunately i did not take any photos as i was toobusyeating. so it is up to you to go there and try for yourself!

overall, i would rate:
🦪 the oyster mayo - 9/10
🥩 the beef carpaccio - 11/10
🍖 the gyu tataki - 11/10
🍗 the chicken karaage - 7/10
🍠 kumara chips - 15/10

i enjoyed every single bite of this meal. @nishiki_freemansbay_nz just never disappoints! cannot wait to visit again 💌

a reallybusyjapanese restaurant. we pre-ordered but were told we only have one hour to finish our dishes if we’d like to sit inside. so i asked the lady how about outside table, cause one hour might be a little rush for us , and the lady said the outside table were all booked. ok, but until we finished our dishes, the outside tables are still empty.

the service is quick and polite. the dishes are a little salty for me. the scallop is really fresh and tasty. and other dishes just salty and nothing special.

nishiki is always good;) i had winter special food today. seafood congee(porridge) ,pork something :) was verybusyn fully booked. so better book before you go:) kind staff:)

we have been coming here 20 years now.  consistently good food with a wide selection a small plates suitable for sharing.  we like most of the menu so never a problem to decide what to have. love the chicken skewers with mao sauce, the stuffed portobello mushrooms, the dumplings, the prawn and avo sushi roll is very nice and comes out slightly warm.  great service as it can get verybusyhere.  going to try their sister restaurant in melbourne when we go there.

if you like japanese, this would be a good recommendation. the portions aren't very large, but that explains some of the inexpensive prices they have on the menu. the service was actually very good when i went as the waitress was very attentive even though it was quitebusyduring the night - i recommend  making reservations before going in for dinner. 

if you like seafood and grilled meat with fresh salad and not a lot of sushi rolls, then be prepared to spend around $50, but the taste and texture would be worth it. if you are a seafood lover like i am, then a dish to recommend is the mayo oysters as the creaminess adds a better texture to the fresh oysters. since the dishes on the menu come in small portion sizes (like a big tasting menu) it's a good idea to try a few of them.

taste - 7.5/10
service - 9/10
size - 6.5/10
price - 7/10

we booked for 11 people and the seating arrangement was all too squashy (we were not impressed).  the waiter was quick to ask what we wanted to drink so that was okay.  staff was friendly.  we ordered, and i guess with 11 people, some of us got our food way before the others so waiting for the rest of our group to finish their dinner (around 30-40 minutes) so we could order dessert was a bit off . . . i ordered kumara chips, never again, they were cold and soggy.  i also ordered yaki soba which noodles with pork and vegetables, never again, it arrived half an hour after everyone else had eaten and they drowned it with fish flakes ???????  then it was dessert time, 9 of our group ordered friend bananas and ice cream, we waited for almost an hour, (we should've just cancelled after 20-30 minutes but didn't want to be rude). 

our table was full of dirty dishes, and they did not cleared at all throughout the night.  actually no they did take a few dishes away so we could fit our desserts on the table, but never came back to take the rest away.

the ambience was alright.

it was verybusyfor a wednesday night so i recommend that you book.    

it's very simple 'hire more staff' . . .

will i go there again ? ? ? . . . maybe not ! ! !  they seem cheap but you need to order more than one dish so it still adds up to be the same somewhere else, and there are a few lovely places around auckland central where you can get that :) :)

i've been to nishiki so many times and always enjoy the food here. although i must say, over the years, the food and service has gone down a little!! portions seem to be smaller, and as they are always sobusythe quality of food seems to be a hit and miss. 

i loved the chicken katsu and the last time i came here it was overcooked, the chicken was dry and katsu crumb was overly crunchy. a few of my dumplings were a bit burnt too! they seem to rush you too and tell you the exact time you need to leave and no longer allow split payments either.

despite this, its still a well-known, popular place which i will continue to go back too every now and then.

this place is a go-to for me when i want japanese but more than just the standard donburi bowl or sushi (but both at this place are so delicious). they have such an amazing variety for tapas, and i can't remember what the dish was called in my photo but they are creative in what they offer. it is oftenbusyso definitely make a booking. the environment is nice and the staff are efficient, free tea, hot water and chilled water are self-service but easily available. the vegetable tempura is a must try upon visit.

the best a la carte and best japanese food.
after having it once, my partner and i went back again a few days later. booking is a must because they are always full and the chances of getting a walk in seat is almost always impossible.

i was never a big fan of sashimi but after having the sashimi at nishiki, they've got me hooked. it was so fresh and perfect.

highly recommend getting their beef tataki and especially their dragon roll. best sushi roll i've had.
their seafood pot and tempura eel omelette are also very good and it's quite cool watching them cook on front of you.

service is also very good considering that they are superbusyand rushed, they manage to stay polite and are super nice.

i don't think i could ever go to any other japanese place again!

been here a few times. they're always reallybusyduring the week and crazybusyduring the weekends. booking is a must unless you want to wait 40 mins for the next available table. service is ok. some of them are friendly and some of them are like toobusyto care about service 👎🏼

food here is mostly like entree sized "meals" the only "mains" you'd get here are probably some of the rice dishes and the hot pot. pricing isn't too bad here either.

although i've realised coming back recently, their okonomiyaki is no longer grilled as it's (traditionally) meant to be. me and my partner figured it was more deep fried than grilled. it made it super oily which wasn't appetising at all. major disappointment.

also their salmon roe use to be so fresh and now it's just average. we were so stunned and impressed when we first came here and now maybe due to them being mega busy, they're cutting corners and/or not caring so much about the quality of their food. which is such a shame ☹️

really good selection on the menu, in fact its one of those menus you just cant decide, and you order too much!! 
the best seats for 2 people are at the bar. last time we went we were down by the toilets, and i am afraid it smelt horrible! 
food has always been good, service is variable depending howbusyit is. defiantly worth checking out for a causal meal, its loud, bright and busy.

love this place! awesome food, my partner and i got heaps of small dishes so we got try a range. took a wee while to come out as they werebusybut worth the wait. only downside is the bill can add up quite fast as the dishes are quite small. however, would not hesitate to go back!

food was lovely at nishiki. this place is alwaysbusyand quite popular so a reservation is highly recommended. came here with a group of friends and staff was really friendly and our food came pretty quick and they were yummy too. will definitely be back. thanks.

nishiki is one of the best japanese restaurants auckland has to offer! this place always proves to bebusyand if your not reserving a table beforehand - dont be surprised to find out that it is full house for the evening. this has happened to us twice in the past, so we make it a point to book ahead of time. where do i begin???? well lets start by sharing my top pics - the beef & tuna tataki, soft shelled crab, the deep fried tofu, and the gyoza are soooo delish and super fresh. the service is good. however there are a few things this restaurant could do care in - no:1 the decor is a sore sight, its very old and in need of a facelift including the washroom facilities. no:2 they need to introduce a proper cocktail creator and new cocktail list. their current cocktail list is what you'd expect a first time drinker to drink - lolly water. so those two points they get a 4 rating. but please dont hold back from going to this place because of the decor and drinks list, the food is truly amazing.