nishiki 錦

i've been here countless times, and the food is quite nice. sometimes if there are a lot of people their food quality is not as good, but generally this place is really quite delicious. their portion sizes vary every time which is quite weird, for example i once had an ebi avocado salad and the first i had it the portion was medium sized, second time it was tiny as, and third time it was very big. there's nothing too special about this place, but i would recommend it because it does havegoodfood.

we made a booking but were 10 minutes late. not a big deal. but when we arrived, we were told we only had 1 hour 20 minutes to eat and leave as another booking was coming. it was a bit rushed but not too bad except it took about 20 minutes just to order food which some of it didn't come for over an hour. we were told we couldn't order any more and we left starving. food wasgoodbut a bit pricey for what it was but service was an absolute shocker. would never go back again as they were way understaffed and we even had to go up and order our own drinks. wouldn't go again. 1/5 is generous for what it was.

the male manager or owner who is situated in front of the counter was not pleasant at all, everybody knows weekends are hectic but you do not have to show it on your face. food was average, chicken karage was fat and oily. no meat at all. more like a fast food restaurant than a japanese restaurant as you need to be constantly conscious on how much time is left. upon paying, there wasn't even a word of thank you as his face was so sour. there is other better japanese places to dine in, so please scratch this restaurant off your list. not agoodexperience at all.

overpriced and horrible quality of food, agoodexample of a ponsonby based restaurant where lost people just cum to who knows what they are up to

went for a byo last night and the food was really good. happy to see agoodvegetarian/vegan selection for friends too.

the food does take time to come out and just comes out as individual dishes rather than aiming to serve together - so definitely would recommend sharing rather than getting your own food.

i tried the chilli chicken and the salmon avocado sushi. both were delicious and would really recommend the dishes. i also tried the vegetarian yakisoba which was good. would definitely recommend coming here.

corkage is decently expensive at $7 a bottle so many cheaper places to go, but the food isgoodand the atmosphere is great too.goodjob on the staff dealing with all of the loud diners.

nishiki is extremely popular, with many customers crowded inside and a lovely slightly noisy atmosphere. it's clearly a favourite for locals and had the plus of allowing byo.

while the ordering off of ipads was novel and reminiscent of japanese sushi trains, the food itself wasn't great. perhaps because it was so busy, it took over half of the allowed time slot (which counts down on the ipad) for the first dishes to arrive. the sashimi was fine, but not so amazingly fresh or well presented as to justify the price for a plate. the fried chicken was crispy but not memorable - others have better seasoned or more interesting variations. the hotpot and claypot rice were sadly again small portions for the price. nm

none of the dishes were particularlygoodor value for the portion. we ended up spending $40pp but were not full at the end. it was a little disappointing as i really wanted to like nishiki but there are better options available centrally. i would only go if craving japanese in that area.

nishiki is a popular auckland japanese restaurant which is more than often very packed. the food is impressive and comes pretty fast. the atmosphere isgoodif you like being in a bustling and lively environment. you can order your food via their ipads which has both positives and negatives. one of my favourite japanese restaurants.

tried the freemans bay branch, after a bad service at the highland park branch (which used to begoodprior to the ownership change), and i’m so glad we did. this place is fantastic. will definitely visit here more regularly.

byo... yay!!! reallygoodfood and great ambience. for my vegetarian option, i went everything tofu. got a miso glazed tofu and got the agadashi tofu. won't rave much about the broth however the tofu on its own was amazing! crispy on the outside and melt in the mouth on the inside.

for dessert, we got the green tea mille crepe cake with sesame seed ice cream. and guys, shut the front door! cuz you would want to sit in nishiki and have that all day long... even all year long now.

would be going back again just for the dessert. super mind numbingly loved it!

busy little japanese restaurant, they havegoodrange of foods to choose from. their rice in broth was so good, not too salty and yet so tasty. quite small for the price but worth the money.

went there with two friends for dinner last week. when we were booking for 6pm we were told that we 'll have one hour to sit outside till 7pm. i consider we were lucky sitting outside rather than inside which gets really hot anyway. they installed screens on the tables now where you can manually order your food and it would show you how much your order is, what the process is and how many minutes you got left at the table as well. service was quick and staff polite. sushi and sashimi were fresh and we enjoyed them. salad was crisp withgooddressing. scallops were overcooked and fishy sauce just killed then. chicken karaage was notgoodand we find finish it but grilled pointy fish and eggplant pleased vegeterians. it's funny how you tell them that you are vegetarian and they nodding understandably then would give an order to a chef to grill something and there is one backet of sauce next to grill where everything goes for dipping before putting mushrooms after chicken or beef on the same girl ha ha.
i love japanese food but nishiki is lacking of japanese atmosphere in my opinion. it'sgoodfor byo before heading to ponsonby night

what a hidden gem! came here for a byo on friday night and it was great! we were seated outside but there were heaters so it was fine. the food was delicious - chicken katsu curry, prawn sushi roll, beef tataki, the agedashi eggplant just to name a few! the menu is so extensive! the service isgood/ they even gave us buckets to keep our wine chilled. the only thing is that the plates are quite small but when sharing you can order a lot and the price is so reasonable! with corkage we only ended up paying $20 each. definitely keen to come back and try more!

nishiki is always agoodplace to go for decent japanese food. my bff loves this place, and with her being one of the regulars - she has a must-have and for us are: oyster mayo, fish cake mayo, mushrooms and salmon namaharu. we ordered the grilled squid with ginger soy sauce tonight, while the squid was very tender but it would’ve been nice to have tasted the ginger, as it would give agoodoomph to the dish.
having said that my hubby and i love japanese food, hence we always like that little something extra - the essence of the japanese cuisine i suppose. nishiki feels a bit commercial to us.

nishiki is the perfect byo place to get drunk and be happy on a friday night. its menu is 70% fried and they're all pretty decent in flavour and taste (but i mean how bad could fried stuff get)?! the highlights would be tempura cheese (a first time for me), my friends loved it although i thought it's a bit too gooey and cheesy. they also have karrage chicken, katsu chicken (standard and spicy). their kumara chips were fried and then drizzled with a sweet and savoury sauce which i didn't like, but the swab of butter was icing on the cake! their oknomiyaki were pretty standard but their assortment of sashimi were quite fresh. overall it's a cheap place for agoodbyo dinner with decent dinner. recommend to go with a large group otherwise the $10 plates could add up quite expensive!

perfect place to dine when craving quality japanese food to share with family and friends! highly recommended for all who love japanese cuisine and agooddrink too. all the items on their menu are absolutely worth trying and there is such a huge variety you're bound to find dishes you'll love! 

i always order the dragon roll which has tempura eel - isn't always for everyone but it's definitely my go-to sushi roll. one of my favourite places to get takoyaki as they are generous in size and the sauce is amazing. their sukiyaki pots and other hot pot dishes are perfect in winter and are a must to have the hot fire on the table to warm everyone up! 

comfortable seating and attentive staff, however, it can get quite noisy most nights as it is always full and most people do consume alcohol. so if you are looking for a quiet place to have dinner, perhaps the east branch would be better. 

price is reasonable and is definitely filling even when sharing! 

food 8.5/10 
service 7/10
ambience 6.5/10
price 7.5/10