CAVE -Japanese Sake & Tapas- — Restaurant in Otago

There are plenty of Japanese restaurants to eat at in the Queenstown area, none however come even close to this. Greeted at the door and immediately seated by friendly wait staff. The tapas menu is large enough to give you a good selection of choices without overwhelming you. A broad selection of various Japanese food cooked to perfection by the very experienced staff. The authenticity of flavours was spot on, I should know having lived in Japan for many years prior to Queenstown. As a local it was very refreshing to find a stand out restaurant that had heart and soul and in every aspect of the experience. Hands down the best Japanese cuisine I’ve had the pleasure of eating in NZ.

Do yourself a favour and come dine in and eat to your hearts content (I’d recommended the Eel and pork katsu)

As before mentioned this restaurant and it’s staff are absolutely on point with flavours, presentation and service. I can’t fault them for a single thing and I thoroughly enjoyed my meal/experience there.

I’m looking forward to returning very...

Came in right at their opening for their dinner seating since we couldn’t manage to get a reservation, and was lucky to have a table for 90 minutes.

🍣 ordered 2 sushi rolls, the salmon avocado and the tempura prawn one, and they are just amazing - so much so that they reminds me of my favourite sushi roll! Do note that they don’t serve the same sushi during lunch, with the main difference being how they wrap the sushi, the different variety and price.

🐚 the scallops were okay, unique in flavour, especially the butter, but wasn’t as good as we thought it could be

🐖 the pork katsu was simply delicious too. I loved how thick the cut was, and yet how moist it was on the inside!

Given how much the sushi reminded us of our favourite sushi roll, and that the pork katsu was one of the best we had too, we decided to come by on Monday when they reopen after the weekends to try out...

With a cozy dining area with the sounds and smells of the open kitchen wafting through, and a lovely open air deck, The Cave has a lovely atmosphere in all seasons. The food is simply extraordinary!  The menu is wide ranging from the best miso soup I've ever had, delectable grilled scallops and juicy blue cod nori tempura, through beautifully seared beef tataki to the old favourite chicken karaage. Then there are the desserts!  We had three, then voted for which one was ordered again. I lost, but I still think the Roti Doughnuts coated with cinnamon sugar, vanilla bean ice-cream, peanut fudge sauce, and peanuts will make me go back again soon! Fantastic Japanese cuisine in a...