Hikari Teppanyaki Queenstown — Restaurant in South Island

After reading many positive reviews, we visited this restaurant with high expectations — but left deeply disappointed.

It was a quiet Monday afternoon right after the spring holidays, with only two groups of guests in the entire restaurant. There was absolutely no reason for the service team to show such indifferent, almost rude attitudes.

When we asked about the portion difference shown in the photo, the waitress said she’d check with a poker face — and then simply disappeared. We had to flag her down again, only to receive a cold, dismissive response that “it’s the portion,” as if our question didn’t matter. We then asked if we could have a bit of rice to make the dish more balanced, and she told us to wait for the manager. The manager walked past several times but didn’t stop by until we stopped her to get attention by which time we had nearly finished our other dishes.

Keep in mind — there was only one other group in the entire restaurant!

By that point, we decided to return the dish. It wasn’t about the portion anymore — it was about the service.

To be fair, the salmon was nicely cooked and quite enjoyable. But the ramen was among the worst we’ve ever had — bland and even worse than the cheapest instant noodles.

The manager apologized, but the poor service and disappointing food left a lasting negative impression. Definitely a one-time visit — we will not be coming back or recommending this place to anyone who values...

This evening, our group was discriminated by this restaurant. When we arrived, we were asked if we had a reservation.. unfortunately, we did not book, but we did see a table inside that was NOT marked as reserved, and when we ask if we could take the table which was nor marked as reserved, we were turned down, and were told that they were "fully booked" for the night... BUT -- the funny thing here was there was another group (same number as us) just right after us, who we were VERY SURE did not also have a booking (since we overheard the conversation on our way out).. BUT SURPRISINGLY, they were taken in and were GIVEN THE TABLE NOT MARKED AS RESERVED --- WHICH WAS THE ONE WE ASKED IF WE COULD take (in a very nice way, but still we were told NO)... JUST UNBELIEVABLE, really!!!!

VERY much disappointed by this and will surely stay away from restaurants like this one...

They may serve good food... but be warned -- as this restaurant discriminates...

We love dining at Hikari Teppanyaki Queenstown and make sure to visit at least once a year. It's a popular spot, so be sure to book in advance! 📲

The food is served quickly, perfect if you're super hungry. Our kids love the bento, which offers a great selection of sushi, sashimi, salad, tempura, miso soup, and teriyaki protein with rice. For the grown-ups, we always order the house sake, beef tataki, and spicy beef ramen 🍜🍱

The staff are usually very friendly, though this time, one of them pretty much just threw the dishes on the table without telling us what they were. We were fine with it since we've been there several times, but it would be helpful for them to inform customers to avoid any mix-ups. We understand they were super busy 😅

It's a nice, casual dinner choice. If your budget allows or it's a special occasion, definitely try their Teppanyaki—you won't...