Kazu Yakitori & Sake Bar — Restaurant in North Island

Entering this hidden gem felt like stepping through a portal into Japan. The dramatic ascent up the stairs was accompanied by a warm welcome, complete with a staff member enthusiastically expressing greetings and drum beats.

Despite arriving without a reservation, the accommodating staff managed to squeeze us in before a booked slot. Transitioning from uncomfortable bar high stools to a table required a bit of persuasion, but the effort was worth it.

Navigating the language barrier with a waiter whose English was limited proved a challenge, but we successfully conveyed our order. The Veggie Dumplings were a standout—truly phenomenal.

The Garlic Tonkatsu Ramen, while delicious, suffered from a disappointingly small portion size, a letdown for any soup enthusiast witnessing a bowl arrive half full.

The Crispy Chicken Katsu, though conventional, ticked all the boxes for a satisfying dish.

Yearning to return, I look forward to exploring their lunch specials and indulging in a proper dinner experience while sampling their diverse sake offerings. The commendable decor and ambiance are a testament to their attention to detail. Well...

I've known the place since the original Kazu opened in December 2002. Of course, I am aware that the original shop no longer exists and that the owner has changed.

Having worked as a chef myself for over 30 years around the world, this experience was deeply disappointing.

Chicken Heart was not a problem. But the pork belly and gizzards were extremely tough. I assume they're pre-cooked as part of the preparation, but I couldn't finish them.

As for the chicken skin, after one bite, it was nothing but burnt bitterness. I couldn't swallow a single mouthful and ended up spitting it out.

When I reported this to the person who cooked it at the time of payment, he gave me a smug look and said, "It was burnt?"

I wasn't angry; I only said it because I didn't want him to make the same mistake again. It was just very disappointing. As a chef, I recommend tasting what you have made yourself.

It's truly regrettable that my dining experience at Kazu, spanning over 20 years, ends with this visit. There were other things I noticed, but that is quite enough. I won't be...

Very disappointed. We usually visit when we are in Wellington and were super excited to have dinner here again. Unfortunately service was not up to usual standard, and even worse undercooked then overcooked/severely burnt and unseasoned food… got told sashimi is 8pc but only got given 7pc. No one asked us for more drinks, literally had to ask to get a beer myself. It was the first time for the other people at my table so they were curious as to how the yakitori was cooked. Instead of letting us be curious, what I think was the manager said to the staff “table 4 (or whatever table to was) keeps looking over here, can you see what their problem is” in such a rude tone, loud and in Japanese… as a Japanese and working as a front of house manager myself, I was shocked. Didn’t do anything when we told them our dissatisfaction at payment.

Hope things improve because we used to enjoy coming here but definitely won’t be back...