nishiki 錦

nishiki is an extremely popular and busy freeman'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 a busy restaurant, thannishikiis a great option.

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 particularly good or 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 likenishikibut there are better options available centrally. i would only go if craving japanese in that area.

byo... yay!!! really good food 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 innishikiand have that all day long... even all year long now.

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

no idea why suddenly i’ve dined at so many japanese restaurants. i’ve dined at thenishikiin east auckland a few times and i must say that i like the one in freemans bay much more. part of the reason, besides how great the food is would be the fact that they give you tablets. with these tablets you can then place your order and your food will be made!

i love scrolling through these tablets, just seeing whats on offer, we ended up getting some skewers as starters and then i picked up the winter special ramen and the katsu on omelette as the other main. taste wise, the skewers were smokey and the grilled salty flavour was perfect to get warm up your stomach. the bacon wrapped asparagus wash, was fabulous in texture and the chicken thigh was moist and delicious. our mains were wholesome and filling, overall the quality of the food was outstanding. i visited on a thursday and it was packed!

showstoppers: skewers and the winter specials.

overall grade: a

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 with good dressing. scallops were overcooked and fishy sauce just killed then. chicken karaage was not good and 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 butnishikiis lacking of japanese atmosphere in my opinion. it's good for byo before heading to ponsonby night

nishiki is always a good place 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 a good oomph 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.nishikifeels a bit commercial to us.

best japanese food in auckland, my partner and i always choosenishikifor our special day. like birthday or anniversary. we love the food. fast serving and good service. strongly recommend this japanese restaurant

i've been tonishikitwice now and both times the food has been great. there's a huge variety of small dishes (think tapas) to choose from and the good thing is you can order more at any time during your meal. only thing is because the portion sizes are small but delicious, it can get a bit expensive (around $95 for two of us, without drinks). despite some other reviews about poor service, staff were prompt and polite both times i've been there. it does pay to book a table otherwise they may ask you to leave by a certain time.

second visit andnishikidid not disappoint, really enjoyed our selection of dishes, great range to choose from and all were delicious.
busy night even on a tuesday but service was prompt and dishes arrived fast and beautifully presented.
really liked that it was well priced to and enjoyed our choices.

i have been tonishikimany times, mostly for byo. tonight i went for a casual wednesday dinner and was so yum as always! quick and friendly service. the ebi prawns and beef tataki are so good. so cheap as well! i love this restaurant.

i've been tonishikiso 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 so busy the 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.

been tonishikicouple of times with friends for enjoying nice japanese food and alchole. always feel satisfied at the end. board selections to please all kinds of appetites. the only drawback is the lake of friendly customer service, a friendly smile will be nice.

went here for dinner last night, looking at the massive menus oh man everything just looks bloody good so just ordered a whole bunch of random stuff to share. highlight for me was the octopus balls.. h o l y. but i put the whole thing in my mouth lmao and had tears streaming down my face cause so hot. they're mean though cause they have these little flakes around them that curl up in the heat..couldn't look away eh. also interesting desserts w red bean, sesame and green tea ice cream. and some with rice paper that i'd never tried.nishikialways good bar a couple of things like service is kinda slow cause it so hectik

love this place. the food is superb - fresh, flavoursome and lots of variety. prices are affordable and it is byo.nishikiis always busy. it's very casual - decor is average, menus are large laminated ones, and the staff pretty casual. but don't let that put you off - the food is fabulous

japanese winner. this is japanese izakaya style at its best. most people associate japanese with sashimi and high prices. not so, izakaya style is a very common and popular form of dining in japan andnishikihave managed to deliver a very authentic experience to auckland. huge menu allows diners to cater to almost everyones tastes and the izakaya style lends itself to sharing and trying many small dishes. food was great, prices very reasonable. we don't have this in adelaide you lucky devils, but we will return next time we visit ! enjoy it.