Miyabi Japanese Restaurant — Restaurant in North Island

A Wake-Up Call for Miyabi I don’t write negative reviews lightly, but this one is necessary. Miyabi has been around since 1997, yet the current standards are nowhere near what they claim to be. Nor are the prices.

When I looked up the menu online, the prices were different from what we found upon arrival—the sushimi was significantly higher. Instead of properly updating the menu, they had simply placed small stickers over the original prices, with new handwritten ones.

We arrived early and were only the second table in the restaurant. We were handed a tasting menu that looked like it had survived a toddler’s birthday party—filthy, crumpled, and covered in fingerprints. It was, without exaggeration, the dirtiest menu I have ever seen in a restaurant. That alone made me want to turn around and leave. The main menu was slightly cleaner but still had price stickers slapped on.

Service was another issue. At one point, I accidentally knocked over my glass of water, spilling it onto the empty chair beside me. The waitress glanced over and asked if everything was okay. I explained what had happened while attempting to mop it up with the tiny paper napkin provided. She watched me struggle and then, from across the room, simply said, "That's okay" before continuing about her business. No offer of assistance, no fresh napkin—nothing.

The atmosphere was equally off-putting. The music was blaring—loud, bad ’80s-style jazz, possibly of Japanese origin, but completely out of place.

Now, onto the food. I don’t let atmosphere alone ruin a dining experience. I’ve eaten in remote island restaurants with dirt floors, centipedes, and chickens at my feet, yet the food was outstanding. But here, in the heart of Wellington—a city known for its competitive and high-quality dining scene—the experience was underwhelming.

The Japanese curry was tasty, but it tasted identical to what you can make at home with Golden Curry cubes from the supermarket and was mostly rice. The sushimi was incredibly expensive for what was offered. nothing special at all. The karaage chicken was dry. The dumplings were unpleasant, lacking any depth of flavor. The green tea tasted like it had miso in it—completely undrinkable. The entire place needs a serious shake-up. The exterior is shabby, the interior is just as rundown, and the food doesn’t hold up to the competition. To top it all off, the chef strolled through the dining area holding an enormous toilet key—yes, a foot-long wooden block labeled "Toilet Key"—on his way back to the kitchen. I hate to think how many other people have handled that piece of wood, after handling themselves in the toilet!. It was hard to miss, even without my glasses. just weird!

The ONLY redeeming quality was our waitress, who was friendly , but I’m genuinely surprised this restaurant has survived in Wellington’s food scene.

Come on, Miyabi. You can do better. There’s no excuse for filthy menus covered in food stains, and a lack of attention to detail. It’s time for a serious overhaul. Sorry guys, but I think you need to up your game to stay...

“5 star review for a free coke” That is why this store has such high review marks. In fact, this is very over priced and not worth it. Food tastes ok, but the serve size does not match the price (eg: $28 for one person meal that I would call it same serve size as a big mac on its own) Long wait time at peak hours, we waited for 30+ mins for our first meal to be on the table, rest came along about 15mins later after I have already finished mine meal. Also, a $25 tempura plate had one piece of prawn and one piece of fish and all rest are vegetables. Hugely disappointed and will never come again. Me and my partner ended up grabbing KFC because we spent $80 and was not even half full.

If you are looking for somewhere to hace sushi, ramen or Japanese food, I would highly recommend Tatsushi just few blocks away, they have way better food, atmosphere and service than this. Best I have ever been in NZ.

PS: I only take the coke to see how staff member reacts when people are trying to give them a good review for a treat. I indeed do not need a free can of coke when I spend over $80 for dinner for two. Reason I pretended to be happy is because I just felt I should not let a innocent waiter take...

Just speechless...First time in NZ where we were told not to come back when we refused to pay for the order that we have not ordered. They accused my friend for making an order for 3 dishes when he had only ordered one. And when he took the other 2 back by saying "sorry, I must have not made it very clear but I only ordered dumplings", they accused him by saying you admitted to your own mistake by saying sorry, therefore you have to pay for all 3 dishes as someone has to cover the cost... I didn't know it was a crime to have decent manners in New Zealand..(They must have expected us to say something like 'you stuffed up so take it back') Why would we have to pay for dishes we didn't even order or let alone eat when the waitress clearly misunderstood my friend's order due to her limited communication skills. Thanks for treating us like thieves and telling us never...