Satori Sushi & Sake Bar — Restaurant in Bay of Plenty

Overpriced, undersized, inauthentic, unwelcoming, not tasty.

First red flags come at the menu. $23 for two chicken skewers? $9 for two pieces of salmon nigiri? If there is enough salmon to sell two pieces of nigiri for $9, the nigiri is too big. Satori's nigiri is not too big.

Had the satori platter for two which includes edamame, 2pc nigiri, 9pc futomaki and tempura of your choice. Edamame somehow came last. Service was cold - dishes placed on the far side of our table without a word. They told us they can't do umeshu hot, which makes no sense as they can do sake hot. Just put the umeshu in the sake bottle! So it comes served diluted with soda and with ice. Flavorless and baffling.

Fish quality was mixed - decent for the nigiri, very poor for the futomaki. Unfortunately the rice doesn't hold together in the nigiri so there is no way to dip the fish in soy sauce without it falling apart. Futomaki quality is abysmal. Maki mono takeaway at Bayfair does a better job. Terrible fish, flavorless prawn, cloying cheese and a huge amount of tasteless rice.

Satori is unashamedly inauthentic and while I think there is nothing inherently wrong with that, there is certainly a lot wrong with the execution of this restaurant. Somehow Satori manages to be the worst of all worlds and doesn't even meet the mark set by cheap lunchtime sushi takeaway spots around town. In Tauranga, the standard is low, Satori still falls short.

Pros here are a better range of menu options than other Japanese places in Tauranga, Asahi on tap (wish I wasn't driving!), and a lovely outdoor garden area. If you come, reserve a table outside. Indoors is...

It was a fairly typical Friday evening in our house, I couldn’t be bothered to get creative and the Favourite Husband didn’t want gin and cheese for dinner. Preferring something light and potentially masquerading as healthy, we agreed on Japanese. Meaning the only option this side of the “dreaded bridge” was the Satori Lounge. We had previously discounted returning here after a dinner that left us feeling full and, frankly, quite nauseous. So I had reflected on this and concluded that the responsibility, or part thereof, may have sat with us and some ill advised ordering. So we returned, with trepidation, and a new found adult wisdom. This time we would choose smart. And did we ever. Sashimi. Big, chunky slabs of the freshest, most tender, tuna and salmon. Outbloodystanding. The seaweed salad was a hard pass from me. Too chunky, too “actual” seaweed. Like off a beach. I like my seaweed to not resemble actual seaweed in the slightest. I like sanitised seaweed. So I’m not going to judge the seaweed as I appreciate, my personal taste doesn’t really come in to it. On to mains of a chicken and avo sushi roll (no cream cheese - see earlier note re: nausea) This was lovely. And a Satori rice bowl with panko fried prawns, salmon and chicken. Very nice, but I felt like the chicken was processed. The service was of particular note. We interacted with, I think, 3 staff. All of whom, without exception, were so friendly and nice and polite. Let’s be honest, I’m sure they had places they’d rather be on a Friday night, but you’d never...

I booked online, for a group of 6, and noted down my allergies. I am a celiac with a couple of other allergies. We were looked after well. It was a full restaurant and very busy. Our wait times for drinks and food were not long at all. The waiter was very friendly and double checked with the chef to make sure my order would be safe and he wrote it down. They were mindful and careful. No allergy issues I'm pleased to say. Our cocktails and drinks were delicious. The new venue is beautiful, decor is modern and fresh and themed well. Even though they were full, all staff were friendly, smiling and helpful. Our guests from chch loved the whole experience and enjoyed their meals. The new menu has so much variety and everything is made fresh and is really delicious. The combinations you can select are endless, something for everyone. Gluten free, keto, vegan. The ceviche and seafood options are so fresh and delicious. Tuesdays are gluten free night as the fryers have all been changed so it's safe for serious allergies. I will definitely have to try that night. What a fabulous restaurant. Still dreaming about the food😊💖

Thanks again team Satori, we will be back 😍🌟

Sept 2025 Another amazing meals, food was amazing, service and staff amazing 😍 thank...