Banzai

Found this lively Japanese Sake/tapas place nestled off dominion road. It has a nice homely feel to it, staff are polite and attentive. The chef and kitchen staff know how to make their menu, which I recommend just trying off their different appetizer items, great to share around. We absolutely loved their miso soup (some of the best ive had in Auckland yet), hot sake went down well with salt and pepper squid which just melted into your mouth. They also brought out dishes as we ate them so everything was hot and freshly made. The dumplings had a nice light pastry and good filling, also tried the melted salmon nigiri which really did just melt in your mouth. For dessert we tried the bean paste pancakes and green tea tiramisu. Both were a great way to end the meal. The pancakes came with green tea ice cream that wasn't over the top with green tea flavour and matched well. All in all my sister and I were very pleased to find this place. This is definitely going to be our go to place for catch ups. Hats off to you guys at Banzai!

Great authentic Japanese restaurant. Plenty of choice on the menu. Small store and intimate atmosphere. Staff were friendly and very efficient. All the dishes except the sushi came very quickly and we're great. The sushi was hand made to order and the most delicious sushi I've ever had, just melted in your mouth!

Amazing experience with delicious authentic Japanese food and excellent customer service. Miso soup was yum and udon noodles were full of flavors. The chef Kazuma Ozawa is a down to earth person who is really talented with Japanese food. We were served by Alisha who was super nice, friendly and well spoken (turns out it was her only 2nd day there), so bravo for that. Will visit again soon. Thanks for the lovely experience

Have been coming here for years! Would highly recommend the Teriyaki, Japanese Curry and Katsu Chicken. The Sashimi Salmon and Tuna are also excellent options. The restaurant is casual but has a nice ambience, it can accomodate for larger groups too - I have come in the past with a group of 11. It can get quite busy so I would recommend booking a table ahead of time. Banzai is also BYO wine, and it likely one of the nicest BYO places on Dom Road. The prices are also reasonable with all their mains between $15-20.

Ordered spicy pork lamen and it came at the right spiceness, not too much and not that little. I like the space, harmonically decorated, with an authentic Japanese chef and full Japanese speaking staff. Few parking spots, so arrive early if you want to park within its premises. I guess the chef is very good on sushi and alike, so I should go for them next time. Worth coming !